Xena paced across the cave floor, biting her nails and looking over every so often at the forms sleeping beside the small campfire. The sight warmed her heart. Seeing her brothers so close to Gabrielle, indifferent and unaffected by the human's obvious difference to them gave her hope. They looked so unusual laid together, but to Xena it felt as though they weren't. It felt comfortable. Normal. It was as though it was meant to be; the sight started to fill a void she'd always sensed somewhere deep within her chest and the happiness she felt because of it made her feel more complete than she had in a long time.
Gabrielle was tucked between the wolves, her eyes closed and the look of pain and fear that normally decorated her face, gone. Peaceful. That was it. She looked peaceful, and the look was reflected in Joxer and Autolycus's faces as they rested at either side of her, quietly snoring away.
Xena tilted her head to the side and looked closer. From where she was stood, one of Joxer's paws seemed slightly more extended than the other, stretching – almost as if he was reaching out to Gabrielle in his sleep, and she was surprised to find the human, instead of trying to keep her distance, was curled into his side as though she needed the contact. The image of her family accepting the human made her smile.
However, though her brothers had accepted Gabrielle, her stomach sank when the thought of getting the rest of the pack to accept her crossed her mind. Some of her pack still didn't fully accept Xena as one of their own, including the pack alpha, Akan. It looked next to impossible to get them to accept Gabrielle, if not completely.
With Gabrielle, just getting to where they were now with her brothers hadn't been easy. She had been prepared to tackle Joxer when he and Gabrielle had introduced themselves to each other; afraid that he might have tried to attack the human again as he had the night she'd been bathing. The conflicting emotions that rushed through her during then had been overpowering, and dealing with them again earlier that day hadn't been any easier.
Autolycus had taken more convincing.
~X~
Xena watched, her smile growing wider as the human stepped further out into the sun. She wanted to give Gabrielle the chance to explore the outside herself, grow comfortable again with everything, but kept a constant vigilance around her, ready to act if needed. The cave had been a safe haven for the human to re-establish herself and heal, both emotionally as well as physically. Xena recognized that going back out into the open after what she endured, especially with how fragile the human was could go either way. With each step Gabrielle took, Xena was a step behind, fighting the urge to hold out her arms for support just in case she needed it. Gabrielle was a grown human, not a pup learning to walk for the first time. She had to remember that, but it was hard, especially when Gabrielle looked so fragile, weak and pale from lack of sunlight.
Every so often, Gabrielle would walk towards something that caught her eye, a flower, a tree, the natural design of the cave wall, a fresh smile and burst of exuberance following with each discovery. The movement would be almost unperceivable, but with her keen eyesight, Xena saw it: the little stumble, the hand extended out and resting against the nearest thing to use as a way to hold her up. Gabrielle was weak. Still so weak and the sight caused Xena's heart to twist with sadness and worry.
Joxer seemed to have sensed Xena's worry. Without saying anything, he'd edged up beside Gabrielle, nudging her hand with his snout, coaxing her to stroke his head and eventually rest her hand upon his back so he was walking support without seeming like it. Joxer glanced back and grinned in response to Xena's smile of silent thanks.
For a while they stayed like that; Xena quietly watching, Joxer assisting Gabrielle and Gabrielle exploring the forest safely since the incident. Then Xena's ears pricked at the sound, Joxer too and they both turned in the same direction. Something was there in the trees, watching them. Picking up the scent, Xena realized who it was. At first she couldn't understand why he wouldn't just come out from within his cover, but as Gabrielle cooed at something and pointed at the trees around them, Xena realized.
The human
Autolycus was quiet as he speculated from the bushes, never making a sound that would alert Gabrielle to his presence. Suppose it's better than nothing, Xena mused to herself, even though it slightly annoyed her. Joxer seemed just as bemused as Xena by their brother's refusal to reveal himself, but he retained his silence, attempting to react appropriately to Gabrielle whenever she spoke to him in her strange tongue. It was only when they'd reached the water's edge near the cave that Autolycus finally decided to break free of his cover.
He stepped out and carefully padded over. Even though he kept a distance between them, Xena could feel his conflict. She noticed the way he stared at the human, his eyes roaming over Gabrielle's form, taking in every little line and listening to the foreign sounds she made. The looks toward Gabrielle weren't the looks that bothered her. They had been more observant, rather curiosity than ill intention. No. The looks she cared more about were the ones that he gave Xena and Joxer. Autolycus's eyes would tighten whenever they looked back at him, holding a hint of a look of someone who felt betrayed.
Xena wanted to tell him that they weren't betraying him. That it was as innocent as it looked, but she never got the chance. As she had before with Joxer, Gabrielle noticed the new wolf and seemed to detect the tension between him and Xena, and her first reaction had been to panic. She stepped away, moving over to hide behind Xena, clutching her arm as though it was a lifeline.
'What's going on here? Happy families?' Autolycus growled.
Xena frowned at his tone, but kept her own even. 'We're trying to bring the human out of the cave. She needs air. She looks sick.'
She felt the human's fingers tighten around her bicep as Autolycus paced up and down and instinctively reached around to comfort her. She squeezed the human's hand, hoping to reassure her that everything would be okay, making sure to keep her gaze upon her suspicious brother. She noticed his eyes narrow slightly at her touch, but said nothing.
'I guess you're right, but I wouldn't get her too comfortable,'
'Why?'
Suddenly, as if Autolycus didn't look tense enough, he paused and his face took on a serious look. 'The pack is getting suspicious and wondering where you go all the time. You would know that…if you were there.'
'They wouldn't come searching, would they?'
'It's a possibility, especially considering that there is the threat against the pack.'
'What do you mean?' Xena asked, quickly standing up straighter with concern. She felt Gabrielle tense behind her and squeezed her hand again. 'Threat?'
'The other wolf pack Akan mentioned…they passed around the fringes of our territory again, provoking him so that he had no other choice but to confront them. I went with him when he went to investigate yesterday. They're vicious, Xena,' Autolycus said, his eyes darkening as he remembered. Xena could sense his unease and stepped forward, reaching out to him, unknowing whether or not her brother would recoil from her. Autolycus didn't move. He only stared at her hand until it reached his face.
'Autolycus? They didn't hurt anyone did they?'
'No, but I'm worried. They seemed…crazy and the leader is dangerous. All she did was glare at Akan the whole time he spoke with them with a crazy gleam in her eye, twitching as though she could hardly hold herself back from attacking. I think if the rest of the pack hadn't been there, she would have,'
'The alpha is female?' That surprised her.
'Yes.' Autolycus frowned deeply. 'I didn't hear what her name was, but you wouldn't be able to miss her. Her coat is almost golden…much like your human,' he sneered, looking over Gabrielle's tiny form as she stood tucked into Xena's side.
Xena glanced down at her and bit her lip before looking up. 'She won't hurt you, Autolycus.'
'Have you forgotten the way she marked you, Xena?'
'No, I haven't, but it wasn't done on purpose. She's weak and more afraid of you than you are of her.'
Suddenly, Autolycus straightened. 'I'm not afraid of the human!' he sniffed indignantly and looked away as though he'd just been offended. 'I just don't want to…'
'Don't want to what?' Xena asked, raising an eyebrow.
Autolycus glanced over at the human and his brother rolled his eyes. 'I don't want to be her friend, as Joxer so clearly is.'
'I'm helping her! Besides, the human is important to Xena,' Joxer jumped to his own defence.
Xena ignored the heat creeping into her cheeks when she glanced down at Gabrielle. Yes, she had become somewhat important to her. Having another human so close after a life of wilderness was strange, but satisfying. Having the human so close to her felt right. It didn't bother her that Gabrielle was clinging on so tightly, or that her fingers were biting into her bare skin with her fear. All it did was make her want to hold her again as she had in the cave; as though something deep within her whispered that it was the right thing to do: instinct. But was it instinct when the human's touch provoked other strange feelings within her that she had never experienced before, and still couldn't translate, no matter how hard she tried? It was similar to the language barrier she and the human still had. Xena couldn't always understand everything the human squeaked, but her keen hearing picked up the range of different pitches in the strange mutterings, and that, with help of gestures helped her work out what Gabrielle wanted. Perhaps, listening and watching the human might help her to understand?
Gabrielle noticed her looking and her eyes widened. Fear. She was still scared. Her eyes darted continuously between Xena and the other wolf, her breath coming in short, rapid pants.
'Autolycus, please, the human…she will not hurt you, okay? You don't have to be her friend, but right now you need to show her that you mean no harm. Can you do that for me?' Autolycus frowned at his sister, but upon hearing Gabrielle's feared breathing, complied. 'Lower yourself to the ground…so she knows you won't attack her,' she added.
The wolf didn't like that, but he followed her instructions and crept a little closer to the small group, his ears back and his body low. Glad to see her brother making the effort, and excited that both wolves could be potential guardians for Gabrielle when she wasn't around, Xena moved, but felt Gabrielle move with her, refusing to let go. Smiling, Xena turned around and held Gabrielle's hand, using her own to lift the human's face so she looked at her. When the human's viridian gaze locked with hers, Xena could sense her worry and saw the beginning of tears in her eyes. The look tugged at her heart, but to reassure her that everything was fine; Xena continued to smile and nodded her approval.
"Is he…another brother of yours, Xena?" Gabrielle guessed.
The human seemed to gain a little confidence from the nod and Xena's reassurance and finally let go. Moving with a slowness that betrayed her uncertainty, Gabrielle swallowed and started walking. Xena watched with growing interest, Joxer, too, as the human took little steps toward Autolycus. She knew it was strange, but Xena couldn't help but smile as the human mirrored his stance, making herself seem small to him, and reached out with a tentative hand.
Anticipation and danger lingered in the air; almost tangible in its intensity, as Xena watched with hopeful eyes as two of the most important beings to her sized each other up, judging whether or not they could trust the other. Sweat peppered her back; caused both by the almost unbearable heat and the standoff between the human and the wolf.
Then, suddenly, just when she thought everything was going as smoothly as it had with Joxer, something changed in her brother's eyes. His normally soft brown eyes turned to hard slits as a flash of pain and anger flared across his face. Xena's gut screamed at her to act and she did, throwing herself at her brother seconds before he snapped his jaws at the human's outstretched hand. She couldn't see Gabrielle, but she heard her yelp and jump away, trying her best not to scream as Xena wrestled with her brother.
'Autolycus, stop!' Xena bayed
But Autolycus wasn't listening. He tried to shake her off and it took all Xena had to retain her grasp around him. He was strong, but where she lacked his wolfish strength, she had arms and legs that she could use to ensnare him. She felt his low, deep and dangerous growl as it rumbled through his body and against hers, making her skin raise at the sound.
'Autolycus!' Joxer barked nearby.
'Stay…back, Joxer,' Xena struggled. 'This is between the two…of us!' she turned her attention to the wriggling form of the wolf in her arms, desperately trying to break free.
'Let me go!' he snapped.
'Calm down, Autolycus! What's wrong with you? Why are you trying to attack her?'
Autolycus growled again and pushed hard. He lifted his paws and scratched at her leg. She felt his claws cut into her skin, and cried out, but refused to let go. He had to listen. He had to! She squeezed harder, tightening her arms around him in an attempt to try and make him stop, but he continued to bark and flail about. He continued to bark and howl, some reaching volumes that reflected pain, and though it hurt to hear them, for the sake of the human's health and safety, she clung on.
Joxer's uncertain bark caught her attention and she turned. Her whole body went cold. Green eyes looked back at her, unsure and scared as Gabrielle approached, one hand held over her still injured shoulder, and the other stretched out toward them. Autolycus seemed to notice her too and his struggling renewed. He almost shook her off with his strength, but somehow, Xena still managed to keep her grip.
What was the human doing? Xena was trying to protect Gabrielle, so why was she walking toward them? Didn't she know that if she got too close, she might not be able to prevent her brother from doing something he might regret?
"Gabrielle!" she shouted to the human, hoping that she would stop.
"It's okay," Gabrielle replied.
Distractedly watching the human's foolish approach, Autolycus growled and ripped away from her, jumping out of her hands to stand a small distance away; panting and frowning as he too watched the human. Again, Gabrielle moved toward him, ignoring Xena's desperate pleas for her to stop. There was something different about the way Gabrielle walked and she thought she saw the realisation in her brother's eyes too. He watched her with a new awareness as she crept closer. Xena trusted her brother, but after his little outburst and wrestling him to the ground, she didn't know if she could trust herself not to do something again if she got too close. So, when Gabrielle was close enough she reached out and grabbed the human, stopping her in her tracks.
"No," Xena said, shaking her head. She looked to her brother and pointed, hoping that Gabrielle would understand. "No!"
Gabrielle smiled up at her. "Xena, it's going to be okay. Let me go. Do you trust me?" she asked.
Xena didn't recognise the new words, but she took it from Gabrielle's smiling face that she was either unafraid or wanted to do something. She glanced over at her brother and saw him walking funny, his left paw slightly lifted from the ground as though he was waiting, prepared to jump if he needed to, and his eyes wide as they flickered to both humans.
Before Xena could answer, Gabrielle pulled her arm away gently and lifted her hand, placing it over Xena's chest and smiled again. "Have a little faith, Xena."
"Faith?"
"Faith," Gabrielle echoed and let go.
Xena didn't know what the new word meant, but she tried to believe that whatever the human was going to do would work as she watched with her heart in her throat. As Gabrielle approached the wolf, Autolycus's growls could be heard above the sound of the bubbling stream and the singing birds, but not so loud as to drown out her heartbeat in Xena's ears. She felt the urge to jump up and help. She was shocked when Gabrielle moved with ease, approaching Autolycus so fast that he barely had time to gauge what she was going to do before she did it.
Gabrielle kneeled before the wolf and held out her hand as if she awaited his paw. Confused, Autolycus glanced up at Xena and they exchanged a look that conveyed their mutual incomprehension. Neither knew what Gabrielle was going to do, but Xena nodded for him to comply anyway. There was something new in the way Gabrielle held herself. She seemed sure – confident, and Xena wanted to know what she could do.
Autolycus lifted his paw tentatively, his lips lifting instinctively as a snarl started at the back of his throat, but Gabrielle seemed indifferent to the noise, treating it as nothing but a nuisance made by a fidgeting pup. It took all Xena had not to laugh at the expression on her brother's face as she continued to ignore him. Then, his face changed. The tension he'd held around his eyes vanished and his face relaxed. Relief.
When the human turned around on her knees, she held between her finger and thumb a thorn the size of her little finger. Blood stained the thorn, and the sharper end had darkened from dried blood. She could only guess how long it had been stuck in his paw, but she realized that it would explain his sudden outburst. Now that the thorn had been removed, Autolycus seemed somewhat calmer- free from his pain, and even looked at the human with new eyes. Xena didn't sense any animosity from him. No, instead he looked more shocked or in awe than anything.
'That was stuck in your paw? Why didn't you say anything?' Xena asked.
Autolycus shook his ruff. 'I didn't even know it was there. All I knew was that my paw hurt!' he shot back.
Xena smiled as Gabrielle rose to her feet to re-join her. She took the thorn and held it up so that the silver-black wolf could see it clearly in the daylight. 'Hmm, seems to me that you owe the human an apology for trying to attack her, especially when she just helped you.'
With an expression that could almost pass for a wolfish pout, Autolycus turned to the human and followed after Gabrielle slowly, his head low and his ears almost flat against his skull.
"Xena?" Gabrielle asked, unsure of what was going on.
"Br…uthrrr sssoaargy," Xena growled her reply, hoping that her translation was reminiscent of the human's own words, or at least sounded somewhat the same.
She feared that Gabrielle wouldn't understand, but the human beamed, her smile stretching the corners of her mouth wider than she'd ever seen when Autolycus sat in front of her, pushing out his face in both a conciliatory gesture and acceptance into her hand.
~X~
The sound of a snort brought Xena out of her reverie and back to the present. Curious of the source of the noise, she looked up and released a breathy chuckle at the sight of Joxer lying on his back, his paws facing skyward - twitching every so often, and his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as he slept.
It seemed only seconds ago as the memory flitted through her mind. The fear and desperation she'd felt when Autolycus had jumped Gabrielle caused her heart to twist with guilt. Again, she had followed her instincts and ended up wrestling her brother to the ground to prevent him from attacking the human. She tried not to think too much into what that could mean. The human was safe – the small part of Xena's own species and the possible answer to the questions she'd been asking herself for years, unharmed and healing. That was important.
She pushed away from the cave wall and sighed.
The day had been long. Though their time spent outside had been short, it felt to her as though the sun had taken its time to drop beyond the mountains. She just wanted to forget everything that had happened, but she couldn't. There was still so much that swam around in her mind, refusing her the sleep that she so desperately needed. Even now, her eyes felt torturously heavy, her limbs aching from overexertion, and her stomach grumbling in protest from lack of hunting.
One of the things that weighed heavily on her conscience was the threat against the pack and the crazy female alpha her brother had mentioned. She had spent a lot of time away from the pack, only zipping back to the den every so often to show her face before dashing back. She thought it had been enough, but with the other pack and the threat of an attack if things turned serious, Xena couldn't afford to spend too much time away from her own. They needed her, just as she needed them.
Then what of the human?
Xena glanced over at Gabrielle as she quietly snored away between her two new furry companions. Seeing the delicate human tucked so safe and snug between them made her heart warm, but the memory of the human's hand resting so gently on her, not a sense of hesitation of fear in her actions, made Xena's heart skip a beat altogether. Something felt different, but she didn't know what it was and it irritated her to no end. What were these strange feelings she was bombarded with whenever she glanced down into the luscious green eyes of the golden human? Why did her heart feel as though it raced, pounding against her ribs as though it might try and escape? Why did her hands turn clammy at the prospect of being near Gabrielle while she gave one of her smiles? It puzzled her, but wasn't that what Gabrielle was to her? A puzzle?
The wild woman shook her head and closed her eyes. What was it that the human had said earlier that day? Have a little faith? She still didn't know what it meant, but for some reason, some innate sense within her told her to hold on and relax, believe in what the human said and have patience. Was that what it meant? Have patience and believe? She could do that. Perhaps, if she did, Xena would be able to work out these small problems before they slowly grew into something bigger.
Yes, she would have a little faith.
For Gabrielle.
Hey guys! Yeah, I know it's a late chapter, but I have a lot on at the mo :/ lol I can only write when I have the time, or when I'm inspired. I would love to sit and write all the time because I love it, but my lectures are getting a little harder so I have to concentrate :( You know the drill by now when it comes to the spelling/grammar by now. Drop me a review (if you have the time) to tell me what you think. I believe in quality over quantity when it comes to writing, so I took my time to explore feelings etc in this chapter. I always strive to give you the best, so I hope you like :) Talk to you guys soon :P
- Bex
