Chapter one - herbs
"Val... Vaaal"
"what!? What do you want ?!"
Adisla... my sister ran out of our small village house to the front yard chattering with Midnight; Midnight and I are going gathering for herbs wanna come? We might see a dear. She asked and tried to convince me more but I was set at dear and had already reached to my javelin. Mom had me practicing more with spear and javelin weapons in the recent months much in contrast with my ax and shield melee Feileg and I competed for best in, I swear she wants me to lose.
Packing my javelin and a hand ax I take lead in from of Midnight and Adisla hoping to get far enough ahead as to escape their chattering and find some prey. When I reached the top of the hill that lays to the northeast of our village and home Midnight called up to me to wait. Grumbling about useless herbs and voices scaring dear I complied and waited. In secret I was glad for the rest I had while waiting for Adisla's blonde braids bounce up the hill.
It had been six weeks since our village had been attacked and I had been wounded øystein had also lost a finger and was stabbed in the leg. I had gotten my shoulder bitten by a berzerk who lost his sword arm. It felt like my whole arm was on fire for weeks, as if the berserk had left a tooth In! ...for some reason most of the villagers avoided me for a while and mom prayed to Freya more than usual.
"Oof!"
someone had tackled me off my sitting perch and now we were both rolling down the hill.
I caught a few glances of dark hair and wild blue eyes and knew instantly who it was.
I punched out to his chest and he retaliated by hitting his forehead to my nose
"If you to boys are done fighting me and Adisla are going ahead!"
Midnight called down to me and Feileg rolling down the hill in a tangle like we were at it for hourse
I guess you could say we faught like twins.
Calling it a draw at the bottom of the hill me and Feileg looked up to see Midnights long dark curls disappearing over the other top of the hill. We looked at each other and started sprinting as fast as each of us could up the hill after her arousing a new competition rivers the top first we both played dirty. I throwing dirt at his face while he threw sticks between my legs. breath both me and Feileg jump over the top and roll down the other side both thinking identically
I smashed into Adisla's legs toppling her to the ground in a wail while Feileg missed Midnight much to my amusement and crashed into a tree groaning
"HA! I won"
In response Feileg groaned, rose to his feet and walked to the valley floor to join us in our trip for herbs and entertainment
With Adisla around Midnight acted totally different, she acted like a girl, me and Feileg got a kick out of throwing our axes at each other and and running all around the valley while the girls collection random plants they called important
Hours past finding me and Feileg sitting in opposite trees casually playing catch with his axe. A broad ax with leather binding in which he called wound biter.
Sad to say Feileg got the most kills between me and him in the raid a month and a half ago. My count was two and his three including the berserk who wanted me for lunch both me and Feileg were scared and sat numb for a while after the attack it had been mid-morning and I was chopping wood for our fire. Øystein was helping Feileg sharpen his newly made ax.
I heard of a branch close by our trees and stopped myself from tossing his ax back
"What is it?"
"shh!"
another snap and a buck walked into view.
I gestured for Feileg to be silent and tossed him the ax while I unstrapped the javelin from my back griping the meter long handle I carefully aimed at the buck preparing to loose the javelin.
Launching my javelin at the dear I grab my ax from my belt and jump from the tree.
The javelin doing its job dropped the buck and I came down with my ax to let it out of its misery.
Feileg jumped down to examine the throw with a friendly criticism
"You missed its heart!"
"what if I wasn't aiming for his heart?!"
"Well what were you aiming for th."..
In mid sentence Feileg was cut of by distant horns letting the village know that the summer raids were complete and the warriors had come home.
Feileg bolted off To see his father and I saw Midnight and Adisla's slim body's join Feileg in their mad dash to the village
Alone now I looked at the dear and prayed to Odin for my fate combined with the dears.
Looking at the dear i felt drool trickling down my chin, wiping it of unconsciously a start to pick up the hjorten and soon realize I can't lift it. How could I? I'm 10 years old and only row fishing boats and swing wood axes for strength.
Jumping up to get Feileg I run up the valley after the others.
