Brandr pulled back the woman's hood. "Norna! You stupid wench! What are you doing here?!"
Norna had seen this kind of fury in Brandr's eyes once before. She knew what had resulted. She did not want to feel that kind of pain again. Norna modified her voice so as to not sound offensive or to say anything offensive to Brandr. "I am here to help," she said meekly. "I followed you from the village."
Brandr softened his grip as he struggled to keep this new annoyance from triggering a fury he felt was barely under control. "It's not helping that you are here."
"But I brought food and I can cook for you. You have to eat."
Brandr knew this was true. He really didn't like cooking for himself. It was village woman work. That's why he maintained one around himself one way or another, just for this kind of service among other reasons. He released Norna rather roughly. "Then you can stay; but only on the condition you do exactly what I say at all times no matter what it is. Understood, wench?"
"Yes, Brandr. I understand," confirmed Norna. She pushed herself off the ground without help from Brandr who himself regained his feet and turned his back on her. Well, at least he didn't hurt me, she said to herself silently. She stood silently waiting for Brandr to say something when the distant howling of a pack of wolves caused her to take two quick steps towards Brandr only to meet two strong arms that emphatically pushed her away.
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Hrolf's hair stood on end. His lips were pulled back to show every centimeter of canine teeth in his jaws. Before him was braced a creature very much like himself, eyes brown instead of blue. This was not one of his pack, and he was not welcome.
The rogue wolf had dared to make its way into Hrolf's pack and investigate Lin's receptiveness. The challenge could not go unheeded. Drool from Hrolf's exposed lower jaw dripped onto the ground of the clearing to mingle with the same from his opponent. They edged closer, first one and then the other. Hrolf would not back away. Neither it appeared would the rogue wolf.
Encouraged by what it perceived was Hrolf's reluctance to charge, it leaped at Hrolf attempting to clamp its teeth on the back of Hrolf's neck. Hrolf dodged the leap by charging forward giving his opponent nothing but fur-protected back as a reward while finding the rogue wolf's forepaw and giving it a bite not to disable but enough to warn the rogue what the bite could have been. Teeth snapping, throats growling the two wolves rolled and tumbled in the dirt trying to gain the upper hand.
The persistence of both resulted in teeth being used far more aggressively as the battle progressed. Finally a high-pitched squeal of pain erupted from the tumbling mass of fur and Hrolf scrambled out of the match, turned and confronted his antagonist once more.
The rogue wolf continued to whine from the pain of the vicious bite inflicted upon it by Hrolf. Blood was beginning to drip, though not enough or rapid enough to signal a mortal wound. It was indeed nasty, but the wolf would live to join another pack. Surprisingly, the wolf made no effort to leave. Instead it rolled over on its back and exposed its belly. Hrolf cautiously walked over to investigate what this might mean.
The rogue wolf whined again. Its name was Grimr in wolf-tongue. He was young, inexperienced, and until now without a pack, and he had learned a lesson very well albeit the hard way. Grimr demonstrated his learning by yielding to Hrolf, by showing no further outward sign of aggression. When Hrolf was close enough, Grimr licked a place on Hrolf's furred shoulder where he had inflicted a minor bite. In turn, to signify acceptance, Hrolf poked his muzzle into Grimr's belly but did so gently, without intent to cause harm or pain. Peace was restored. Hrolf looked for a place to rest. He laid down on his belly with his head on his front paws, but his eyes remained open and continually staring at Grimr, just to be sure.
A warm wolf body found a place next to his. He quickly glanced and saw that it was Valda. The she-wolf licked a place on Hrolf's back that seemed disturbed by the fight. Hrolf lay still thinking of Rana and what might follow, but enjoying the comfort brought to him by Valda's attention. Growling once more sounded in the area. He felt Valda rise and leave his side only to be replaced by the body of another wolf. This was Rana, returned from a brief sojourn into the trees, only to find Valda in her place. It was not appreciated and Rana directed her warning at Valda almost immediately. Now that Valda was gone, Rana could assume her place and so she had. Oddly, Hrolf lay there far less comforted than when Valda was next to him. In fact, Rana's presence brought him no comfort at all.
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"We must return to the village soon. The venison will not keep forever despite the shelter of the trees and the cold of the day and night," observed Gunnarr. The others nodded in full agreement. "But I think we can hunt over one more day before we must return with our kills." Again the other hunters nodded, including Arnora.
"What shall we hunt for?" she asked. The others laughed a little but not boisterously enough to possibly annoy the young woman.
Gunnarr snorted. "For whatever we can find." He looked up into the darkened sky. "First light, one more day. May the gods smile upon us." He heard his prayer repeated to one extent or another by the others. Then with sleep necessary and the fire stoked sufficiently Gunnarr made his sleeping place and skins ready for use. He laid down on them and rolled over onto his right shoulder pulling his sleeping skins tightly and closing his eyes.
They didn't stay closed for very long as thoughts of the day and its events crawled around in his mind. His eyes popped open only to see in the dim flickering light from the campfire that one of the hunters had placed his sleeping skins unusually close to him, maybe a meter, not more than two meters away. That hunter's eyes were open as well staring right back at him from a face framed with hood and sleeping skins wound tightly around for warmth.
The exotic look of the hunter's smooth, petite face left no question as to who this hunter might be. From within her warm cocoon, Arnora maintained her fixed, almost unblinking stare at Gunnarr, drawing into herself for safekeeping every nuance of his face and reflection of the fire's golden flames in his ice blue eyes. The thought of possessing such a memory brought a smile to her face.
Gunnarr saw her face suddenly move though her eyes did not change their focus on him. There came a smile to her face, a pretty smile, so different from the other village women because she was not like the other village women. Petite, yet strong. Serving, yet willful. Womanly, yet a hunter. Gunnarr surprised himself with that admission, so surprised that he could not permit himself to look back at her any longer. He rolled over onto his other shoulder and struggled to go to sleep.
Something working hard in his chest and in his throat made sleep difficult for a much longer time than he had ever experienced. And for the first time in his life, the hands of this hunter shook ever so slightly. And it was not from the cold of the night.
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Norna bit her lower lip to keep the pain away. He was rough, always too rough; but she had chosen to be with him and that is where she belonged... But he is rough, so very rough... Brandr rolled off of Norna not caring whether she was exposed to the cold or not. He rewrapped clothing and skins about himself for warmth and sought the sleep he desired as aftermath.
A tear rolled down Norna's cheek as she sought to ward off the chill as best she could. See, he loves me, she said to herself silently. That's why I belong here. As she shivered through the night, something inside her seeking to escape silently and pitifully cried out that it did not believe her at all. Norna tried her best not to listen.
All text is copyright © 2004 by Civis Romanus. All rights reserved.
Posted by permission of HeavenGames LLC.[This message has been edited by Civis Romanus (edited 02-12-2004 @ 09:19 PM).]