Chapter 4

Before Finn entered the wooded area that lead down to the river, he saw the man Anders talking to another man as they walked across the open center of the village. Anders walked with a limp, a reminder of the injury he had received years ago, twelve years ago, to be exact. To Finn, it was galling to think his mother had ignored his father's rejection of the werewolf bloodline, and yet she had brought forth such a child into Mikael's family. If her husband knew the facts, would he kill Niklaus? Probably not. He would likely send the child back to its father. Would Esther let him do that? Did she have enough influence over Mikael to keep her child?

Finn felt some pity for the boy, but he didn't love him. He didn't love Kol either. Finn did not have much of a sense of humor, and Kol's pension for jokes and silly trickery was most annoying. Of his siblings, Finn preferred serious Elijah and darling little Rebekah.

That evening Mikael announced that a group of men would make the trek to where the ships were stored. Every two or three years such a trip was taken. The ships were inspected and if necessary, repaired. One long boat was then put into the water where the river was navigable and the crew set out for a fishing trip to catch something larger than the river fish. Of more importance, it was an opportunity to educate the older boys to the ways of the sea. Finn had been on such a trip three years before. It had been exciting, hard work and sometimes dangerous. Finn, already used to the farming life, had no desire for the sea, but seeing other lands intrigued him. Perhaps some day.

This year, Elijah would go. Finn noted that Niklaus showed no desire to have the experience, but of course at eleven, he was not chosen. What would happen when it was his turn in another three years? As for Kol, the child was jumping up and down with enthusiasm and begging Mikael to let him go too. The father said no.

"Finn, you will be the man of the house while I am gone. You'll work with the other men staying here. I doubt there will be any big decisions about the settlement that you cannot handle."

"Yes, Father. I am quite aware of how you run things here," he assured his father. He noted that the details of the trip were on Mikael's mind and the man seemed to give no thought to the question of Rika. In Finn's mind, there were possibilities. He also knew that, for the most part, his mother was the one who ran the house and the garden. Like the other women, she prepared meals, sewed clothing, did some doctoring and raised the children. She was busy all the time.

He also knew that she had a close friendship with Bennett's Wife, since the two women lived in the same longhouse and both had children. In addition, both women were witches. The house was crowded. So was Rika's home. Finn considered that if he and she did marry, they likely should start their own house.

The subject of Rika did not come up again during the two days of preparation for the trip. Finn suspected Mikael was avoiding it on purpose, not wanting to argue. Rika's father was among the men going on the trip. Two women were also going, along with several other boys now old enough. When the group set off for the big river and the ships, they took with them a string of pack horses carrying supplies. The animals would also be needed on the return trip.

Finn stood with his mother and his siblings as they watched the group depart. He knew that Elijah was enthusiastic about this adventure, or at least as enthusiastic as Elijah ever got. Niklaus watched with some enthusiasm also, but Finn suspected that the boy would not mind if somehow Mikael drowned at sea. Kol watched with frustration, wishing he was part of the group.

One of the men who left was Mr. Bennett, which was one reason Mikael had left Finn in charge of the house. Since the womenfolk knew their daily chores, there was little Finn had to supervise. He, Niklaus, Kol and the family dog took the grazing animals to one of the two meadows to feed. Each boy carried a spear with a sharp metal tip. He left the two boys to watch the animals. They were not the only ones there, because there was always the danger of wild beasts or the native people trying to get a cow or sheep. Pigs were kept in pens so that they did not escape into the woods, but that meant food had to be brought to them. Chickens had the run of the community. The livestock would be brought back to the various longhouses and pens later in the day.

The next morning started with several boys chasing a young pig who had managed to get free of the large pen owned by one of the families. There were actually quite a few pigs in the settlement, descendants of the original ones brought on one of the ships. The group of boys tore around the village in a wild chase. The small pig was fast and did a lot of squealing. It found the open door of the stock pen at the far end of Mikael's longhouse. In a moment the animal squeezed under the wooden rails and into the Bennett living quarters.

Bennett's Wife screamed at the small beast and got after it with her broom. It ran into Esther's portion of the house and she too took her broom and chased it toward the door. Finn was just coming inside to help, when he literally ran into the little porker and tripped over it. As he fell, he reached out and grabbed the squealing animal by its hind legs and held on tightly. It scrambled and twisted, but Finn didn't let go. The oldest boy who was in pursuit had a rope and put it around the pig's neck. When the fellow could not drag the pig, he finally picked up the weighty beast and carried it, squealing loudly, back to the pen.

Finn dusted himself off and went into the house. "We should have roast pork tomorrow," he muttered to his mother.

Esther chuckled and put away her broom. "I'll speak to Greta about that. Her sow had quite a litter. How did things look in the meadow?"

"Fine. I didn't see any threat. I left Thor with them."

"Good." The dog Thor was four years old, having been born in the community. It was half Irish Wolfhound, so it was a big dog and not afraid of anything. However, it was wary of Mikael, due to the fact that the man had tripped over it while drunk and had kicked the dog. Although it would sometimes chase rabbits, squirrels, deer and other wild animals, it was usually obedient, coming when called.

"Let us hope he doesn't chase a skunk again," Esther said, making a face at the idea of the stink. It had taken a while to get the odor off the dog, despite several dips in the river.

That evening Finn invited Rika to supper. With Mikael and Elijah gone, there was room for a guest. Esther made her feel welcome, as did all the others of the house. After the pleasant meal, Finn and Rika walked together to the spot close above the riverbank. They sat side by side, with his arm around her shoulders, and they talked. They also shared some kisses, but they did nothing else intimate. Neither of them, in fact, had ever had real sex.

"I want us to marry before my father returns," he told her. "If you still wish to have me as your husband."

"I haven't changed my mind. Of course I want to be your wife. But who will marry us?"

"I wonder if Father Bart would do a handfasting ceremony." There was a Swedish priest among the group of settlers because some of them were Christian families, but also because the Catholic Church hoped Father Bart could convert some of the native people and perhaps more of the Norse families.

"I think he would prefer to do a Christian wedding, and neither of us is Christian."

"My mother was raised a Christian in Holland."

"Yes, you told me that," Rika said.

"She even has a Bible. It's in Latin, but she has often told us stories because she has them memorized. My father isn't interested in that, but we children have been intrigued by it sometimes. It isn't as exciting or adventurous as the stories of our Norse gods."

"Our gods are warriors or have other powers," Rika said, nodding. Changing the subject, she said, "I don't know what we should do about marrying, but I agree it would be wise to do so before your father returns. I know my family has nothing against my marrying you. Mother has said so."

"And my mother really likes you," Finn said with a smile.

Rika couldn't see the smile in the darkness, but she could hear it in his tone of voice. She squeezed his hand.

"I think we should have a house of our own. A small one, at first." Finn envisioned a neat little house, similar to a longhouse, but short. It would be enough for their family until they had too many children. He ignored the fact that some or all of those children would carry the werewolf trait.

"Oh, I agree. A house of our own." She gave a wistful sigh. She was the third child of eight in her house and always helped her mother with the youngest siblings.

Rika was inclined to face the facts. After a long pause, filled with the soft sounds of kissing, she said, "I wish my family was not plagued by the werewolf thing." Her two older brothers, one of them born in Norway, were Ragnar and Rolle. Having fought and killed at least one native each, they transformed on the full moon like their father Jan.

"I wish likewise," Finn said. "I know from my father's tales of the voyage from Europe, and from a vague memory, that the ships would put the afflicted men and women ashore for the nights of the full moon. No one wanted a vicious animal loose on board, of course. I still have this vague vision of a woman taking off all her clothes, except a thin, white shift, before going into the forest with men wearing just a piece of cloth around their hips. At the time, I really had not understood what was meant by turning or transforming into a wolf."

"I hope I never change. I understand it hurts greatly, but then it is wonderful to run free."

After a pause, he said, "My brother Elijah once asked my father if the wolves mated while out there in the forest."

"What did your father say?"

"He said he thought they sometimes did, but apparently there were never any wolf cubs. So, who knows? Do you?"

"My mother says Aunt Greta says she did mate with one of the males, but she was never with child."

"That is strange. Please never turn."

"I promise I won't," she murmured, and she kissed him again.

A/N Will Rika be able to keep that promise? Will she and Finn get married? Maybe.