( closed. )

[wolfchild]

CHARACTERS: assorted foolhardy souls
DATE: spanning a few days
WARNINGS: none atm; but arya and nymeria are both terrible
SUMMARY: meetings and follow-ups; pm for a starter

[ every night since she was brought to this dead world, her dreams have been empty. a belly empty of dream meat. ears empty of the songs of her little grey cousins. a heart, empty. as if something that had always been there…abruptly gone.

the kindly man would be pleased if he knew. if she told him. she would not even if she could. she would never be able to lie well enough. if he asked her how it felt, she fears the tears would choke her voice. she goes to bed each night hoping. she wakes each morning disappointed.

she has been so many people. maybe it was only a matter of time before she truly began to lose her hold on arya stark. the kindly man would look on her proudly. a sorrowful nostalgia blooms blackened flowers in a chest left aching and hollow.

until she wakes to a hot puff of air across her face.

her room is dark, the bed warm. she can feel the presence, warmer even than the bed, smelling of pine and soil and air and something older, something deeper. it's the smell of the northern wind rattling her shutters. it's the smell of her favorite red blanket when she wrapped herself in it. it's the smell of the warm grey walls of winterfell. it's the smell of her wolf when she would sneak the pup into her bed and nymeria would sleep curled up at the foot of her bed.

a tear squeezes past eyes still closed, then another. a rough tongue laps at the salt on her cheek. arya sobs, her mouth stretching into a watery grin.

her eyes blink open. nymeria is a shadow darker than those behind her, but her eyes glimmer strangely gold.

arya throws her arms around the wolf's neck. trembling, she clings to nymeria. the wolf makes a noise low in her throat and noses sweetly at her hair and shoulder. arya cries and arya laughs, until, spent, she tangles her fingers through the long thick fur. she breathes a gentle, contented sigh. ]

Comments

[unburdening]

[ stand down, she orders, as if he has a weapon, as if she's certain he'll accept orders from her. she's better armed than he is with that sword of hers, so there's nothing for him to do but stay still, tensed, glaring at the wolf that this little girl so easily calms. ]

That's a wild animal, [ he says, as if this is somehow going to be news to zo, as if this isn't the first live wolf he's ever seen. ] I don't know where you found it, but it's dangerous. To you, and to me.

[wolfchild]

[ grey eyes narrow. making sure he is watching, she leans over. she kisses nymeria sweetly on the nose. the wolf does not start away or snap at her or in any way behave as anything other than harmless with the girl — even as the look in her eyes when she looks at bellamy is as wild as wild can be. ]

She is dangerous. But not to me.

[ zokla strokes the grey fur. ]

Come, Nymeria.

[ it takes a few seconds. zokla coaxes nymeria into turning away. curling up again, she rests the massive head on her paws. zokla sits beside her. leaning back, she can pillow her head on nymeria's side. her fingers twist the silver baby bracelet around her wrist. ]

[unburdening]

[ well, that sure happened.

zokla treats the wolf like an old friend, like a domestic animal, something he has no context for outside of old movies. but it's undeniable that the wolf -- nymeria, of course that's her name -- knows her too. more than knows her: cares for her. bellamy doesn't sit, still too on edge in its presence, but he does warily take a few steps closer. just a few; he keeps a healthy distance away. ]

So that's what you do when you're not climbing up a bookshelf? Making friends with wolves?

[wolfchild]

My father did name me Zokla, [ she answers too sweetly to be anything but mockery. either the context or maybe the magitek helpfully translating the word provides the meaning.

the girl named wolf lets go of her bracelet. she has to tip her head to bring bellamy properly into view. she is tilted and so he is too; any more and she would view him practically upside down. ]

Why are you out here?

[unburdening]

He knew what he was doing, [ he says, head tipped sardonically.

the last time zo sat down around him, he'd crouched to match her height; this time, he remains standing. there's no way he feels comfortable enough to relax around such a big animal, leave himself so exposed. ]

There a reason I shouldn't be? [ then, a shade lighter, ] Wolves aren't the only ones who go outside sometimes.

[wolfchild]

Yes, but wolves live outside. [ this is obvious, bell, keep up. ] Most people like walls and roofs.

[ while she speaks, nymeria is silent. still, she does not look away from bellamy. there's a strange intelligence reflected in the golden eyes. like the animal is in the process of judging him. her stare only breaks when zokla cards her fingers through nymeria's fur. the wolf licks affectionately at the girl's fingers. ]

[unburdening]

[ he's tempted to say: i'm not most people. but that's not true; he'd spearheaded the project of building a wall around the dropship, and months later he couldn't think of a safer place than within arkadia's walls. wilderness for him has, for a long time, been synonymous with danger, with death, with war. even now, he steals glances to the woods around them as they talk, half-expecting wild animals or attacking grounders.

instead, he shrugs, tries to keep his eyes on zo and not on the strange wolf. ]

I'll have plenty of walls and roofs when I go back home. Right now, my friends and I are living in a space station.

[wolfchild]

What's that? [ asks the medieval fantasy princess who spent hours playing, fascinated, with a faucet. ]

[unburdening]

It's like a building up in space. [ being on the ground has, at least, got him used to being around people who aren't as familiar with the ark or its level of technology; he hardly pauses before answering. ] One where humans can survive, up there. We have our own air and water supply, and we can generate our own food.

[wolfchild]

[ zokla sits up properly. her eyes lift when he says "up there" as if she might see this space he's talking about floating in the sky or behind it or — ]

With the stars?

[ doubt mars her tone. but a lighter edge points to a want to believe. ]

[unburdening]

With the stars, [ he confirms, reflexively looking upwards himself.

there’s nothing to see, of course. the go-sci ring might be visible above the earth he knows, but it’s a long way from here. ]

You can see a lot more of them there than down on the ground. The moon, too -- it’s much closer.

[wolfchild]

[ these are not stars she knows. this is not a sky familiar to her. but she lifts her hand as if she might high-five the sky — or, more accurately, reach the moon she knows. ]

Can you touch it?