TW: Virgil kills and eats a cow. So, uhm... Blood and meat mentioned, sorry you vegetarians and vegans. Virgil is against you... Also, minor panic attack, really brief, and it's only a small description of one. To make up for it, I've slid in some stuff at the end UwU

Thomas had been on edge ever since he saw Virgil and those eyes again. He was too nervous to ask but he knew that the question would soon arise. Because he knew those yellow eyes from somewhere. And whatever memory they were tied to was not a good one.

The 'human' sighed, turning back to the fire that Roman had lit up with some help from Patton, who was feeding the burning, orange flames softly. Logan was reading something by the flickering light and Virgil was apparently pacing around but Thomas hadn't seen him once. Thomas wanted to trust him but he was slightly paranoid. Probably nothing...

Patton noticed Thomas's' unease. "Everything good, kiddo?"

"Yeah, I'm just... I just can't help remembering that night," He lied, glancing away. "The only other thing I found intact was this bear..." He mumbled and reached into a pouch.

Despite all he had already been through, Thomas had managed to keep a hold of the bear. Its' fur was now stiff and stuck up oddly after being submerged in so much salt water, it looked worn but still seemed just as cuddly.

"It's alright, Thomas," Roman smiled, placing his warm hand on the others' wrist. "Your people will not go unavenged, we can help them. If we just protect you from whatever is out there, we can make it. Beat up whichever bastards killed your people."

Thomas grinned back awkwardly. They weren't his people, they weren't his people, they weren't his people...

"Has anyone heard Virgil on watch? Or even seen him?" Logan asked suddenly. "I haven't picked up on his presence once and I have been trying."

Patton blinked and said slowly, "Maybe he's gotten distracted?"

Roman shrugged. "Or he's sitting in the same place and pretending he's doing something." Seemingly, the Water Kings' enchantment only visibly worked when Virgil was there. Maybe the spell had been dropped, Thomas didn't know how magic worked. He wasn't a mage.

"Or I melted so I can travel without needing to walk." Virgil sighed, pulling up from the ground. Patton screamed, jumping and throwing his arms around Logan. Virgil raised an eyebrow. "Well, okay, Patton."

"What do you mean by melt?" Asked Logan.

"Something I never usually have to do," Virgil shrugged, "but it's when I rearrange my human matter and become water. It's a much nicer way to move around if I ever have to break the surface."

Logan tilted his stone head. "Could you show us?"

Virgil nodded and focused for a moment before his form just collapsed to the ground, shredding away from the outside. Thomas quickly started from his seat, and leaned over to see a stream of water hurriedly slipping away. Virgil appeared sitting next to Roman. The Water King stuck his tongue out at the Fire King. "Bet you wish you could do that. I found food, by the way. Should I bring it back?"

"That'd be... great," Breathed Roman, looking slightly stunned. Virgil smirked up at him and then melted away. Roman sighed, hiding his face in his hand. "Bloody magic-singing-flirty-flirting-fricking-magic bastard..." He groaned.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Curious name..."

"He knows that he's doing it!" Complained Roman. "He is completely aware that he's doing it! The damn flirt!"

Thomas smirked, trying to hide it in his hands. "I mean, it definitely seems to be working well..." The Fire King gasped, offended.

"I think that Virgil's really nice!" Patton beamed, probably unaware of the previous conversation. "He's so sweet, thinking about us when he's found food!"

"Yes," Logan said slowly. "Although I'm slightly concerned what food he's going to bring-"

"Got it!" Virgil appeared from the darkness, tugging a large, terrified cow. "Here, look how much there is!"

Patton gasped, paling. "Virgil, that's alive!"

The Water King blinked and looked at the cow that was mooing fearfully. "Oh, it is. Don't worry I got this."

Thomas watched in half awe, half terror, as the others' teeth started to sharpen and double in his jaw, and their hands broke into vicious claws. The 'human' paled and began to protest, "Wait, Virgil-"

Too late.

Virgil had stabbed his hands into the ribs of the cow and bit down hard on its' neck, tearing a chunk of flesh from its' neck. The cow dropped to the ground, instantly dead, and Virgil sat back chewing ravenously at the meat in his mouth, making an odd, high-pitched hum as he seemingly enjoyed his meal.

The other Kings and the 'human all stared at him, mouth ajar and faces slightly green. That hadn't been expected.

"Of course," Mumbled Logan, his stony face suddenly a pale grey. "Carnivore."

Virgil finished the chunk of meat quickly, blood staining his mouth and fingers, the hum still coming from somewhere. He turned to look at the others, blinking his golden eyes. "If you don't want it, I'll eat it."

"Go ahead," Patton whimpered. "I think I've lost my appetite..."

"Yep!" Romans' voice cracked. "Go ahead, Virgil."

Thomas just stood up and walked away. The Water Kings' humming seemed slightly louder and he hurled himself on the cow, ripping off limbs and devouring them, stomach growling loudly. Now the initial horror was over, Logan seemed intrigued. He edged a little closer to the feasting Water King, examining the way the noise picked up when the other found something he found tasty. "What's the hum for?" He asked carefully.

Virgil looked up, lowering the cow's' front leg. "It's kind of a happy noise. I haven't eaten for two days, I'm starving. This cow is delicious." Virgil bit into the leg, hesitated, and let go, offering it to Logan. "Want some?"

"I don't need to eat," Logan assured.

The Water King shrugged and dived back into his meal. Roman watched on from afar, looking shocked, appalled and stunned. "I did not expect him to be so, well... violent," He said to Patton.

"Me neither," Patton whispered back. "What about you, Thomas? Thomas?" The Air King stared around. "Where's Prince Thomas?"

.:*:.

'Prince' Thomas was currently staring into the pair of yellow eyes that stared back at him. They were hiding up in a tree, peering at him through the leaves. They were watching him from their sheltered spot, glaring down at the 'human' hungrily.

Thomas didn't have the mind to feel suspicious, nor did he have the mind to ask a question. He had the mind to feel fear. He knew where those eyes were from. He had finally placed the memories. And they weren't good ones.

It was those eyes he had seen in the blazing fires of his home. Those eyes that had been mounted on a stallion in the burning, crackling inferno of the place Thomas had grown up in.

It was those eyes Thomas still felt boring into his skull no matter where he was, asleep or awake. It was those eyes that scared him and it was those eyes that Virgil had seen and smiled at. It was those eyes and Thomas felt his breath catch in his throat and the tears choke him. When had he started crying? Probably a while ago. The eyes leaned forwards and he stumbled back, spluttering and struggling the few feet he had moved away from his friends. He burst back into the firelight, stumbling and shaking as he ducked behind Roman, quaking.

"Th-Thomas!" Exclaimed Roman as the 'human' hugged him tightly. "What's wrong?"

"It was those eyes again!" Thomas breathed. "They're following me, it was those eyes again, they-"

Virgil, looking uncomfortably pale, melted to Thomas, trying to pretend his mouth and fingers weren't smeared with warm blood as he grabbed the kitchen boys' wrists. "Thomas, you need to breathe. Calm down, okay? Breathe in for seven seconds." Thomas shiveringly followed those instructions, Virgil counting quietly with him. "Hold for eight seconds, breathe out for four."

The 'human', after completing the exercise, took in a few of his own breathes, pumping out the fearful adrenaline. Once he had recovered, he pulled himself out of Virgil's' blood-soaked grasp and the Water King flushed, pulling back shyly.

"Thomas, what was the matter?" Asked Logan, putting his cold hand on the boys' shoulder.

"I saw those eyes again..." Thomas mumbled. "I saw them when my home was destroyed, I saw them in Virgil's' kingdom and I saw them on the beach. They were watching me from a tree, I swear."

Patton hesitated. "What do they look like?"

"They're big and y-yellow, they don't need to blink, they-"

"Well, no one has eyes like that," Virgil scoffed, almost defensive. "You're probably just paranoid, Thomas. Maybe you saw two embers from the fire that looked like eyes and you're now seeing them everywhere." Everyone stared as Virgil shrugged, as if insensitive. That was unusual. The Water King stood up, his body language hostile and defensive, and he walked back to the cow, sitting cross-legged and picking up a large piece of intestines he had laid to rest inside the animal.

Thomas stared after him. "You saw them too!" He stammered, and Virgil stiffened. "On the beach! You smiled at them!"

"That's ridiculous," Virgil rolled his eyes, forcing a hum. "I saw a bird and it was cute. I smiled at a bird, Thomas, don't know what you thought I saw."

The 'human' stared at Virgil, helplessly. "But-!"

"Thomas, Virgil may be right," Logan cut him off quickly, sorrow in his eyes. "You've been through a lot. Besides, the prophecy mentioned nothing about eyes following us, it only mentioned the five kings."

Patton pulled the human into a hug. "There's nothing after us, Thomas, there are no floating eyes. You're safe."

"But, Virgil, you saw them!" Thomas begged. Virgil ignored him, eating away. Thomas sighed. "Maybe I'm just seeing things..."

Roman hesitated and took Thomas's' hand. "Maybe you should sleep for a bit, buddy. It's been a long day for you."

The 'human' stared at Virgil for a few more seconds before sagging. "You're right, Roman. I'll try to go to sleep. There probably wasn't anything in the first place..."

"That's exactly what I said," Virgil said, tone softer as he watched the kitchen boy cuddle down in the grass, pulling out the small bear. "Goodnight, Thomas..."

.:*:.

Thomas woke up because something had been tickling his nose. He opened his eyes to see a feather brushing against his face, attached to nothing. He yelped, jumping back and seeing Patton giggling away to himself quietly. "Pat-!" He was cut off by Roman, who clammed his hand over the 'human's' mouth. The Fire King pointed over to a sleeping Virgil, who had a pile of leaves floating shakily above him. Thomas grinned, amused at the idea of the unsuspecting King getting leaves dumped on him.

Logan was already awake, brushing grass off him, and Roman had dirt in his hair. Virgil was humming gently in his sleep, slumbering next to a cleanly-picked skeleton of the cow from last night, unaware of the hovering leaves that were about to wake him.

Roman and Patton mouthed a count down which Thomas soon joined in and then the leaves dropped, covering the Water King, who screamed loudly, melting away and appearing behind Roman, clutching at the Fire King's' shoulders.

"Woah, you handled that well!" Teased Roman.

"Oh, shut up, fire-boy!" Virgil growled, crossing his arms. "It gave me a fright!"

Even Logan hide a grin as he said, "Actually, Virgil, you had the most extreme reaction out of all of us. I simply jumped, Roman started and kicked out, Thomas yelped but you actually screamed and hid."

Virgil's' face was blushing a dark violet and he tried to stammer out a retort but only managed to say, "Shut up, Logan."

Patton put his hands on his hips. "Now, kiddo, that's mean. Apologise, if you will."

"Sorry," Virgil grumbled.

"Like you mean it," The Air King ordered sternly.

Virgil huffed loudly. "Sorry, Logan."

"That's better."

Roman snickered and Virgil punched him on the arm. The Fire King gasped in offence and Virgil stuck out his tongue. Smirking slightly, Roman leaned forwards, sticking out his own tongue and tapping it against the others', who pulled back, stunned, a hand clamped against his mouth with the violet blush resurfacing.

Thomas and Roman bust out laughing as Virgil simply stared at the Fire King in awe. Logan sighed and Patton chuckled.

"Well, that was smooth, Roman!" Thomas cackled.

"I think I broke him," Grinned Roman, prodding the still Virgil. The Water King didn't move, staring widely into the distance.

"You definitely broke him," Sighed Patton, beaming in amusement.

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Roman, you really need to read up on ocean species."

"Huh? Why?"

Now the Earth King was smiling too, his stone features creasing slightly. "That move you just pulled is a siren courting move that means you want things to get very intimate, extremely physical and... incredibly sexual. You've basically, unknowingly asked to engage in sexual activities with him." 

Roman's' cheeks lit up with embarrassment and now it was his turn to be laughed at, Patton and Thomas practically choking on their mirth. "Oh my god, Virgil, I am so sorry!" Roman stammered, now holding his own hand to his mouth. "I didn't know, I didn't mean to do that!"

"It's fine," Virgil whispered, lowering his head stiffly and slowly. "I'm gonna catch myself some breakfast, I... I'll be back..." And he stumbled uncertaintly to his feet, leaving the camp with his hand still pressed against his mouth.

The Fire King stared after him and turned back to see Thomas wiggling his eyebrows at him. "Stop it, Thomas, you know I didn't know what that meant!" Huffed Roman, tearing a wedge of grass from the ground and throwing it vaguely at the 'human'.

"Boys, no fighting!" Exclaimed Patton. "Or I'll have to join in and I'll win!"

"Wanna bet?" Thomas grinned and he threw some grass of his own at the Air King.

Patton gasped. "Oh, it is on!"