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She comes back to the camp with something different from wood in her arms. Cole is behind her, grinning and peering over her shoulder, oozing happiness and impatience, a rare sight.
Her eyes are twinkling and her tender smile lets Solas know that something must have happened while she was searching for firewood. He adds the last carrots to the pot where their stew waits to be cooked and he rises, his own smile puzzled and curious.
“Finally! We were starving here!” Varric notices the mysterious thing in her arms too and stops polishing and oiling Bianca to stare at the now moving, black and gray stuff that Lavellan is holding with care. He is confused too. “Uh. What do you have there, Inquisitor?”
“Is it... moving?” Solas asks with a worried, cautious frown, and Lavellan giggles, handling the dark thing delicately, as if it may break. Cole’s grin grows tenfold, Varric cranes his neck to see better, and Solas widens his eyes, shocked.
A cub. She found a wolf cub.
It’s small, its fur light black and gray, a bit dirty, its light eyes observing everything around it with the enthusiasm typical of a puppy. It’s wagging its tail, making low sounds, and it licks Lavellan’s face when she leans down to kiss its muzzle.
Something stirs in Solas’ heart, a mix between longing and a pang of… he doesn’t know what exactly, but it’s sharp and his fingers twitches, craving for physical contact.
“Isn’t he adorable?” Lavellan coos, sweet and maternal, her thumb stroking the cub’s chubby cheek. He whimpers happily, basking in her attention and affection, and Cole says with a dreamy voice: “He got separated from his mother, rain and thunders in the sky, the Veil broken, letting the Fade out. He was scared, but he wanted to look for her, tiny paws disappearing in the grass.”
The boy smiles and slowly brushes a finger against the wolf’s head. “He is not scared anymore. Soft and gentle, she reminds him of his mother.”
That weird feeling returns and Solas observes the scene before him with big, even sad eyes. He doesn’t understand why and inwardly curses at himself, forcing his lips to curl upwards when Lavellan beams at him, cheeks flushed and hands full of happy, whining fur.
“Aw, look at the little guy.” Varric smirks, tickling his belly. “I bet he would melt even Vivienne’s stuffy heart.”
“Solas, do you think we can find his mother?” Scarlet asks, hopeful, innocent, holding the cub as if he is a baby. Warmth and the feeling of longing increases in Solas’ heart, a desire he can’t pinpoint clearly, but it’s there and it thrums into him like a second heart every time her hands caress the puppy or she lulls him.
“She is not far.” Cole intervenes. “She and the pack just need to find the right way. We can help.”
“Well…” Solas swallows, unsure. He wants to see the pup reunited with his family; the little one reminds him of his younger days, so distant and forever gone, back when magic was everywhere and he could breathe it and feel it tickle his soul with every step he took.
But Scarlet was not in that world and now he feels like those days weren’t so rich and better like he thought when he first awakened in this new version of it.
He watches her press a kiss on the wolf’s humid nose and giggle when he sneezes; Solas fidgets and scenes he shouldn’t imagine start filling his mind, a series of wishful desires that he has thought about before too.
“We can’t leave him alone here!” Scarlet continues, a plea in her voice and eyes, and presses the cub closer to her chest, keeping him comfortable. “We were about to go back to Skyhold anyway. It’s not like we have more stuff to do in this area for now.”
“He’s going to die if we leave him alone, that’s for sure.” Varric agrees and now he is looking at Solas too, as though he is the leader and has the last word. Cole is caressing the cub’s head, but his eyes snap up when Solas clears his voice and says slowly: “I am not an expert, but… I believe we can find his pack easily, if it is looking for him as well.”
For a second, his eyes meet Cole’s, but the boy stays quiet and Solas manages to relax when Scarlet gasps in delight and proceeds to kiss him with gratefulness, her smile so big he can’t help but feel overjoyed in return.
He slowly reaches out for the puppy, which flattens his ears, wags his tail faster, and licks his finger, showing him the same respect he has for his elders and parents.
“He likes you!” Scarlet smiles and that warmth from before returns in Solas’ chest, filling him. This is not so bad, he thinks as he finishes to prepare the stew and summons a flame on the wood that Cole brought.
Lavellan puts the cub down, watches him explore the camp with an attentive, but tender gaze, her sigh wistful and her cheeks a delicate shade of pink.
Cole’s laughter resonates among the trees and the tents when the little one growls playfully at him and demands his attention; the boy kneels on the ground and lets the cub chase his hands, rolls him over, scratches his ears.
“He is so cute.” Scarlet murmurs, resting her chin on her hands; there is a strange light in her golden eyes, sweet and loving, and Solas can only stare at her, trying to decipher it, as they sit next to each other not far from the fire, waiting for the stew to be ready. His fingers twitch again on his knee; he sees her hand, so near, and reaches for it.
She jumps and turns to him; a smile blooms on her face and she squeezes his hand, their skin calloused and hot.
“Back in my clan, we often encountered wolves.” she says, looking back at the puppy jumping back and forth in front of Cole. “They didn’t attack us and we didn’t attack them, respecting their boundaries. The Keeper would offer a prayer to the Dread Wolf and then we would move on, leaving the pack in peace. I still remember the puppies: they stared at us and the aravels from the distance with such big eyes!”
“They were most likely curious.” Solas chuckles. “They still hadn’t learned to be wary around people.”
“Yes.” Scarlet rests her head on his shoulder and he leans in, his cheek on her hair. “They were so fluffy.”
Solas chuckles again, amused and touched by the awe and tenderness in her voice. He thinks how beautiful she would look with another kind of bundle in her arms, a different creature mewling, their…
“Kid!” Varric laughs when Cole rolls on the ground with the wolf cub. “You have to sleep with those clothes on, you know that, yeah?”
“He is happy!” the boy informs him as the cub quickly gets up, intrigued by the dwarf’s voice, and runs to him. He finds interest in his boots and Varric offers him a piece of meat that hasn’t been put into the pot and the little one spends only a few minutes chewing it.
“He is strong. His family has fed him well.” Solas comments before he can stop himself. “He will survive the winter.”
Scarlet’s radiant expression is all he needs to see to be content and happy.
The pup goes back to her, whining and bouncing on her legs to be picked up; a sense of loss pervades Solas when her hand slips out of his, but the sight of her kissing the puppy’s head and laughing when he licks her face is enough to make him forget about it.
“Aren’t you the cutest wolf in Thedas?” she coos. Solas frowns, pouts, and scoots closer, but his scowl turns quickly into an amused smile when the cub barks affirmatively, making her giggle and earning himself another kiss.
“Yes, you are.” she continues, nuzzling his head. “The sweetest wolf in the world. The Dread Wolf must be very jealous of you, da’fen.”
Solas scoffs and the puppy turns to him, distracted by the sound. He is excited, happy, and his chubby form is trembling, eager to go to him.
“You want to go to Papae?” Scarlet says and Solas’ head snaps up. He stares at her with red cheeks and big, shocked eyes; his heart beats fast and erratically and his hands are sweaty when he grabs the cub and puts him on his legs.
She doesn’t notice his bewilderment, but her cheeks are red too and her gaze is full of wonder, a hand stroking the pup’s back as he asks for attention from Solas.
He gives it to him, that fluttery feeling growing and broadening, a tide that will soon crash and fill every crevice of his old heart.
“Da’fen.” he scolds - without putting real sentiment in his reprimand - when the cub gnaws at the leather strings of his jawbone pendant. The cub whines, annoyed by the interruption, but listens to him and sniffs the bone with curiosity, perhaps recognizing its origin or simply interested in something that can be munched.
Scarlet is still staring at them and it’s like there are stars in her eyes, bright and sparkling, together with the desire that Solas suspects being the same he has.
He holds the cub against his chest, looking down at him, tense, focusing on what could be, on what his heart and imagination are creating for him in his mind, on what he and Scarlet could have.
The wolf cub whimpers, his tail hitting Solas’ legs, overwhelmed by the intense attention he is receiving, and Solas smiles at him.
He knows it’s a small, probably bittersweet thing, but there is also affection in it, the kind of love that only such a creature can produce, and he caresses his head before giving him back to Scarlet.
“Go, little one. I believe your elven mother wants to smooch you some more.”
He sees Scarlet’s surprised look and deep blush, her shy, happy smile and her red ears. He leans in to press a kiss on her cheek, not caring about Varric and Cole that are just a few meters away, tending to the fire.
“My love.” he whispers, his tone soft and a bit sad. Filled with longing again. “You know we cannot keep him.”
“I know.” she says, a mumble that pierces his heart. The cub is curled on her lap, now, and has closed his eyes, his round ears flicking and moving as they speak. “He needs to go back to his family. I don’t want to take him away from it.”
She raises her eyes and Solas instinctively grabs her hand, doing his best to give her comfort, because her sad gaze is blurred by a veil of tears and he cannot bear to see her like that.
“He can sleep with us tonight.” he says, smiling, hoping it’s a reassuring sight this time. “I doubt he would accept to stay on a bed of leaves anyway.”
She giggles and nods; a tear falls down on the cub’s head and he raises it, looking around with alarm. Solas traces his fingers down his back and the little one relaxes immediately, going back to sleep.
Later, when they are full with stew and Varric’s stories, they enter their tent, followed by the excited, but still sleepy cub.
Scarlet talks to him as they prepare for the night and the puppy listens intently, observing her gestures, never moving his eyes from her lithe figure; he sniffs her armor when she puts it away on the ground, examines the inside of the tent with great care. He crawls under Solas’ clothes, biting them, and growls playfully when he picks him up and brings him to the bedrolls.
“Time to sleep, da’fen.”
He slips under the woolen blanket they always bring along during their travels and Scarlet is there, waiting for them. The cub lies down between them, a soft, round ball full of joy, and she pulls him closer, her smile big like her heart.
Solas’ mouth goes dry and something on his face cracks, the familiar heaviness of tears crawling up his throat.
“Ma vhenan.” he whispers, grateful to the darkness that fills the tent. He can still see her well, though, and he hopes she won’t notice his turmoil.
She does, alarmed by his voice too, and worry replaces her awed expression.
“Solas!” she murmurs, cupping his cheek with her right hand, and he kisses her palm without breaking eye contact. “What’s wrong?”
“We made him happy.” he says, evading her question. “He will remember this day. He will remember us.” He smiles and Scarlet relaxes a bit. She kisses him, then settles her hand on his waist. Her left hand rests near the cub’s snout and the little one nuzzles it in his sleep once in a while.
“I’m sorry.” she mumbles, looking at the puppy with the same maternal gaze she had before. “I shouldn’t be so upset about this. It’s silly and…”
“It is not.” he reassures her. He presses his lips on hers a second time and the wolf cub makes a tiny sound, deeply asleep. They both look down at him and Solas smiles again.
Hope resonates in him, like a bell that slowly, but surely wakes him up and opens his eyes. His heart is already open, full of the love that Scarlet gives him and his own love for her.
He drapes an arm over her, shielding her and the wolf cub, and says: “We saved him, vhenan, and we will help him find his family. We cannot ask for more from him, but…”
He moves his face closer to hers and looks into her eyes, losing himself in them. Her small hand on his waist clings to his tunic and she smiles too.
“But let us keep this sentiment close to our heart. Let us hang onto this wish and perhaps one day…”
He stops, cheeks on flame, and quickly averts his eyes to look at the cub. He hears Lavellan breathe softly and her hand moves back on his cheek; she lifts his head and stares at him with a bright smile.
He gulps down the lump of tears threatening to return and tries to conclude: “Perhaps we…”
The cub rolls over with a grunt and cuddles against his chest; Solas blinks and Scarlet’s lips find his nose.
Her smile tells him everything he needs to know; it tells him that she understands, that she is happy, that she is grateful for what he was trying to say, that she believes in what their future holds too.
He hangs onto his hope just like he is hanging onto the warm feeling that is spreading through his whole body and when Scarlet tucks her head under his chin, he kisses her hair and embraces her.
The wolf cub is safely pressed between them and Solas allows himself to imagine that a second, different creature is sleeping there with the puppy, a baby with pointed ears, Scarlet’s lips, and his same eyes.