CHPT 415: My Realizations, My Listener....

A few hours had passed since the Camaco entrance team had returned. Ursula was surprised at the fact that nobody was covered in blood or running from a squadron of Enforcers and Demons. Tame wasn't really their thing, at least not since she'd joined Claude in his adventures as a Lupine and Slayer of Demons. But, when it came, she welcomed it..... by being paranoid.

The hours since their return had blown by in a cascading blur of the same activities she'd assumed Claude and the others were doing during her slumber. Exercise, cleaning, scouting. She'd done it all and now passed the anxiety filled time with..... arts and crafts. It felt comical to do something so mundane considering all they'd been through thus far. Maybe that's why it was so calming....

The sand running through her fingers, it's smell-- so earthy and dry as it rode into her nostrils on the rich night wind. Winds cold enough to chill a man from the north. Winds cold enough to make her disdain the idea of going back to the Estate where her father exuded temperatures over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit by simply existing. Such a feeling didn't even feel like a memory as she picked up mounds of the glimmering golden sands and packed them into a structure she knew nothing of. There was no goal, no purpose other than to maintain the lack thereof. So unlike her dreaded home. Even the creatures relaxing around her, calm.... quiet, embracing each other's company. No snide remarks or judging glares that she often found in the eyes of her brothers and father.

Eyes.... despite their simplicity when considering what they are, with context, they are expressive. Sometimes agonizingly so.... other times beautiful, innocent, curious-- yet to take in all the world has to offer.

She picked up another mound of sand and placed it on the slowly shaping structure in front of her. Using one of her thick and calloused index fingers, she poked two holes in it. Yet to shape the indents into anything more than what they were. Like eyes in a golden stone statue. Eyes, easily found if you look.

Like the eyes watching her intently in the distance. Small, youthfully bright even in the dark of night. Their icy blue shade reminded her of her own despite their goat-like appearance.

The eyes moved in the darkness as the owner of the twin frozen jewels hopped and skipped about in the sands. The smell of fear was tangible-- but so was the gaze of curiosity.

"Come on..... I've watched you stomp out a Cyclops and ride off on a PitWolf that probably weighs more than a Horse. Why on earth would you be scared of me?" Ursula said as she raised her hands innocently.

A huff resonated in the distance followed by two more. Inhuman, but communicative, nonetheless.

Ursula nodded, "Listen, kid. I may have anger issues..... but I think I'm way more approachable than your older brother and Claude. Those guys are grunts-- but me? I'll shoot the shit with you. Come... come have a seat and I'll show you."

More huffs, Ursula didn't relent. In time, the eyes came closer in the dark, under the light of the stars and the growing proximity form was made clear. A small frame but well developed-- forcibly due to a life in combat. The young one bounded toward her on muscled legs and dense hooves, his whole body sheathed in a light-brown almost golden fur. She'd seen the same color and texture on little boy's heads all across the Angelos District. His face more human than goat-like still held fangs and lengthened jaws. As he sat across from her warily, she could see the beginnings of brown sharp horns growing from beneath the thick mop of golden brown curls on his head.

His blue eyes bounced from her to the sand structure between them.

"Sup, Canis." Ursula finally said.

"Hm." Canis grunted and sniffed at the structure, his sharpened ears flickered with interest.

Ursula suddenly had an idea, "Uhh.... I'm no architect, but I think I can make something that'll interest you.... all kids like sandcastles right?"

Canis did something that seemed similar to a nod.

"Boom. Watch this." Ursula said before she began working away at the mound of sand. Purpose had been born in those moments as she went to work. Canis even began copying her by picking up mounds of sand to hand her.

Time passed in a flash of shaping, failing and remaking until a foot tall castle of humble beginnings sat between them.

"Now for a little elemental badassery..." Ursula mumbled before holding her hand out to the castle.

CKCkckckckcshhhh....

Blizzarding winds radiated from her palm, freezing the castle into a stiffer more solid shape less likely to break. She did the same after making two stick figures out of the sand-- even giving them horns and tails. She handed one to Canis, he looked at her warily.

"Again..... you, Cyclops. Me, sand. We're on the same team, dude." Ursula said.

Canis sniffed the frozen figurines before taking one. The cold touch caused him to shiver briefly as he sat in his criss-crossed position similar to Ursula.

Silence fell. Not what she was aiming for.

"Well.... play."

"....hoo." Canis replied flatly before licking the icy outside of the sand figure.

"No, no. Like this.."

Canis watched as Ursula brought the figurine to the castle and acted out traveling it's many decks, floors and shallow corridors.

"You know? It looks boring as hell, but you have to use your imagination to spice it up..... or else you're just holding sand covered in ice in a desert..... erhm." Ursula said, feeling defeated by the end of her statement until Canis copied her.

A few minutes later and he was in his own world-- even taking Ursula's own figurine to act out battle scenarios and games that looked eerily similar to king of the hill.

She watched on in amazement the entire time. For a moment she couldn't consider anything else. She couldn't fathom finding him in a Tangent and having to kill him. Not when he was so..... hell, he was like every other child she'd seen. He was like her.

A thick tongue suddenly slapped against the side of her face and nearly concussed her with the force of the blow. Ursula turned and found a two tusked fangs bordering the front and back of her head. In the middle a canine snout remained, jaws open and tongue lolling.

"Frosty.... welcome to the club. Canis and I are embracing our inner child and considering the state of the world. The last one's just me though, I think...." Ursula said as she patted Frosty on the side. It felt like hitting a concrete wall covered in a fur rug.

Frosty huffed a dozen globules of canine snot from his black button nose in understanding before trotting away from her and over to Canis.

The two had a bond she would've never guessed at. She suddenly wondered if Frosty ever interacted with Claude in such a way when he was younger. Maybe Canis was a happy memory for him, she couldn't say for sure. All she knew was they looked cute now but became horrifying the moment combative scenarios were involved. Like a Monstrous Goat-Knight and his godly tusked canine Stallion..... only they both still had years of growing to do.

"Y'all are something else, man." She commented as Frosty licked Canis' hair clean while he played in the castle-- even beginning to make sounds and mannerism that felt increasingly more human.

Frosty eventually turned away from Canis and began sniffing and licking at the castle. She told him to stop a few times, but it seemed the cool feel of the ice outer shell was too tempting since the VanaWarg licked it clean off and got a noseful of sand.

Sand and noses didn't mix well.

"Hey.... hey, Frosty..... don't you fucking do it." Ursula said as the Canine beast raised it's snout with a slow inhale and shutting of it's eyes.

CHOOO!

Frosty sneezed loud enough to wake the dead and obliterated the sandcastle in an explosion of icy shards and cold sand. When the dust settled Ursula, Canis and Frosty sat looking at each other covered in sand and surprise. All was silent until Canis began hooting and laughing loudly.

Similarities again.

***

Ursula stayed with Canis and Frosty for a while after Frosty's blunder, even rebuilding the sandcastle with Canis more involved than before. He'd warmed to her since he first bounded over like a youthful rabbit. It was a nice-- a welcome change to the blood red gore of what life had been for the past month.

Speaking of change. Claude had finally stepped out of the encampment, she never heard him leave but he was out, checking on and taking care of his many Tamed Beasts. It almost felt funny to remember when he was proudly introducing her to the young and powerful Pitwolf Frosty. And despite all the change, he viewed them all the same.

His back was to her as he squatted down by Diamondback who lay against the backend of the encampment. Claude was checking his feet and claws, Ma floated beside him as he explained to her what he was doing. He looked so different in those moments with his shadowy hair nearly hitting the sanded floors and his new armor that made him look like a modernized primal warlord.

As she watched him she abruptly brought back to the idea that only hours ago he wandered into lands he knew next to nothing of with the possible intentions of killing a man...

Something about that made her sad. It also reminded her-- despite the calmness of their return, Claude was distressed. Incredibly so.

That hadn't changed-- she could practically see the tension in his back muscles beneath the armor and stylish green cloak.

Suddenly she was on her feet, leaving Canis with Frosty to entertain themselves in the grueling process of building sandcastles without the aid of magic.

***

"Natural scaling around feet and claw damage despite increase in activity hours... small injuries scabbing over naturally-- no infections...." Claude rambled off to himself as he ran his hands over Diamondback's giant clawed feet and reptilian scaled ankles. The Primal ignored his poking and prodding's as it slept on a full stomach. Gil sat like a dog nearby, watching the night beyond despite his lacking eyes. Claude was watching too-- looking without his eyes. Instead with his ears and nose.... and his connection to the life around him.

Smells of honey and flowers..... footsteps sinking in the sand-- hair ruffled by the wind.

"Everything ok?"

Ursula. Claude turned and nodded before returning to Diamondback.

The two sat in silence as she came and squatted next to him.

"I'm going to try that again, what happened?"

Claude smiled, "What?"

"You know we're connected in the brain, right? You can't hide your inner turmoil when it's in my face.... metaphorically speaking-- magically speaking?"

Claude nodded in understanding, "Yea..... that's a point."

Ursula's eyebrow raised as she looked over at him, "Just a point? Not a good one?"

"Nope. More like a pain in the ass-- it's nothing you need to worry about, is all." Claude waved her off.

The mixture of sadness and irritation that filled Ursula in those moments was disastrous as she bit her lip while watching him.

In the silence, Claude finally looked up from Diamondback to find her staring. He aimed a single slender bronze skinned finger at her, "You look like Frosty when he doesn't know if he wants to lick his food or bite it."

Ursula lunged at him like a bear beginning a vicious mauling, "Stop shouldering everything you over responsible dumbass--" She grunted before taking him down.

"Aye-- Ursula what the--!" Claude grunted as the two wrestled in front of the animals that seemed to be able to care no less than they currently did.

She was strong-- Claude was stronger, but she had technique and determination beyond his own in those moments. After a few seconds of scuffling and Ursula's familiar laughter, he found himself in the oddest of predicaments. The left side of his head in the sand, a woman's chest at the back of his neck with thick fingered hands in his hair and an arm laid across his body. Her warmth was ironic considering her magical affinities.

Loba purred in silence..

"[Well..... I never took you for the little spoon, Claude.]" Arne commented.

"I don't even know what that means." Claude said flatly.

"[I'm aware..... and it's infuriating.]"

"You're infuriating."

"[-- Talk to the damned girl before I have a stroke.]" Arne said with irritation.

"Ursula..."

"Hmm?" The hum of her voice radiated from her chest and into his back.

"This is a terrible grappling maneuver, to be honest."

"You're dumb." She replied. Claude could hear her smile despite the remark.

"Yea.... yea." He had no other words, at least not one's meant to be spoken out loud as she twisted a lock of his hair.

"Can you talk to me, please? I think it's unbalanced as hell that you get to be my listener when I need it but it can't be the same in reverse."

There it was again. The Ursula beneath the wild brazen Berserker. He wondered if that was all that was there when she was younger.

"I..... I think it's a bit more complex than that--"

"Nope. Fuck that. It's simple."

Nevermind. The Berserker was back.

Claude shrugged, "The only reason I haven't told you is because it pertains to you.... and the things I've done to you."

"That's fine." Ursula said.

Claude sighed, "Right.... ummm.... Cassidy wants to become a Lupine."

Ursula inhaled silently.

Suddenly a deep shadow loomed over them. Claude looked up to find Rollan standing in the way of the moon, it's rays lined his frame like a Lunar Aura. His blindfold once again strapped to his face and failing to hide the perceptive gaze of the eyes beneath.

He could've jumped, but something about knowing Rollan could literally travel unseen.... possibly through an entirely different plane of existence, allowed him to accept. That seemed to be the case for Ursula as well.

"Monsier..... Madame, we must plan. We have a boat to catch tomorrow, no?"