Cure for a Nation

Bear

The next morning, Alex brought the Walker to a stop beside a shallow river he crossed and Daniel ushered the warriors off of the Walker to collect more water. They were beginning to run low on drinking water and water to help the Kraken run. Bear knelt next to the river and set her helmet down beside her and shook her long hair down her back. She looked down at her reflection. A pair of wise and almost tortured hazel eyes stared into hers and her once bronze skin had faded to a milky white. Blue tattoos of ancient sea beasts crawled and swam up her neck, stopping just short of her chin. Her face was clear of the art save for the tip of a wing barely jutting out from above her ear. She dipped her gloved hands into the icy river and gently pressed the water to her face. She breathed deeply for a moment as it trailed and dripped from her face. She was transported to another time when the oceans salty spray would beat at her face and winds would tug at her braided hair. She opened her eyes and found her distorted reflection rippling in the river before her. She saw Claire in the corner of her eye kneel beside the stream and begin to fill a canteen.
"So.." Claire said awkwardly, "you and Daniel know each other?" Bear was silent as she stared intently at her reflection.
"I noticed you have a couple tattoos. I used to want some but then I realized they must hurt," Claire tried. Bear was still a statue. Claire sighed and sat back.
"I don't know if you can even talk. I just thought I'd come and tell you something. I can tell having you around is making Daniel feel better. It's nice to see him smile more often. And uh..I feel better with you around. I might not know you like Daniel, but I can tell that you're strong. I can't fight, not like you can. I appreciate what you signed on to do, this peacekeeping thing. I just wish I knew your name." Bear looked at her hands. Claire watched her closely, searching for some sort of reaction but found none. And then very slowly, Bear began to remove her gauntlets. She pulled at her fingers one by one before pulling both of her gauntlets off and setting the neatly on either side of her. She rolled up her sleeves to her armor and Claire marveled at her arms. The tops of her arms were covered in intricate tattoos that reminded Claire of a tapestry. Battle scars criss-crossed her skin and each of her knuckles looked as though they had been cut several times.
"Whoa," Claire breathed. Bears tattoos seemed to twist and writhe before Claire, almost as though they were alive. And then she spoke. She spoke with a voice so soft and so smooth, Claire thought it was a breeze at first.
"Astrid," Bear said, "my real name is Astrid." Her voice was a song to Claire, the sweetest she had ever heard. Despite her size, her voice was almost slight and didn't carry at all. Claire knew Astrid meant those words for her and nobody else.  Astrid held her arms to Claire.
"These tattoos are my life's story," she said softly, "my accomplishments, my feats..and my failures. Just without all of the heartbreak." Claire was enraptured by Astrids voice and the art being presented to her. She saw a great battle being waged on Astrid's left arm and a whole village on fire on her right. Little scenes of conflict and glory surrounded the others and seemed to shimmer and ripple as Astrid flexed her muscular forearms.
"Do you speak to Daniel?" Claire asked quietly. Astrid only nodded and began to pull on her gauntlets again and she secured her hair to put her helmet back on. And then she was gone, surveying the horizon with weapon in hand and keeping guard over the Warriors by the riverside. Claire thought about her voice and shivered. She felt as though Astrid had told her a big secret and made a silent promise to keep it to herself. A sharp whistle jarred Claire from her thoughts and she turned to look back up at the Walker. Alex was leaning far out over the railing and yelling to the Warriors.
"Let's go let's go," he called, "we've got plenty! Save some for fish, they might need it." Claire smiled and jogged over to the ladder before the others could get to it. She was eager to get underway again. And she didn't want to climb after someone and have to stare at their posterior while she climbed. She stood up on the deck and noticed Astrid looking up at her. Not Astrid, Claire corrected, Bear. At least, in front of the others.