The White Wolf and the Black Nightingale

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 18

Shaela had in all honesty not expected to meet Geralt again. Half of her had expected that he might have forgotten about her at this point, the other half might have hoped he would show up sooner or later. 

She had been out with the hunters when one of them mentioned an intruder wandering in the woods. She hadn't expected that Geralt would be the one wandering amongst the trees in search of her.

She let out a sigh, turning her attention to the female beside her, mumbling something in a foreign language that the Witcher couldn't understand. 

Geralt followed silently behind them, gaze focused on the ground. A frown settled on his face as he tried to decipher what language they were speaking. It wasn't anything he had heard before, perhaps something more ancient than elven.

He glanced up when Shaela cleared her throat, noting they had reached a large clearing. All around them were cabin-like structures, tents, and even a large tree-house in the middle.

"Follow me. The elder will want to talk to you" Shaela mumbled softly as she headed in the direction of the tree-house. The others from the group split off towards the other places as Geralt followed after the female.

She led him up into the tree-house, approaching an elderly lady that stood by the far end of the room with her back towards the entrance. Shaela whispered something to the woman before leaving the room, giving a small smile towards the Witcher when she passed him.

A silence filled the room as it was just Geralt and the old lady left. She didn't speak, seeming to be too busy with something in front of her to even acknowledge the Witcher.

"You are here for the girl" the woman suddenly spoke up after a good few minutes of silence, surprisingly speaking in the common tongue instead of the foreign language the others had been speaking before.

Her words were more of a statement than a question, and Geralt knew the woman was talking about Shaela. Geralt let out a hum of confirmation as the woman turned to face him.

The woman's faded green eyes stared at him intently as if she was examining his every move, and it honestly made him feel slightly uncomfortable. He stared back just as intently, hand ready to grab his sword if needed.

"She might be of our blood, but it is clear that her heart belongs somewhere else" the woman continued, taking a few steps towards the male. Her long gray hair fell slightly in her face, and for a moment Geralt could have sworn he saw a little of Shaela in the woman.

The woman in turn smiled as if she had just read his mind, a gentle aura coming off of her that helped the Witcher relax a little. He was still a little wary of the stranger, but she clearly didn't mean any harm.

"You have a lot of questions I am sure, but I should not be the one to answer them. The girl is waiting for you outside" with those words the woman turned her back to him again and returned to what she had been doing, leaving Geralt confused at her words.

He took his queue to leave the tree-house, only getting one step out the door before a body fully slammed into him in a right hug. He grunted as he nearly stumbled backward, just barely catching Shaela as she had practically tackled him in a hug.

He hesitated for a moment before he slowly returned the hug (a little awkwardly may he add since he wasn't really one for physical affection in any way) before the girl pulled away from the hug to look at him.

There was a sudden sting on his cheek as Shaela slapped his face, a glare forming on her face. Perhaps he might have deserved that for the events back in Flotsam, even if it hadn't been entirely his fault.

"You asshole!" she hissed out, and he almost felt a little scared at the death glare she was giving him, "You fucking asshole. You.... You...." she trailed off, not having any other words to throw in his face as all sorts of emotions swarmed in her head.

"Don't ever do that again" she mumbled after a few seconds, wrapping her arms around him in another hug which he once more hesitatingly returned, "I was scared you wouldn't come...."

The two stayed like that for a short while, Geralt taking this time to take a quick look around at their surroundings. He was a little surprised to see Jaskier seated at one tent, playing his lute as three other people sat around him playing other instruments.

He also spotted an old friend he hadn't seen for a very long time at a different tent, being in a deep conversation with another male while examining some herbs in his hands by the looks of it. How on earth Shaela had ended up meeting Regis of all people and take him to this place was a mystery.

He turned his attention back to Shaela when she pulled away, dried tears staining her cheeks as she had been crying once all the emotions were let free. She sniffled as she quickly wiped them away, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Sorry about the slap..." she mumbled softly, voice barely above a whisper. Geralt wasn't really sure how to respond, so he simply gave her a short nod, a barely visible smile of relief forming on his face at seeing her again.

He took a moment to get a good look at the girl, only now noting that she had changed a little. Her black hair that had once reached down to her mid-back was now cut to shoulder length, a few bruises and scars littering her face and bare arms. He noted a small mark on her wrist, but it was hard to make out from where her arms were glued to her sides.

"It's good to see you again." Her voice broke him out of his thoughts, his gaze moving back up to her face as he couldn't help but mumble a soft "you too" in return. 

"We have some catching up to do since the last time we saw each other. Let me show you around while we talk" she spoke after a short moment of some slightly awkward silence that had settled between them. He didn't even get to respond before she had grabbed his hand and dragged her along while she started to chat excitedly about the past week sn

The worry that had been nagging at him since he left Flotsam was gone now that he knew she was safe, and a new feeling he hadn't felt for a long time made its place instead as he stared while she dragged him along to show him around.