Arknights One Shots

Nope 1 (Lappland and Red and Kal'tsit)

All wolves born in the wild had primal instincts they could not deny.

Lappland was one of those wolves, and proud of it too. The thrill of the hunt, the spilling of blood as prey was caught was music to her ears. She had other urges too, knew them like any wolf knew primal hunger. So she understood how hard it was to ignore these urges. It was a task far more treacherous then some would initially think.

But this was a little strange even to her.

"Wait wait wait, so let me get this straight. Red wants to . . . fluff my tail?"

Kal'tsit, who had spent half of the conversation filing out reports, nodded. She kept her attention on the work at her desk. Red markings covered most of the newest document, it was a welcome change from the page with several black lines moments before. She hardly cared to know how the doctor managed to do these menial tasks each day. Hopefully no one would ever be dumb enough to assign her logistics work. Five minutes would be all it took for her to throw caution to the wind and burn the place down. Haha, I'd get in so much trouble but oh well.

"Yes. That's what she wants." Kal'tsit told her.

Lappland's legs kicked up and down, her heels thudding against the table legs. She received a disapproving look from the Doctor that hindered her movements only a tad. Once green eyes slid back down to her work Lappland was at it again. This lynx lady wasn't going to tell her what to do. Very few people were allowed that privilege.

Trust was one of the few things she could still give; Lappland gave it in small doses. There would not be another betrayal. Her heart could not handle a second time.

"Are you out of your mind?" Lappland asked. The question came off less crazed and more incredulous. Legs still kicking, she picked up speed. If the action left scuffs on her shoes they would be another addition to the damage they'd already received in the past. It was probably high time she got a new pair.

She used to replace her shoes back in the day, use to tell her she needed to be more concerned about her health. She was supposed to be by Lappland's side forever. But forever ended much more abruptly then either of them could've imagined. Now it was up to her to pick up the broken pieces and try again. Her heart was in tatters, as was the rest of her infected soul.

Regardless she still had her dignity.

Or whatever it was that was making her insides roil at the thought of that wolf going anywhere near her.

"No. I'm not. The tests assure I'm perfectly sane. You on the other hand . . ." Kal'tsit trailed off.

Lappland's feet stopped kicking. She tilted her head back, looking at the lamp overhead. The light made her eyes sting, tears pricking at the corners. She blinked them back, wondering how long she'd have to stare at the light before she went blind. It was an old bet she used to have with her, which one of them would have a permanent injury first. It just went to show how messed up up they already had been way back when. But whereas she had moved Lappland was stuck remembering, dealing with old ghosts that should've long since passed.

Some things just refused to die.

Like her.

Like her love.

Try as she might it remained. Maybe it was a sign that Texas was the only one for her. There would be no one else. If only Texas got the memo.

"You know, if you want someone to do something for you, insulting them isn't the way to go about it." Lappland murmured.

"Huh. Thought you didn't mind. My apologies. Will you allow Red to do it?"

Just the mere utterance of the red wolf's name made her tense up. There was something about Red that left her equal parts terrified and manic. She couldn't understand it. Her scent was so strange, her personality even stranger.

After all, who admitted to being a Hunter of he own kind so freely?

It left her feeling uneasy to the point she was nauseous.

She wondered what Texas thought about Red. They hadn't been talking much lately, for obvious reasons . . .

"Why should I? It's weird." There was another word for it, but she wasn't going to say it here. The little voice in the back of her head that sounded suspiciously like her was very adamant she leave those details out.

"That's too bad I suppose. Red will be disappointed."

"W-well good. She's strange, that one."

Lappland remembered passing the other wolf in the hall, the way those golden eyes raked over her body thoughtfully, landing on her tail with a creepy intent. Both of them were predators, sizing each other up in that moment, thinking about the best places to attack. Who would come out on top? Who would win? Lappland didn't know what her odds were. The manic part of her was dying to find out. Reason reared it's head at the worst time.

"Strange. I'd ask you to refrain from such wording."

Lappland glared at Kal'tsit. Well, so much for trying to avoid offense. "Well what would you call her obsession then? What would you call someone who proudly hunts her own kind!?"

"Don't you think that's a little hypocritical, considering what your previous job was?" Kal'tsit's tone was even, but she detected the brittle ice underlying it. The shards were sharp like a Lupo's she had known well. Bicolored eyes were an echo in her mind, permanently implanted in her heart.

"Don't make a comparison to that. You have no clue what we, what I went through."

Gunshots rang in her ears. They weren't real. At least not now.

Swords clashed with brutal swings.

She'd been through a lot. Maybe it was childish to be so against a simple thing like someone petting her tail. And yet that predatory gaze made chills run down her spine. Conflicting emotions were hard to fight. What side would win was anybody's guess.

"I see. I suppose you have a point. I have no idea what you went through. Your background is hard to track. But at the same time, I think you'd find that Red is more similar to you than you think."

"Haha, if by similar you mean crazy then maybe . . ." Lappland shrugged.

Kal'tsit shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean?" The only comparison she saw was their craziness. It was the logical explanation after all. Two hunters had the most dangerous of things in common: being unpredictable.

"She means we both lost our families and want to find new ones here." A new voice piped in.

Lappland whirled around to see Red standing right behind her. "You!? You snuck up on me!?"

"I am a Hunter. Sneaking is part of the job." Red explained.

Lappland shuddered as Red's dangerous aura filled the room with her powerful scent. Her stomach rolled and she resisted the need to hurl. This was bad, very bad. What was she going to do?

******

A/N: So I kinda always wanted to do a one-shot of these two so this catered to me ahaha, and hopefully you guys too. There will be a part two to this, with a lot more Red. If you want to apply this story to some of the others, well, this is before Texas and Lappland made up. Until next time and feel free to comment ideas for what you want to see next.