The Little Wolf

Unbroken

Lev found the silence excruciating.

Where once Lyra's little voice would rattle in his mind, it was now empty, and he knew that his dear girl felt the same way.

The silence was excruciating for Kaelo, too. Even Lyra could tell.

There was an evident void in their conversations, and suddenly it all seemed so awkward where once there was no end to their ramblings. Kaelo stared at Lyra like he was bordering on an emotional breakdown, yet they were swelling simultaneously with love. How he could still love her was beyond Lyra; but it was captivating. It was building a trust within her she would soon learn it was safe to stand on.

It was time for Lev to rejoice; the long awaiting renewal of Lyra was building.

She was broken; yet now it was time for her to rebuild. Rebuild with fractions and lashings of who she once was, but with the combined strength of mind, the knowledge she had gained, and the darkness that had kept her alive. She would be unstoppable.

One day, the little Outsider would be great. Lev held onto that and told himself that in the unbearable, desperately dull, silences.

One day, she would be unbroken. For now, she was just getting started. Learning everything she would need to help her as she marched toward her destiny; a destiny that was naught but a story to the little girl, but something that would soon become reality.

Kaelo spent most days swinging his sword at invisible men, slaying them like Lyra used to do. He would practice balancing his sword on once hand, before tossing it and catching it in the other. He would spin and kick the air, and slice the blade through leaves. When his eye would catch Lyra's, he would break into the biggest grin and say sweetly, "I'm nowhere near as good as you, Ser Lyra."

He extended his sword to Lyra, bowing his head respectfully, and said, "Dear Knight, might you show me the skill you possess."

Lev looked over to Lyra, eager to see her perform. She remained still as a statue, her ice eyes not blinking and not breaking contact with the man. It was times like these Lev was desperate to reach Lyra, to crawl back into her mind and comfort her, to tell her it was alright to trust her.

Lev flew to a branch near to his girl and Kaelo, in full sight. Lyra's stern glare changed to panic, and her eyes darted between the owl and the man. Soon, her panic turned to tears of fear pricking her eyes. Hesitantly, Lyra pulled up the sleeve of her shirt. There on her bruised flesh, were the burned scars of the word the fat boy had carved - "OUTSIDER". It would never leave her. It was a sign to all; hate her, persecute her, kill her.

Kaelo did something remarkable though.

He smiled and knelt by Lyra's side, reaching his hand out and gently touched her flesh. At first Lyra flinched and cried out. The touch of other flesh on her was odd, and she never remembered it to be kind. Yet, now, Kaelo's warm hand soothed her.

"Lyra-", he began, looking at her lovingly.

"I. Don't. Care." he enunciated clearly.

Lyra let her sleeve fall down again, and her whole body drooped. Broken. She was so utterly broken.

"I don't know where you got the idea that you can't cry, that you can't do the hard yards without breaking, without crying, without falling. If you fall, fall with abandon."

Kaelo stood up and picked up to sticks on the ground, sticks that looked like makeshift swords. He held one in his right hand, offering the other to Lyra with your left.

Lyra hesitated silently, then she took a reluctant step forward and took the stick from Kaelo's hand.

"You fall. You cry. You get over it. You get stronger", Kaelo said, and lodged an attack at the girl. And she, to Lev's delight, swung back.

Lyra was not healed. Lyra was nowhere near mended. She was still broken, still traumatized and helpless. Yet, she now had a teacher other than the wild. Ser Kaelo and Ser Lyra.

"It is not how you fall, my girl, it is how you rise", Lev spoke to Lyra's closed mind.

And, in the briefest of moments, a moment that truly fleeting but worth it nonetheless, Lyra looked at Lev and nodded.

She had heard him. She was opening her mind.

It was time to rebuild.