"Get up," the wolf growled from the dark corner she had taken residence in, golden eyes gleaming. "You are a wolf."
Zombie forced herself to stand, shaking the image from her mind, though the words continued to echo and rattle her; they had haunted her entire life and drove her survival. She had been alone, always, and wasn't sure she knew how to be a wolf— or if she ever would. It was in these moments of lucidity that she understood, in her bones, that she wasn't normal. That her instincts were irreparably broken. That she was, and always had been, other.
She exhaled slowly in an effort to loosen the knot in her throat, stepping slowly along the shore of an island-ridden lake. Its tranquility calmed her anxiety, and in the daylight, her fears of being alone in the Wild seemed silly. She was a wolf and nothing could harm her.
Lost in her own thoughts, Zombie didn't notice the male until he was chuffing in her face, and her reaction was unnaturally cat-like. She did not submit, high on the knowledge that she was wolf and not prey, but neither was she intending to challenge— she hopped backwards, dropping into an awkward defensive posture with her head low and guard-hairs ruffled.
"The past," she responded automatically, her voice rather relaxed for her posture and the situation. "It's a neat trick you have, appearing out of thin air like that. Are you from the future?"
She frowned at him, shifting from her defensive posture to simply sit back on her haunches. Her electric eyes fixed upon him with a mixture of hurt and distrust. I'm not stupid, you know,
Zombie scolded, I can tell when someone is mocking me.
She had been quite serious, for all her nonsensical words, but it was clear in the young male's manner that he was not. Still, in this sort of mood, the she-wolf was forgiving (or perhaps just lacked attention span).
What happened to your eye?
she asked politely, since he clearly wanted her to notice. Then, after a beat, Couldn't protect yourself from the baddies?
Guess the future wasn't all that great, after all, she thought smugly.
Zombie accepted the story of a three-headed monster, nodding her acknowledgement with a small frown of concern. Shame on him for hiding the real threat! Why didn't you just say so?
she questioned, the words dripping in the worst kind of disappointment— the kind you get from your grandparents. She shook her head and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth to drive the point home.
Uh,
Zombie's eyes narrowed at his next statement, rude.
Some part of the she-wolf understood she was getting up there in years, but her mind was definitely locked somewhere in adolescence. Finally, I'm a wolf,
she clarified proudly. We don't just lay down and die. Besides, I'd rather look half-dead then act like I have worms coming out of my ass. You don't, do you?
she queried, taking a few steps back, Have worms coming out of your ass, I mean?
what am i even doing with this character LOL.
She shrugged, then sat back down. She knew worms were a thing, vaguely recalling the humans calling something a dewormer back in the metal place... but Zombie knew that was a dangerous line of thinking, and consciously redirected her thoughts before Jinx could have words with her. This was the first conversation she'd had with another wolf in a while, and it was going considerably well. Still, she watched a little warily as he tucked his tail around his bum, as if to keep the worms out (or, uh, in).
That was dumb,
she commented, without anything resembling tact. Why would you sign your kid away like that? You haven't even met them, I assume,
Zombie paused there, contemplating the tangle that was time travel, or like, have you, and they're terrible?