Note: Okay, here's the situation people. There is not enough Bjorn fan fiction on the internet and it really makes me sad. If you are also a Bjorn fan than you probably know what I'm talking about! That's why I finally decided to post this for all of your enjoyment. So, I hope you like it as much as I have had fun writing it. And since this is my first posting, I would like any constructive criticism you may have.
Also, there will be smut but you have to be patient ;) _
IMPORTANT CANON CHANGE [Torunn, Bjorn's first girlfriend, died in Mercia in the battle against Burgred's Army. Since this is an BjornxOC story I had to get rid of her before she could have his baby :(. So if you are wondering why he is on a mountain somewhere in North Norway, he sailed back home with a small fleet of ships and ended up disappearing from Kattegat a few weeks later]
Everything that happened during this time will be revealed... now.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.
Chapter 1: Cold Huntress
So much snow, the stag noted, finding it difficult to see through the sheets of white flakes. The roaring wind bit and stabbed at his coat, freezing him to the bone. When was the last time such a blizzard attacked the mountain? Snow piling to the knees and by the looks of it, will increase before the sun rises the next morning. Frost and ice clinged to the trees for their lives, fearing the fierce wind and its powerful force. Whipping powder and chill about for the fun of it.
If he were not so well equipped to manage such freezing conditions, he would surely perish. He had survived many blizzards before and this one was hardly the worst one he had faced. Pushing aside his concerns, he bent his head down to a slightly covered patch of grass and roots. He dug the snow aside till he found what he was searching for. His stomach gurgled at the sight of food. This tiny serving would have to be enough for now, until he could go back down the mountain.
Just as his teeth parted to munch on the dismal meal, he heard a sharp popping sound to his left. No, it wasn't really that kind of noise. But there was no other word to describe it. A sharp arrow pierced through his hide, through layers of muscle and sinew, slipping between his ribs. The tip punctured both his left lung and heart, the shot was clean and true, there was no way he could have survived for more than a second.
His legs gave out first, his entire body collapsing into the snow. He was confused, where had the shot come from? There shouldn't be any hunters this high up, and yet the projectile in his side suggested otherwise. But the deer never received an answer, he was dead long before the bowman appeared to retrieve the kill.
A figure, clad in white furs so as to blend in with the surrounding storm, marched up the hill towards the deer carcass. The murder weapon grasped tightly in hand, another arrow already knocked onto the string in case another animal appeared. Two forest green eyes scanned through the veil of falling snow in search of predators after an easy meal. Especially the wild wolves of the mountains, but there appeared to be no tracks of the canines for miles but that meant little to an experienced hunter. Those beasts could be only a few dozen feet away and there would be no way of knowing in this blizzard. Even when the hunter had reached the dead stag, those eyes never stopped searching.
The wind became curious as to the identity of this human. Such skill, a mastery of stealth to a point where even seasoned animals such as the stag could not smell or even sense the danger it possessed with that bow. So it sent a decently powerful gale at the face of the human, and the hood of the white cloak was torn off the hunter's head.
"Shit," a harsh yet high-pitched voice cursed to the air around her. Soft brown hair flew about her even in the confines of the ponytail. Her skin was flushed red for the cold but otherwise a pale ivory base. The wind giggled at the sight of her, recognizing this hunteress in that very moment.
Devona.
She had been living on this mountain for a little over two years. A crazy thing to do by herself, considering the terrible winters and brief summers. Food was scarce year round, even the animals who settled here found it hard to survive each day. And for a human, it was much worse. For they could not feast on grass or even half of the plants rabbits, squirrels, and bears eat during the summer months. Come winter, most of the wildlife flee down to the valley before they were trapped by the endless snowstorms that ravaged the higher peaks.
Yet she remains, surviving. Only the Gods know exactly how. Every human hunter who came before her usually ran at the first signs of snow. If not, they were perished by wolves, frostbite, or falling through ice lakes into the water below. So what was her secret?
Devona did not know or care what the wind was wondering about, yanking her hood back over the crown of her head. She disarmed her weapon, returning the arrow back to her quiver then slipping the bow over her head and arm till it was secure round her body. She knelt down beside the carcass and placed her gloved hand on the neck of the stag.
"Thank you my friend, your sacrifice will not be in vain," she whispered so only the stag could hear her gratitude. In one harsh motion, she pulled out the arrow embedded into the animal's side. The resulting crunching sound was revolting and she cringed away from the animal, tears stinging behind her eyelids. Death of any creature should not be easy to take, but for her, it was a necessity. No matter how much she wished it wasn't.
"This never gets easier," she said, then puckered her lips to whistle. A high pitched keen echoed through the snow. Devona's pitch changed several times, imitating the sound of a bird call. A signal for something to come to her precise location.
About 40 meters south, a chestnut mare, laden with hunting supplies and tools perked her head towards the sound. She recognized the arrangement of notes and understood that it was time to move. Her mistress must have been done with her hunting business and now she must carry the load back to their home. Hopefully this was the last of it, the mare was unsure how much more of this constant cold and snow she could handle.
Setting off into a gallop, the horse struggled setting her hooves into the powdered ground but in about two and a half minutes, Devona could see her running through the blizzard. A small, grateful smile formed on her lips and she rushed forward to meet the mare.
"Freydis, good girl!" Devona hugged Freydis round her neck, petting her muzzle with the most loving affection she had in her. "We'll be home soon, I just need one last favor of you." She turned back towards the stag and with both hands secured around his front and back legs, Devona hoisted him off the ground, gritting her teeth under the strain of such a heavy animal.
Freydis did not envy her, humans were much weaker than the trained pack horse. If the need ever arose, the mare could carry almost five hundred pounds of weight on her back and drag a couple hundred more. Her back was broad and nothing but pure muscle. If her former master had been wise in the breeding of horses, he would have recognized the value a horse like Freydis. He was more concerned with his white stallions and speckled war horses than her. Not Devona though, she saw in Freydis what everyone else couldn't and the Gods were kind to bring them together.
After a minute or so of struggle, Devona finally managed to perch the stag onto Freydis' back, tying it securely to the saddle with its front and back legs on either side of the horse.
"When we return home, I'll make sure your stable is spotless, and I'll treat you with the last of the carrots. I know how much you like them, right girl?" The mare shook out her mane in response, bucking her head at the sound of carrots. Freydis was obviously pleased to hear that all these weeks of hunting up and down the mountain would end on a good note. Or at least it should have been.
AAAWOOOO! A trail of howls broke the moment and both hunter and steed froze. Wolves had begun a hunt. Devona muttered something under the roar of the wind, frantically slipping her bow from her back. Her evergreen eyes scanned the surrounding forest, watching for any sign of movement that could indicate where the dogs were coming from. Another howl echoed its source most likely coming from the east, at least a quarter mile away. It was impossible to tell if the pack was heading for her or not. The first sign of the wolves seemed to be generally close by, perhaps a couple dozen yards. Maybe the alpha signaled more wolves to come to his location, that would make sense. Devona tried to recall while still listening for more howling how many wolves there might be.
"Four, five, six, seven most likely and more coming this way," she observed, taking the spare throwing axe from Freydis' pack and holstering it if the predators tried getting too close. Freydis snorted and whinnied in panic, shifting her weight about as if she was eager to make a run for it. "I know girl, but we can handle a couple of dogs right?"
"GAAHHH!" someone cried into the night, a disturbingly human sound. Devona's eyes flicked to the direction of the shouting, east by northeast to be precise. Whoever made that noise was higher up the mountain, and it sounded like they were in pain. Wolves barked and snarled at the intruder, the battle was fierce and the stranger must have been outnumbered eight-to-one by now.
Even though Devona now knew that the hunt was not aiming for her, the troubled feeling in the pit of her stomach still lingered. She could get on her horse right now and gallop all the way back home to safety and leave this poor soul to die. He probably deserved it anyway, who knows how many innocent people he has killed in the name of glory. Let the Gods decide his fate. Whether to be savaged by wolves or to die of frostbite it did not matter.
She mounted her horse, bow secure in one hand and despite all her common sense, Devona kicked Freydis towards the wolf pack and the Northern warrior who was quite nearly dead.
I know, I know, Bjorn hasn't been seen yet. But he will be in Chapter 2!
Please review and give me your thoughts.