This is War | Infinity War [6]

SEVEN

THIS IS WAR | INFINITY WAR
Chapter Seven
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ANIMALIA HADN'T ATE ANY OF the soup she was given, not feeling hungry at all. After hearing about their fight with Thanos, the Guardians allowed them to stick around, offering comfort and food for the two.

Animalia sat next to Thor with a blanket over her crossed legs, her eyes still damp and stinging from her cries. Thor on the other hand, gladly took the food and ate very fast and hungrily.

Finishing another bowl, Thor dumped it onto the bench in front of them and glanced at Animalia. "You okay?" He asked gently, placing a hand on her knee softly.

Animalia looked to him and shook her head gently. "Did... Did Valkyrie get on the escape ship?" Animalia spoke quietly and hesitantly. She felt guilty for asking about one Asgardian when hundreds were massacred.

However, Thor understood why she was worried about Valkyrie as he knew the role Valkyrie played in Animalia's life. The Asgardian warrior was the one person she could trust and considered family, they were like sisters and always looked out for each other.

Thor nodded, moving his arm to rest it over Animalia's shoulders, pulling her into his side. "I saw her escape. She got as many people as she could out."

Animalia's tense muscles relaxed at his words, her exhaling a shaky breath as she allowed herself to calm down. Valkyrie is alive. She just had to keep reminding herself that.

Thor kissed Animalia temple softly, rubbing her shoulders comfortingly. He then reached over Animalia's head and grabbed the bowl of soup she hadn't touched. Unwrapping his arm from her shoulders, Thor began to enjoy the soup as Animalia leant her head on his shoulder, staring distantly.

She only looked up when she heard the one they called Gamora begin to speak. She worded her sentence very carefully. "The entire time I knew Thanos, he only ever had one goal. To bring balance to the universe by wiping out half of all life," she began, her voice gentle, soothing in a way to Animalia. But it didn't change the guilt the Zelean felt for not avenging her home, that was something she knew she'd never be able to get rid of. "He used to kill people planet by planet, massacre by massacre..."

"Including my own," Drax said in a quiet tone, feeling his heart ache as he thought about his own family that Thanos had killed.

Animalia exhaled lightly through her nose, turning and hiding her face in the side of Thor's shoulder. "And mine... Zelea stood no chance..." Her voice was barely audible.

Gamora paused, staring at Animalia sympathetically. Peter tilted his head at the woman, frowning because of the fact he had heard stories about the planet Zelea, many being that the race was wiped out, brutally. "You're Zelean?" He asked slowly, his voice lowered to a much more softer tone. The topic of Zelea was obviously a hard one, one that opened many wounds that were thought to be long closed.

Animalia finally looked up, turning so her body was facing forward and slumping against the back wall. "Yeah..." she murmured, crossing her arms before she felt Thor rest his hand on her knee again, as if telling her that he really would always be there for her. "When Zelea was invaded, my mother gave me an escape option, allowing me to fly away in this pod my father and her had made. I got away before I was killed and she left me with this," she palmed the Wildlife Stone, smiling at it. The Guardians didn't overly understand as the stone was not something many talked about throughout the galaxy. Tales were obviously told but many were thought to be just myths. "It's the stone of the Animalian, the protector of Zelea-"