Soul Eater: A Flower Amongst The Stars: Book 2
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the horses and Claire! Pairings: SoMa, Kila
Chapter 1: The Black Wolf
The sound of boots crunching through the snow in the first week of winter is a welcome one. Soul and Maka race each other as they run to catch the field trip bus. The teachers never did tell them where they were going. "I wonder why Dr. Stein didn't tell us why we're getting on the bus," Maka pants as they run towards the large vehicle. "I have no idea," Soul replies as they reach the yellow bus. They climb on and take a seat next to Kid. "Hey there. So you guys have any clue what on earth is going on," the boy asks, his golden eyes glittering with curiosity. "Nope. We are just as curious as you," Maka says, shaking her head.
"Students, thank you for being patient with the teachers of the academy today. We're going to pick up a new student and go on a camping trip," says Dr. Stein, his cigar hanging from his jaws like a dead animal. This sends Kid, Maka, and Soul into an excited chatter about the gender, personality, and appearance of the newcomer. "I hope she's cool," Soul says, guessing that the student will be female. "I'll bet he's strong," Maka chatters back, referring that her opinion is that the student is a boy. "As long as this human is friendly, I personally don't care," Kid joins in, making Stein smile at the student's enthusiasm.
In four hours, the bus comes to a halt at a small farm, with peaceful meadows and a forest at its edge. Stein motions for Maka, Soul, and Kid to step off of the bus as a woman races up to them. "I'm sorry, but I can't find your newest student. That troublesome child is always running off into the woods." Stein simply laughs, then a winnie echos through the meadow. A silver horse gallops through the field, followed closely by a black wolf the same size. At first, everyone is afraid that the horse is going to get injured, until it wheels around and nuzzles the large canine, earning a lick on the nose. The wolf's tail wags before she spots the bus, along with the woman and strange people. Giving a loud bark, the horse-sized dog runs and leaps over the fence, greeting the woman by touching its nose to her cheek. "Oh, pardon my rudeness. My name is Georgia," the woman says, rubbing the wolf's black ears. "I'm Claire, I applied to the DWMA," the wolf says suddenly, startling the three students as well as Stein. Claire sits down and extends one of her large front paws out to them. Kid is the first to be brave enough to extend his hand, into which Claire places her paw. "Oh, this wolf has manners," he says, smiling. Soul is next, holding his hand up for a high-five. Maka shakes Claire's paw, and lastly, Stein does the same as Maka. Then, in a flash of blue light, the animal transforms into a tall, slender girl. Her long, chocolate hair is streaked with dirty blonde and red highlights. Her gray-blue eyes look as if they could stare straight into your soul. She's dressed in a white-and-black striped hoody and torn-up blue jeans.
Chapter 2: Getting To Know You
A few minutes later, on the bus, Maka chatters away with Claire, the two girls becoming fast friends. Kid and Soul are conversing about the camping trip when the girls burst out in an excited yell. The boys whip around to see the two of them wrapped in a tight hug. Maka turns to Kid and Soul. "Claire was my best friend in eighth grade. We haven't seen each other for some time," Maka explains, her forest green eyes glittering. "That's pretty cool, Maka," Soul replies, smiling at his meister.
Soon, Maka and Claire are fully caught up on previous events. Claire's gentle expression as she talks with the sandy-haired girl puts Stein at ease. Since it's been about an hour, the bus stops and allows everyone to stretch their legs. Claire turns back into a wolf, going into the downward dog position. Yawning, she plops down beside the bus and waits for everyone to finish running around like crazy people. She feels a hand on her head, looking up to find Kid standing beside her. The large black canine wags her tail in greeting, then her ruby eyes widen as the boy sits down, cuddling into her soft fur and beginning to drift off. "H-hey...What are you-" Claire is cut off by the soft sound of snoring. Her red eyes soften and she turns her head to watch the others play. Soul is chasing Maka around a tree in a game of tag. Stein is chilling out on a bench nearby.
Once everyone is back in the bus, Kid passes out with his head on the window. Claire and Maka are chatting away about many different subjects. Soul gives a heavy sigh and leans back in his seat, listening to Maka talk. The happy tone in her voice makes him smile and blush a little. Soul's thoughts begin to wander, landing on a heart-wrenching subject. Visions and memories of Flower, the two-year-old mare that he loved so deeply. He can still remember her chocolate coat and deep, gentle amber eyes. He smiles slightly at the thought of when he used to ride her through the forest and gallop through the sunlit fields of the open meadow. The way she would always greet him with a friendly neigh echos through the boy's mind.
Chapter 3: Painful Memories
The bus comes to a halt at the edge of a dark forest. Everyone piles off the vehicle and begin to stretch their legs. Everyone except for Soul, who sits by the vehicle, looking depressed. Claire trots over to the boy, concern showing in her eyes. "What's wrong? Is something bothering you," she asks, cocking her head slightly and wagging her tail. "I'm just thinking about my old friend. Her name was Flower." Soul begins to explain everything as the black wolf sits and listens. "Maybe you could just let your friends know that you miss her. Just remember that they're here to support you."
A few hours later, everyone has set up camp and are beginning to think of fun games to play. Claire gathers firewood before joining the rest of the group. Maka suggests playing cops and robbers, Soul thinks about hide-and-go-seek with a twist, Kid mumbles about the lack of symmetry in the forest, and Stein watches from a distance. Claire turned back into a girl and listens to all of the ideas, casting a few worried glances at Soul. After what he had said to her, about Flower and the bond they shared, the fact that he didn't want to tell his friends made her think he didn't trust them. The small group decided on playing Soul's idea. The twist on this particular hide-and-go-seek is that the two people to be found first had to play the pocky game at the end. Claire smiled and hid in a tree, but she didn't hide well enough. Kid was found first, as he had been picky about a hiding place and refused to hide. Soul was the seeker, and had no trouble finding the brown-haired girl.