Stone Circle constellations forming skin over fragile bone

It does not take long for Wardruna’s approach but she doesn’t move right away. His scent is thick upon the air and her nose flares a little, ears alert to hear his crunching footsteps close in. She hasn’t been receptive to his attempts as another might have but her desire to continue on has come and gone. The strain of being in Easthollow has been too much, too worried they’ll eventually figure it out. Some days she wants to reach out to them, hide behind them from Wardruna, but most days she doesn’t want them to see what she’s become and the shame she’d have to face after everything she’s gone through.

She does not move when he speaks her name, but the next thing to fall out of his mouth draws her attention.

We should talk.

Both eyes open, looking at him from across the boulder. He mentions Sif, the stranger from outside the pack, and slowly she sits up as he says her name again.

...giving you your freedom.

It takes a lot of effort not to snort at his remark but she holds it back and bites her tongue when it’s apparent he has more to say. Instead of turning and leaving, letting her fend for herself—in her home pack, it wouldn’t be hard—but we wishes for her to stay with him. She stares blankly at him a few seconds and slowly licks her lips, uncertain what to do with it.

”What did you expect when you take someone against their will?” she asks but there is no harshness in her tone. While she is curious, she does expect some backlash of the question. Even when she’s spoken the truth to him, he’s gotten upset, and she shifts her position on the stone. It is strange looking at him from her elevated position.

But what does her freedom mean now? She still is at the whims of whoever comes next, whether it is Easthollow that helps her back to health (they won’t let her suffer) and leaving into the world of winter will bring her her demise quickly. What is left of her life has been drug out longer than it should and it seems so far away.

She doesn’t directly address the last bit of information. He drops his promise to terrorize her if she does anything to harm him and a small part of her doesn’t believe him. How is it this easy?

”I can’t stay here, anymore,” she says, picking herself up and slowly—carefully—drops down to stand on the ground. If choosing not to stay in Easthollow involves not seeing him anymore, she won’t complain, but it had been a mistake to begin with. It had been too risky. She doesn’t move right away but she stares at him, alert ears cupped forward.