The Ark
Clarke races down the halls, her daemon on her heels and Wells laughing in front of her, his own daemon racing ahead of them. "Get back here Wells!" Clarke screams out, laughing all the while as they run through the metal halls. She bumps into his back as they stumble to a stop in front of one another. Thelonious smiles at his son and Clarke Griffin, his Capuchin stare at the children with curious eyes as Wells daemon lands on the boys shoulder and the small cat following after them shifts to a ferret, climbing up Clarke and resting on her shoulder. "You two know better than to run down the halls. Where were you off to?"
Wells dips his head in apology. "Sorry father." He looks up with a short smile. "We were off to play in the ring, Eulalia likes to stretch her wings." The small parrot chirps at Thelonious before shifting to a hawk and clicking her beak testily.
Thelonious eyes the four of them, dipping his head in agreement before sighing lowly, hand coming to the shoulder his son's daemon isn't resting on. "Don't be too long, and do not allow anyone close to her Wells, you know the consequences if another touches your daemon." His fingers squeeze gently before he releases his hold.
Wells nods his head quickly, grabbing at Clarke's wrist and tugging gently. "They go to the sky box, we won't forget. Come on Clarke." Blue eyes take in the man before her because her dad stroked her mom's daemon all the time, rubbing at the soft feathers before her kissed Abby gently, right before he went to work. The blonde follows after Wells, leaving his dad behind because they weren't meant to question the adults.
"It's because your parents are married right?" Lae mumbles into her ear, tiny teeth biting into the skin on her chin when she jostles him too much. She winces, trying to scowl at him as she shrugs. "It must feel weird to touch someone else's daemon." His tiny voice is a low grumble.
Clarke shrugs her shoulders again, earning a sharp dig of claws into her shoulder. "Wells has bumped into you plenty of times."
"But he never pets me, not like you do." The ferrets snuggles close to Clarke's throat, cool nose pressing into her pulse point.
"Do you want him too?" Clarke tries to turn her eyes to her daemon, tries to look into his soft black eyes.
"I didn't say that." Lae huffs, bumping his head into her chin in annoyance. "I was just curious."
"You're always curious, we'll get in trouble on day."
As Clarke grows older Lae grows bigger, shifting into larger and larger shapes. Abby stares at him in exasperation because right now he was shifted into the shape of a polar bear, growling low in his throat at the guard looming outside the door. "Laertes." He paces the floor because Clarke was in there taking her test without his help. Because they didn't want him to give her the answers. Because they were separated right now and he didn't like it. He turns to glare at Abby and her daemon screeches at him and he shifts to a cowering puppy under his other half's mother's daemon's sharp eyes. Abby sighs low in her throat, stroking the falcon's head. "Calm down. Clarke will be fine. She is smart."
"Why must they separate us then." Lae grumbles, Abby barely able to make out his words. "She is smarter with me."
"Because if you were to take the shape of a polar bear how would you fit into the operating room? Clarke wants to be a doctor, you both must get used to a few feet separating you." Abby's voice is soft and soothing.
He huffs, shifting into a badger and glower at the door in a persistent anger. "I can stay small if Clarke needs."
"You have no control over that, you would be uncomfortable. You will find your shape sooner or later." Galian chirps the answer form Abby's shoulder as Abby watches the door like her daughter would come out of it soon.
The badger huffs indignantly. "Eulalia chose her shape already."
"Wells has his own mind about himself, leave them be." Galian clicks back to him and the badger grumbles, laying his head on his paws because both Abby and Galian had talked to him like he was a whimpering cub.
"Lia stop." Clarke's voice is annoyed and slightly teasing as the owl sits perched on Wells shoulder, she hoots in playful confusion.
Wells has a slight grin on his face as he moves his piece, dark eyes looking up to tease Clarke. "What's she doing?"
Clarke rolls her eyes, lips threatening to pull into a grin. "You know what shes doing wells. She's cheating."
"How is she cheating." Wells eyes dance with laughter as his owl hoots with her own laughter.
Clarke scowls at him because she used to almost beat Wells when Lia played with Lae but now the owl rested on his shoulder, helping and cheating. "She's calculating my moves."
Wells moves another piece with a small flick of his wrist, pulling Clarke's piece from the board. "True but she is part of me so we are beating you. It is not my fault Laertes hates chess."
Clarke huffs low in her throat, turning her eyes to her daemon laying at her feet, staring down another daemon from across the room. "He doesn't hate it."
Wells laughs, lips pulling into a wide grin as his eyes dance. "Just finds it abysmal."
Clarke glares at him, rolling her eyes as she defend her daemon. "Uninteresting."
"Yet you remain so good at it." They both laugh and around them the room is full of other people and their daemons. Some large and some small. The largest daemon on the Ark so far was an elk and a horse. Almost too large for the hallways as they followed behind their other half. Clarke eyes the birds flying around the room and the snakes slithering up the shoulders of their human. There wasn't much room but there was enough for them to be slightly packed but comfortable.
"We have class in thirty minutes Clarke, stop stalling." Wells voice pulls her back tot he chess game, Lia staring at her with intelligent teasing eyes.
Clarke rolls her eyes as she moves her rook to take his knight. "What if I don't want to go to class?"
He grins widely, sliding his pawn to take her rook and she scowls at him because how could she not see that coming. She had to be off on her game. "You mean you don't want to be in the room with the rest of us normal people."
Clarke rolls her eyes because they were both advanced in their learning. "You aren't normal Wells."
"I have classes in botany and politics. You're taking advanced biology and human anatomy." He leans forward with a wide conspiratorial grin. "Tell me the truth, you hate being in history with the rest of us."
She grins back at him, sliding her knight across his board and taking his bishop. "Oh hush Wells."
Laertes stands beside her fur sleek and soft grey as he hops to the others, tiny feet propelling him to Jake as Clarke speaks, his large ears are perked high on his head. "I can help you. We can help you." Jake opens his mouth to tell her no when the door bursts open and daemons and guards are flooding the room. "I'll tell them!" Clarke voice is loud and a guard grabs her, tightening his hold as Lae shifts from rabbit to panther growling ferociously as Jake and Lesidea are pulled from the room.
"Clarke no!" Jake yells after her, struggling to get to his daughter. Lesidea scratches at anyone, trying and failing to get to Jake. "Don't do it!"
Suddenly he is gone and Clarke is being detained, twin German Shepards growling at her now black panther, his own lips curl into a snarl. "They will float him." LEa's voice is pained and broken.
"I know." Clarke's voice breaks and one of the guards glare at her.
"Be quiet." He stands taller, hand on his electric baton. "Separate from you daemon."
"No, he's my daemon, you can't make m-" Clarke voice is confused and broken before the man is grabbing the girl by her arm and pushing her out into another room, Laertes is guarded by the two dogs growling and lunging, throwing harsh swipes at them and Clarke's heart aches because she can't even talk to Lae for comfort.
They let her go once they sweep the apartment, telling her her father is set to float. She races down the hall, Lae on her heels, thick muscles pushing him closer and closer to their family when they see him. Clarke throws herself at him and Lae stands the, eyes soft and broken as he stares at Lesidea, her almost cloudy fur is ruffled but she stares back with a small almost broken grin. The watch is pressed into Clarke's hand and then Jake stands there, fingers tangled into his daemon's thick fur and they press the button. Gold dust filling the air as it and Jake are sucked into the darkness. Clarke falls to her knees, sobbing. Laertes presses into her side, strong and solid and as broken as she is.
And when they take her to lock up Laertes growls at them, long teeth barred and claws ready before they are shoved into isolation. The room is small and the large cat bumps Clarke to the bed, laying down with her and rumbling gently in his chest. Clarke clutches to his fur because Laertes finally chose his true form and the pain of it being a feline like Lesidea hurt. Laertes settled into his true form today and all he could do was curl around his other half and offer the comfort of his steady heart.