I'm not at your orders

divergence

The next morning, the first songs of the birds woke Filip, who opened his eyes in the dim light of the tent, and when he turned his head, he found Nori, to his surprise, snuggled up next to him with the back of his hand gently resting on his chest. Their positions had changed in the night and in that state Filip could better observe Nori's face delicately outlined between the folds of the pillows and blankets, finding it curiously pleasant. The darkness of his eyelashes and hair highlighted his cheekbones and slightly parted rosy lips, and so Filip lost himself in observing him: sometimes he forgot that Nori was no longer a simple boy, but a young man with defined features, and that closeness allowed him to grasp his genuine beauty. The scruffy hair fell softly between the pillow and his forehead and Filip was tempted to brush some of it away with his fingers, only to notice that Nori was beginning to move, slowly waking up, so Filip simply decided to close his eyes, pretending he was still asleep.

When Nori woke up, he moaned a little and then looked at the figure in front of him momentarily confused, only to realise the state of their proximity and slowly pull away in fear of being caught so close. He felt his cheeks heat up, and not because of the blankets wrapped around him, although he didn't know why: instead, he found their position almost pleasant, his wolf could confirm it and for a moment Nori thought if he hadn't imagined someone else in Filip's place, although it was clear to him that this was not the case.

He finally decided to get up and head out of the tent, so that the fresh morning air would wake him up from that torpor and heat, and then thought about giving himself a quick rinse before they left. The river was not far away, surely it would not have taken him long to get there and back, meanwhile he thought back to the image that appeared to him when he first woke up. Filip was extremely chiselled in form, and seeing him sleeping seemed as if the hardness of his face was softening among the shadows in the tent. He did not even know why he was thinking about it, and wandering with his mind he finally found himself at the riverbank, whose placid surface was only furrowed by a few leaves floating in the apparent infinity of that mirror, and where Filip began to take off his shirt. He approached the water, scooping a little of it into the pit of his palms and bringing it to his face, being revived by the coolness of it, and making him exhale with relief. He passed the water between his arms and shoulders undisturbed until he realised he was not alone and said undisturbed:
-You didn't follow me, did you? -Without even turning around he could smell Filip, who was in fact behind him, a few metres away:
-good sixth sense, but you should have noticed me already from a few dozen metres away- Filip advanced, contemplating Nori's turgid back, not knowing it could be so... interesting. Once he was next to him he bent down, picked up some water in his hands and brought it to his lips, then said:
-don't mind me-.
-it's... hard not to- Nori felt his cheeks heat up again, even though they had been in contact with the cool water, and he felt strangely uncomfortable being shirtless with Filip beside him:
-I suspect you think I have bad intentions with you-.
-last time I remember you had Arya throw me into the water, so I think I'm justified in not trusting you- Filip smiled a little:
-it's not my style to repeat the same joke twice -
-funny - said Nori sarcastically: - it's safe then.Filip stood up and looked at the water sliding over Nori's skin from his face down to his arms, bringing out the shape of his young, athletic body:
-what? - Nori asked, noticing his silent gaze.
-nothing. Hurry up and dry yourself, we'll leave in a while- said Filip and finally took his leave and left Nori alone, not knowing why he was staring at him either.With the resumption of the journey, the group went deeper and deeper into the forest, passing by paths overshadowed by the gentle foliage of the trees rising metres and metres high, occasionally with Jean's whistling to accompany them:
-God, can't you sing anything else? - asked Tormund boredly
- you're the only one who's complaining, which doesn't surprise me at all- Jean said lightly.
-I prefer to let the larks do the work.
-What Tormund, are you saying I'm out of tune? -the two started bickering, until Connell said:
-Nori, don't you have a sedative to calm these two down?
-I don't think so- he said, laughing: -it's certainly better than hearing a mandrake scream-
-at least that one will shut up if I stick it in the ground-.

-Hush all of you- said Filip suddenly- listen- they all fell silent and strained their ears, recognising the voices of a man and a woman, the latter in pain, coming from a spot not too far from them:
-they are near- said Sandor, and Filip immediately dismounted from his horse, wanting to go towards the source of that moaning, being followed also by Nori, who took the bag of medicines with him:
-you stay here- ordered Filip sternly:
-the girl could be injured, I'll go with you- replied the beta firmly and Filip exhaled resignedly, then turned to the other warriors:
-you stay alert. If needed, I'll call you - once agreed, the two left the group and the main path to head towards the presumed couple, passing through the trees and thick bushes.The female voice became more distinct, and Filip and Nori remained silent to trace its origin, until they came to an open clearing in the forest where they found a small lake reflecting the green of the forest and on its shore a woman in a long robe lying in a fetal position on a white cloth with men's clothing resting on it: