"Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you"
~ U2, "With or Without You."
Wolf gets up out of bed at exactly five in the morning, with no meaningful rest to his name.
He greets Ghost with a good morning and only breathes when he responds in kind.
He gets cleaned up, splashes some water over his face, and makes sure he looked functional.
He puts on his armor.
He puts his hair in its usual ponytail.
He puts on his cloak, relishing in the anonymity it gives him.
He checks on Ghost.
He makes sure his sidearm and knives are secured and on hand if needed.
He made sure his bow and sword are ready to go and safe with Ghost.
He puts his headphones over his ears and his hood over his head.
He glances over at Ghost one final time, ignoring the annoyed glare he gets in return.
He turns on that playlist full of pre-Golden Age music that he and Ghost had stumbled across lifetimes ago, steps out of his quarters, beginning yet another day.
He turns on that playlist full of pre-Golden Age music that he and Ghost had stumbled across lifetimes ago, steps out of his quarters, beginning yet another day.
His neighbors wave at him, and he waves back. Other Guardians he had seen around the Tower but never really interacted with give him friendly smiles and he tries to return them. Otherwise, Wolf keeps his eyes forward, his face stone, and one foot in front of the other; relying on the social rules regarding headphones to keep interactions to the bare minimum. Getting from Point A to Point B was hard enough most days without people trying to say hi, or staring at him like he was some kind of legend or asking him how he is because he has to field enough of those questions from his own Ghost and he's getting sick of it, good intentions or not.
He crosses through the courtyard and into the hangar and is forced to remove his headphones for safety reasons. He turns them off to save power and the loss has him feeling exposed and vulnerable. He finds himself tugging his hood further down to compensate. The dark corners of the hangar seem to stretch further, and Wolf can't help but feel like something is about to jump out and attack.
You're being ridiculous, he tells himself. You're fine.
He suddenly feels the fabric of his hood shift as a tiny weight settles on his shoulder. Wolf swallows hard and tilts his head slightly so that his cheek gently brushes the tips of Ghost's shell. What would I do without you? he wonders, and then instantly ends that line of thought before it can begin, because it almost was, and it kills him inside.
Wolf's destination comes into view, and a deep ache settles in the Hunter's chest. Amanda's old station, still covered in makeshift memorials and candles, serves as another reminder of just how much Wolf had failed over the years, how he wasn't smart enough, strong enough, good enough to save her or Cayde or Ghost or anyone. He really had a lot to make up for...
Wolf quickly turns that thought off, tries to ignore Ghost's concerned gaze burning into him like solar fire and tries not to think too hard about anything, especially the past. The past was the past. The only thing he needed to focus on was what needed to be done.
Onward and upward.
Be the hero. Be a supportive friend. Be the shoulder to cry on.
(And don't fail anyone else.)
Wolf finds Crow hanging around Amanda's station like always. He is looking down at a tablet, but glances up when he hears Wolf's approach. The Hunter Vanguard gives him a quick once over and his lips twitch upward. "You look like hell."
Light... Is it really that obvious?
Wolf forces a smile and shrugs. "No more than usual. Anything new?"
Crow raises an eyebrow as if Wolf had just said something completely deranged. He took a moment and looked down at his tablet.
"Nothing since the last time you asked … in your message two hours ago." Crow's voice is slow, deadpan, and concerned? Wolf brushes it off.
"Yeah, well ... a lot can happen in a few hours. I didn't wake you up, did I?"
"Don't worry, you didn't." Crow then goes quiet for a moment, giving Wolf a long look that causes him to shift uncomfortably.
Crow finally lets out a small sigh and slightly shakes his head. "Well, Glint and I were just about to head down to the Market District to check on Misraaks and make sure Eido isn't working herself into an early grave. I suppose we could take you and Ghost along, grab some tea on the way, maybe make a morning out of it?"
Wolf nods quickly, eager for the chance to keep himself occupied. "Sounds good to me. Ghost can fill you in on what we've been up to, and I can see what I can take off of Eido's plate so she can get some rest."
(He swears he senses a flash of frustration from Ghost's end of the neural link.)
Crow and Glint exchange looks. "Right," the Hunter replied slowly. "Well, we better get going."
The pair walk towards the edge of the hangar, and Wolf has to fight the urge to put his headphones back on (and hide). He once again glances at Ghost and as he tries to blink away the cracks in his shell and the lack of light in his eye, he swears he can see his partner glare at him for a brief moment.
A small voice in the back of his mind speaks up. Stop it. He's alive. He'll be fine. Stop worrying.
But Wolf can't stop worrying. He can't stop thinking about what he can do to fix things, to help . That's what he was made for. He was made to keep humanity safe, and recent events have proven that there will always be something to save them from. There will always be some disaster for the Young Wolf, the Godkiller, the Slayer-Baron, the so-called Chosen One to solve, always a day to save. It's the reason he lives and breathes. It's his job to worry, not Ghost's, not Crow's, his.
So Wolf pushes his own issues to one side, keeps his eyes forward and his face made of stone. He can't be a burden. He can't make more problems.
After all, the fighting would go on no matter what, and someone had to fight it.
That someone may as well be him.
He is done burying his friends.
So, I made this a series because I guess I wanted to? I don't know how often this will be updated. Probably when my Hunger Games fic gets interrupted by the Destiny Plot bunnies. It will come to an end eventually, and it will have a happy ending, but for now, we have a tired Hunter on our hands.
Please keep in mind that while I've tried to catch up on the lore and have played through all the major DLCs, I am still getting back into the swing of things and so if I miss something or someone seems OOC, I'm sorry. I also took some creative liberties with what pre-Golden Age music is available, because 80s music is timeless. The chapters will be named after various songs in Wolf's playlist (it's mainly U2 but there will be some other artists sprinkled in there.)
Enjoy, and please be gentle lol.