ok, so they’ve tried avoiding water - that hasn’t worked. maybe they just have to approach it…slowly. one step at a time. there’s something to be said for exposure therapy, isn’t there? Spider certainly hopes so, because otherwise they’re just approaching the coastline and shaking violently for no discernible reason. and that’d look pretty silly, wouldn’t it?

you’reokayyou’reokayyou’reokay. it’s the theme song to their terror as they come to a halt by the shore, eyeing the lapping waves with open suspicion. at least it can’t jump up and bite them, that’s for sure. or shore. heh. “focus,” they hiss to themselves, glancing out at the collection of small islands in the distance. maybe if they just try to make it to one of the small ones?

their paw shakes, but they lift it up from the sand and hover it over the water, slowly lowering it despite the warning alarms blaring through their brain. the sloshing of waves fills their ears, and suddenly they’re terribly aware of their heartbeat as it pounds against the walls of their skull. c’mon, just a little more… a particularly large wave comes surging forward and water leaps up, spittles landing on their outstretched foot - which draws a startled yelp from Spider as they stumble backward. they boggle at the shoreline, feeling a mixture of shock and betrayal. it does bite!

"Speech"

This was the absolute furthest he had gone since he had been taken by the Vikings. He kept expecting any moment now for Vidarr to appear behind him, and snatch him away. That Demon did have a habit of always appearing when he was least wanted. He had intended to go out near this farm but he had caught Spider’s scent. The annoying, tiny pup always had a habit of showing up near the Viking pack. It was rather one sided - as a slave, Strai could never turn up at Spider’s door. But the smaller wolf more than made up for it.

Today? Today the tables would turn. He fully intended to sneak up on the little dark wolf. Or at least, that had been the plan until he reached the end of Boreas, and thought that Spider had entered the water.

He immediately began to scan the shoreline, looking for signs of the wolf. As he did so, he began to scowl. There would be no sneaking up now, and it was difficult for Strai to follow. He hadn’t done much about his ignorance of swimming yet. He’d never had a chance to learn before his parents were… well.

Just as he was resigning himself to leaving Spider to it, he spotted the dark wolf. They hadn’t entered the water after all! Instead they were… playing with it, hovering a paw over the water. He stepped up behind the other wolf, not speaking until he was directly behind him. “Whatcha doing?” He asked.


"Speech"

”whatcha doing?” still on edge, Spider jumps again, a full body jolt that nearly has them tripping over their own feet. embarrassment flushes through them, heating their pelt as they turn to face the culprit - only to blush even harder when they find themselves staring into Strai’s purple gaze. had he witnessed all of that? “o-oh…hey…” they give an awkward wave, trying to take a few subtle steps to widen the distance between themselves and the water. today clearly isn’t a good day for fear-conquering. tomorrow, maybe. “i was just…ya know, hanging out by the water…heh heh.” they can’t let Strai know they’re scared of water; they’ll never live it down! and yet when they try to smile it comes out strained, and their gaze keeps flicking tellingly to the water and back to Strai’s face.

"Speech"

Strai tilted his head and studied Spider critically. That had been… a pretty decent jump. As much as he’d realised the idea of spooking Spider, he hadn’t expected them to react quite so strongly. His expression turned into a squint as Spider continued to act shifty. He trotted closer to the black wolf, brushing past them to look into the water below. He didn’t see anything.

He looked back at Spider. “What are you hiding?” He asked, voice serious. He and Spider might be friends now, but that didn’t mean Strai trusted easily, and Spider was acting extremely shifty and unlike themselves. Normally they were the bubbly bright one.


"Speech"

Spider picks up on the suspicion in Strai's voice immediately and bites back a wince, their mind a twisting labyrinth of conflict. on the one hand, if they tell Strai he might think them weak or silly for their terror. on the other hand, if they don't tell him...well the boy has trust issues, and it won't take much for him to start suspecting they're up to no good. they've fought hard for this friendship, after all! they can't jeopardise it because they're feeling mortified a little embarrassed. besides, friends are meant to confide in each other about this these kind of things! they have to give Strai a little more credit. lifting their chin, they push aside their reservations and decide to boldly admit the truth. "i'm...scaredofthewater."

oh, yikes. that hasn't come out right - time to try again. "i'm scared of the water," they admit, this time slower. their shoulders rise instinctually, hunching up to their ears in a defensive stance. there's a trembling vulnerability in their voice, one they hate themselves for but can't seem to overcome. "there was a flood, and...and..." their voice chokes off, and it takes a few heartbeats before they can properly speak again. this time the words are barely a whisper. "i nearly died." it's the first time they've properly voiced it, this terrible thing that's been festering away inside them. it leaves them feeling light and bare simultaneously, like they've shed a burden but also lost a layer of armour.

"Speech"

Strai squinted suspiciously at Spider as he waited for them to come clean. It wasn’t the first time he’d jumped to confusion with the other yearling, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. When Spider did tell him what was going on, he blinked in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting that. Had he ever seen Spider swim? Come to think of it, no, he hadn’t. Spider sounded very worried about it, too. “Why are you scared of the water? It doesn't bite you know” He said, despite his own experience nearly drowning the last time he’d gone in too deep. Details.

But Spider wasn’t finished, and would go on to explain about a flood, and a near death experience they had faced. “Hm.” he said after a moment, and took a step closer to Spider. He awkwardly reached out a paw and patted them below the leg. Yes, comforting. He was very good at it. “Okay, so what do you want to do about now? Are you going to let that fear beat you?” he asked.


"Speech"

once again, Strai’s cool-headed practicality soothes their fears like a balm. of course, he doesn’t entirely understand - they know it doesn’t bite, thankyouverymuch - but they appreciate his attempts to comfort them, especially as they know it doesn’t come naturally to him. that he’s here trying to help and wanting to come up with a game plan really means a lot. “well,” they begin, “i was going to try exposure therapy, ya know…make myself touch it and look at it…” they give a full body shudder at the very notion, and shrug miserably as they gesture over their shoulder at the waves. even now, they can barely look at it. “but you can see just how well that’s going.”


"Speech"

“Ahh.” Strai said in understanding, fully appreciating why Spider had looked so nervous and jumpy when he had approached them now. Perhaps they’d also been a little afraid they’d fall into the water when they startled. Perhaps it would have been better if they had. He glanced over at Spider speculatively. How angry would Spider be if he pushed them in? There was only one way to get over your fears, and that was to face them. His mother hadn’t been afraid to push him into confronting his own, either. So perhaps that was what Spider needed.

“Exposure therapy is probably your best bet” he said speculatively. Because he had comforted Spider he was in range and close to them. Moving as quickly as he could, so he could get the jump on Spider before they could realise what he was up to, he pushed. Attempting to shove Spider into the water. Because of the force of his momentum, Strai was going to end up following Spider into the water (or falling in alone if Spider evaded him)


"Speech"

Spider nods along, though there remains a morose angle to their shoulders, the slope of their neck. "yeah, my thoughts exactly - though i don't know how i'm gonna do that if i can't even look at the water -" they're cut off as the ground flies out from under them, a scream tearing from their throat. in a blind panic they grapple for Strai, and the pair go tumbling into the water, falling nose over tail as they roll over and over in a tangled scrum. and then there's a rock jutting up from the shallows, and the pair knock into it and spring apart, each tossed further into the ocean's depths. Spider is so disoriented that they don't immediately understand what's happened, except that...that Strai's not there anymore.

fuck.

"Speech"

“Ahh.” Strai wasn’t expecting Spider to cling to them quite so viciously as they did. Their fear of water driving them as they grappled and rolled. Strai felt a moment of panic himself, thinking that if they hold on like this, they would sink like a stone in the water.

But he needn't have worried. A rock tore the two of them apart, cracking Strai soundly on the head before tossing him further into the depths. He let out a moan of pain, his paws scrambling in the water. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t see. His vision started to go black, and he sunk.


"Speech"

its just like their dreams. their feet are churning desperately as they wrestle to stay afloat, and a cold vice seems to grip their limbs and flood their veins, rendering them helpless against the waves crashing into them. in any other situation they’d have succumbed to it, would have frozen up and likely sunk to the bottom out of sheer blind terror. but Strai. Strai.

their head whips back and forth as they search frantically for his shape, their mind filling with static with every second that passes without hearing his voice or seeing his face. “STRAI!” they scream out, so loud their throat aches with it. “ASTRAIOS!” and then, as though resulting from some divine intervention, they spot him just as he sinks below the waves, eyes clenched shut and blood gathering at his temple.

for one terrible moment the world seems to slow down, everything thrown into sharp relief as they watch their friend slip from view. and then they’re churning wildly through the water without even registering their movements, kicking furiously. it’s as though they’re reacting on instinct, like something involuntary has gripped them and they’re helpless to do anything but just keep. pushing. forward.

sucking in a trembling breath, they duck their head below the water and kick downwards, their blurred gaze darting frantically as they search for his sinking figure. there. he’s drifting limply to the floor, and for a terrifying moment they fear he’s already dead. they shove the thought away so viciously it feels like a physical action and kick further downward, their legs burning with exertion.

somehow, miraculously, they reach him. somehow, they manage to sink their teeth into his scruff and wrap their paws around his shoulders, pulling him to their chest as they fight back up to the surface. he’s impossibly heavy, given his large size and his waterlogged fur, but they’re so desperate they don’t even let themselves even fathom the possibility of dropping him.

when they finally break the surface, Spider gasps in a deep breath and splutters, coughing loudly. they manoeuvre Strai so his head is also above the water and begin to swim for the shore, their heart pounding a terrified staccato against their ribcage with every stroke. don’t you dare die on me, you grumpy bastard. i swear to the stars i’ll never forgive you if you die.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

He wasn't quite unconscious, but he wasn't really awake either. Things came to him in blurry flashes. Dark water surrounding him. The face of his friend. Pain in his scruff, which was almost lost in the pounding pain of his head. As fresh air brushed over him, he started to kick. Weakly and disoriented, he wasn't even sure which way was up. He was scared, in a way he hadn't been since the day his parents died. It was the mixture of the head wound and the deep water. But when he spoke, his weak voice sounded small and terrified. "Spider. Don't let me go" he croaked. "Don't leave me, not like they did."

the shore seems impossibly far away, and with every kick it’s like it gets farther and closer simultaneously. so focused are they on getting them out of the water that they almost miss Strai’s words - but they hear them, and it makes their heart clench so tightly it’s almost painful. it’s at this point that their feet finally touch the sand and they drag Strai through the shallows, detaching their teeth from his scruff to whisper in his ear. ”never. i’ve got you Strai, i promise. i’m not going anywhere.”

the last few steps to the sand are almost impossible, and they slump to the ground the moment they set Strai down, their legs wobbling and giving out beneath them. using their forepaws, Spider drags themselves to Strai’s side and props themself up on his chest, staring worriedly into his face. “Strai? can you hear me?” they begin pressing down on his chest, and then use their nose against his shoulder to roll him onto his side so that he might dispel any water in his lungs.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

Strais heart hammered in his chest. Loud and painful as he was dragged to shore. He lost a little time, he didn't know when Spider released his scruff, but he heard the other wolfs words as they whispered them in his ear. Then there was ground beneath his back. They weren't fully out of the water, he was too heavy for Spider to drag without the buoyancy offered by the ocean. But it was enough. He dug his paws into the sand, wheezing as Spider pulled himself onto his chest, and pressed down. "Stop" he said weakly, moving a paw to push Spider. But the motion was laughably weak.


His head hurt something awful, and everything was so bright and loud. He scrunched his eyes closed, ignoring the blood that trailed down his scalp and pooled in his ear. "You could have left me there" he said. Certainly it was a lot of effort on Spider's part, and Strai had caused the other wolf enough grief - including shoving them into the ocean in the first place.

“oops, sorry!” Spider scrambles off his chest and sits back on their haunches, shuddering as the lasts few minutes comes crashing over them. they don’t think they’ve ever been that scared in their life. slowly, they cast a wide-eyed glance over their shoulder, staring at the churning water beyond with blatant disbelief. had they really done that?

Spider rolls their eyes at Strai, turning their attention back to him. “s-stop trying to be a martyr, okay? i’d never leave you there!” as the reality of the situation catches up to them, tears begin to spring to their eyes, and their shoulders shake with sobs. goddamnit, why are they always crying in front of Strai? he must think they just go around in perpetual tears. “but i’m so m-mad at you!” they shout, scowling down at him. the harshness of their words are immediately belied, however, by the way they throw themselves onto his chest, momentarily forgetful of his injuries as they squeeze their arms around him. they’re so sick with relief and anger and fear and wonder and it’s all too much for their mind to comprehend. “i thought i’d l-lost you,” they whisper, the words muffled against his fur.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

Spider was so vastly different from the world he had come from. In a way that reminded him of Delphi, though unique in itself. They were something precious and strange, and Strai was still bewildered by the lengths that Spider had gone to befriend him. When Spider threw themself onto his chest, he wrapped a paw around the little black wolf and winced. “Easy, easy.” He warned. Everything ached, and his head was still frightful foggy. But it wasn’t as bad now, it was starting to ease. Through his head was sticky with blood.

He sighed, leaning his head against the small wolf on his chest. “I guess pushing you in was a bad idea.” He said wryly. “This… who you are to me. You're special, Spider.” He whispered. Maybe it was the head wound speaking.


"Speech"

you’re special, Spider.’ they freeze, staring down at Strai with wide, wet eyes. their heartbeat is thudding in their ears - though for a different reason this time - and a full body flush sweeps through them, leaving them feeling hot and heady. maybe it’s the adrenaline of their brush with death, maybe their brain has suffered water damage. all they know is when they lean and press their lips to Strai, it feels…right.

they come back to themselves almost immediately. “oh, gods!” they exclaim, panic in their voice as they stumble off of Strai. “i’m so sorry, i don’t know what i was…i know you’re with…” they shake their head as though physically in denial of what they’ve done, voice breaking in horror. they’ve ruined everything, haven’t they? ”oh gods i’m so, so sorry Strai.”

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

The very last thing Strai expected was for Spider to lean over and press their lips to his. His eyes widened in shock and surprise and he stared at Spider. Actually, his brain might be broken now. Partly from the head wound, but partly because Spider had just short circuited him “....” he opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Spider jumped off him quite suddenly, and started stammering, and Strai slowly leaned up, wincing and huffing at the pain that brought to his head. But this way he could face Spider. “...” No, it still wasn’t working. Nothing was coming out. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Why did you--I don’t--That’s not--......Delphi.” He finished, spreading out a paw helplessly.


"Speech"

Spider nods vigorously, gesturing as though Strai has made an excellent point - which he has. “exactly! that’s…that’s what i’m saying!” their heart gives a little pained squeeze, but they ignore it resolutely. “i don’t do that to…to people.”[/b] oh, gods, poor Delphi! she is gonna wallop them, and they’ll let her. they deserve it. “i’m just being silly,” they finish finally, forcing a laugh. it comes out strained. “why don’t i go find you some help, huh? some proper medical attention.” they have to get out of here, to get away from Strai before they make an even bigger fool of themselves.

"Speech"

Spider has a male raven companion named Doomsday and a female snake companion named Lady Snakeskin. Assume they are present unless stated otherwise.

“Wait. Wait, wait!” Strai said, shooting up and moving a paw forward in an attempt to grab at Spider and keep them from leaving. Suddenly terrified that if Spider walked away, he would never see them again. His head might be on fire, and his thoughts a flame-tornado spinning in circles, but he didn’t want to lose Spider. The sudden quickening of his heart, the fear in his gut told him that. “Don’t go.” He said, a little plaintively.

“I… I do like you Spider. You're my friend. My best friend. I don’t want to lose you…” He said. It didn't help that the kiss had sparked... something inside of him. His stomach was doing summersaults, and he was so terrified of what Delphi was going to say. Why did Spider have to pick this moment to spring this on him? The pounding in his head wasn’t going to lessen any time soon. He had started off trying to avoid Spider. Trying to throw them away, and get them to back off. But when he had chosen to befriend Spider, that had changed everything. He’d led Spider into his heart, and the thought of losing them was crushing.


"Speech"