Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Noelle tries to make herself as small as possible.

She wishes she could simply curl up in a ball and disappear, she wants the attention off of her but it seems this is a mercy her siblings will not grant her.

All she had wanted to do was say farewell to Mimosa as she embarked on her journey to the Heart Kingdom. The two weren't especially close but her cousin had been the only one to show her any shred of kindness, even if that kindness was simply sharing a few words with her.

She had begged Nozel to take her to the docks, gotten so desperate she dropped onto her hands and knees. She doesn't know why but she felt as though if she did not make one last impression on the plant mage then her memories would fade from her mind and she'd lose the one positive relationship she had in her life.

Nozel had ignored her at first, casting her cold glances and muttering below his breath. When she kept insisting he had started to snap at her, scolding her and saying how her attention was unwarranted and how Mimosa wouldn't care if she showed up or not.

Noelle did not give up.

She continued to beg and beg and beg until finally her brother agreed.

Under one condition.

That her two other siblings escorted her there.

She regretted her instance the moment those words left Nozel's mouth, but after all she had done she could not take back her words.

The journey there by carriage had been a nightmare. Locked in a small space with the two people who openly hated her the most.

Of course they bemoaned about having to be taken away from their duties in order to attend to their useless little sister's request but also took every opportunity to make said girls life a living hell.

Insults upon insults carelessly hurled at her, and making her already fragile self image crumble like wet paper.

When they had arrived Noelle felt like nothing more than an empty husk. Dull eyes and blank expression wishing her cousin well as she saw her off.

Then she was back in that carriage.

And back with her siblings who continued to torment her.

She did her best to hide in the corner of the carriage. Trying to ignore the bumps and rocking as the wheels turned over uneven ground, and trying to stay out of her sibling's sight.

When the wagon suddenly comes to a slow stop she feels her body stiffen in fear.

"What's going on now?" Nebra groans over to the cabin driver.

"Something spooked the horses, just give them a moment my lady and they'll be moving again." The man answers back.

Solid sighs and fixed the smallest Silva a glare "this is all your fault."

She's heard that sentence over and over again for the past few days.

She is so tired of it.

"I could be home right now enjoying a nice hot bath if it weren't for you." Nebra agrees.

"You didn't have to come," Noelle thinks bitterly "I would have been fine on my own."

"What did you just say?" Solid's voice is low and very dangerous.

Noelle jolts and covers her mouth with her hand. She was so tired and worn that she hadn't been carefully monitoring her thoughts before they split from her lips.

"You little brat!" He steps over to her and grabs her by the collar "how ungrateful can you get!?"

"I'm sorry," Noelle closes her eyes in anticipation "please I didn't mean it."

"Oh I think you did," Nebra says coldly.

There's a rush of air as her older sister opens the back doors of the carriage.

"And if you think you'd be better off without us then you might as well get started."

"What no!" Noelle squeals as Solid carries her towards the exit.

"Please I didn't mean it! I don't know how to get home on my own!"

"Should have thought of that before you ran your mouth, useless pest!"

She's dropped onto the ground roughly, her bare knees dig into the uneven dirt and she feels a stone stab into her ankle painfully.

"Big brother please wait!" Noelle shouts as the carriage begins to move again.

"You had your chance."

"Please don't leave me!"

She pushes herself up, ignoring the discomfort in her knees as she chases after the carriage.

They're in the middle of the forest, on a path that cuts through it. The air is cold and the trees are mostly bare and she sees no sign of life other than the carriage that is becoming smaller and smaller.

She trips over a root that sticks out of the worn road and braces her hands to try and catch herself.

It's no use, she can't catch up.

Her siblings have left her here alone.

Alone and unwanted in the middle of nowhere.

She sniffs loudly, pulling her knees against her chest on the center of the path and letting silent tears fall.

She doesn't know how she'll get home.

She doesn't know how she'll survive.

xXx

He needs to find food.

The warm summer sun had left many moons ago and the gentle air of autumn was growing colder and damper with each passing day. Winter would be here soon and hunting was about to get a whole lot harder.

It is imperative now that he put on as much body weight as he possibly can before the snowfall hits if he hopes to survive.

Admittedly this year's hunting had been poor. He had barely managed to find enough prey to keep himself fed and he caught even fewer than he found. He was going to have to change hunting grounds again, but finding a place with little human activity with large bounds of prey animals was becoming more and more difficult.

As of now he's been forced to chase smaller more meager meals, the same way he had done when he was first abandoned.

He's currently following the scent of a hare. It may just be one hare but if he can catch it then perhaps he'll have enough energy to go after larger game. A deer would be more than enough to get him prepared for the winter.

He's keeping his body low but moving quickly through the long grace and dead shrubbery. The hare was quite a ways ahead and if he didn't want to lose its trail then he needed to hurry. Still he's careful where he lets his claws rest as he moves, silence is important when hunting even when you cannot see your prey.

The scent is drawing him closer to the human road. Normally he tries to avoid it at all cost or if he must cross he waits until nightfall; letting a human spot him would be detrimental to his survival.

The sun is still in the sky, hanging low in the late afternoon light and blocked by clouds that warn of snow. He'd typically avoid the road at this hour, especially when he can hear the faint sound of wagon wheels turning.

He grits his teeth.

Of course someone had to be on the road now, when he wanted to cross and when he was in a hurry.

If this had been any other year in the past he'd give up the hunt, turn back and try again elsewhere. This year though food has been so scarce and he is so damn hungry…and terrified of losing the first viable scent trail he's found in days.

So, going against his instincts he creeps up to the side of the road, keeping his belly practically pressed against the dirt as he peers through the grass to catch a glimpse of the threat.

One of the horses stops in its tracks and looks him dead in the eyes.

Damn things are too intuitive.

It whinnies in distress and bobs its head up and down, warning the driver and other horse of a potential threat.

His tail flicks in frustration but he forces his breathing to remain even and calm as he slinks backwards, trying to hide himself more amongst the foliage.

He can hear the humans yelling at each other. It's not an unusual sound to hear traveling partners bicker while on long journeys but this sounds different.

It sounds harsh and cruel.

And it's directed at someone who sounds young and helpless.

Curiously he peaks over the brambles and catches sight of two teenagers manhandling a younger girl - no older than  himself. Her squeals of distress makes his hair stand on end and his instincts demand for him to stay as still as possible and wait for the threat to pass.

The older of the children throw the younger out and into the dirt. She cries out, begging for them to stay, for them not to leave her.

His pupil constrict, the agony and fear in her voice is so familiar it could be his own.

He feels sorry for her.

The carriage leaves without the girl and she tries in vain to catch up. At some point she trips and falls back into the dirt. Asta does nothing but watch as she pushes herself back up before curling into a ball and starting to weep.

He feels for this girl he really does, but he cannot afford to help.

She is human and he knows what humans do to creatures like him.

Besides that he is starving .

It had been days since he last ate, days since he found any trace of prey. He can't afford to lose a potential meal to help a human.

It is annoying that she sits on the path still. He has two options, walk further down the road to where she cannot see him or risk sneaking by her.

The claws of hunger digging into his belly make the decision an easy one.

Slowly, like a fox leaving its burrow he begins to leave the safety of the tall grass. His movements are stiff and silent and his eyes are locked on the human. If she turns he is poised to run, hopefully quickly enough she won't get a good look at him.

The girl seems to be too caught up in her own despair, if she had heard him at all she doesn't turn to acknowledge his presence. Instead she remains where she is curled up in the center of the road silently crying.

He does his best to shake off the feeling of remorse as he reaches the other side and quickly sticks his nose to the ground to find the scent he is on.

He's relieved when he finds it and even more so when he realizes how close he is to his target now.

Leaving the weeping human behind him, he makes through the thicket of trees and grass, claws digging into the dirt and tail stiff.

When he sees the hare he has to stop himself from recklessly charging at it.

The hare itself looks weak and thin, looking more like a less plump rabbit then the larger rodent he had been expecting. Seems the harsh summer had been difficult on all the creatures of the forest.

He stalks it slowly, getting as close as he possibly can without alerting it to his presence.

Its ears prick up and it stands on its twos, it senses danger but doesn't know where it's coming from.

He does not give it the opportunity to figure it out. He kicks his back legs off the ground and uses his gait to crash into it.

The hare lets out a distress cry as he uses one clawed hand to slam against the creature's spine to stun it. 

He doesn't let its agony last for long. 

He ends its life quickly by snapping his teeth around its throat.

As warm blood spills into his mouth and the smell of fresh meat greets his nose he nearly melts.

He was so damn hungry.

Without another thought he begins to tear into the hare's flesh, pulling out thin strips of meat and relishing in its juices.

The hare was thin, clearly suffering from the same drought and famine he was. It wouldn't provide him with much but still it was something.

He's scarfing down his food quickly, not only out of hunger but out of necessity. There are other predators and scavengers in this forest who are just as starved as him, he can't risk losing this meal and he certainly can't risk getting into a fight. All his energy must be placed into hunting if he wants to survive.

He tells himself this over and over again.

But with each bite, with each crack of bone and tear of flesh he feels guilt fill his stomach along with meat.

He tries to shake it off, tries not to feel pity for a human, for a threat but it won't go away.

It's not like he can help her anyways, she'll scream and run if he tries to approach and even if he could afford to offer her some of his food he knows how her kind are; she won't eat it unless burnt in flame.

No, there is no point in trying to help that girl.

A twig snaps and as soon as it does his teeth are bared and he's locked eyes with a coyote.

Not just one, a small pack of four.

He can see their ribs and they must be desperate if trying to steal directly from him, although it wouldn't be the first time. Coyotes are crafty and clever; he's lost a few good scores to them.

But not this time–he cannot afford it. 

He waves his tail in warning and tries to give them a message they'll understand; a low animalistic growl that lets them know he will hurt them if they come closer.

The dogs look at his claws and his teeth before looking down at what little remains of the hare.

And they back away. 

Running off and leaving him be.

He huffs in approval and returns to his meal.

As he continues to eat his mind wonders back onto the girl.

If a pack of coyotes had gotten brave enough to venture not only near him but this close to the road then would they try something with her?

Surely not, no predator tended to challenge humans unless they were some form of magic beast.

But when he thinks of their sunken ribs and hungry eyes he isn't so sure.

Licking his lips and looking back in the direction of the road he thinks.

All that remains of the hare now are its bones and while he was planning on chewing them to get to the marrow…perhaps he could leave them to the ravens…and if he's lucky the birds may return his kindness by guiding him to some larger prey. They'd done it for him in the past; a carefully crafted symbiotic relationship, they lead him to prey and they get the scraps left over…and it would allow for him to check on the girl.

Yes he will do that.

Just to be safe.

xXx

The forest which Noelle once thought dead is now terrifyingly alive.

She can feel eyes watching from the treeline, and while she cannot see them she can hear them. They shift amongst branches and grass, yowling back and forth to one another, stalking her.

She catches brief glimpses of their yellow eyes. Whatever they are, they're small but they're hungry. She can see it in those eyes that glint against the darkening sky  and she can feel their desperation wavering off of them.

Afraid she forces herself back onto her feet, bringing her hands to her chest and keeping her gaze locked on the treeline.

"Stay back!" She tries to sound scary, intimidating and cruel, but what comes out sounds more like a helpless fawn crying for its mother.

A twig snaps between paws and Noelle is able to get her first look at what threatens her.

Some kind of dog is stepping out of the woods. At first her mind supplies her with the word 'wolf' but this creature is far smaller than the stuffed trophies her family has on display at the castle. It's no bigger than an average dog with scraggly fur and skin taut to bone.

It's moving closer to her slowly, eyes narrowed and unblinking.

She puts her palm forward and summons what little mana she can muster. At the sight of the water forming the dog's ears flick and it stills as if waiting for her to make the next move.

"Stay away!" She screams and lets the spell go.

It misses, landing right beside the mutt in a pathetic excuse of intimation that fails.

The dog howls loudly and in return the others still waiting in the treeline burst forward.

The one in front of her flares its teeth and makes a mad dash for her.

'This is it,' she thinks plainly as the dog leaps into the air, 'a royal mauled by a dog…what a fitting end for a failure like me.'

Something new screams inside the forest, it breaks apart the branches of brambles and trees as it runs through the thicket, it is much larger than the dogs attacking her.

Noelle doesn't get a chance to register the sounds before something catches the dog that had bounds towards her mid air. 

The mutt is slammed into the ground with a painful yelp not a moment later.

"Huh?" Is the only sound the water mage is able to make as she looks at her savior.

A boy.

A boy who looks not much younger than her and who doesn't look entirely human.

Actually she's not sure he is a human.

He's placed himself in between Noelle and the dogs. The boy doesn't stand on two feet; he uses his arms and hands like an extra set of legs to walk on all fours, his back arched like a feral cat and he has teeth sharp like the hounds in front of them. His hair is a tangled mess that reaches his shoulders, half of his locks are a dirty ash blonde colour and the other look as if it has been dosed in black ink. A horn best described as similar to that of a bull's peaks through his hair on the side that is black as midnight and he wears no shirt, only old, torn, brown trousers. His exposed skin reveals a well muscled body, but his skin is tight-taut to his muscle and bone and revealing ribs. The right side of his body looks almost as though it had been heavily tattooed with the same black ink that dyed his hair, only she knows it's not ink because ink cannot form a wing outside of the body or a thin devil like tail that waves in anger.

This boy doesn't look human and he doesn't act human either.

His teeth are bared, and he's gurgling his throat to produce a growl. 

The dog he had knocked to the ground whimpers and violently contorts its body to quickly get back onto its paws. It retreats closer to one of its pack mates before spinning around to face them again.

Noelle takes a step back, debating on just running and leaving these creatures to duke it out on their own, but she knows she cannot outrun either of them should they choose to give chase.

And for now at least it seems the boy is on her side.

One of the dogs snarls and jumps towards the boy, who in turn rears up onto his twos to swipe a clawed right hand at the beast.

At the same time another one of the dogs comes from behind and jumps onto his back.

The claws of the beastly boy effortlessly tear through the skin of the mutt and it stumbles onto the ground bleeding, but its friend doesn't cower from the sight.

Instead it digs sharp teeth into the boy's shoulder.

The kid cries out, twisting his neck at an unnatural angle in order to snag the dog with his own teeth and drag it off him.

Just as a third dog is about the attack the boy's tail whips it across the face and the creature stumbles back.

The dogs look defeated, whining, scared and still hungry.

The boy snarls loudly, teeth gnashing together as he takes a threatening step towards them.

And they turn tail and run.

Fleeing into the forest from whence they came, and slipping back into the darkness.

Noelle is frozen in place.

In front of her stands what could be her savior,  or what could be an even bigger threat.

She doesn't know what to make of him. She'd never seen a person so…feral before.

The boy is panting loudly as he turns back to face her, blood dripping from the wound from his shoulder.

She doesn't know what to do.

All she can do is stare.

He doesn't look as angry now.

His tail isn't thrashing violently and his teeth aren't bared, but his eyes are thin like a cats and his muscles tensed as if poised to run.

It takes her a moment to recognize the expression as one of fear.

He isn't planning on hurting her, at least not yet.

He's assessing her, seeing if she is a threat to him .

She doesn't know much but what her mind and instincts do supply her with is that she needs to communicate that she means him no harm.

"Hello." Her voice shakes and it sounds fearful and weak "thank you for saving me."

He blinks.

And his muscles relax slowly.

xXx

He let himself get bit, he let himself get wounded.

A wound requires energy to heal and energy requires food and catching food requires energy.

He's placed himself in a circle that will lead to his death, he doesn't have enough fat on his bones to skip meals and allow his torn flesh to heal and hunting will exacerbate the injury and likely lead to infection.

He's doomed himself for the sake of a human.

A human who is watching him terrified.

She's seen him. Seen the demon of the forest and soon she'll tell the rest of her kind and they'll come looking for him.

They'll try to hunt him again and this time he'll be too weak to flee.

If infection, hunger, or the cold don't kill him then they will.

His miserable life is over.

His survival is over.

He doesn't know what he was thinking-

"Hello."

Her voice shakes and trembles with fear but still she speaks, she speaks to him.

"Thank you for saving me."

She speaks to him.

He cannot remember the last time someone spoke to him. The last time he exchanged words with what used to be his kind. He isn't sure his tongue can still form the sounds of their language.

He feels himself relax involuntarily.

It would be wrong to say this girl isn't afraid of him, she very much is. Her muscles are poised to run the same way his were and she doesn't dare break his gaze.

But she's giving him a chance.

No one has ever given him a chance.

He tilts his head at her and lowers his tail, a universal sign of peace in the forest amongst foxes and dogs. He doesn't know how to communicate this to her in any other way she'll understand, he does know that most humans have favor towards canines and some spend enough time around them to understand their body language.

He hopes she's one of them.

The girl doesn't relax but she does shift on her feet.

"What…are you?" She finally asks.

Her words are foreign, he understands them as a language he once spoke and he can vaguely make some sense of what she's saying but it's mismatched and broken at best.

She wants to know him-what to call him perhaps? 

He isn't sure of the answer himself.

He knows he's not human not anymore and he distinctly remembers the words demon being hurled at him as he fled into the wilds but he also remembers how much he hated that word because it wasn't him.

He doesn't know what he is but he knows he isn't a demon.

The girl continues to stare at him and he realizes he hasn't provided her with an answer.

He doesn't know what to communicate or how.

There is no answer for her question but how does he tell her that.

"Um," she sounds so small "do you…do you have a name?"

Name?

Yes he did have one a long time ago.

One that hasn't left anyone's lips in years but he remembers it.

Remembers how it was said as though it were an insult and how as he fled that name was used alongside the word demon as if interchangeable.

If that's what she's asking for then he thinks he can answer her.

The hard part will be getting his tongue to form the word.

He opens his mouth and at first all that comes out is a croak of air. The sound makes the girl jump as though not expecting him to speak.

He tries again, forcing the air out his lungs and up his throat, to his tongue which he uses to weave the sound into words.

"As-," it comes out more like a hissing noise but the sound is there "-ta."

The girl blinks at him.

"As-ta." He tries again.

How could humans spend so much time talking? How were their throats not sore and their tongues not dry?

"Asta?" The girl breathes gently.

Something about hearing his old name spoken again fills him with dread. It's like he's given a piece of himself long since murdered to a stranger and now she alone has the power to bring it back to life.

"Your name is Asta?"

He bobs his head, mimicking a gesture that if he's remembering right means 'yes.'

"Okay," the girl says slowly as she seems to relax. "It's nice to meet you, thank you for saving me Asta."

He can't get much out of the sentence but he recognizes his name and the word 'nice'. He never thought any human would think any part of himself as nice.

"My name," the girl points to herself, "is Noelle."

The word 'Noelle' is completely foreign and new. He's never heard anything like it before and had it not been said alongside 'name' he'd not know what she meant. 

This girl is called Noelle.

He thinks it sounds pretty and it suits her face nicely.

He tries his best to make his tongue and throat cooperate, the sound coming out as a breathy gasp and choke of air.

"No-elle."

She nods slowly at him.

And then she moves.

Ever so slowly she lowers herself to her knees.

She points to his shoulder and he tenses. 

Having an injury noticed by an opposite party is never a good thing. In the wild you do everything and anything to hide your weaknesses, even if it means having to put weight on a broken limb when an enemy is nearby. 

You never let them spot it, because if they do they will exploit it.

"You're hurt."

He warns her with a show of his teeth and she draws her hand back to herself quickly.

Once she does he lets his lips fall back over his fangs but his tail is still raised in warning.

"Can I…help?" She offers.

He blinks slowly, trying to put together her words in a fashion that makes sense to him.

'Help' is a cry humans make when in danger, he's heard a few people cry for it on these roads before, but he's never heard it said softly like this.

It takes him a moment to realize she isn't asking him for help but offering it to him instead.

And he doesn't know why.

There was no danger, not like when the coyotes had attacked her, or when she had been abandoned by her pack. There is no threat she can help ward off.

She points to her own shoulder and he curiously tilts his head at her.

"Help," she says again "with your wound."

…

She wishes to help him with his injury?

Only energy and rest can heal a coyote bite, he knows not what the girl is trying to offer him.

He leaps in surprise at the sound of tearing fabric. 

Noelle is ripping at the cloth she wears and pulling some into small strips.

He yelps in alarm. Cloth is rare, it makes for warm nesting material and if you're lucky enough to find some to wear it can keep you warm even if on the move. He doesn't understand how she can rip it up so carelessly!

Then again he had never seen a human that wasn't draped in the stuff before. 

With cloth placed out before her on the ground, she hesitantly raises her hand again and waves it towards herself.

He thinks he understands.

She's beckoning him towards her.

He eyes her suspiciously, still not trusting the fact that she's pointed at his weak spot but curious to know her plan. 

Plus if he can snag the cloth she clearly doesn't want then he'll have a slightly warmer nest for the winter.

Carefully he slinks towards her, belly pressed against the ground and muscles stiff. His eyes are on her, she won't make any sudden moves without him noticing.

She grabs one of the cloth pieces and slowly outstretches her arm.

When it wades too close to his shoulder he makes a low threatening noise on instinct. Seems the message is clear as she pulls her hand back in fright.

"It's okay," she speaks softly, "I just want to help."

That word again.

"I'm going to touch you okay?"

He doesn't understand that sentence, doesn't know what she's planning until she's already doing it.

Her hand rests on his back, just below his shoulder and he tenses. His eyes snap from her face to the hand on his back and his tail is flickering again.

She takes the cloth in her other hand and begins to pull it over his wound.

He hisses violently and attempts to pull away when it stings, but she moves forward quickly pulling the fabric tighter and locking it in place.

He growls at her, leaping away and putting distance between them once more. He shows his teeth and continues to bellow an angry noise unsure of why he ever let himself trust a human.

Then he feels a comforting pressure on his wound.

His growling stops and he looks at his shoulder in bewilderment. 

The white fabric of her cloth is tied tight around the wound, blood attempts to seep through but it has nowhere to escape to.

It's a marvel, he's never seen anything like it. The injury is protected from the elements reducing the risk of infection and the blood isn't dripping onto the forest floor giving off a scent that predators can follow.

He looks back at her with big confused eyes.

She offers a gentle smile and simply says the word "help."

She did help.

Thanks to her the wound appears as good as a healed one, with this he might still be able to hunt and as such survive.

To show his happiness and gratitude he smiles back at her.

It's awkward and his lips are shaky but he knows this is how humans express great joy; he used to do it all the time when he was one of them.

The girl laughs at his expression and it's a beautiful sound, it makes him feel…warm. 

…

If this girl had been abandoned by her pack and she knew a survival skill like treating a wound then maybe…they can help each other further!

Maybe they can become their own pack and work together to survive the winter rather than tough it out on their own.

Yes, this could work.

They could survive.

xXx

Noelle isn't sure what to make of this 'Asta' kid. He seems wild, untamed and more animal than human…but he also seems nice.

Scared and on edge, but nice.

He's looking at the makeshift bandage she's made him as though it's the most powerful healing magic he's ever seen; eyes the size of dinner plates and mouth agape.

She can't help but wonder how he'd react if he saw Mimosa at work.

He looks at her and she can tell she's gained some of his trust. He looks relaxed, with eyes no longer slitted but as round as the moon.

When he offers her a smile she can't help but laugh a little. It's more of an imitation of a smile than a real one, but it's charming in its own right.

He makes a humming noise at the back of his throat before lifting his left hand off the ground. 

He awkwardly points are himself and says-

"As-ta."

-before turning his hand around to point at her.

"No-elle."

He pauses and wrinkles his nose in thought and she decides to humor him and be patient. It's clear from their earlier interactions that he isn't used to speaking.

"Pa-ck?"

He says it like a question.

She isn't sure what he means and all she offers him at first is a shrug, hoping he can find some means to elaborate.

He tilts his head at her, not understanding the gesture.

It clicks in her mind that his head tilts are his way of communicating that he doesn't understand her, and if she wants to get anywhere in this conversation she's going to have to speak his language.

"Pa-ck?" He says again.

This time in reply she tilts her head, even if she feels silly doing it.

It seems to work, she sees something akin to realization cross his face and he tips his head back in thought.

Then unprompted he flops onto the ground, rolling off his good shoulder until he's on his back with his belly exposed.

She can't stop the laugh from escaping her throat as watches the teen wiggle on the ground like an overgrown puppy‐she has no clue what to make of his actions.

"What are you doing?"

xXx

Asta doesn't know how humans integrate each other into their packs.

He knows some-like himself before- are simply born into theirs but he does know of others who built new packs later on in life with people who are not blood.

He's lucky he even knows the human word for pack. He's heard enough travelers scowl about the coyote and even more troublesome wolf packs in the area to have caught onto it, but to his dismay Noelle doesn't understand him.

He doesn't know why.

Nevertheless he needs to find a new tactic.

He thinks back to the other pack animals in the forest, how do they integrate new members?

Lone wolves show submission when wanting to join a pack. Usually by bowing their heads and giving gentle licks to their hopefully future pack mates. Most trusting of all though is revealing one's belly.

Even in cats like cougars and lynx this is a sign of trust.

It's universal, surely humans understand it.

As he takes the risk and displays the sign of submission, revealing the most vulnerable part of his body he hears that beautiful sound again.

He glimpses up at the girl from his place on the path and sees that Noelle is indeed laughing, keeping a hand over mouth in order to stifle the giggles.

Does this mean it's working?

"Pack!" He says again, managing to get the word out in one clear bark.

Still laughing, Noelle tilts her head.

Baffled at how she still can't understand his offer, he rolls back onto his belly, keeping his paws tucked under him and close to the ground. It's not like before, not a stance designed to protect himself but one designed to indicate play in felines.

After all, if canine body language wasn't working then maybe she was more of a cat person?

"Pa-ck." He tries again 

"Pack?" She asks with a tilt of her head.

His eyes light up and he rapidly bobs his head "No-elle, As-ta, pack!"

…

"You want us to stay together?"

He does his best to grin his teeth at her in what he hopes is done in a non threatening manner. 

xXx

He wants them to stay together.

Noelle has no idea what to even think of that. 

She's been dumped in the woods by her horrible siblings, attacked by wild dogs, rescued by a feral teen and now said feral boy wants her to join him here in the forest?

How can she even begin to answer that?

She obviously can't stay here.

She's royalty whether her siblings like it or not, and as soon as Nozel hears she's missing she knows he will send someone for her.

At least she hopes he will…

Unless the youngest Silva getting lost in the woods was just the tragedy they needed to finally be rid of her.

She closes her eyes and shakes those thoughts from her mind.

She can't think like that, they will send someone eventually.

But…how long is eventually?

She knows that from this forest to the Silva castle it's about a two day trip by carriage and unless her siblings turn back for her (which they almost certainly won't) would she be able to last that long? She had only been here for maybe an hour before nearly being mauled by wild dogs after all.

…

Maybe it's in her best interest to stay with Asta for now.

He may not be civilized but at least he'd be able to keep Noelle safe until help eventually comes.

"Okay," she breathes softly, "I'll join your pack."