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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Dec 26, 2019 22:52:53 GMT
The burden of being able to become a wolf seemed lost on the creature, even as Brynja seemed to consider the matter deeply before finally following. He didn’t even twitch at seeing the axe once more hanging at her waist, sniffing at the cut on her face, licking it gently once before deeming it satisfactory to move on.
With his longer stride, he was easily able to circle around Brynja as they went, but there was no wary gait to his step, no unease. Simply protective, as his flicking ears indicated. He was still scenting the air, undoubtedly checking for the men who had initially attacked, but his stride was leisurely, alternating seamlessly between two and four paws sinking into the snow. Occasionally, a burst of speed seemed needed, as he would lope a ways ahead, but more often than not would simply and patiently wait for Brynja to catch up, showing the jumps were not out of edginess, but perhaps simple boredom.
The wolf’s calm, even playful nature brought up a question, however. To be so dissimilar from the personality already met through Soren’s other form, and to be so quickly at ease with his human companion, seemed a far cry from the terrified response to Hrokr the hunter only a week past. True, he had taken down several men within minutes, but they were armed attackers after what he himself had promised to protect. This had been done without the edge of resentment, or an eagerness to be rid of her.
Was it only the man, then, who recalled being hunted and hated for what he was?
It was turning into twilight before the wolf seemed to grow tense, a subtle enough shift to suggest something was wrong. He had been fine up until then, even rolling about in the snow while Brynja took a rest break from their walking. Attempts to touch him were still met with questioning eyes, but the fearsome appearance was easily dispelled by his calm demeanor. He’d grown used to Brynja.
If there had been any lingering doubt as to who the wolf was, the change would have eliminated them. The wolf had moved on ahead, without looking back, before rising once more on his hind legs. But within a few moments, the long black fur seemed to soften, dissipating like smoke, or shadow. Brynja would have more easily recognized the figure that stood there moments later, one hand moving to a tree for balance as the other went to his face, letting out a soft groan before his hand made contact with the bark.
Then, a jump and now understandable growl as he jerked his hand back, looking down to where the fabric was gashed - right where the one sword had caught the wolf’s arm the night before. The sound Soren had let out was more defensive surprise than pain, looking over the injury before taking in the area around him, twisting until he met Brynja’s eyes.
Unexpectedly, he stilled, eyes widening as he watched her. Why was obvious; being changed for so long made it harder to remember all that happened, but he was used to one reaction to his other form. It was merely a question of how much had she seen…
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Post by Kelathi on Apr 4, 2020 0:18:40 GMT
Brynja had had enough time to school her expression before Soren met her eye, so when their gazes locked… she merely looked unimpressed, as if he had done something mildly annoying rather than anything particularly untoward. She’d had her suspicions, all the pieces had been falling into place with the wolf’s sudden appearance, it’s green eyes, the torc around it’s neck; but now they were completely confirmed she felt somewhat settled. All had come full circle, and for better or worse, she felt she understood Soren a little better now, especially his ever-present hostility towards her.
“It’s about time you showed up.” She commented, face stern and arms crossing. Why she had decided to react in such a way was curious. Questions that she might have otherwise asked had been inadvertently answered by his reveal, and she couldn’t exactly complain that he hadn’t warned her, as he had told her that he was a descendent of Fenrir, after all- even if she hadn’t truly believed him, or known what it entailed at the time.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Apr 4, 2020 0:32:41 GMT
Soren was stiff as he waited for Brynja’s reaction, the look of fear unmistakable, as for once it wasn’t masked by anger or contempt. She’d seen… she’d find hunters to bring after him and-
His breath caught a little at her remark, stopping the circling panic. Finally, he seemed to see more than his fears about her, eyes flitting up and down her to see the relaxed pose, the stern look and crossed arms, as if she’d been annoyed by him… as usual.
Had… had she not seen, then?
He couldn’t remember clearly enough. At times, he knew he could look quite human even when his mind wasn’t, so perhaps that had been it. He’d come out of the woods after changing, and only woken up after.
Yes, that was it, he clearly seemed to think, letting the annoyance rise up like a shield as his body relaxed, once more becoming the misanthropic loner she would readily recognize. “And here I thought you didn’t want me around in the first place,” he sneered back at her, a hollow expression given the fear he had just revealed.
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Post by Kelathi on Apr 28, 2020 20:51:21 GMT
It was interesting to see the change come over him, as for once, emotions other than annoyance flitting across his face. Then, he seemed to grow more relaxed… or at least, more himself, which meant he was again his guarded, pissed-off self. At his response, she rolled her eyes, unable to help herself. “Well, you have your uses here and there.” She replied cryptically. Placing her hand on the hilt of her axe, she glanced around them briefly before returning her gaze to his. “We should get out of here. I have a feeling we’ve pissed off the locals.”
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Apr 29, 2020 2:04:37 GMT
Brynja’s own dismissive tone earned a dark look, jaw clenched in annoyance. Damn it all, why did he still owe her?
And her hand was back on the axe. She looked about as if wary, Soren finally realizing he wasn’t sure where they were. He took in a deep breath, realizing they were a decent distance from the little cave they had found… how on earth had they gotten so far? Rather than questioning that, he decided to focus on the woman’s words instead, sneering at her. “Oh, really? I wonder what you did, then,” he noted, blissfully ignorant of the fact that it was his own actions that had caused the problem. This was why her next words caused him to pause, looking thoroughly confused… then, very concerned.
Exactly how much had he missed?
---
They’d found another shelter, albeit a less comfortable one than what Soren had dragged Brynja to the night before. More exposed, with a wind that kept toying at the idea of trying to put out their campfire. But the flames kept dancing and playing as if they weren’t at risk, standing strong in their small space.
It had become clear early on how little Soren remembered. Details that should have been obvious were clearly new to him, particularly given how he had assessed Brynja’s injury during their first unpleasant meeting in the tavern. He had been visibly surprised when he noticed the cut across Brynja’s cheek. He had no idea how they had gotten so far by merely walking, occasionally becoming turned around. His thumb kept working at the cut on his arm, questioning why it would still hurt so much even after it had been healing for a while. But he never once asked about any of these things, pretending he knew well enough what had happened. This shaky facade was always weaker when Brynja would speak in vague terms, and Soren was only kept from being more suspicious of her by trying not to look suspicious himself.
Sitting by the fire wasn’t helping his unease, the glower temporarily gone as he stared at the flames as if they held the answers. Worry and confusion lined his features, even with sharp retorts to any of Brynja’s questions. He just had to wait until they got far enough away from the last few days to be able to ignore this gap in his memory, just make it long enough for Brynja to move onto a new topic.
Unless his paranoia was right, and she was wickedly enjoying his growing unease.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 17, 2021 0:14:44 GMT
Soren seemed in an even darker mood than he had been before, if that was even possible. Clearly, showing another part of himself had made him even more uneasy, rather than causing him to relax a little in her presence. From the way he reacted to certain things, she had come to the conclusion that he must not remember what had happened, either that or he was stubbornly trying to keep from remembering. As his mood grew ever sour, he tested her patience, and she found herself growing increasingly annoyed. Even so, she noticed him fiddling with his arm again, and yet still made no move to bandage it up. Finally, she chose to speak up about it, as it was clear he was not about to ask for help. "Will you let me see to that?"
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 17, 2021 23:37:28 GMT
At Brynja’s question, Soren flinched, even though he was clearly trying to hide his paranoia. He looked as if he would refuse her help, stubbornly withdrawn to wait out the awkward silence, so it was quite surprising when he let out a sigh that almost sounded like a huff, offering his arm to her not unlike a peace offering.
Maybe if she focused on that, she wouldn’t focus on his responses to her. She had made no indication of what all she had seen, and while she acted as if nothing unusual had happened, there was no way for him to not feel his suspicions rising against her with every breath. It was like waiting for the axe to fall…
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 19, 2021 22:08:06 GMT
Brynja would not have been surprised if Soren refused, and she had gotten to the point where she’d happily pin him down and force her help onto him if it meant less complaining in the future. As it happened, though, it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary. Feeling only a little triumphant, his unwillingness to look at her irking her somewhat, she stood up and walked over to Soren’s side of the campfire, dropping down besides him and taking his arm. Reaching inside her satchel, she brough out the thing she would need, and set to work.
With his arm in her hand, and his wound being seen to, it seemed like the perfect time to bring up what had happened, although she was certain he would not think the same.
She started rather conversationally, casually dropping the bomb and confirming what he had already suspected. That she had, in fact, seen.
“So. You can turn into a wolf.”
It seemed as good a place to start as any.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 20, 2021 1:23:43 GMT
As soon as she began to work on his arm, even though he had offered it, Soren tensed, nearly flinching at her touch. Staring into the darkness beyond the fire, he hoped that she would be too distracted tending to the scratch to bother talking. Of course, he knew it was worse than that, to still sting so bad that he again winced as she worked on it, but it helped to distance himself from the moment to think about how she was wasting her time.
That was, until she spoke.
Soren’s breath literally caught in his throat at her words, eyes widening in panic. This was the same heart-stopping fear that had stilled him in the snow when the hunting party had almost crossed their path, like a cornered animal. Soren might have liked to think he’d be happy enough to scare her by showing his wolf form, but the truth was it terrified him to his core.
It was with these wide eyes that he looked over at Brynja finally, frozen in place, unable to pull away, as if she was holding the axe against his throat.
She knew… she knew.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 20, 2021 19:54:40 GMT
"By Odin! There's no need to look so serious." Brynja commented as she met Soren's eye, surprised by his fearful reaction to her. She continued tending to him as normal, no underlying threat in her movements or her voice, despite what her companion might convince himself off. "You once told me that you were a descendent of Fenrir, and I responded by scoffing at you. I'd have thought you'd be glad to finally prove your claims." She explained smoothly.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 20, 2021 20:31:01 GMT
Soren continued to watch Brynja silently, even as she expressed surprise that he was so ‘serious’ after her discovery, and that she was finally convinced of his bloodline. His fear didn’t subside, still stiff, not even able to shake, as she kept working.
At least, for a while.
Unlike the brooding figure that had been stalking after her step the entire journey, Soren began settling down so slowly it was hard to tell when the tension began to lessen. And unlike the dark gaze he had usually fixed her with, he studied her with a new intensity, quiet… uncertain, and thoroughly lost.
“You’re not... afraid of me?”
The voice that spoke was almost timid, it was so soft compared to his usual snarl. By ‘afraid,’ he clearly meant hate, the desire to destroy anything that was a possible threat to oneself. It seemed so incredible, so fantastical to think that anyone wouldn’t want to destroy the wolf. And yet, for once, he couldn’t redirect it to a deeply ingrained paranoia.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 21, 2021 22:41:21 GMT
“If I were afraid, do you think I would still be here?” Brynja countered, quietly. She had never seen him like this, so vulnerable, and unsure. She wondered what must have happened to cause him to be this way. Soren had helped her, even as a wolf- did he not remember? If he truly meant her harm, he would have caused it already, not shielded her from it.
“Anyway,” She continued, her voice lightening. “You’re less ill-tempered as a wolf.” A quirk of a smile on her lips. “Although, perhaps slightly less civil.” She added, amused as she thought back to the wolf pinning her to the floor when she wouldn’t do as she was told.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 22, 2021 5:41:50 GMT
Without seeing her as an enemy, Soren was completely at a loss as to how to respond. His gaze fell away, uncertain what to say, struggling to understand this response to… well, him.
Her more light-hearted remark earned initially a shift back to glaring out into the snow, reverting to his default of being irritated at her description. Her second comment, however, made his eyes open wide again, although it wasn’t a look of fear as he turned back to her, but one more of embarrassment. “Wait, what did I-“ he began, but quickly cut himself off as he revealed more than intended, yet again turning his head away to try and hide some of the blush.
But a blush from what? What could she have seen that would earn such a strange little look? While it had been his fault, he wasn’t used to many looks from her that weren’t annoyed or angry, so a smile, even a faint one, felt completely odd.
Despite everything, he didn’t withdraw his arm, even though he seemed loathe to let her keep hold of it. She was tending to it, helping him, true… but there was a sense of tolerance that he hadn’t had before.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 22, 2021 11:00:44 GMT
Soren’s response only confirmed her suspicions that he had no memory of what had happened whilst in his other form. Brynja thought this amusing, inspiration rising within her as to different ways she could use this information to tease him in the future. But for now, she stayed her tongue, not wanting him to pull away before she was done tending to him.
Once she was done, she looked over his arm once more before she was satisfied, then stood up. “We should move on. We need a town, a village, something. Horses would be ideal, an actual bed to sleep in at night would be a blessing.” She announced. Somewhere to rest properly, to let their wounds heal before she considered their next steps.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 23, 2021 1:27:11 GMT
Soren snatched his hand back as soon as he felt her start to pull away, checking it as if feeling a powerful need to find something to be suspicious of. Finding nothing, yet again, enhanced his sulk.
So that part of his personality was not lifted, but some of his biting edge was. He looked up at her as she spoke, immediately rolling his eyes. “First of all,” he began, his tone sour but somehow different from his other complaints, as if he wasn’t actively trying to find fault… for once.
“I thought the entire purpose of this journey was to avoid towns, and thus avoid those who would prefer to see you dead,” he went on, looking a little irked that they had been freezing the whole time if she was just planning on going into a town later, nevermind that he was about as popular with people such as Hagan chasing him down.
“Besides,” he added, eyes dropping away momentarily as he brought up an actual issue, not quite able to keep her gaze as he spoke on the subject. “Animals… they and I… we don’t do very well around one another.”
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