You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
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Newborn
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Post by Whisper on Jan 8, 2022 16:44:53 GMT -7
The gladiator tournament was over. Or at least, Stark’s involvement in it was over. Thank the fucking gods. He had limped away from the battlefields with both shoulders split open and bleeding, bruised pectoral muscles, and a pang in his left side every time he inhaled, indicating a possible cracked rib. He felt some pride in his victory against the painted stallion called Aftershock, but his next two battles had not been successful, and so here he was, his pride injured as well as his body. As it turned out, he had misjudged how savage the fighters of this new land could be, and he had pranced into the fray overly confident, even though truthfully he was out of practice. Well, pride goes before a fall, I guess.
As much as the tournament had humbled the roan stag somewhat, it had not deterred him from wanting to make his mark somehow. If anything, the battles had made him realise that, in the long term, he did not want to just be known for his fighting skills. Brawn could only go so far, and the risk was always too high. No, he could confidently say that his days of violence were over… at least, for the time being. Someone (some wise-ass, probably) once said that ‘violence was never the answer’, and while Stark could not in good conscience completely agree, he had to acknowledge that the statement still held a kernel of truth. No, information would be his mistress now. Information, and the secrets of others. That was where true power lay.
Night and snow were coming quietly, almost imperceptibly, as the blue bronc limped through the forests that skirted Kular Valley. The snow wasn’t coming heavily yet, but the chill in the air was sharp and unmistakable, causing his sore joints to ache even more. He would need to find somewhere to rest, and soon. Luckily, a small overhang of rock up ahead looked suitable. Stark limped over to it as fast as his legs would allow. Suddenly, the wind changed, and a new, dangerous scent flooded his nostrils. Wolf. He stiffened, ears flickering nervously, but could see no predators lurking in the trees. A hallucination? But then, a faint whimper sounded from beneath the rocky overhang. Cautiously, Stark approached, muscles tense, prepared to flee or fight for his life in spite of his injuries. But in the shelter or the overhang, shivering against the biting wind, was a young wolf pup hunched in a tight ball as though trying to hide from him. As he took a step closer, she looked up at him with golden orbs that seemed to glow in the dimming light like twin flames. She whined again, a pathetic sound, and in that moment Stark could see that she was no threat. A beat or two passed, as he weighed up the possibilities - a wolf companion? Was such a thing possible, or did it go against all the laws of nature? Was it fate? A sign? Had he not once been known as the Blue Wolf?
“What the hell,” he muttered with a shrug, stepping closer to the pup and snorting at her gently, letting his breath warm her shivering body. For a moment the little carnivore seemed frozen in fear, but then as the fear passed, her posture seemed to change. Her tail started to wag and her pink tongue licked tentatively at his muzzle, before she curled up near his feet and went to sleep.
Well, that’s one of the weirdest things to happen to me.
Stark had been solitary for most of his life, a lone wolf, preferring solitude over the company of others. But perhaps he could make an exception for this little creature, the emblem of his identity. She would be not only a companion, but perhaps, one day, a fierce and protective ally - something that was harder and harder to come by these days. An ally that needed a name.
“Senka,” he muttered, thinking of a long-gone filly from his childhood, his little shadow of a half-sister who used to follow him everywhere before his father took him away from the herd. “Your name is Senka, kid. Better get used to it.”
"Speech"
Tagged: --- Words: 703 Notes: In which Stark finds a new fwend ^^
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