Krigsgaldr - "War Magic"
Tyr was the son of the leader in a small village of Southern Svealand. A faith that came with obligations he did not want.
Freke was a wolf shapeshifter, a descendant of Fenrir some would say, and they were both loved and h...
How long had it been since my paws touched the soil of my ancestors? Far too long.
I remembered coming back to our winter celebration and telling them I would travel with Brokk and Tyr to another country with the human ships. It led to a huge argument between me and my mother and before the ceremonies even started, I had left early to run back into Tyr's loving arms. That was the last time I spoke to my mother, in anger and frustration.
I peered at Vidar who was trotting beside me, I had abandoned him that day, and still he had come to Skal when I called for him. How was I this lucky, to have both him and Tyr by my side?
"Freke!" a dark voice called out and with a sigh I turned to my human form to greet the man I called brother but shared no similarities with.
"Brother," I greeted formally and wondered why he had gone ahead to meet us in the forest. "Did something happen?"
"So worrisome," he said with a chuckle. "I wanted to see you before you were overwhelmed with questions from the others." Then he turned to peer up at Vidar who walked up beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Alpha," he greeted with a bored expression, "you're back as well."
"Yes, I am," he said with a growl emerging from his throat, "and I can still pinch you to the ground even after our long travel."
"No need," Calder said and lowered his head.
"Good," Vidar snarled, "move your paws then, we need food."
I could see the anger in Calder's eyes, but without question he took off into the woods and went for a hunt. We all knew we had enough food in the village storage, but this was a show of rank. Calder was known for thinking too highly of himself as the one who should have been Alpha, and Vidar knew how to put him back in his place.
"Careful, maður, we might need him on our side," I mumbled.
Vidar shook his head and reached for my hand. He guided it up to his face and placed a few kisses on the back of it. "Calder is no fool, and despite it all I trust him to take good care of the pack whenever I'm gone. I just need to remind him where we both stand."
The houses were so different from human ones, they were built with straw and mud rather than logs, and their round shape blended in perfectly with the nature surrounding them.
In the middle of our village there was an open area, humans would probably call it a square and we used it in a similar way. There were logs placed in a circle for the inhabitants to sit on and discuss the day's events. When the hunters came back we usually gathered in that space to divide the food amongst the pack. Everyone had a purpose, some looked after the pups, others were crafters and hunters. A few of us wielded magic, but not as many as the humans would think. To shift from human to wolf form was as natural as falling asleep and even the pups managed that, it had nothing to do with magic. It was a blessing that was granted to us by the Mother-Wolf and we knew she was just as old and wise as the Aesir.
Vidar was what humans would call a vitki, like me, but our powers were very different. He could bend it to his will, creating blasts of energy as a weapon, and use its force. That is why he was the best choice to fight Bjarke. My magic was different, I was a healer and I could use my magic to protect and shield others from harm. Thanks to my magic abilities I could help and boost the efficiency of the herbs I gathered.
My mother had been a healer like me, and with her gone the pack needed a new one, they needed me. "What are you teaching Arvid?" I asked suddenly.
"He's got the ability to talk to spirits," Vidar explained as we walked up to the nearest hut, "but he's still young." I nodded and was about to ask more questions when we suddenly were surrounded by friendly smiles who welcomed us home.
For hours I sat in the middle of my town and told stories about my travels at sea, what Skal looked like and why I had called for our Alpha's aid.
"Are you staying this time?" one of my mother's old friends suddenly asked me, and without a doubt I nodded and smiled at her.
"Yes, dear mother, I will stay by Vidar's side."
My answer seemed to please them and a delightful murmur of voices surrounded us as a fire was lit and food was being prepared. Vidar's warm hand moved around my back and he pulled me closer to him, letting me rest my tired head against his shoulder.
"How does it feel to be back home?"
I looked around at the young and old who were laughing and talking around the fire. I had never felt at ease here, as soon as my paws touched the soil I always wanted to run back to Tyr. But things were different now, I felt at peace.
"I feel happy," I told him with a smile and searched for his lips.
He kissed me gently and held me tight. "At one point I really thought you hated me, always running away from us," he mumbled, "but now I know why, and the wait was worth it."
"I'm sorry," I whispered, "I'm sorry you had to go through all that."
"Don't be," he said with a smile. "It made me stronger, and it gave me time to focus on leading this pack."
"I won't leave you again," I told him honestly and I could feel his body relax at those words.
"I know, love, I know," he mumbled and kissed my forehead. "Welcome home, Freke."
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