Work Text:
Michael ‘Mike’ Wheeler
Dæmon Name: Pallas Wheeler
Dæmon Status: Settled (Female)
Dæmon Form: Domestic Cat (Felis Catus)
Notable Features: Pallas has heterochromia, she’s very sensitive about it.
- Pallas creeps off Mike’s shoulder towards the doe-eyed girl, wide eyed and alone. So so very alone. She stretches out from mouse to dog, sweet and comforting. Mike’s heart thrums inside their chests as Eleven (it takes a special type of bastard to call a lonely child by a number) tentatively stretches a delicate hand out.
The same hand that rips worlds apart cradles his soul with such tenderness, Mike and Pallas have to choke down the tears welling in their eyes.
How can she still be so kind, left alone in the world ?
- They sit numb and silent. Mike’s hand sits heavy on Pallas’s head. The wild little cat that had leapt at a Demodog fearlessly, was now little more than a sad, shivering pussy cat.
She’s gone, Mike.
He shuts his eyes against the world, and curls around the comforting weight of his soul. They both try to shut out the feeling of fine pale fingers running through their hair. They can’t. It’s seared into their being, into the very Dust of Pallas. Mom and Dad hover around. Their dog Dæmons wuffing at Pallas in concern. Its only when everyone is gone that they creep into Nancy and Justinian’s room. Their sister and dæmon-brother curl around them. Justinian chirps as he runs his beak awkwardly through Pallas’s fine coat, and Nancy hums an old lullaby as they lay side by side. He turns to his sister, his vision blurry with tears, and he confesses.
We’re not kids anymore Nance, we’re done. She sighs, and holds him tight.
Dustin Henderson
Dæmon Name: Marie Henderson
Dæmon Status: Settled (Female)
Dæmon Form: Fancy Rat (Rattus Norvegicus Domestica)
Notable Features: Marie is white, with black splotches
- Marie squeaks in terror, flinging herself under Dustin’s hat. Dustin squeals in his own terror and dives behind Steve. Steve shakes his head, and his fluffy Artic wolf, Artemis, huffs. The older pair turn to them, both sets of gentle brown eyes boring into them. They must share a private conversation, since Steve continues down the tunnel, limping ahead of the others.
Artemis sits and stares. Marie pokes a wary nose out to sniff at the wolf. Letting out a growling huff, Art lowers her head and tugs on his shirt sleeve. Once they’re standing Artemis gives a lupine grin, and smiles. “You handled that a lot better than I would have kiddo. But maybe it’s so scary ‘cause you can’t see. Why don’t you ride with me Marie, and Dustin can go help keep my dumbass from walking into a wall.”.
They both know Artemis is just trying to make them feel better, but it works. Marie leaps from Dustin to Artemis and settles between her shoulders. They keep pace with the graceful she-wolf, silently grateful for the support.
- Steve, as always, tries to protect them. Dustin feels his heart hammering in his chest, and a restless sort of fear ̷ anger fills them. Like hundreds of swarming bees under their skin.
“No! You die, we die!”.
Artemis lets out a helpless sound, tugging on Dustin’s shirt again. Marie feels herself puff up, and scurries down Dustin’s arm to sit on the crate. “No. We do this together.”, she huffs. Steve, ever the people pleaser, just shrugs. “Okay, Marie, whatever.”. She shares a look with Dustin. This time, we support you.
Lucas Sinclair
Dæmon Name: Harriet Sinclair
Dæmon Status: Settled (Female)
Dæmon Form: Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina Tibicen)
Notable Features: Not-Applicable
- We really need to do more cardio Lucas! Harry shrieked in his mind as he pedaled for his life. he felt like his heart was going to explode in his chest as he raced through Hawkins Streets. He resolved that once this was over, he would join a sport team, dear god, he’s so out of shape. Harry tore across the pavement next to him, a long-legged cheetah.
They could feel their heart pounding, unsure if it was from the exertion or panic. Lucas needed to call the Party and warn them, but he couldn’t pedal like a madman and hold the button down. Harry leapt to the sky, her graceful black wings helping her balance on the handlebars as she pecked at the talk button.
“The BaD GuYS ARe ComING!” he screeched, “THE BAD GUYS ARE COMING”. He poured himself into tearing across town, as Harry took back to the sky, trying to catch a glimpse of the van. They both resolved to ignore the way something in them went solid, and Harriet didn’t change back a cheetah.
- Harriet was still getting used to the wings. She hopped, skipped, and fluttered above Lucas as he and Dustin chased after the new red head girl. Her Dæmon, Leo? Lex? Something like that prowled after her.
Harriet felt a twinge of nervousness as the bobcat puffed up his chest. Lucas’s interest was clear, but Harriet paused as she watched the red tinged duo skate up to an angry blond boy. Even Lucas paused his pursuit at the sight of the lean and golden cougar cleaning their paws on the hood of the blue car.
Those two, she thought, are entirely too much alike.
Will Byers
Dæmon Name: Njord Byers
Dæmon Status: Settled (Male)
Dæmon Form: Merlin (Falco Columbarius)
Notable Features: Njord has black feathers going down from his eyes to his beak. Will thinks it looks like he’s crying.
- Will sits in silence. Silence is the only constant in this strange, dark place. He curls tightly into the corner he jammed himself into. His chest feels like something was ripped out, leaving him raw and scraped out. For the first time, since he took his first breath, Will is entirely alone. Njord couldn’t follow him into this hellscape. His throat aches with muffled sobs. He really, really could use him right about now.
Njord was always braver then him.
- Njord curls his wings close to his body. Every speck of Dust in him aches. He doesn’t dare to move from his place in the rafters. This is where Will feels the closest, but that doesn’t make any sense. Nothing does. Dæmons can’t exist without their human. Yet, here he is.
His body feels oddly heavy, like someone tied weights to his wings. He lets out a mournful shriek, full of longing and hurt. He wonders if Will will recognize him in this body, or if they’re doomed to never know each other again.
Subject: #11
Known Abilities: Telekinesis
Dæmon: Subject #11D
Notable Features: Erratic Shifter, Female
-Under order from Dr. Brenner, Subject 11 should be separated. #11D holds no value to #11’s abilities.
- She cries softly, seeing Mike and his fluffy cat (Dæmon, she reminds herself. A soul. She has no soul). What would it be like, she wondered, to not be so alone.
She aches, and hugs the soft stuffed creature the curly haired boy had pressed into her arms. Maybe if she holds it tight enough, the ache will go away. (it won’t. It never does)
- She stutters out a sob. The room is cold, the lights are dim. No one has come to see her in many sleeps. She can’t remember the last time she saw another presence. She throws her head back and screeches, her muzzle melting away to a mouth. She slams her fists into the cold, red stained floor. Squeezing eyes shut, she reaches her mind out to the Like-Her Thing. The Like-Her Thing turns to her confused, and she snaps back to the room, alone and cold again.
Maxine ‘Max’ Mayfield
Dæmon Name: Lorcan Mayfield
Dæmon Status: Settled (Male)
Dæmon Form: Bobcat (Lynx Rufus)
Notable Features: Lorcan has a notch in his left ear. He doesn’t talk about how he got it.
- Lorcan buries his face in her throat as a plate shatters in the kitchen. The Red Fox shrinks into a mouse, and Max hates. She pulls her earphones on and tries to ignore the hissing yowl from outside her room. They know Vingthor’s anger, and they know his pain.
That was pain.
Lorcan murmers in her ear, Do you think Thor and Billy will be ok? She squeezers her eyes and wraps her fist into her blanket as they hear Billy’s shout. I don’t know. We should have kept our mouth shut. They freeze, as the door creaks open.
“Maxie? Lor? You two still up?”, Vingthor’s voice scratches over their ears, like claws on wood. They nod, and the cougar hops up to lay next to them. “who are you listening to?”, he whispers. “Elton John, Sad Songs Say so Much”. Their Dæmon-Brother hums, before looking at them gently. “we’re okay Maxie. We’ll be ok.”. They don’t believe him, but they’re grateful for the lie.
- Billy is choking beneath her hands. She can barely see through her tears. Lorcan hisses, their hurtfearrage circling through them. He presses into Vingthor, the great feline bleeding red and gold into the floor. Billy chokes out apologies, and she shakes her head in denial.
Lorcan stretches into a cougar, mimicking his brother, before shrinking into a reddish lynx. Thor purrs roughly, his head heavy on Billy’s leg. His gentle sea-glass green eyes pierce them. “We’re ok, Maxie. We’ll be ok.”. Lorcan hisses in anger.
They tremble, desperation rushing through them like a cold river. Lorcan jumps up and buries his red and black face into Billy’s neck. They shatter under the weight of him. His fear, his love, his rage, Billy and Vingthor are a hurricane, a wildfire. They can’t burn out. Not like this, please, God, not like this. Billy sobs weakly, his trembling hand is heavy (but careful, he was always careful with them) on Lorcan’s back. She doesn’t know what he feels from them, if he knows how much they need them (God, they need him, please). Whatever it is, it seems enough. Vingthor lifts his shaky head, and they go silent as blood and Dust rearrange into something new, the cougar fading away to leave the truth of their brothers exposed. “C’mon, we have to move.”. Max nods. Maybe it’s not a lie.
Name Meanings:
Pallas: one of Athena’s epithets. Pallas was a dear friend of Athena, who was raised as her foster sister. Pallas and Athena were engaged in a mock fight, and Zeus, fearing Athena would lose, distracted Pallas with Aegis. Pallas was awestruck and didn’t dodge when Athena attacked. Pallas died, and Athena took her name as an epithet. Mike has a habit of being distracted by things that he likes, taking his eyes off the bigger picture.
Marie: Marie Curie was a scientist, and is credited with the pioneering the discovery of radioactivity. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and the only to win it twice. Her curiosity drove her to the extreme, ultimately her cause of death is attributed to her research. Dustin’s curiosity can lead him into dangerous situations (ex: Dart), but he does not falter in his search for answers either.
Harriet: Harriet Tubman was a former slave who led countless others to freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad. She was a woman of strong character with a firm belief in what was right, even if it was difficult. Lucas firmly believes in doing the right thing. In season one, despite his fight with Mike and Eleven, he placed himself in danger to warn them. Lucas believes in doing the right thing, no matter what that means.
Njord: (N-Yord) Njord was the Norse Sea God. He was associated with all the good that came from the sea, if he was kept happy. His name, generally, means Power (this is disputed). Will is a kind and pleasant person, but he has a hidden power that gives him the strength to move forward no matter the situation.
Lorcan: Lorcan is an Irish name meaning ‘Fierce’ and is often used as a nickname for a warrior. I feel this needs no explanation.