Truesight

Found in the Desert on 2/21/2023 by Eira #74278.



She could hear them inside the den, muffled voices talking about her fate, not loud enough that she could really tell them apart. Truesight shifted nervously on her paws, this was a big chance for her. If she could actually stay, she'd finally get off the road and into a real home.
Finally, there were steps headed into her direction. She recognised the footfall of the female with the soft voice who picked her up in the desert and brought her here.
"You can stay. They'll try to find a job for you, maybe you could help out the herbalist. But even if that's not for you, you don't have to worry, they're not going to send you away.", JJ happily announced.
Truesight let out a little yelp of excitement. No more going hungry, no more being scared of strangers on the road and no more getting trapped in bad weather. She'd actually belong to a pack for once!
"Come on, I'll take you to the dens. They're a bit farther apart, but you'll get used to it." She stepped next to Truesight and started guiding her down the hill again.
"And they're really fine with it? I know blind wolves aren't really useful to a pack. I don't want to be a burden."
Jingle bumped her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, this isn't a usual pack. You'll do just fine, there's enough for everybody and we look out for each other. You don't have to be fully abled to be a part of the pack, you just do what you can."
"How do you know all this? You're a traveler like me, aren't you?", Truesight asked.
"I grew up here. Their last queen was a friend of my dad and she adopted me. I grew up in the same den as their current queen and we're still friends. When I feel homesick or I'm tired of traveling, I always come here for some time. I'm a traveler, but I'm also part of the pack. I don't have to be just one thing or the other." JJ explained.
"Sounds nice." Truesight had never had a pack. Her parents had been merchants, always going from one place to the next.
For some time, they walked in silence. This territory must really be huge, even compared with the ones the desert packs held. What reason did they have to build multiple dens at different locations?
At last Jingle asked: "So, uh... May I asked what happened to your eyes?"
"They were taken. I was traveling in the desert and I wasn't aware that I was on pack territory and I couldn't pay the price of passage when they found me. So they took my eyes." It was embarassing to admit. She hadn't been strong enough to defend herself and not smart enough to avoid the trap. Surely Jingle would see that and comment on it.
"That's awful, I'm so sorry. The sheriff is trying to stop the packs from acting out like that, but it's not an easy job." She took a breath, as if she wanted to say something more but decided not to.
"What is it?" Truesight asked. Did Jingle regret to bring her here now?
"I was just wondering about your name. How'd you get it?"
Truesight stopped and blushed. She wasn't proud of the things she had done in the past, and she was scared of being used if she told. But Jingle had been nothing but kind to her, so didn't she deserve to know?
"After I lost my eyes... I just kinda started seeing wolves sometimes. Not in the way I used to but... Like when I was mad, or scared, I started to see their weeknesses. I saw what it took to take them down, to destroy them, just by telling them something. Everybody has something. Some wolves more than others, but everybody has a weakness."
She could basically hear the thoughts running in Jingle's head now. She gave her time, anxious about the reaction she'd get.
"Have you ever tried to use it to see what it takes to keep that person going? Maybe you could safe lives, not just take them. Because everybody has strengths, too. They're just harder to see than weaknesses."
Truesight had never seen it that way. Maybe it was a gift after all? "I'll try.", she promised. "I'm tired of being a monster."