Kratos x Reader

Forty-Five

Slowly, the deer sank to the ground. Its head was lowered, taking care to not spike the boy with the antlers that were growing on its head.

The eyes shimmered in a strange colour as it settled next to the child and let it sink into the warm embrace of the white fur.

"I've seen you before.", Atreus whispered.

The deer seemed to understand his words, its head nodded to him in approval.

"Care to explain?", Mimir frowned and eyed the creature that seemed so alive yet not even real enough to be a ghost from the past.

He could feel a warm touch if magic surround the animal like a shield that kept the evil at bay. This creature was overflowing with magic, there was no doubt.

If he wouldn't have known it better he would have sworn that this was one of Odins creatures. Nothing else would have explained the magical power that filled those eyes, so human yet so unknown.

"This is... uhm, I am not sure actually.", the boy reached out to pet the deers nose.

Calmly, the animal allowed him to do so, closed its eyes and let itself fall into the soft touch of the child.

"Is it a god? A lesser one perhaps that I have not met yet?", Mimir was sceptical, it was clear to hear.

"You don't know what it is?", Atreus asked, looking the deer deep into the eyes.

He seemed to see it as well, this human traces inside of the animal.

"No. I've never seen anything like this. And I have never felt... such magic. It must be ancient.", carefully the head eyed the creature that was laying next to him, so full of calmness. "I think I've heard about magical deers once but this one is not what it seems to be. Can you sense the magic? It must be a cursed one."

Surprised, Atreus ripped his eyes wide open.

The tiredness from before had fallen from him all of a sudden and the same fire and thirst for knowledge was burning in his little eyes again.

"Cursed?", he asked in his worried voice that only an innocent child could have. "Can we help it?"

"I don't think so. But look it seems to want to help you, lad."

Carefully, the deer lowered its head and bumped the boy softly with the tip of its black nose.

As if it wanted to encourage him, it rose from the ground and hit the cold stone floor with a hove in order to make him understand.

Carefully, the boy and the head exchanged looks.

"It doesn't look dangerous.", the boy mumbled and picked up the head.

"But be careful anyways, lad.", Mimir warned. "It might look comforting but the gods do have ugly tricks up their sleeves."

Nodding his head in agreement, Atreus climbed onto the back of the deer.

Its fur was soft to the touch and he noticed how a warmth filled his body. It was almost like there was no cold anymore and all that remained was the comfort of this snow white fur.

He dared to stretch his hand out and stroke a few times through the softness. It filled his body with warmth, causing the coldness to disappear.

Now, he felt better.

"Can you bring me back to my father?", the boy asked in a hopeful voice, leaning down to the deep so it could hear him.

It seemed to understand the request.

It even lowered its head as if it was nodding in agreement. With soft jumps, the creature began to move. Somehow, it was powerful yet elegant as if a wave of ice couldn't stop it but a butterfly meant doom.

As it left the save cover of the cave, Atreus squeezed his eyes together. He expected the snowstorm to hit him, forcing the cold back into his small body until he was blue and pale like only a corpse could be.

He expected his body to ache in pain and for his brain to go numb. If he was fully honest with himself, he expected nothing else but a cruel, slow death.

But nothing like this happened.

The warmth that filled his body remained. It was comforting, strengthening his little heart that was so much filled with fear.

As he feared to open his eyes, he could see a soft golden shimmer that filled the air around him. It was like a shield.

"Is- is that you?", Atreus asked, holding tight onto the fur of the deer.

The creature moved its head, looking at him with those strange eyes. They felt so familiar, almost like the ones of a loved one and yet he couldn't tell why it was.

This must have been strange magic, truly.

Who big eyes the boy watched as the creature carried him through the cold of Helheim, shielding him from the safe death like a mother couldn't do better.

It was strange but Atreus noticed that he had never before felt this safe nor secure.

Was that another effect of the magic?

After a while, the boy bowed down to the deer and whispered.

"We've met before, I know you. You gave me the crystal, remember?", he reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out a stone that could not have been of bigger beauty.

The deer eyed it from the corner of its eyes and nodded. It was acting so human yet never seemed to be more than an animal.

The boy didn't know what to do with his thoughts.

"Are you a friend of (Y/N)? The healer of the gods, I mean. Every time you appear (Y/N) is close as well. Tell me, will the healer be alright?", there was worry in his words and somehow he couldn't deny the fact that he was concerned for you.

Frowning, Atreus let himself lay on the string neck of the creature and sighed deeply.

"I wonder if father will be angry with (Y/N). He probably blames (Y/N) for all the misery that has happened to us in the past few days. He isn't very friendly with strangers, especially not when they are some sort of godly being. But... I'm sure the two will be fine. The last time they were by themselves it seemed they were getting along well. Maybe father starts to like (Y/N) a bit. That would be nice. He needs somebody else than me too."

The deer did not react to those words. It just listened, trapped in the silence of its own existence.

Only the shimmer in its eyes told the sadness that the words of the boy caused.