Seven Souls |Updates Fridays|

27 Nyka Larkin

A/N: I plan on around 70 chapters so don't be thinking we're anywhere near done. :)

_Nyka Larkin_

Nyka was packing up from their seventh day on the road. It had been a week since grandmothers death, he realized as he wrapped a beat up cotton blanket into a bag. A week since they had started traveling. A week since he murdered a man. A week since the nightmares had graced him with their presence.

At least he had Kori now. It had been quite the scare when he heard something rustling about the bushes, but when the little dog randomly appeared, Nyka had been overjoyed. He had smiled then, for the first time since the day of the fire. The reappearance of the dog made him feel a little bit better. At least someone who was looking for him wasn't doing it out of spite of his existence.

He wondered how long the little dog had been following after them, and how long it had been since he had eaten. Nyka assumed it hadn't been much when he fed the dog, who had eaten like his life depended on it. Ingrid had scolded him then, that they could not waste what little food they had on the dog. Complaining then, about how the mangy thing had managed to follow them.

Nyka understood they did not have much out here on the road, but he could not abandon his little friend so easily- especially not now after so easily leaving without him. However, the dog did not seem as angry as he would have imagined it. Only glad to see him. Nyka liked that about the mutt. He would leave or do something else that was not particularly good, but the dog was always glad to see him. He promised Kori, though he knew the dog could not understand, that he would never leave him again. 

They had left in such a haste that they were not able to locate the dog by the time they left. Nyka had been grief stricken- too distracted to remember his little friend enough to fight his way into staying to look for him. He was a bit ashamed he had not pressed the subject. However, he vowed to do that now.

He was going to take care of Kori and keep the little dog with them wherever they went. The dog was stupid and not trained to do anything other then come at the call of his name, but he was good company. Especially when Nyka woke up in a cold sweat in the dark. That was perhaps the only reason Ingrid allowed the creature to stay. Nyka was doing better with him around and she could see it.

Infact, on this night, the thought of warm food was not a repulsing one. However, the boy was still weary of it.

"Nyka please, eat before it is cold. Yew will catch a cold yerself if you do not warm up soon." Ingrid warned him.

"The sun warms me in the day," He told her.

"Yes but there is no sun at night to warm ye, is there?"

He slowly shook his head. They were about halfway to the crossroads between Denheim and Faun Gaia, and already things were growing colder. Altitudes here were higher than down in Wardruna, and with the hills came colder weather. There was less oppressive heat in the daylight hours, but this meant that nights were colder. The best part about this however, was that his feet were growing callussed, and it no longer hurt to walk so much all day, though he still went to bed sore.

"Eat yer damn food warm, Nyka. Ye'll worry me half to death at this rate." She warned him.

"Ingrid, let the boy eat how he likes. At least he is sleeping with a blanket now." Byrne said softly.

"It is alright, Byrne... I... I'll eat it warm." He decided out loud. Ingrid nodded at this, satisfied and Byrne looked between the two with worried eyes before he went back to his supper. The tanned southern man seemed to be a mediator between the two of them. When Ingrid went too strict on Nyka, Byrne was there to step in, though sometimes it was unwanted by both parties.