ALO Short Stories 7: A New Place to Stay

A New Place to Stay is the seventh story in the ALO Short Stories series. 
It can be read over here.
== Summary ==
Four days after having left their old home behind, Lynn and One-eye are exhausted and starving. They come across a territory inhabited only by a single Lone One. One-eye wants to chase out its owner and claim it for himself and Lynn, but Lynn doesn't feel comfortable with the idea. 
A stranger hears One-eye talking about his plan to chase them out and pins One-eye, who respons hostilely. The stranger, Sam, initially is just as nasty back at them, but Lynn manages to calm him down and tells him how things really are. Sam takes pity on her and allows One-eye and her to stay at his homesite for a while, but they have to leave the next day. 
During the night, he and Lynn talk, and it is revealed that Sam used to have brothers which he lost. Lynn takes pity on him, and the two bond. 
The next day, Lynn and One-eye are sent on their way again by Sam, but the dark brown wolf soon stops them and tells Lynn that he's willing to offer her a stay for another while at his territory. Lynn agrees, but only if One-eye is allowed to come as well. Sam reluctantly agrees. 
Over the next few days, Lynn and Sam become friends, and One-eye finally starts to find a form of rest at the homesite. Sam gives Lynn some hunting lessons. The two later talk about Lynn's human-made accessories. Lynn reveals their backstory to Sam, and then asks him to help her take them off, as she sees them of tokens of a darker past. Sam frees her of her collar and Lynn herself takes of her cybernetic eye. She soon reveals herself to One-eye like this, who calls her decision mature, though he comments that she'll have to get used to living with only one-eye, as she's been wearing her fake one for a long time. 
A few weeks later, Lynn makes her first prey catch, a chubby marmot, which she proudly shows off to One-eye and her friend. Both praise her, and Lynn realizes happily that she's now growing into a real hunter. 
As fall is nearing and the weather is getting colder, Lynn grows worried for One-eye, who is getting older and weaker. She's scared that, since Sam never officially told her when she'd have to leave, he'd send her and her father away. She brings this up to her friend, but Sam explains to her that he's glad to share his home with her, and that she and One-eye can stay for as long as they like.
Category:Short stories