Otter Creek I'll [m]ake your timber shiver

Having heard his name roll off of the other's tongue, a shiver had threatened to creep down his spine. He'd subdued the tremor, but hadn't been able to stop it entirely, which was something he was quite annoyed by. Originally, he had thought that it would have been a good thing to escape the confines of the woods and venture to the sea, but being there had unlocked something within him. A desire that wished to consume him, urges that he had troubles fighting. He had to keep reminding himself that it wasn't right. That no matter what his body and subconscious wanted, he could not risk his family by acting so selfishly. Thus, he'd hidden it, for he could not vanquish it. The previous, involuntary trembling of his body had been covered up by a quick shake of his coat, acting is if some of the water from the creek had splashed up onto him.

There came the answers to his questions soon after, and this time he'd had a difficult time keeping himself in check. He'd swallowed, his lack of knowledge on the situation having resulted in him growing nervous. And when a step had been taken in his direction, he'd found himself unable to hide the buildup of nerves. "You can't say things like that," Xan had stated, his voice sharp and the fact that he was on edge obvious. "You can't call another boy beautiful, it's not– it doesn't work like that!" Right? Honestly, he didn't know anymore. He wanted something other than what he'd grown thinking was normal, and finally had the thought started to wear away at the mental barriers he'd put up. "If anyone nearby hears you, they'll think something's going on here." But would that really be a bad thing?