Broken Soul, Reaching Out

The night of the fireflies passed and when the sun broke the horizon, Fern’s eyes had opened with it. Bleary eyes had looked around and found that her companion had not left her in the night. With a huff, the gray girl had gathered her legs under her and stood. Joints cracked and popped as her body straightened out and she still felt the dregs of exhaustion. As annoyed as she tried to appear at the fact that Rudy had not left her, Fern had felt a swell of happiness that he had stayed with her. His gentle nature and kind words reminded her of the empty space in her heart that had been made when her mother died.

After a drink and some quick food, Fern had allowed Rudy to take the lead and steer her toward the Hallows. At first, she tried to keep her head down, taking a keen interest in her steps and the work of putting one paw in front of the other. However, as winter had loosened its grip and it steadily warmed as the trekked, Fern had brought her head up to take in the sights. Where there had been biting cold and stinging winds, now was replaced with sun and warmth. Fern basks in the feel of sun against her coat and a smile curls the edges of her lips up.

Casting a look at Rudy, Fern decides to break her self-imposed silence and says, “So you… live around here?” Small talk was not her forte but it does not keep the gray girl from trying to be polite to Rudy. For whatever reason, Fern feels the need to make him happy. Is his loyalty starting to chip away the icy wall she had built? Maybe, only time will tell.