Ty had been having strange dreams for a few weeks now, and they were constantly of the same thing. The same man, actually. Ty wasn't exactly sure how he knew it was always the same man, but he did. It was always cold and snowy when he had those dreams, and he was surrounded by four huskies. Nothing remarkable every happened in those dreams, it was literally as though he were simply living someone else's life whenever he slipped into a dream. Incredibly boring things like watching television while petting one of the huskies or going out into the snow. The dreams with the snow were always the most exciting, like the guy he was dreaming about absolutely loved the cold and got such an adrenaline rush whenever was able to go out.
Ty definitely didn't agree with those feelings. He hated anything cold. He hated how everything just felt numb, and how he couldn't ever eat anything properly because of the stupid god powers. This guy in his head didn't know the half of it. But perhaps he was lucky because he didn't realize how much it sucked being cold all the time. But Ty didn't dwell too often on the man in his head, because they were just stupid little dreams he had. Although, that's what he told himself. In reality he wondered what prompted this man suddenly being created in his mind. Maybe he had finally snapped and gone insane from constantly being so cold all the time. He really didn't get an answer to that question until another one of those dreams.
It had started off normally enough. The man looked like he was going to reach for his coat, obvious that he was going to go outside again. But that's when it changed. Instead of grabbing a coat he just walked out into the cold. No shoes, no jacket, just the man in shorts and a T-shirt going out into the cold. But it didn't feel bad, or numb. It felt great! Like it was the best thing in the world to be running barefoot through the snow like it was nothing. He could feel the laughter bubbling out of his-no, the man's throat as he ran through trees with large snowflakes landing on his face. He stopped suddenly, panting from all the running he had been doing. He flopped down into a snowdrift as if it were a comfortable pillow, and not something as cold as snow.
This was the first time the man ever uttered anything. "Hod. Being Hod is good..."
And Ty's eyes snapped open. The guy had mentioned Hod. He wasn't exactly sure that made him panic like that, because Ty was Hod. It was something his mind made up, right? His mind made up a man who also happened to be Hod, but considerably more happy than Ty was. Yet at the same time it didn't feel like it was something Ty made up at all. Most of his dreams in fact felt more like memories than anything else. Little mundane things that someone would remember. The dogs, the house, running through the snow in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt. They felt like memories, but not Ty's. He was going to ask Olaf about it, because as unreliable as Olaf could be, he had been alive longer than all of them. He'd been a god much longer, so he must know something about weird dreams.
"So...You're saying that you're having weird dreams about some guy who is Hod, but not you..." Olaf said, narrowing his eyes slightly in concentration. "Do you remember anything specific?"
Ty thought for a moment. "Well...They weren't exactly exciting dreams. Just things like walking through the snow, making something to eat, and he has four huskies. Nothing out of the ordinary. Although he seemed much too excited to be Hod." Ty answered, remembering his most recent dreams.
"Wait...Did you say huskies?"
Ty nodded. "Yeah, four. They tended to be there during most of the dreams. Why?"
"Keir...Of course. It's been awhile since he's been around." Olaf said more to himself.
"Keir? Is that who the man in my head is?" Ty pressed on, hoping for answers.
"I'd assume so. Keir was Hod when I first became a God. A very nice man, although he was fond of dark humor. He fits the description well enough. He had four huskies, and did really love being Hod. There are many times I remember finding him asleep in a snowdrift. But of course he's dead now." Olaf took a gulp of his drink.
"So these dreams I'm having...They're Keir's memories? Is that...Is that normal?" Ty asked.
"Pretty much. Your brothers have probably had dreams about past incarnations of themselves as well, although they probably pass it off as weird dreams just like you did. Keir was a nice guy though. Very into being Hod. You should take a leaf out of his book, grandson. Stop being so dark and gloomy all the time."
"Yeah. Easier said than done." Ty rolled his eyes. "I never really thought about past incarnations of other gods. I mean, I doubt other Bragi's were as bad as Anders is now."
Olaf laughed. "No, Anders is one of a kind. I doubt anyone could really match up to the amount of womanizing he does today. Maybe you could ask him."
Ty laughed as well, but didn't say anything. When it was night time again, he wondered if he was going to dream one of Keir's memories. Now that he knew who the man was, he was more curious than ever about all these little mundane things that Keir used to do. And he had to admit, maybe there was a bit of an adrenaline rush whenever he was in the cold himself. But maybe that was just Keir's memories in Hod making an appearance, so even though Keir's gone, he's still enjoying the cold.