Stone Circle what thing worthy of love can be found in me?

@Murdock, tags for visibility

While she doesn’t talk much to Wardruna still, she can feed off his anxiety. He hasn’t directly told her his concerns about Murdock, or if there’s any displeasure she’s spent more time with @Valette in the den with the puppies when he’s gone out and done something else without her. They provide good warmth when she stays near, but she still hasn’t opened up from her shell and she can tell the mother isn’t entirely sure about her watching them alone. There is no harm she can do to them, given their (assumed) relation, but she still hurts when she sees them.

She has said her goodbyes to the alpha, and to @Steph, @Clary, and @Ezra, before she slips away from the den and return to her own. Sometimes Wardruna waits for her but this time she walks alone, her steps confident she knows where she’s going. She hasn’t spent much time in the rest of the pack but she remembers her time here and how to get around and where most things are. Noma does not move with speed as she walks through the territory, almost aimlessly working on her way home.

193

Murdock was lying at the base of a lonely oak tree, snoozing the day away as he recovered from his wolverine bite. It was still paining him, and any movement tended to crack the wind-dried scab that'd grown over it. But he was happy under his tree, with the scent of pups nearby and the worst of the wind kept off his back. It was a good life he had here at Easthollow; something he was taking less and less for granted these days.

He lifted his head when another wolf passed by. There was Noma, the skinny girl that War kept. Murdock was still suspicious over the situation, but it seemed a good sign that Wardruna was letting her out of his sight, now. The male chuffed at the younger female, his tail wiggling in friendly greeting.

She does not notice Murdock off to the side until he chuffs. Her ears twitch flat against her head and she slows to a stop, glancing over to see who is calling to her. Her last interaction with Ezekiel hadn’t been that great but feeling fearful of someone she’s known for a long time is the last thing she wants. It is only a small part of her that realizes she can’t keep this up forever but the rest is drowned out by illogical string of thoughts and paranoia.

Noma tightens her jaw and glances the way she’d came for any sign of Valette following her and back to where she’d been going for any sign of Wardruna and when neither are evident of any arrival, she returns her green gaze back toward him. In that moment, she realizes she doesn’t know (remember?) his name and Wardruna hasn’t spoken of him since (not really, anyway). Instead of speaking, she wags her tail a little, beating the inside of her rear legs and nothing more.

174

Although part of him was tempted to put his head back down and release the girl from any obligation to stay and interact with him - he sensed that she was uncomfortable enough already - he had told Valette that he'd keep an eye on the situation. That meant it would probably be smart to try and get her to open up to him, far-fetched as the idea seemed.

"Ain't gonna hurtchya, girl," he said to her, not liking the way she was holding herself. Murdock, for his part, remained lounging and lazy. His wound was on full display. There could hardly be a more non-threatening wolf in the pack between the two of them in that moment.

Valette had told her about the wolverine attack (assuming since she’d been in the den a few times since) but she didn’t have all the information. She focuses on the wound for a few seconds while he assures her he isn’t going to hurt her. It pulls her attention back to him, not having suspected he would hurt her, but she nods in understanding anyway. Something makes him familiar but only in the finer details, the shape of his cheekbones and the way his eyes are set.

“Is someone treating that?” she asks, her voice soft but not so quiet a voice she’s used with Valette or Ezekiel. He hadn’t been here before and wouldn’t recognize her.

117

A wave of guilt and discomfort rippled down his spine, but aside from a tiny motion and a slight stiffening of his stance, he showed no outward signs of it. If he told Noma the truth, there was a chance it might get back to Valette, and he didn't want her mad at him - but he thought lying to Noma might be worse, since he wanted them to get off on the right paw, here.

"Not really," he admitted, his ears flipping back in embarrassment before easing to the side of his head once more. He wasn't too bothered by it; it would heal or it wouldn't, and death had stopped scaring him a long time ago. "Why? Are you a healer?"

It surprises her to hear no one has been treating the wound. She doesn’t know all who is left in the pack since her last time here but she can guess Krypton has gone again, and Phiipa too. She hadn’t told Valette of her skills (despite the woman already knowing what Adeline can do) and Wardruna doesn’t know what she’s capable of either. At first, she considers lying and shrugging off the question. It’s the easiest thing to do. But if no one else is caring for him, she doesn’t think she can let it get infected.

“I know a little,” she says though she doesn’t close any further distance, or offer anything yet.

114

At her admission, Murdock gave a wag of his tail, glad to have made progress. He remained optomistic for a moment or two, but when she did not come nearer, the male began to realize that there was a long, long road to travel before she'd trust any of them.

"Don't worry about it, hon. I'll get Keoni to look at it," he soothed, casually dropping the name that Valette had mentioned. He knew of the pale, mute girl, but they'd not had much interaction. She'd been nearly as squirelly as Noma. "You don't have to look at me like that, you know. I don't need anything from you."

Though the words were not quite polite, he meant them to be balm on her anxiety. He wasn't looking for her help, or even for information. She and War could keep their secrets, as far as Murdock cared. As long as there was nothing untoward going on, he really didn't need to know. "But if you end up needin' someone, you know where to find me. Understand?" After all, if Noma didn't want to be saved, why should he even try? He'd jump in if he was asked, but not before.

Noma frowns when he tells her he’ll get someone else. Keoni. She saw her the other day, briefly, and it had been an… interesting exchange. She hadn’t seen the girl since she was small and she’s another wave of guilt piles on to all the rest. As Murdock points out the way she’s looking at him, she turns away, not realizing she’d been looking at him in any way in particular. She licks her lips and feels her chest sink now wishing she could go about her way.

“Okay,” she says quietly, with a nod. She doesn’t turn back to him in case her expression gives off anything else. After a moment, should he not add anything else, she carefully begins to continue the way she’d been.

127

Murdock laid his head back on his paws and watched the girl go, wondering what life had done to her. She seemed so uncertain and brittle - perhaps he was merely shocked at the state of her, and had blamed it on Wardruna because he was the only one around.

It wasn't as though he was lining up to emotionally and physically carry Noma's burdens. If Wardruna wanted to take all that on, more power to him.

Murdock fell back into rest still feeling bad about the exchange.