not here for mere ferns

Seere happily trots next to the taller Acacius, her mismatched gaze looking around for the herb they need. Talking is one of her strong suits and the monochrome girl is happy to talk the shy boy’s ear off. She suggests trying sniff it out and the chocolate-hued boy agrees before following up to her statement. Since her arrival, her small tail has not stopped wagging but, at the mention of bullies, it stills. Ears flatten against her skull as she remembers the kids that use to heckle her, their taunting words and jeering laughter that would chase her away. Pain flashes across her features as memories lodge in her heart like broken glass.

Pausing in her movements, the small girl looks up to Acacius, wide, sorrow-filled eyes meeting his golden gaze as she softly asks, “Others were mean to you too?” Seere had always thought that bullies only picked on the smaller, weaker wolves but, the fact that this tall boy has faced his own seems to nullify that line of thinking. Still, he seems so nonchalant about the fact were, for the smaller girl who only dreamed of following in her father’s pawsteps, those sharp words and cruel kids still haunt her. Shaking her head, as if to get rid of the horrible thoughts, she resumes walking but the happy bounce that had been present in her gait is gone.

They continue to search, poking in every bush they find. After some diligent work, the pair find their herb. Seere, who has been uncharacteristically quiet for herself, quietly watches as Acacius reaches out one of his large paws to touch the waxy, oval leaves. His question has her mismatched gaze dropping away, falling to the ground as she says, “I… I always wanted to be a great fighter, like my dad. But, uh. I was not gifted with height like him. So, I have been trying to learn more about the healing arts.” Looking up to the tall boy, she offers him a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. It is difficult to know that she will never be as a great a fighter as her father simple because of her height.

As Acacius crushes the leaves between his paws, a smell reaches her nose and Seere says, “Well, looks like we found our plant!” The smile she offers is warmer and, as she begins to pluck leaves with him, the sadness falls away as the memories of her bully’s fade. By the time they are finished, her small tail is back to wagging and she cheerful asks, “So! What’s next?” She falls into step beside him, her shorter legs trotting next to his longer strides.


"Seere Abraxas-Destruction"