Post by Phantom on Sept 20, 2015 17:05:40 GMT -5
Belief was a strange thing indeed. As Jericho spoke, Phantom first tried to imagine what it would be like to believe in something as strongly as Jericho believed in Elohim, or even as strongly as he believed in Thanatos. How must it feel to place your faith in something; to believe without ever expecting proof? It was difficult. Phantom wasn’t sure he’d ever held a belief that strong. Instead, he tried to imagine what beliefs he held, and if any of them had been choices. I believe in survival, he mused, but that probably didn’t count.
“Are you suggesting that lack of belief is…a belief in itself?” he clarified, because he had simply never thought about belief that way. “I can’t say I agree with that. It sounds contradictory to me, but I haven’t considered it in depth as you seem to have done.” It wasn’t intended to be an insult, merely an observation, but Phantom’s flat and calculated intonation was often mistaken as rudeness. “Perhaps if I spend more time with you, I’ll catch the belief myself.” He gave Jericho a lopsided grin; his words neither ridicule nor sincerity.
“I am glad you enjoyed it. Not everyone can say the same of their childhood.”
Well, it had not been entirely enjoyable, but he was certainly more fortunate than some. Something in the way Jericho spoke made Phantom decide not to inquire further. He was a great believer in giving others their space, if only because that was how he wished to be treated. At least that’s one belief I hold, he thought wryly. Jericho would likely not take great offence to being questioned further about his past, but it was the principle of the matter. Jericho had not asked him any uncomfortable questions, so Phantom would return the favour.
Instead, he returned to think of Jericho’s beliefs. Clearly he was content in believing in Elohim and the leader of his pack. It was something he needed to believe in order to be part of the pack, regardless of whether or not he had decided to believe. If there were one thing Phantom wanted to believe in, more than anything, it would be… That my family are safe and alive. The thought was so abrupt and resolute that it shocked him, and he almost felt glad when Auron’s words distracted him.
As it turned out, the words were no relief at all. Phantom felt a small chill run down his spine, feeling deeply uncomfortable with the sudden change, but found himself unable to respond until Auron was almost out of sight. By the time he felt able to speak, Auron had completely disappeared. Take care of yourself, Auron, he thought, a vague sense of dread tugging at his heart. When he turned to look at Jericho again, he saw a brief flash of the same feeling reflected in his eyes, though neither wolf spoke of it.
“Hunting,” he repeated. “Yes.” Thoughts of his family, and of Auron, and of belief were pushed from his mind to make room for focus. It would feel good to hunt with another, perhaps they would be able to learn things from each other. Phantom was a skilled hunter, swift and deadly and accurate, but he had not worked as part of a team since his previous life. “The skies are clearer inland, to the west. That seems like a good place to start.” Without waiting for Jericho’s agreement, Phantom stood up, stretched, and began walking in search of drier land.
Word count: 584
Muse: horrible
Notes: blegh I'm sorry I'm aware this is crappy! I went for "quality" over quantity in order to get this moving faster >_<
Tags: @jericho