Duck Lake Prelude I

And so like the sun did Icarus rise, too—

As the long forgotten comfort of constant meals left it was an uncomfortable pit that settled itself within it's absence.. A gnawing feeling, a cluster of festering bees writhing between his guts; begging, urging, longing for what was once a staple. A hunger that reminded him with every step. 

His body— thin and malnourished was weak from the long travel, and so he was drawn to the sweet scent of fresh water. Wading within the soft tall grass he surveyed the land around with nervous eyes before daring to drink his fill with a gluttonous reverence.  Drip did the liquid, gliding down his chin and neck, soaking the fur below with carelessness. It was only when his stomach felt it would pop would he stop, lift his head, and breath raggedly into the cool afternoon air.

she thought that reverie had come back to say more things into her locket heart.

a place forever safe from prying eyes, a place where she fiercely held all of her beloved. even if she had come to learn that she would frequently need set them free.

this was her systir, though. this one glowed in that familiar way, but it was a he. thin and worn. a boy that had not had a meal in she did not know how long! it instantly tugged fiercely at heart strings. she thought about all the faces she nurtured, all of those she collected and healed.

— even if she had come to learn that she would frequently need set them free.

she would not leave him here.

her voice came out in a doggish bark, warm and welcoming.

In turn would he find another— 

A wolf—no, a stranger

Uneasiness tugged at the boy's mind as she appeared within frame. A lithe thing, an unknown thing. His ears perked and his tail flicked at his hocks, and the boy regarded the stranger with a feigned openness.

"Hello—" Would he softly sound into the air before words caught within his throat, dying harshly at the surprise that was her appearance; a flat face.  "I'm not intruding, am I?" He would question fearing that perhaps he overstepped a marked border in his hunger.

hallo,

she voiced back softly. she stood with the posture of a cautious young woman. not prepared to fight by any means, but even her grand need to help could not have her caught off guard. she hoped.

and she had not understood his next words, but she questioned him back warmly.

need halp?

The boy's words seemed to pass without acknowledgement, whether that be by ignorance or otherwise he did not question, nor care. Only the pit that bubbled beneath the fill of water mattered, and nodding his head to the stranger would the boy graciously take their offer. "Food?" He would rasp, "Do you know where to find food?" 

Icarus was tentative within his steps, head bowed low to hide the soft flesh of the neck less there be an attack, though he doubted a girl of this stature could do much. And yet, he  was reminded that himself, too, was not much.

food.

he had the looks of a boy who needed a meal. a look that she would always carry beneath a thick pelt herself.

come, her voice beckoned with warmth.

she thought she had spotted scavengers picking at something between here and kvarsheim. she had intended to pluck the meat for herself, for her own, but he would have first pick now.

he need only trust her as she led.

A single word spoken into the gentle air was all he needed.

And Silently, he followed with hunched form, dark eyes stuck on the frame of stranger's slender back. It was then that he noticed the odd placement of pale fur- thick and bunched in corners and folds, yet thin and sparring in other places; a collage of patches. The boy wondered if she was from here—her coat a mix of winter and summer.  Or perhaps she was ill... It would explain the flat face.

Though he did not question, fearing she would not answer. After all, Her words had been little and he doubted the topic would come off as anything but uncomfortable and odd.

there a deer.

well, once a deer. old and brittle. meat mostly gone from other scavengers, some larger than them and some smaller. still there was enough meat to strip off before it went sour. a few ravens hopped off, although they seemed to not go far. not startled at all by the arrival of two poor things.

eat,

this she instructed him with a bit of a firmer tone. inclined to sit aside while he had his fill of what was left.

A carcass on the verge of turning; He smelled it before they arrived, it's rancid scent strong in the wind. Its bones- once held by flesh and tendons were now strewed across the earth- bare for all, 'cept the main hollow of it's abdomen and skull. 

His parent's lectures rang clear in his mind. Stay away from kills not your own. But did he have a choice? He glanced at the woman again as she gave a short command. He thought  about it for a moment, wondering if it would make him sick, but the rumbling of his stomach broke through, and with a nod the boy approached to take his fill.

He ate fast, his teeth awkwardly grinding against bone as he pulled flesh. There wasn't much- but what was there was enough to leave him feeling satisfied.

"Thank you," he muffled between gulps. 

It was only when finished would he back off and raise a fore paw to sheepishly wipe his dirty face. "What is your name? You should eat too—"

he was a good boy.

a thought that may have been ill if spoke aloud, but in her heart it rang true. age mattered not when it came to manners. she had seen some younger than her kinder than the old faces.

name. eat.

she smiled softly. he was the one who seemed to need these meats. she could go home and eat her fill of anything she wanted. she did not think he had such a luxury.

a soft shake of her head towards him. she would not eat.

still she raised a paw gently to her chest. bjarna. then that same paw stuck out to gesture at him before it settled back on the ground.

you?

"Bjarna." 

The word felt twisted upon his lip, his voice garbling it horribly. He felt the need to repeat it silently bjarna, bjarna, bjarna. He was never good with names- such things were fleeting in the life of constantly having to interact with newcomers was forced. But he wasn't home anymore, he was here. He could change if he wanted to. 

In time he realized the stranger was no longer one with little to say, but divided by a wall of language. Instantly he felt a little dumb at not picking up on it earlier and would smile, wagging his tail in an effort to be a little more expressive for her. Just as she did, he rose a paw to his chest. "Ikaros—It's Ikaros," he would reply sheepishly before returning to tentatively pick more meat from the bones.  

"You're a pack wolf- yes?" He would ask before wondering if she would understand such a sentance. "Err—Not a lone wolf?"