The Halfling and the Exile

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For a minute or so Isaac thought he was being ignored. The mental door didn't open, and when he started automatically to retreat back to his own door, no one knocked. He heard her footsteps, though, before any true sadness at her leaving him alone could set in, and looked up silently as the door opened to admit her. Not wanting to jar Arcady awake or hurt himself more, he didn't scoot away to give her more room, but did at least straighten his legs a bit.

He shifted his arms a bit closer so she would have more room, and when she talked he only sighed softly. "These people were hardly my pack." He said quietly, giving his head a careful shake and denying her offer with the ease that came of a mind already made up. "I kept them at bay, in case I had to leave. Or . . . I tried." He hardly knew anyone in this place. He would miss the children he had watched over but little else. Niari was the only one he had spent any significant time around.

"I'm sorry you have to leave your home. . . It's not your fault." He looked at her with hurt in his eyes, overlayed by a strange determination. "Remember that. It isn't your fault." She had never asked to be born this way, never asked for two different species to mix and make her when everyone forbid it. It wasn't her fault she was this way, and it wasn't her fault they had to leave. "We'll be okay. . . Okay? I promise." Somehow.
 
Niari gazed up at Isaac, her expression filled with pain and an utter lack of believe the first time he told her that it wasn't her fault. How wasn't this entirely on her? None of this would have happened if she had simply never been born. She was a mistake. There was no way her mother would have a Halfling child on purpose. Mate with a Vampire, perhaps that was willing and highly desired. But a Halfling? None wished for that unless they wanted to be tortured their entire life. What mother wanted to kill their own child? Yet that was what most mothers of Halflings did. The infants were killed, the mothers often killed as well for even mating with the other race.

The second time he said it, she realized that he believed it. Isaac truly believed that it was not her fault. Despite her own beliefs and despite everything he had seen, heard, and done. Pushing all of that aside, he did not think it was her fault. She stared at him in surprise, stunned that he was so firmly by her side even after everything that had happened. It made her want to cry. As it was, she managed to hold back the tears and simply gave him a small smile as he swore to her that they were going to be okay.

"Okay," she agreed softly, putting every ounce of her trust into him. He wouldn't break that promise, she told herself. She slid closer and nuzzled her way under his chin, one arm gently curling around him to offer warmth and comfort. Once she was in place, she yawned and closed her eyes, trying not to think about everything that was going to happen to all three of them in the next day.
 
He didn't believe her when she smiled, but the fact that she tried had to be good enough. He couldn't expect her to be happy, even if she could get through everything without letting it destroy her, just as he couldn't quite expect it from himself either. There was nothing wrong with either of them for feeling hurt or sad, he had to remember that. The journey ahead of them was going to be long, and hard, and the end of it would be the same way, but they would get through. After all that had happened, he believed she was strong enough. Maybe he was too.

When Niari moved closer, he shifted his limbs a bit to allow her room and tilted his chin up to allow her the space she wanted, tucking it down gently against her head as she settled in with Arcady warm and safe between them. Gently, he laid his injured arm over her side to rest it, and after a while he closed his eyes and began to drift, tired from the effort of healing and the strain of lingering fever. The next day would bring a new morning with new struggles and they needed their strength. It would be a new world out there, for both of them, and they would have to face it together if they were going to come out of it all alive.

As he slept, Isaac dreamed of one day having a place he could call home.
 
It took Niari quite a while to fall asleep after she snuggled up to Isaac. His hold was warm and comforting, and she relaxed as he rested his head atop hers. That did not lull her into any sense of drowsiness, however. At least, not until she could feel that Isaac was asleep. She could tell that he was dreaming instead of focusing. His body was at ease and she could almost feel the stress leaving him. Rest was what he needed. Come to think of it, she probably needed it as well. She looked down at Arcady to ensure the pup was still comfortable and napping, then she nestled into Isaac and fell asleep herself.

Her dream was odd. She was running through the forest as though she was being chased, but she was not in her wolf form. Instead, she was fully dressed and darting through the trees in her shoes. How inconvenient. Wasn't this just making things harder on herself? She glanced over her shoulder, pulse beating out of control and her breathing labored. Nothing but trees. She kept running, jumping over the stream and sprinting until she found herself cornered against a small rock wall. When she turned to run elsewhere, she came face to face with a pack of furious Werewolves. Her mother was there, as well as her brothers and her friends. They were all growling and chasing after her, forcing her to run to the side. Seconds later she nearly ran into a group of Vampires. They cheered her on, demanding that she embrace her 'true self'. She turned on the Werewolves, tearing them all apart in a bloody flood.

She woke up just as she sunk her fangs into Isaac's neck. Startled by the taste of blood on her tongue that so mirrored her dream, she pulled back with a yelp and ended up tumbling off the side of the bed with a heavy thud.
 
Isaac dreamt in bits and pieces of memories that felt distant but we're only months old. He dreamt of lying in the warm grass of home, listening to the wind drift through the trees. It was too warm for it, but he let the little ones lay on him as children or as pups, napping in the afternoon sun. The world was fuzzy, blurred around the edges and peaceful, but with a sort of dazed confusion about it like he knew he shouldn't be there. In his dream, one of the children sat up and smiled at him, hands on his chest, but he couldn't see their face.

He stirred awake when Niari shifted against him, blinking slowly as he tried to figure out what had woken him, and gave a faint cry of pain when there were suddenly teeth at his throat. Isaac shoved blindly at her but she was already falling off the bed, and he pushed himself up enough to drag off a pillowcase and ball it up to press against his neck before he could start dripping on the bed. The wound wasn't very deep, nor had it been very accurate in her sleeping state so it wasn't going to kill him so soon, but instinct told him to stem the flow of blood as fast as he could anyway.

"N- Niari?" He tried to focus on her in the darkness, then looked for Arcady to find her cuddling into his stomach and hip again, crying softly and trying to follow his heat. She'd been frightened awake by all the sudden motion. "Jesus - you scared me half to death!"

What was wrong? Did she need to feed already, the need hastened by her injuries? He didn't think it would work that way, not after she'd rested and healed, but he could never be sure. There was a long, awkward pause between them in which he let her stay there on the ground, looking as if she thought he would shout at her or hit her or tell her to get out.

Eventually he huffed a sign and shifted down to an elbow, waving her closer. "Get back up here and close this before I stain all the bedding." He trusted her control enough, now that she was awake. Once she'd healed him they could figure out what had happened.
 
"I.. I'm sorry.."

Niari remained on the floor, curling up and frowning to herself as Isaac snapped at her for scaring him. She gazed under the bed, watching a ladybug waddle along through the shadows. Oh, to be a ladybug. That would be nice. There would be no feeding on blood, no packs.. What did ladybugs do, exactly? Wander around and eat by themselves? She had never seen baby ladybugs anywhere. Maybe they abandoned them like sea turtles. She sighed and glanced up toward the side of the bed. Isaac wasn't saying anything. Maybe he wanted her to leave. She had just started to sit up when he told her to seal up the wound. Oh, right.

She carefully climbed back up on the bed, waiting for him to pull the pillowcase away. As soon as he did, she couldn't keep from staring. A mess of blood all smeared on his skin, with fresh trails dripping down. If she wasn't so scared of him hitting her or yelling at her, she would have been tempted. As it was, she gave him a meek lick across the wound to seal it, then she quickly pulled back. Arcady was still crying, seeking comfort from Isaac.

"I'll go. I'm sorry."
 
((Sorry, forgot to warn you I had a friend coming over and she showed up right before I could get you a reply lol))

Isaac was wary, but not quite as diligently as he might have before. When she was close enough he moved the pillowcase away and turned his head to let her seal the wound, folding the pillow case over again to clean himself up after. There was guilt written in every fiber of his being and he hated it. They were supposed to discuss these things before they happened or it would never work. He was supposed to be helping her, not hurting her.

"Stay." He said softly once he'd cleaned himself as best he could. After a pause, he held a clean corner of the pillowcase out to her. "At least, take this to soak and bring me a wet cloth. Then stay." He didn't want her feeling like she couldn't be around him anymore, and when she'd taken the stained fabric from him he folded a hand gently over Arcady's back and side, soothing her gently and keeping her warm and calm. "It's all right, little one. Be calm now. Back to sleep. . ."

While Niari was gone he would soothe the pup, and she would likely forget her fright soon at the rapid awakening. She didn't understand what had happened, obviously, only that he and Niari had shouted and there was a smell of blood. She was still little enough that she likely wouldn't remember long.
 
[It's okay!]

Niari took the bloodied pillowcase without a word, leaving the room with it immediately. She took it out to the kitchen and filled the sink with water, carefully rinsing the cloth before she set it in the water to soak. Little pink tendrils of blood slowly curled into the water and she just stared at it. This was going to destroy her. Already it was eating at her mind, invading her dreams and making her lash out at Isaac. She frowned sadly and looked around, finding a washcloth and carefully wetting it for him, so that he could clean up from the incident she had caused.

Arcady continued to whimper and whine for a couple of minutes after Niari left, but the warmth from Isaac's hand and his gentle words soon lulled her back to silence. She stretched and yawned, ending up falling asleep against him once more right before Niari walked back in to the room with the damp cloth in hand.

"Here you go," she murmured, handing it to him but keeping her distance. She even took a small step backward after he took it, not wanting to get too close or make him uncomfortable.
 
Isaac kept talking low and soothing to Arcady even though she didn't understand the words. She soothed gradually, and when she eventually started to settle in he laid back down to let her snuggle up again him. When Niari returned, he offered a soft 'thank you' and let their fingers brush as he took the cloth, carefully wiping away the blood on his skin. After he was clean, finally, he tossed it away towards wherever the hamper in this room and been and laid still again.

"I'm not mad." He said softly, and shifted so that the arm that was beneath him was stretched straight out across the bed, his hand and wrist facing up at the edge of the mattress. "Here. . . You were hurt. There's still hours before light. I'll have time to rest." He would likely sleep, especially after she took some blood from him, and in the morning he would have had time to recover enough to travel. "It's all right, Niari. . . You're still new. You'll adjust to it soon." Soon she wouldn't have frenzies like this. Her body would adapt and she would be more able to hold back her hunger, just as werewolves learned to keep back bloodlust on full moons.
 
Hesitant, Niari simply gazed at Isaac as he invited her back to bed. She watched him stretch his arm out for her, touched by the gesture. Honestly, she did want to climb onto the bed and cuddle with him, but she didn't dare. Once she fell back to sleep, she would have nightmares again. She was completely convinced of that fact.

"I can't lay down, because then I'll fall asleep," she said, shaking her head a little. "I don't want to hurt you, Isaac.. I care about you too much," she added, then turned and simply left the room without another word. That made her feel like she was being overly dramatic, but she really did not want to end up biting him again. Or Arcady. The pup would be terrified. She sighed and went over to her own bedroom and climbed onto the bed without bothering to get under the blankets. Perhaps someday she would get a grasp on all of this and be able to cuddle with Isaac like she wanted.

Hopefully it happened soon. Curling up alone was torture for a wolf.
 
((I lost track of time and had to rush to get easy before I left lol and unfortunately I have to be awake in like 5 1/2 hours, so I'm off to bed now XD))

He'd meant for her to drink. Drink and then crawl back into bed and sleep until morning, and let him heal until they had to leave. When she left he did try a little to reach out to her, but as tied to the bed as his own weakness made him then it was impossible. He hadn't known her very long, that much was true, but he hated that she had to go through what she was. Raised as a werewolf and now learning vampire ways that at times clashed with her instincts - he couldn't imagine it.

Eventually, in the silence, Isaac curled his body more tightly around Arcady to nestle her close to him and make sure she wouldn't get up without him waking, and pictured his broken house to walk out of, pictured Niari's to drift closer to. . . You're going to hurt me. He said with only a quiet knock, knowing somehow that if she was open to it she would at least hear him, even if she might not respond. Over and over again. And Ill heal just as many times. I won't hold it against you. It's what's necessary, and I know you don't want to. I hope soon that you'll learn not to hold it against yourself either.

There was a long pause, and he closed his eyes again to try and sleep without her warmth pressed against him. Goodnight, Niari. May the moon grant you dreams of light.
 
Niari felt the quiet knock against her mind and opened it slowly, mentally prepared for some sort of lash out, just in case. Yet there was none. Isaac was simply telling her that he was aware of the pain she was going to cause him, and that he didn't mind. She opened her eyes and stared at the wall, trying to understand why a person who had other options was willing to be bitten and fed from repeatedly without getting upset about it. This was the same thing she had a hard time accepting each time she thought about it. Until she could simply take it and move on, it was going to drive her crazy. She frowned, struggling as Isaac bid her a good night.

Maybe.. he just cared. That was an odd concept. Her pack cared, and her family had cared. At least, she always thought they did, yet now they were turning her out without a moment of hesitation. Perhaps the way that Isaac cared was in a different manner. He was willing to sacrifice his personal comfort for her survival, and he was standing by her side instead of backing away and claiming that he had nothing to do with it. Even now he was trying to make sure that she wasn't upset, when she was the one who had lashed out from a dream and sunk her fangs into his neck as though he was nothing but prey.

Oh.

She slid off her bed without a sound and padded her way back to Isaac's room. Keeping her silence, she climbed up on the bed and snuggled against his side, giving his cheek a very tender lick before closing her eyes and attempting to sleep.
 
Isaac didn't think she would ever come back. She didn't answer him, and she didn't return when he finished speaking, and he couldn't hear her. For the minute or two that passed afterwards, he petted at Arcady to keep her soothed in sleep and focused on breathing through the aches still in him. It felt like such a long wait, hearing nothing but emptiness where she had taught him how to speak without words. It felt more lonely than he had ever thought it could.

When Niari came back he opened his eyes enough to look at her, and blinked slowly at her as she came closer, wondering if she would want his arm again. When she settled into bed with him, though, he sighed softly in a content sort of way and just shifted into a comfortable position to close his eyes again. He wasn't worried. Even if she bit him again she could heal him, and she had shown enough restraint in immediately jumping away that he wasn't in any true danger. They would be okay, he thought, even as he began to drift off again.

They would rely on each other, and they would be okay.
 
The next morning, Niari woke feeling much more rested and together. Her dreams had been calm once she rejoined Isaac. Nothing memorable at all. It was a relief. She woke with both of her arms snug around him, all cuddled up as if he was her personal pillow. Arcady was burrowed down between their legs somewhere, enjoying the abundance of warmth even though she had been awake for a while and was chewing holes in the blanket.

"Come on, Arcady," Niari cooed, scooping up the gnawing darling and carrying her out to keep from waking Isaac. She set the pup on the countertop, allowing her to watch as a bottle was made. Arcady seemed fascinated by the entire process, both ears perked straight up as she stared. As soon as she realized it was food, though, she tried to get it, whining eagerly. Niari just laughed, tucking the hungry pup in one arm and feeding her with the other.

As she 'nursed', she walked around, taking a last look at the cabin. Now that she was more calm, this didn't seem like such a terrible thing. She was getting a chance to see more of the world. Sure, it was not an ideal situation.. but sitting and feeling bad about herself would only make it worse.
 
Isaac slept warm and peaceful with Niari and Arcady snug up against him. He didn't move much in his sleep, and didn't fight being held when her arms ended up around him. It was comforting to a wolf to have someone so close, and he would realize later on that he had missed it while living in his shed. He'd forced himself to think he might always be in isolation, and so it hadn't semed so unusual staying there for a while. Being able to sleep near someone else had only reminded him what he'd been missing.

When their warmth left him he started to wake gradually, the little sounds he could hear stirring him closer to awareness. His injuries had all healed but for his leg, and as he sat up he winced a little and moved carefully to get it off the bed. The first test putting weight on it was difficult, but it was at least a wound that probably wouldn't bleed very much if he had to walk so long. He just probably wouldn't be shifting for a while.

Carefully, he limped over to where his things sat, using walls for support, and got down onto his knees to repackage everything, make sure he used the space as much to his advantage as he could and left just a little extra for anything they might need to pick up. He was going to go and see the alpha before they left, request or demand from her money and bandages to take with them for his leg and for Arcady's - the pup didn't have open wounds, but the bandages should still be changed every once in a while nonetheless.

When his bag was packed, he hefted it up onto a shoulder and used a wall to stand, then walked quietly out to find Niari. ". . . Good morning." He said softly, glad at least that she was in better spirits, though he still felt a bit weak. He would get his strength back after he ate. "Have you packed? I want to make sure we have all we need. I'll go and see your mother before we go."
 
"Yes, I'm all packed. I put the puppy blanket in there too, so that Arcady can ride in my pack. She's not going to be able to walk much on her leg," Niari said, then she looked over at Isaac and frowned a bit at the state he was in. He needed to eat, and she did too. It was going to be a long day. She gently handed Arcady and the bottle off to Isaac once he was stable, then she began rummaging through the cupboards to see what they had. There were ingredients for pancakes and a stack of sausages in the icebox, so she decided to make those. They even had syrup and butter. Life was good.

"Here. You need to eat up and feel better. Are you going to be able to walk?" she asked, setting a heaping plate of food in front of him and taking Arcady, who had finished her food and was half-asleep. She set the pup down on the couch to rest while the abundance of formula digested in her little belly, then she got herself a plate of breakfast.
 
Isaac blinked when he suddenly had an armful of pup, but cradled her carefully and gave her the bottle again when she whined for it, easily accepting his role as surrogate father for the little one. "No . . . we should bring a third bag for her, I think. You need room for your own things. You can carry her, and I'll carry her things." Arcady was small now, and Niari unused to traveling long distances on two legs. He didn't mind carrying an extra bag for the pup when they would undoubtedly need things for her.

It took a long moment while she started to cook, but he did realize he should sit and nudged out a chair to settle in with the pup until she finished eating. He let Niari take the little one readily enough so Arcady could sleep, and nodded a little as Niari set food in front of him. "Thank you. . . I'll be all right. Progress will be slow until I've healed, but it shouldn't stop us." He would replace the bandages as needed to prevent infection and they could stop and rest as often as they needed. So long as they didn't need to get anything from somewhere, there wasn't much reason they couldn't take their time for the first leg of the journey.

"It might be a week of walking at the pace we'll go." He said after eating a few careful bites, not wanting to overwhelm his stomach so early in the morning. "I'll have a better estimate once we get ourselves a map."
 
Nairi shook her head slightly.

"I don't have much that I'm bringing," she admitted, glancing toward her bedroom as she took a bite of pancake. There was a lot that she was leaving behind, but none of it was necessary. She didn't want to put more of a burden on Isaac, especially since he was still healing. Unless he absolutely pressed the issue, she was going to keep her pack as it was. She kept eating, nodding as he explained that it would likely be a week or so at the slow pace. That was fine. She didn't want him running before he was ready.

"Mother has a map, and money. I'm sure she'll give both.. hopefully.." she mused, pondering as she finished up her breakfast and started doing dishes. There was no reason not to help them, right? They had a wolf pup.. and they were now both exiles. She frowned a bit, considering that. Exiled. Oh, well. It could be worse. She could be dead, or Isaac and Arcady could be dead. They were fine. She relaxed and smiled a bit to herself, putting the freshly cleaned dishes away and tucking the drowsy Arcady into her pack on top of the soft blanket.

"I'm ready. Are you?"
 
Isaac didn't like it, but he couldn't find much ground for arguing and after a little bit just gave up the thought. "If you're sure you have everything you want. You brought your books? I have room for them." He could put the bandages and money in his pockets or something, or tuck them into the books. He wanted her to have at least some of the creature comforts she'd had with her here. It wasn't fair for her to lose everything - she hadn't chosen the life of an exile like he had.

When she'd taken the dishes away, Isaac watched Niari tuck Arcady gently into her pack with a little hole for her head, then just nodded a little and got up to pull on his jacket, marveling a bit at the image they made. He would never have thought of that. "I've never had more than this bag with me." He said, shrugging slightly, and started for the door with a limp he knew he couldn't avoid and shouldn't bother trying to hide. "We're off to see an alpha, then. Best to remember she's not yours anymore."

Niari didn't owe her mother a thing anymore. By the usual rules, Isaac was an alpha in his own right now, and if she wanted it she could claim him as hers, if only to get her mother to accept his authority. But it didn't matter. The woman's guilt would likely get them what they wanted from her anyway. They would only ask for what they needed.
 
Books. That reminded Niari of the book Isaac had purchased for her. There was no way that she was going to leave that behind. She quickly went and got a jacket - it was a dark green cargo-style jacket with silver buttons up the front, though she didn't bother fastening them. A jacket was a wise decision, but she was more interested in the large pockets on the inside. In one she tucked the book, and in the other, the candy. She popped a single piece in her mouth and smiled. Deliciously sweet. Such a wonderful gift, and a perfect way to keep her mind off the pain of leaving. She picked up her bag carefully and put it on her back, trying not to laugh as Arcady's cold nose pressed against the back of her neck with a curious sniff.

She walked over to Isaac as he headed for the door, blinking in surprise at him. Not her Alpha? Oh, right. This pack was not hers. That meant she had nobody to answer to. No direction. The thought made her incredibly uncomfortable and she looked to Isaac for guidance. Wait. Isaac. He was a male. Perhaps this was their own pack. Isaac, Niari and Arcady. A small, perfect little family pack. She smiled and closed the door behind them, then gently took his arm to help him down the stairs without stumbling.

"Perhaps we should fashion you a cane once we leave," she suggested as they walked, heading to her mother's cabin directly. It was still early, there was no reason for the Alpha to be out. She was right - her mother was sitting on the porch, a frown on her face as she saw the trio.

"Can I help you?"
 
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