Hushed Willows i won't let you fall tonight

this thread is so cute, omg!

 

The Ghost, with a lift of Banner's shoulders taken as confirmation, deduced that crows were off the table and was contented with that. No doubt there was plenty of fowl to bring her so she could select prime feathers ...or however she deduced that … before taking the free meal that came with them or tucking it away into one of the pack's caches. From his time spent in the packs as The Officer's targets, despite how much of it was acted and forged, the Ghost was well aware that a pack's food caches were extremely important. They ensured that the elderly, young, recovering and pregnant wolves had food if fresh kill couldn't be brought back to them. They were useful reserves in the circumstance of natural disasters, or also provided small meals between patrols. Nevertheless, the fact remained: stocked food caches were crucial.

He watched with unbidden, albeit his usual silent curiosity as blinked at him, swallowed and then closed her eyes. Yet, she did not keep them closed for long, for when they opened the beginning of a question had spilled from betwixt her lips though she cut herself off and never finished it, instead suggested softly, quietly that he could stay here. His gaze widened slightly, as it sunk in as he struggled to process it. To understand the suggestion (despite that it was simple) and furthermore why he wanted to accept it. Again, it was not something he could understand. It simply was. But he was subservient, the life of a slave was all that he knew. He did not know how to function in a pack without The Officer's commands. But he could learn. The Officer was dead, by his own tooth and claw and he wasn't a slave anymore. He bore the brand of his time as The Officer's peon but he realized when he'd tried to replace The Officer with Phiipa, and now staring at Banner with a softness in his gaze that he didn't have to be that anymore. He wasn't sure if he could ever be anything more than a subordinate but no doubt that was all that Banner's leaders would ever ask of him: be a subordinate, accept their word as law, carry out their commands.

That much the Ghost could do, happily even. “We can see if your leaders will accept me,” He wasn't sure how well “assassin” would look on his resume but it translated well enough to hunter and tracker. Essentially, it was the same thing simply with different prey. “Maybe-,” He paused for a second, licking his chops as he thought. “maybe I should give myself a name. Ghost was like “Boy” something impersonal for The Officer to call me,” For the longest time the Ghost had thought that “Boy” had been his actual name. He'd learned that it wasn't and that he hadn't needed a name but “Ghost” was adequate enough to use to address him. Or “You”. “You” had been The Officer's personal favorite. “I don't remember the name I was given when I was born,” His docked tail twitched with a phantom pain, a small shiver. He didn't think about it too much for fear of having a flashback as he had when Phiipa had inquired about his docked tail. “The Officer called me Buchanan once. He'd been high with fever but he kept calling it out, to me,” Perhaps it had been the Ghost's given name or perhaps The Officer's son or lover — regardless someone that the Ghost had reminded him of. The Ghost had never asked knowing that it would only bring punishment upon him. “I don't know,” It was the Ghost's turn to duck his head, suddenly bashful. “I kind of like it.” He admitted with a lofty shrug unable to help but think that by all means he should have hated it. Yet, he didn't, for there was some part of the Ghost that liked to think the name “Buchanan” was associated with a different version of The Officer. A man that the Ghost had only glimpsed at that night, taken with fever as his master had been.

Ghost didn't come right out and say it but he invited her opinion on the name, glimpsing up at her to guage her reaction to the suggestion, thinking that he could always remain the Ghost if she didn't like it. That, at least, was familiar.