The Lost Colonies of Vinland (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: In 1960, the remains of two Norse villages were discovered in Canada and carefully excavated and recreated over the next few decades. With their discovery comes old memories for the twins and a past no one could have expected...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: Vinland!Verse (AU to Real Life and Hetalia); Native American Spirits; Culture, History and Lore

Important Note: Read my Author's Page for notes on any differences between Hetalia canon and my canon. You'll be less confused about certain things that way.

Part 2: Nanuq (Of Spirits and Culture Shock)

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

After Norway finished, there was a long stretch of silence only broken by the waves lapping at the beach. He stared at his hands in an attempt to hold off looking either of them in the face. He didn't want to see the pity in their expressions when they told him they didn't remember anything... that they weren't...

"That was you who was using those spirits to track me?" All three heads snapped to the small polar bear who had spoken. "I have to admit, it took quite a bit of work on my part to keep you off my tail."

Canada was pale. "N-nanuq... what are you talking about?"

Nanuq huffed. "Isn't it obvious? I was the one who took them. It was my mission to get them far away from the village so they could be safely dealt with... what I didn't count on was that damn rabbit interfering..."

~0~0~

((late 1000s))

Nanuq moved through the shadows, steps silent and careful. Several times he had to duck behind buildings and debris to avoid the gazes of the outsiders. In this instant, he was in his human form as the snow-white of his fur would be detrimental for this hunt. He stopped as his keen sense of smell, unchanged by the form, picked up the scent of young spirits. A smirk crossed his face, and with a quick glance around he ducked into the building.

It was dark, but his eyes quickly adjusted and focused on the huddled forms asleep on the far side of the room. He could see the light spiritual aura around them that showed them to be more than human. There was no one else in the room; the situation couldn't have been better.

In a few quick strides he had crossed the room and carefully gathered them up, not wanting to wake them until they were far from the village. One almost seemed to stir, but just shifted and fell back into his dreams. After making sure both were securely held, he slipped back out and quickly retraced his path out of the village.

Dawn was just starting to appear on the horizon before one of the boys started to stir. It was lucky for him that they were far away from the village already or the panicked shout would've alerted their people to the kidnapping. He readjusted his grip to hold the suddenly struggling children (the shout had woken his twin, who started panicking as well) before continuing to the far edge of the island where a boat waited to carry him across to the meeting place agreed upon by the other Spirits.

He was across the water and only a short way from the meeting place when a form jumped in front of him. He groaned – he really didn't need to deal with Manabohzo right now, and told him as such.

"Aww, I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about! Oh, these the kids for the foreign folk? Cute! Why're they with you, though?" The other Spirit poked at one of the kids, who had temporarily stopped struggling to stare at the newcomer.

"I'm bringing them to the war meeting so their fates can be determined. It's likely they'll be killed, so don't get too attached." Nanuq stated plainly, moving to go around the other. The kids had started struggling again, much to his annoyance.

"What? Are you crazy? These kids haven't done anything to deserve death!"

"One of their people attacked Aranck without provocation. They might not be dangerous now, but letting them grow will only lead to trouble in the years to come. It's best to drive them out now before they're a threat."

The other stared in disbelief. "You mean the same Aranck who constantly lied about his trips into the woods so he could watch the foreigners working?"

When put that way, it did seem a bit suspicious, but Nanuq shook his head. "He wouldn't lie about something this serious. He wouldn't..."

Mana was unimpressed. "Uh huh. Sure."

Nanuq opened his mouth to retort, but quickly swiveled to face the way he'd come from, focusing intensely. "They've got tracking spirits on their side..." He took a breath before chanting a spell to remove all traces of his passage. Once he finished, he turned back, readjusting his grip again only to feel something hard under his arms. The kids had been replaced with logs similar in size and weight, and Manabohzo was nowhere to be seen.

A growl escaped his throat. "Glooskap..." He hated when the rabbit felt like playing hero – combined with his trickster ways, everything he did seemed to end in humiliation for others. It didn't help that the rabbit in question always came out unscathed and grinning like a fool. Shifting into his animal form, he started after the runaway Spirit.

It took more than a week to catch up; if there was one thing he could say about the other, his endurance was nothing to scoff at. But endurance wasn't what stopped the wayward Spirit – it was the boys, who looked pale and sick. Their auras were faint and weakening – apparently the foreigners had been driven out successfully, and their Spirits were fading in response.

Nanuq padded out into the clearing, calmly meeting the helpless gaze of Manabohzo. "It's too late; their people have been driven out. They don't have much time left. Face it, Rabbit, you can't always be the hero. Your only option is to give them a swift death..."

He'd made a mistake and come too close; an arm lashed out and Nanuq stumbled back, a long light scar across his chest only lightly bleeding and already stitching together. He glanced at the knife that had been hidden behind the other's arm, now dripping with blood. The smile on the other's face was particularly wicked.

"No way to save them? Oh believe me, there's always a way. I am the hero, after all." The trickster spirit chuckled before holding the dripping knife over the first child's mouth. As a drop fell into his mouth, Mana quietly spoke. "With this blood, you shall take on the strength of the bear, in both body and spirit. May you use this strength to protect those who need it."

"No, you fool!" Nanuq lunged, only to be driven back again with the knife. Meanwhile the boy who had tasted the blood had stopped moving, a glazed look in his eyes. The other boy was frantically shaking him, calling his name and trying to get a response from him. He flinched at the sight of the knife, and tried to scoot away, only to be grabbed by the back of his clothes and forced to taste the blood.

"With this blood, you shall take on the skills of the bear in the hunt; winter shall not hinder you, nor shall your enemies. Use this to your advantage." Both boys shuddered glazed-eyed as their auras flared and grew, stabilizing into a glow greater than before. "No matter what happens, always protect each other. You are twice bound by blood, now and forever; what unites you is far greater than whatever may divide you." Their eyes slid shut, and they fell into a deep sleep.

Nanuq once again lunged at Manabohzo, shifting into human form to better throttle the other. "What have you done, you complete fool?"

The man laughed. "I saved their lives; you can't kill them anymore with your blood in their veins. As long as you live, they'll survive and thrive with the gifts you so thoughtfully gave them. Considering how good you are at surviving, I wouldn't be surprised if that was for the rest of eternity."

The Bear Spirit growled again. "I can still strangle you, though!" The Rabbit Spirit laughed again before shifting into his rabbit form and making his escape, leading the bear on a merry chase around the clearing. It was several hours and approaching dusk before the twins stirred, stopping both in their tracks. The first to open his eyes was the one given strength, rubbing at his eyes.

"What time 's it?" He muttered, surprising both by speaking in their tongue instead of his own language. The boy then stared at the two spirits still in their animal forms with curiosity. "And who're you?"

Both spirits glanced at each other. It seemed that the boy didn't remember anything about being kidnapped – or indeed anything at all, considering he wasn't panicking about being away from his people. Mana carefully approached the boy, trying not to startle him. "I'm Manabohzo, the Rabbit Spirit, and the guy over there is Nanuq, the Bear Spirit."

"Oh." The boy frowned in thought. "...who am I?"

Manabohzo thought for a second. "...Maska. Your name is Maska."

The boy nodded. "Maska... okay! It's nice to meet you, Mana!" He grabbed the rabbit and pulled him into a tight hug, loosening his grip once he realized he was crushing the poor spirit.

The other boy was awake at that point, gazing at the bear awkwardly standing a short way away. "Are you okay?" He asked in concern.

The bear shifted back. "...I've been better. Do you need a name as well?" The boy nodded. "...then from now on you will be... Kanata."

Kanata frowned in thought, before smiling and nodding. "Okay!" He then turned to Maska, nudging him to get his attention. "Hi, I'm Kanata! Are you my brother?"

Maska grinned. "I'm Maska! And... I don't know. 'bohzo, are we brothers?" He asked the rabbit still in his arms.

The rabbit nodded. "Yeah, you are. Twins, in fact. That means you look the same."

Kanata tilted his head in thought before turning back to his brother. "Do I have blue eyes like you then?"

Maska shook his head. "No, yours are kinda purple-y... like the sky over there." He pointed to the east, where the sky had indeed reached a shade of violet close to the boy's eyes. "So mine aren't like yours then?"

"No, yours look like the sky during the day." Neither questioned this knowledge, just accepted it as fact. They continued to quietly talk to each other, temporarily forgetting about the other two in the clearing.

Manabohzo slipped out of Maska's grip to make his way over to Nanuq, who at this point had burned through his anger and sat in a dull state of exhaustion. "You look tired; you okay?"

The bear growled half-hardheartedly. "Do you think I'm okay? You led me on a chase for ten days, only to go and completely ruin any chance we had to be rid of them."

The rabbit hummed. "That wouldn't solve the problem forever, you know. Eventually the foreigners will come back – I've been over to their lands a couple times. They're extremely greedy and territorial – at some point they'll find us again, believe me. This is an opportunity, don't you see?"

The grin on the rabbit's face was smug. "When they come back, their villages will inevitably get Spirits to represent them. What we do is raise these two up until they come back, and let them become the new villages. That way we'll have a huge influence on their personalities.

"The foreigners might shape their bodies and minds, but we'll shape their very spirits."

Nanuq thought this over. It sounded very enticing, but then again Manabohzo had always had a way with words. "How do I know this won't backfire on us?"

The rabbit chuckled. "We've got plenty of time. Stop being so moody."

The bear finally nodded. "We're going to raise them separately, then – I refuse to let you influence both of them into your brand of insanity."

"You don't trust me?" Mana sounded hurt.

"Not in the least, but I have no choice in this matter." He padded over to the boys, now asleep after all the stress put on their minds and bodies. "I am taking Kanata north; if you value your life you won't follow me." He shifted into his human form and gently picked up the child, before turning one last time to the Rabbit. "Try not to completely ruin Maska, Rabbit."

Nanuq left the clearing, leaving Mana alone with the sleeping Spirit. "Ruin him? Bah, what does he know? I'll make you great, kid, just you wait." Anything else was lost to the wind and night noises. The man silently wished the poor child luck; he'd need it.

~0~0~

((1960))

"...of course, you complained for a while once you woke up, but after a few months you forgot about them. If I'd known exactly how you brother would end up after six hundred years with him, I'd've been less hasty about separating you two." Nanuq finished, and looked at the dazed and shocked expressions of the three Nations. All of them had sunk to the ground as he'd told his story, gazing at him in disbelief.

"...You – I-" America struggled to find words. "You're joking – there's no way – I mean-"

Canada couldn't say anything, just stare at the bear in shock and betrayal.

Norway, surprisingly, was the first to focus his thoughts. "You're the one who took them. Give me a reason I shouldn't drag you back to the others right now and make a rug out of you."

Nanuq calmly met his gaze. "Like I said, my blood is in their veins. They have effective immortality as long as I'm alive – killing me will be nothing but detrimental to their health. How long do you think it will take for the others to find out and take advantage of the two if they lose the benefits my blood has given them?"

It was true. Without America's supernatural strength (beyond the norm even for those Nations that were stronger than average) or Canada's unnatural sharpshooting and general battle skills, the two would be an easy target for many of the others with a grudge against the two. Norway's head fell into his hands.

America was the next to come to. "So the rabbit I used to play with as a kid... that was really a... a spirit?"

"Yes, unfortunately." Nanuq's annoyance was clear. "Manabohzo was always a deviant; some of his plans..." he shook his head. "Did you know he once tried to stuff all the animals of the world into a bag so that the hunters couldn't get to them? The only thing stopping him was the fact that he couldn't find a bag large enough..."

Canada couldn't help it – he started chuckling. "That sounds exactly like Alfred..."

America's face fell. "Oh come on – even I know that you can't stuff all the animals in the world into a bag."

"And yet your latest plan to defeat Russia is to, and I quote, 'steal all his vodka so that he becomes depressed and gives up his evil Commie ways'."

"It's a great plan!"

"It's stupid and won't work – you can't even get into his country; how do you plan on first finding his house, finding all the vodka, stealing it all, and keeping him from simply buying more?"

"...shut up, I can make it work."

Both Canada and Nanuq rolled their eyes. "Idiot." They said in unison. Canada turned to the bear, a light frown on his face.

"Nanuq... I really want to punch you for what you did. But since Al and I probably wouldn't be here if you hadn't done what you did... I guess I can forgive you. But you don't get any pancakes for a month."

The bear's jaw dropped, and he whined. "Not the pancakes... anything but that!"

America burst into laughter, his brother close behind. Norway chuckled as well, in a better mood now that the atmosphere had lightened.

America stopped short as a sudden realization hit him. "What're we going to tell the other Nations?"

The sudden silence was deafening.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

AN: ((huff, huff)) I just finished this in one day. I just got the chase scene and the blood scene stuck in my head, and from there it all fell together. I feel it came out really well; what do you guys think?

If you're curious, the Native Spirits can change the size and shape of their forms – so Nanuq can be his cub-size in modern times while at other times he's a full-sized (or larger) bear. Same with 'bohzo and his rabbit form – See: Great Rabbit. They can vary their human forms as well, but only to look Native – they can't pull off other races.

Yes, Manabohzo is the hero – more specifically his alter-ego Glooskap is. The combination of trickster and hero makes for a very interesting dynamic... one I feel can be seen in America. Also, Native American legends do say that at one point Mana took all the animals of the world and put them in a bag to protect them from hunters... he then let them back out because he realized the hunters did need food.

Nanuq is known to the Inuit as the Hunter Spirit, and he's very strict about what one must do to earn a successful hunt. This is a good chunk of his personality, although the years with Canada have lightened him up somewhat. Fun fact: Manabohzo is one of the few who can outlast Nanuq when he's on the hunt. It has to do with years of practice escaping from irate Spirits after one of his plans backfires...

Finally, yes, I've wondered for a long time exactly why America had his super strength from such a young age – he wasn't a world superpower until almost three hundred years later... and England, even though he was a superpower for a while, never showed any form of super strength, so it can't be that. But the explanation I came with for the Vinland!verse... yeah, I think it works.

Anyway, next chapter is wrap-up, then I'll wait about a week before starting the next story (it gives me a chance to write an outline and stuff). You can still decide what I'll write up until then, so be sure to go to my page and vote!

Oh, and before I forget, review~!