@hellnite !!
joel doesn’t trust him. it doesn’t have to be said in any way; he can tell by the way the man looks at him. how their introduction first went, how he looked him over as though he was waiting for the slip of the knife. but how can shilah blame him? he’s alone in a world where survival shouldn’t happen in that way. alive and healthy. maybe it was jealousy -- but they both had their burdens.
as far as he knows, ellie hasn’t said anything about what he can do, the reasons that he was still alive. but there was no holding it back when face to face with a group our for their supplies and blood. ( he hadn’t even thought to ask what they were carrying around. stupid. ) but he’s already got a soft spot for the group, pliable as his heart might be, and the beast in him shoves forward. there’s the briefest of quiet as his bones crack and shift, and then the roar as he stands between the groups.