Weight Of The World
"The lights and sounds
Oh God this is such a mess
And it's like our world
But we're the last ones left
And the hair it stands
On the back of our necks
And I swear it shows
Heaven must be just like this."
-Angels&Airwaves-Heaven-
xXx
The hunter and his young son stepped through the darkening forest now, not a single sound coming from the gloom, neither animal nor bird. Ice like eyes scanned the familiar landscape of their Scandinavian home.
There was a flutter now, and the father flung out an arm, stopping his son in his tracks before he stepped on a stick, alerting their quarry to their advance.
"You check before you step, Eric." he said in their native language with hard eyes, and the boy of fifteen nodded. "Yes Father." but their attention was aroused when another snap that the boy didn't cause, and the father raised his spear with an iron head, assessing the situation. They had been tracking a deer that had wandered from the rest of the herd for the best part of six hours, and night was falling- the kill would have to be soon, or risk going hungry.
But for the young boy who was on his second true hunt, he often forgot the rules of the forest his father had taught him all his life. The boys father, chieftain of their settlement, raised his head from the low crouch he was in saw the deer now picking at some moss at the bottom of a dark tree, oblivious to the hunter now stalking it, the son hanging back and watching his father rise, spear poised, then as he threw it with deadly precision and hit the deer in the side.
Eric started forwards now as his father did so, then watched as he ended the dear with his knife to the neck, then sat down with a sigh and big grin beside it.
"Well done." Eric grinned now, sitting down next to his father who chuckled and put an arm around his young sons shoulder for a moment, then said. "No Son, your tracking is why we succeeded."
There was nothing that could have made the boy feel more proud at that moment than his fathers praise.
The father glanced up at the sky now, then deemed it too dark and dangerous, even for a great warrior like himself, to travel by foot through pitch black darkness where wolves and other monsters roamed.
A little while later, the fire was lit to scare away the beasts and some deer was cooking on a spit above the flames. The pair were silent, the only sound was the fire crackling and the sounds of the night. The flames were dancing and sending out long shadows, the boys ragged honey blonde hair looking amber in the light of the tongue of flames.
But then a snap echoed through the woods, too close for comfort and the effect was instant; the pair lept up, weapons poised and staring into the darkness, fully alert.
There was movement now, and the young boy frowned as he saw a girl his own age stumble through the woods, something that looked suspiciously like blood dripping down the side of her face from her hair that looked dark in the light. She was dressed in a rather ripped, bloodstained and dirty dress, but that was it. Her feet were bare.
Erics father lowered his spear only a fraction as the girl stopped before them, shivering in the night air and eyes wide. He now called. "Who are you? What happened?"
The girl carried on shivering, but then raised a hand and pointed somewhere behind them, eyes growing ever more wider. Eric frowned, then turned, only to jump out the way as a wolf lept through the trees towards him, a snarl echoing through the area. But it seemed to be alone, and as Eric glanced once more at the girl, she seemed frozen on the spot, unable to move from fear or cold.
Silently now, the wolf started forwards and he raised his own spear, eyes narrowing- if there was one, more would be here soon enough. The wolf went for him now, and he raised the spear automatically, falling over backwards onto the earthy ground, the wolf pinning him down, but not intentionally- the spearhead was protruding from its back, crushing him.
"Eric!" he heard now, the wolf pulled off him, his chest heaving and hurting from the weight of the beast. He was pulled up now, then his father said hurriedly. "Are you ok?"
"Yes Father." was all he could say, rather dazed, and he saw over his fathers shoulder, he saw the girl still stood there, but now he was let go and his father said hurriedly.
"There will be move. We need to move."
"What about her?" Eric asked now, picking up his leather clad shield and looking at the girl who still hadn't moved. His father was silent, then walked over and asked her.
"Where do you hail from?"
She muttered something back now, and Eric understood- it was on their land, and from what she had added, the place had been well and truly ransacked, everyone dead.
Wolves? Or something more?
The girl was taken with them now as they hurried through the darkness of the forest, the creatures hooting and telling their disapproval of the flame lit torches that was held as they ran, from wolves or other monsters.
The trio ran for hours, only stopping once or twice for water from the stream going through the forest, but only for a few minuets before they set off once more, the girl hardly able to keep up with the hunter and his son.
When they arrived through the deep forest and back to their home at dawn by the coast, the smoke rising from the longhouses was their indication that they were back without losing a limb, but, regretfully, no deer.
That wolf had ruined everything for their hunt.
The girl hadn't said a single word during their run, and Eric was curious as to how she came to be so deep into the woods on her own.
As they returned to their own longhouse, their dog started barking and ran forwards, colliding into Eric, demanding to be petted before he stepped into the house.
The girl just stood a little way from the door, then Eric turned and frowned, finally able to see her properly in the new light. She was tall, but not as tall as him. Her hair was a deep raven black, and it fell almost to her hips in blood matted waves. Her eyes were dark, but he could seen the flecks of blue in them, indicating that they were the same color as the midnight sky when they were littered with stars.
"What is your name?" he asked now, and she was silent, but then said quietly. "Freyr."
That amused Eric- named after their gods. An important one of the Vanirs too.
"What is yours?" she asked now, and he replied. "Eric."
She finally managed a smile now, then nodded. "A pleasure to meet you."
I woke up now from my dream of the past, a hand raising to my even longer raven hair as I sat up, hearing a snort from the other side of the room, then looked over and saw a bare foot hanging from the bed, the rest of the person under the wolf fur covers fast asleep. To be honest, I was surprised he was here after that midwinter feast the previous night, the two pretty girls sat either side of him, a look on his drunk face that indicated that I was going to be alone in my room as he vanished somewhere with them.
As I passed, he poked his tousled honey head out and mumbled. "Freyr, go get me some water."
"Do it yourself lazy." was all I said back, and he growled, slumping back into his bed, yanking the covers back over his head.
We were both nineteen now, and many things had changed since my home was torn apart by wolves, my family too. I just ran as fast and far as I could through that forest...
Erics father, the Jarl, or chieftain of the area took me in, raising me as if I was related by blood. But unlike the other women in the settlement, I had shown great capacity for wielding a spear, and pretty soon, Eric wasn't the only new person in the family who was being taught the ways of a hunter.
Much to his great annoyance that females couldn't fight, but my new father overrode him, and trained us both.
Eric had gotten over it now, my brother and friend.
I gave in and got some water for Eric now, first glancing outside at the fresh snowfall- at least someone was going to be happy, Eric loved the snow.
"Eric-" I said now, prodding his form, and he groaned, sitting up, looking bleary eyed, but then he took the rough wooden cup and thanked me, shifting over so I could sit down next to him on the bed that also doubled as a table without the furs laid out on it.
"I should be calling you Loki, not Freyr with all your tricks." He now told me with that smirk I knew so well, and I scoffed. "Loki huh? I'm not a man."
"Father often wishes you are." Eric retorted, then got up, making me roll my eyes and avert them from him as he walked over to where his clothes were on a stool in the corner of the room. Not before I'd seen near enough everything- only he could get away with walking around buck naked in this place. I would never, ever try that. Much less before Eric.
But then again, he was eighteen, still a child I was sure. Always trying to prove to his father that he was capable of taking over him.
"It's been snowing, by the way." I told him now as he dressed in his nearly completely brown attire, then pulled the warm fur cloak around him and said. "It has? Well it is winter."
"Never (!)" I growled, pulling on my own furs and started to plait my hair, but I could never get the hang of it, so Eric sighed and sat behind me, taking my hair in his hands and started to do it himself, much better than I ever could, and that amused me so very much; a young man could plait better than a female.
"What a girl you are Erica." I chuckled now as he finished, and I stood up, pulling on the thick warm furs myself.
This was family now, in a violent, bloody way I suppose.
An idea that's been stewing away in the depths of my brain for quite some time, so, I hope you all like this newest little take on our favorite vampire Vikings start in life. Reviews are very much loved and I hope to continue if enough people want me to:)