The night didn't end as peacefully as it started. Dreams that started out well soon turned into a bloody nightmare that had Connor tossing and turning all through the night.
At first it wasn't that bad. In the field of summer flowers that existed just by the lake, Connor chased after Maella while their Mother watched them play with the same smile she had whenever she looked at them when she thought they weren't paying attention. He loved moments like this more than any other.
So when Maella started running towards the water, the bluenette didn't think much of it, knowing how much his sister liked swimming. Instead Connor walked back towards his mother, relishing in how his mother's eyes shone and her mouth moved to call his name-
"F..a..u..l.t…"
And just like that, the world turned upside down on him. The bright blue sky grew red as an inextinguishable fire burned all around them, turning once green fields into nothing more than ash. The silhouette of his mother burned away with them, mouth open in silent scream, empty eye sockets glaring into his own.
Connor froze, his mouth forming half words, excuses, yet never managed to finish them.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
'Maella!!'
The terrified screams of his sister broke him out of his trance and the boy turned around to see Maella struggling to reach the shore as hundreds of muddy hands tried to drag her deeper into the lake.Connor took off towards her, jumping into the lake without hesitation.
Swatting away the hands that got in his way, Connor grasped Maella's hands, pulling her towards the shore. Not one to be helpless, Maella kicked at the hands with all her remaining strength until they were finally free and far away from the water.
They panted for air, out of breath. Worried for his sister, the bluenette boy turned the small girl over.
"Mae-" his next words never left his mouth.
Instead of the familiar red eyes of his sister, the lifeless eyes of now a familiar looking man stared at him. His disfigured face stretched unnaturally as the man wrapped his hands around the boy's throat.
"ALl yOur FaUlt."
…
Connor shot upright, gasping in horror. A dream! It was all a dream! But it had felt so real and-
HIs red eyes watered and the pre-teen shakily brought his hands up to wrap around his neck, as if to make sure there was nothing around it. A sob escaped his lips, followed by another, then another until tears were freely streaming down his face.
"Mom… Maella…"
He curled up.
"I miss you.."
He sat there crying for who knew how long when a small whine echoed through the empty, half burnt yurt causing Connor to pause and look down at the small white puppy that had crawled into his lap during his breakdown. The boy sniffled as Neve continued to whine at him as if to comfort him.
However, the sniffling was soon replaced by laughter as Neve, who had finally noticed the lack of the distressed noise began licking away at the bluenette's face. She slobbered his face full of doggy kisses, growing even more excited for the laughter she got in turn.
"Haha!-Neve! Hah! Stop!" he giggled, only to receive a mouth full of saliva. Connor's face scrunched up in disgust and he quickly moved the puppy off of himself.
"Eww!" The boy frantically wiped his mouth and then his face. Neve just watched her human make a fuss with her tongue poking out, just happy that he wasn't sad anymore.
Once Connor was sure he got all the slobber off of his face, he pouted at the happy puppy for a moment. Reaching out and scratching at the back of her ears, the pre-teen gave her a small smile.
"Thanks Neve." he whispered, thankful for the distraction she offered.
Neve barked back at him, understanding clear in her eyes. He spent a few more moments there, just running his fingers through Neve's white fur. He felt relaxed, like he was finally at peace with himself.
Connor took a deep breath, thinking back to the words that Tribe Chief often told them kids.
"Don't let anyone drag you down. For you are a Saorcas, children loved by the Wild." he murmured, determination burning bright inside him. Not wanting to waste anymore time, the bluenette got up to his feet and started packing his finds from the day before.
Connor Saorcas was the child loved by the Wild and thus he had a duty to protect it. He was gonna save his sister, and the rest of his tribesmen who were taken away by the thieves that night. He-...
He didn't want to end up all alone…
Connor furiously rubbed away his tears, not wanting to cry again. Crying meant being weak, and men weren't supposed to be weak. The pre-teen continued to gather his things into the leather sack they used when traveling, which he had gotten from Nolan's home.
Neve laid on the bed, watching her partner pack for a journey she knew was coming and, wherever Connor went, she would be right there by his side. That, the puppy was absolutely certain of.
The moment it looked like Connor was finished, Neve trotted over to him with all the confidence in the world, just to trip over her own feet and face plant into the wooden flooring.
Connor burst out laughing.
"O-Oh god! Neve! ahahha-"
The puppy quickly recovered from her accident and huffed indignantly, turning away from the boy with a whine. Still giggling, Connor picked Neve up before carefully tucking her into his coat, making sure to tie his belt properly so the puppy wouldn't fall down. At her curious look, the soon to be thirteen-year-old explained his reasoning.
"It's so I won't lose you."
"Ruff!"
After giving one last bark of agreement, Neve tucked herself deeper into his chest, opting to snooze the morning away. The bluenette boy threw his sack over his shoulder, one hand holding it in place while the other sheathed his mother's dagger into his belt. He then picked up his hunting spear and climbed out of his childhood home, not sparing it a single glance.
He'd save his sister. Until then, he had no right to look back.
…
The mountain road was steep with stones and slippery from the snow. While Connor never left the forest before, he knew the mountain road like the back of his hands. The traces left behind by the karts were beginning to fade, but they were still visible enough for him to follow and so, the twelve-year-old followed those down to the western side of the forest, moving as fast as he could with Neve tucked against his chest.
But as strong and fast as he was, Connor couldn't reach the end of the forest within a single day. He was still a child, trying to track down people far more experienced than him. So it was around the time of sunset when the bluenette boy and his puppy decided to retire for the night.
After a bit of searching through the woods, they found themselves a tree burrow just big enough to fit them and their things.
First, Connor dug out the snow from it, revealing a patch of dark, warm earth. Next he gathered as many dry branches as possible. They would need fire if they were to make it through the night in the wilderness.
Once done, the boy dug a small bit at the edge of the burrow and lit some of the branches on fire, using the flintstones he bought with him.
Connor took off his rucksack, placing it as far back into the burrow as he could, his dagger and spear on the ground by his side. Finally, he took Neve out of his coat, placing her near the fire, on the spare shirt he had packed.
The puppy didn't even bother pretending to still be asleep and immediately flopped down to her side, belly cozily facing the fire. It made for a silly sight and the boy couldn't help but coo.
"Aww, aren't you just spoiled?-"
Whatever he was about to say next was interrupted by the sudden growl that echoed through the forest. It caused every muscle in his body to tense at the sound of snow crunching under a heavy weight.
Connor moved.
He quickly threw dirt into the fire, hoping against everything he knew that it wasn't a bear that he heard. The bluenette boy didn't think he could handle it if it was.
In the forest, there were three things every tribesman was told to avoid.
First was the wolves' territory in the North, easily identified by the never melting ice glaciers protecting the edges of their territory. They did not take kindly to humans.
Next was the swamp in the east,where dangerous animals like the lotus-headed snakes lived.
Third were bears. Only the strongest and most experienced of the tribe went after the bears.
Taking a shaky breath, Connor carefully pushed Neve deeper into the burrow, hands grabbing at the hilt of the dagger by his side, because-
From the shadow of the woods, glowing golden eyes of the mountain bear bore into his own.
He gulped, muttering the only thing in his mind at that moment.
"Shit…"