"Where in Galea's name have you been Halvor?!"
Some small part of Nissa's mind rationalized that she was projecting her own short comings and fatigue, but the greater part gave way to her emotions of grief and anger. Halvor did not respond, nor did he attempt to move any closer, yet his eyes landed on the cold body wrapped by Anna's one good arm as she grieved. His grey eyed graze lingered for a moment on her deceased friend before he turned away and began to walk among the deceased almost searching for something.
Halvor's seemingly apathetic reaction to Gareth's death caused her knuckles to whiten as she tightly gripped her spear. "Where... were... you?" She growled out as he continued to survey the dead. What she heard in response was nothing but the whimpering sobs of Anna across a silent battlefield. Yet, Halvor did not stop, did not respond.
Nissa gritted her teeth. 'Perhaps he didn't hear me.' She was losing her temper and while raising her voice, she barked. "What was so important that it was worth his life?!" Silence. Anything, Nissa wished he would say something even do something to justify his actions that led to the loss, sorrow, and inadequacy that both She and Anna were feeling.
However he did stop, but instead of turning around to answer her fervent questions; he instead knelt down and began to dislodge something from a fallen berserker. 'Does he not care about us at all?!'. She thought, and then Nissa's restraint was dissolved.
"If you were here instead of searching for the Treasure of The Seven Kings, you could have ended this fight before it even began!..." It was her next words that caused her to choke on emotion as salty tears slowly pooled at the corner of her purple eyes. "IF you were here, Gareth would still be alive!"
Silence.
Then her anger condensed into a cold gaze as Nissa lost control of her high strung emotions which in return harshly sought out the darker side of her vocabulary, and the words she next spoke indeed invoked a reaction.
"...You heartless monster."
Halvor's eyes immediately snapped to her own and it was then that Nissa felt something more than apathy rapidly grow from his dead emotions... anger; there were others that sprang to life, but she paid them no mind for the moment. Nissa knew those words were cruel and wrong, yet despite being wrong she also knew she was owed his answers; for his absence during the battle.
"Seems I need to beat the answers out of you then." She muttered as she gathered her strength once more. Slowly she placed Gareth down next to Anna and as she began to rise; Halvor also rose into a mirrored stance. Nissa's blood was hot with anger and sorrow as she called on her Binding once more to enhance her speed. However just as her muscles tensed to shoot forward and begin venting her emotions, a loud shout came from the wood line.
"Enough!" A deep voice reverberated through the clearing as Fenrir landed between the two of them before they could come to blows.
His paws and muzzle were coated in drying blood giving him a fearsome appearance, yet what stood out the most was the Immense Aura that erupted from him to pacify the impending conflict. Once Nissa's eyes met his own, Fenrir stated in a deep and concerned voice. "Nissa, help Anna. She needs you more than you need his answers."
Like a bucket of Ice from the edges of the World, her rage was smothered in an instant. Then Nissa was able to hear Anna's sorrowful plea. "I-I can't carry him. Please help me." Without a second glance at Halvor, Nissa turned around and moved to help Anna carry her brother from the eerie battlefield.
Once the duo stepped into the cooling late afternoon forest, Fenrir sighed and turned his concern towards Halvor who sat down and proceeded to clean his blades with the tabard of felled Leader of these Berserkers. Although he looked unaffected by Nissa's words and actions, Fenrir knew him well enough to notice his tells: The slight furrow of his brow, his unfocused gaze.
Halvor, the strongest mortal asset the gods had in this desperate war, was still very much vulnerable to her barbed words. 'Knowing him, this will set him back years... ... It never gets easier...' Sighing once more, Fenrir moved closer to Halvor and attempted to reverse what Nissa had unknowingly inflicted upon his poor master. "How troublesome..."
Somewhere far away, a kindred lazy soul heard Fenrir's complaint and wished him luck.
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The evening was cool, and devoid of clouds revealing the cosmic canvas of stars beyond count. Yet beneath this breathtaking sight, Nissa rested her arms atop of her knee as she strained to get her breathing down from her latest nightmare.
'Three days... of nothing but night terrors...' Nissa thought to herself as she gently massaged the temples of her head in attempts to soothe her pounding skull. She slowly reviewed the last three days that led to this particular dream.
Halvor did not intrude on them until Nissa and Anna had buried Gareth in a shallow grave. 'If he says one...' Nissa headed off those emotions immediately because she didn't wish to escalate what was already a tense atmosphere between her and Halvor.
Her breaths were easier now, but Nissa knew she couldn't go back to sleep tonight. The last thing she wanted was to go down memory lane again and see the tragic moments of her previous and current life.
As she mulled over nothing, Nissa heard a soft whisper from behind her. "Thats three for three, you know. Another couple of hours and you would have gotten second place." The best she could offer was a scoff, she just wasn't feeling it tonight.
Seeing his words making little affect, Fenrir swapped into a more serious tone. "You should at least try to sleep again, whether in a dream or ... or a nightmare your body needs to recover its strength."
Nissa then turned around to look at him with disbelieving eyes and said curtly. "I have no wish to see them anymore tonight." She said curtly as she faced away from the wolf. He seemed to let her go with those words for a moment, then he softly pushed by replying. "Bottling up those experiences doesn't end well..."
This wasn't new of course, Fenrir had seen her wake from nightmares before and similarly encouraged her to open up to a family member, or even him if she desired it. Every time before now, she took note of his offer and thanked him for it, but never seriously considered it. Nissa had gone to her mother early in her life, and confined in her these vivid night terrors, and it helped, but they just never left her. Now however, Nissa was tired in every aspect of her being.
'...Perhaps... he's right... Its not like I can talk to Mother right now, and Anna doesn't know about my reincarnation, and I am DEFINITELY not talking to Halvor.' During the inner-struggle of her decision to open up to her last option, Fenrir quietly moved and sat down behind her; letting her unknowingly lean back against his warm flank.
The two sides warred in her mind as Nissa debated Fenrir's offer, and it took a good while until a thought finally came that settled the dispute. 'I can't fight these nightmares on my own.'
Releasing a tired sigh, Nissa's hands relaxed themselves as she finally let go of the last hold of hesitation and simply entrusted Galea to help her; as she at last replied to Fenrir.
"I have dreams of my previous life..."