Disclaimer: Defiance does not belong to me.
Biting
Nolan wasn't sure about this whole thing. He had liberated the girl from a pretty dire situation, done what she couldn't, saved her, and he was pretty sure that she was appreciative, but then again maybe he was completely wrong. He'd honestly expected her to run off by now, but no, she was still following him around, so he assumed she wanted to be there. But really, it was hard to tell with her considering she wasn't much of a talker... as in she hadn't actually spoken one bit since he'd rescued her. So far all he'd managed to get out of her was a few grunts and a growl.
And then there was, of course, the biting.
He'd expected her to be a little feral (she was Irathient after all) and she was no doubt terrified, but he really didn't think the biting was particularly necessary, nor did he appreciate the constant stinging from the various bite marks he'd accumulated. The girl didn't just nip either. She was fierce. She drew blood. Honestly, Nolan thought she was a little bit scary.
It was obvious that she didn't know the old adage about biting the hand that feeds you. In fact, it was actually that particular time of the day when she would make the most lunges at him... the same time of day that he'd once quite enjoyed, but now instead dreaded.
Food aggression, clearly. He remembered his mom using the phrase a few times when Rocky, their Golden Retriever, had growled when anyone had gone near his food bowl when he'd been eating. She had explained that before they'd rescued him from the shelter, Rocky had likely lived in a home with more than one pet and that in order for him to get food, he'd had to show signs of aggression to keep the other animals at bay.
Looking at the skinny whip of a kid before him, Nolan had no doubt in his mind that this girl had probably never had enough to eat in her entire life and that's why she felt that she had to bite in order to keep others away from the food she did get.
Nolan paused and drummed his fingers on his knee in thought. Or maybe biting was just how Irathients said thank you. He couldn't really be sure. He'd never paid all that much attention to the finer details of their culture. He mostly just tried to avoid them so they wouldn't steal his stuff or, you know, attempt to kill him.
He glanced over at the girl to see that her unearthly golden eyes were focused solely on the food he was preparing over the fire. He bit back a sigh. What am I doing? he wondered not for the first time. He wasn't exactly father material... or even bad babysitting material for that matter. Who was he to drag some poor, scared kid around the Badlands on his never-ending quest for the perfect score, especially a mute feral kid who clearly didn't like or trust him?
Had he actually done the right thing saving her, taking her?
Yes, his inner voice immediately and adamantly responded. She would have died had he left her. She needed him... or well, at least she needed his food. And really, these days there weren't many better options than a guy like him. At least he knew he'd never hurt her. He couldn't say the same for everyone else she might have ended up with.
"Alright, kid, listen up." When she didn't give him her attention, he snapped his fingers at her a few times until her eyes quickly rose from the food to meet his gaze. "This is how it's going to be. I promise you that I will feed you, every day," or almost every day, he silently added. Food in the Badlands could be a little troublesome to come by on occasion... "And I will take care of you. I won't hurt you, not ever, and I won't let anyone else hurt you either. Understand?"
She just blinked.
He frowned slightly. Perhaps she didn't understand... He repeated what he'd just said in badly-pronounced Irathient, to which she gave him an odd look. "But," he continued, still speaking her native tongue, "you have to make me a promise in return. You have to stop biting me. That's it. That's all I'm asking. Kay? No biting."
When there was no response from the girl, he sighed to himself and shook his head, turning his attention back to the food. Yeah, maybe this really hadn't been a good idea after all...
"Your Irathient is shtako," came a soft reply, the words a bit hoarse from disuse. She had spoken in his tongue, not hers.
Nolan's head whipped back up, eyes widened ever so slightly. He immediately thought to correct her language, tell her that it wasn't appropriate for a little girl to talk like that, but then he thought better of it. A bit of cursing he could live with if that meant she was actually going to talk to him.
He smiled. "Yeah, I've been told that before," he replied. He studied her for a brief moment before asking, "Is that your way of saying you promise?"
She studied him right back before finally giving him a solemn nod.
He scooped up a bowl of food and handed it over to her. She still looked wary as she took it from him, but at least this time she didn't actually bite.
Progress.
...
(Author's Notes: I took some liberties, of course, since we don't actually know much of their backstory yet, but it still amused me to write it! More to come.)
