The Little Wolf

Finding Her Soul

Alongside Roseroad, Near to Highgarden

First there was a boar.

It was large and angry, and as it rampaged through the wilderness, Lyra could hear it huff and puff. It was slippery with sweat and glistened with blood. After a stagger, stumble and painful grunt, the beast accepted defeat and crashed to the ground, dead.

Then, there was a girl.

Wild like Lyra, though not as tormented. She was long-faced, buck-toothed and of fiery spirit. No words were needed, no greeting to be exchanged, for the young Outsider could read the girl like a book she'd find in a library. Lyra was a girl of few words, but she could, most times, pick people to pieces and capture their souls in seconds. A gift sometimes, a curse others.

The girl pulled the arrow out of her catch and placed one muddy shoe triumphantly on the boar. Then, with a wicked smile and unrestrained snort, the girl pointed at the beast and announced, "Dinner!" Her smile was awkward and strange, but her spirit oozed confidence.

The silence from Lyra and her companions sliced the air, leaving the girl to look awkwardly at her boots. Just as Kaelo lowered his sword and Chief ceased his growling, a second voice travelled through the trees. Their swords were, once more, on guard and awaiting permission to attack.

An older man staggered up to the girl, eyed off the beast and the girl, before shrugging and saying "You've caught bigger" in a harsh accent Lyra recognized from the North. He was aged with hair like smoke and skin as dry as parchment. At his feeble age, he stooped like a wilting flower, but his eyes, though milky and slightly blood-flecked were gentle.

The man became suddenly aware of his audience, and turned to face the odd crowd staring at them, growing red and seemingly shy. He bowed at them and gasped out an apology for his intrusion.

Lyra could only focus on the girl, and try and analyse her Soul, her spirit, her worth, by just a look. The girl's eyes bore into Lyra's; her left eye serious, relentless and hideously stubborn, while her right eye was lazy and hung at the bottom of her lid, which made the young woman look perpetually distracted.

When spoken what her name was, she spoke in a harsh Northern accent, and spat her words out like they were venom on her lips- "Trynn" was her name, a name which Lyra had never known anyone to have, but Maester Leland once knew a man, who aged to bear a daughter with such a name. All seemed irrelevant now; the things that were once important were now so irrelevant, but a memory nonetheless, so Lyra held them dear to her.

The older, doe-eyed man beside her smiled gently with all the warmth he could muster for a face so haggard, before saying ever so softly, "And I, my fine travellers, am Arkadah, Trynn's grandfather."

Kaelo put his sword away, mumbling, "You don't carry a weapon?"

"I don't need a weapon", he began, "I was born one". He looked over to Lyra like he knew all her secrets and smiled gently. With a side glance to the boar, he said, "Please, I implore you, join us for dinner. This boar will not eat itself, and we have more than enough."

Kaelo grinned and rubbed his tummy in acceptance. Lyra stared between the grey-haired man and fiery haired young woman unsure what to think.

The man's eyes were gentle but expressive, and should one stare at them long enough Lyra thought she saw someone dancing in them. She looked discretely over to her hiding Soul, and Lev, to Lyra's confusion, gently bowed and nodded toward them. Her Soul trusted them, but Lyra did not.

She didn't want to go. She wanted to stay hidden in the forest forever with just Chief, Lev and Kaelo. She had a hard time trusting herself; she deemed it impossible to trust others. The man stooped down toward Lyra and stared deep into her eyes, before saying to himself sadly, "Such sad, dead eyes for one so young."