More Trip's Fault

[pegunicent]

 

 Squall listens to Shiro's stumbling, bumbling explanation that he's not mated to the strange female, she's just their Prime Alpha and the Den is her territory and she allowed Shiro's Pride and then the SeeD Pride who are Squall's Pride that are heading back to their Den under suffrage...

 

Shiro tells him that really, Squall should just leave things alone and obviously he doesn't remember everything but he will once he gets home. To the rest of his Pride.

 

He listens and nods and slams down his questions and protests. He can hear just fine what Shiro isn't saying. /NOT YOUR DEN. NOT YOUR PRIDE. STAY DOWN, STAY QUIET, GO AWAY TO YOUR PRIDE./

 

Squall smiles and keeps himself contained until Shiro awkwardly leaves to check on his cubs. He forgets sometimes, that he is a cub to anyone but Griever. Everyone is a cub to Griever.

 

Without the collar chaining his magic, wrapping himself in Inc None is a simple matter of reaching for Light and twisting it not to touch him. The collar stopped him reaching, stopped him casting, but it couldn't stop him entirely. Without it the magic is much easier.

 

His weapon is hidden, locked away somewhere, but the kitchen is open to all. He takes food and a spare blanket from a dusty, empty bedroom. Once, he must have been someone to some Pride, the memories tease at him at night, but he's been /HUNTING PREY/ for so long with only Griever and the Voices to guide him that he's forgotten... Forgotten more than he remembers. /PREY/ were dangerous, his hunting was dangerous, he was still a gangly cub when he was first sent hunting and almost died many times. He remembers the anger and fear of failing his hunt. Griever made him ready. When he laid to rest at night in the cold, hard cell Griever took over. Made him sleep. There in the night Griever could make Time change, just a bit. Enough that one night was three, or two, or five, however many nights it took for Squall to grow bigger, stronger, heal from the day's wounds.

 

But Squall wasn't asleep, really. He knew the black dark nothing, that took away all the other things he didn't remember.

 

He studies these 'SeeD' that are supposed to be his Pride, and tries to find the ties a good Omega should have to their Pride. They don't notice him missing. If they do, they don't fuss. They are strong, all Alphas and Betas, competent and blooded, no cubs at all. A bachelor Pride hanging on the edges of Shiro's Pride.

 

With spreading depression he watches them go about their jobs, mostly quiet and never touching each other. No casual pats, no hugs, no companionable leaning on each other when tired... no sharing of space or scent if it could be at all avoided. As alone with each other as he'd always been with Griever. Joined but not by choice, Bonded but not Mates.

 

He doesn't remember being Omega to this Pride, but if he was, then what little he does know and feel means he's failed them all terribly.

 

He finds a ladder way up to the high catwalks over the training area and makes a small nest of the blanket in a corner of the dusty beams. He is out of the way of the native Pride. He can't harm this strange Not-His-Pride of SeeD. He has food, and the Den is moving, presumably at some point it will land somewhere and he will find a way past them to where ever that is. He doesn't think anyone will let him go back /HUNTING PREY/ if they can stop him, but he has no intention of giving them the choice. He was born to kill. He was born broken and wrong, and he'd rather die taking down as many prey as he can than have a Pride hurt because he can't be a good Omega.  




"Have you seen Squall?"

"Not since Shiro said we could finally relax on the tag front. What's up?"

"He's hiding."

Lance blinked at the agitated blond in puzzlement. "If he's hiding... why would you think we'd seen him?"

"I... don't know." Dincht was actually out of sorts and fidgety. 

"Don't you guys have those GF thingies that make you telepathic?"

Zell gusted a sigh. "He's using Inc None. They can't find him either."

"Inc. None... that's..."

"It's a spell that warps Light and Space so you're undetectable and partially phased from this plane of reality. Means you're pretty much the best spy ever, but you can't attack or interact with anyone while it's up."

Lance called bullshit, but Dincht seemed serious, and if Squall was hiding from his own guys... 

"He... does remember you're friends... right?"

"I don't know. He hasn't been acting right."

"He's been acting like a traumatized Omega dude, and he kind of has the right."

"Except Squall grew *up* a Null. He might have the instincts but he's never been socialized that way and he is *not* acting like himself. Not even a tortured himself."

Lance didn't want to know why Zell was so certain of that.