"Witch! You make our crops fail! Our animals die!"

"Demon! Go back to whence you came!"

I backed up now as the oldest, most wisest woman in our tribe, our clan walked forwards, her eyes dark and unforgiving. "You will bring death upon us. Upon everything you care for... they will all turn to dust, to ash... it will all die. All of your doing. "

What did she mean-? I didn't have a chance to speak, for someone else yelled.

"She wears the mark of the Beast! Kill her!"

All I could do now was look to my mother who stood there in tears, but she didn't stick up for me, never said a word as the locals drove me from their land, my home...

I hid for the next few days, stealing food whenever I could, wishing more than anything I could return home... but I was now an outcast, driven out by my own people.

And who was my father-? That was me... the bastard child of the youngest woman in the village. All she could say was that her daughters father was a monster, not of this world.

But then one night as I sneaked in for more food, there was an attack. The biggest wolves I had ever seen tore apart the place, leaving it beyond recognizion from the fires. But then they turned into men, and I ran. Ran as far and fast as I could towards the forests where I found a hunter and his young, both beautiful and handsome son.

Erics dog, a great big one that looked, and probably was, part wolf woke me up, licking my leg.

"Argh-!" I yelled, falling of the bed, and had to push the dog away as he started licking my face. Dogs, so bloody annoying at times. The dream, my past... my true past that I had told no one was still heavy on my mind, and I absentmindedly lifted my arm and pulled back the covering to look at my shoulder- a birthmark of sorts about half the length of my middle finger in the shape of a lightning strike, or crack was there.

Maybe the god of lightning, Thor, had marked me with his hammer (!)

My home thought it the mark of the demons themselves, that I was chosen to destroy everything the Gods had created.

I was no demon, but they obviously thought so and drove me out.

But I still remembered what I saw that terrible night my village was destroyed- I had seen men turn into wolves. Had my eyes been playing tricks on me-?

"Are you awake? Freyr?"

Eric was the early bird for today, and I sat up in my bed to see him in the doorway stood in a new pair of trouser things sewn together by his, well... our mother.

"What do you think?" he asked me now, and I chuckled, getting up. "Very dashing. You shall make the maids faint."

"Over exaggerating again are we?" Eric said now, sitting down next to me. I noticed how hard his chest seemed now- that training in the snow really exhausted you, but made you so much more stronger. He was turning from that lanky child into a well defined young man. He would be twenty soon, and I was dreading it-

The age Father said he would take his son with him on battles.

What if Eric got killed-? What if I lost him-? He was so much more than just my brother these days. He was my partner in crime when it came to causing trouble around the village... I cared about him more than he probably realized.

"You look saddened Frey... what's wrong?" he asked me now with a frown on his young face, and I chuckled, getting up. "It does not matter."

"It does." he said stubbornly, grabbing my arm and yanking me back down. This was typical him- always being a controlling dickhead.

"I just feel a little ill today Eric, it s nothing." I swiftly lied, and he nodded. "Get some rest. I'll have mother bring you-"

"No, don't. I just need a little more sleep. That's all." I added, not wanting Mother to start fussing over me like she always did. She loved me as much as Eric, maybe more at times.

To my utter surprise, he got into bed with me, shifting over so his warm arm could pull me closer to him.

"Aren't you adorable (!)" he smirked now, and I kicked his ankle, making him swear.

Yeah, I was more of a boy than girl... and everyone knew it.

That night was the final feast night, and I was sat alone in the corner with my wooden goblet of beer, taking another little gulp. Eric was sat with a bunch of his friends, laughing and joking away with a cup in his own hand, but then a friend of his knocked the beer out of Erics hand, and Eric let out a snarl that was much like a wolves...

Then again, Eric was more like a predator when he hunted. I'd seen him in action... and he was the most terrifying, but brilliant hunter next to his father I had ever seen.

Erics friend apologized and got him a new one, placating him. I saw Eric start to grin now, and I looked to see him staring at the girl he had had his eye on for quite a while- a pretty blonde maid called Willow that was a year younger.

That was so typical Eric.

It didn't surprise me when he finally did go over, and the pair vanished outside. For some reason I felt jealous- he was free to pick anyone he wanted... I didn't have that choice, and it hurt.

I started to get rather warm now, and went outside where the snow had stopped for the evening. There was a snap of twigs now, but then I heard giggling and talking. Both voices I recognized- Eric and Willow. As I rounded the corner, I saw her against the wall, legs wrapped around Erics waist and locked at the lips with his hands wandering over Willows body.

With that, I turned away and walked off- I didn't need to witness that. It was bad enough when I had came home from a hunting trip with Father to find him with a maid in my own bed... the cheek of him.

That had took him an entire week to make up for what he had done. But I always forgave him in the end.

"Frye-!" I heard someone call now, and I turned to see Daren walking towards me, looking more than drunk out his face. He walked up to me now and grinned. "Why- don't you look positively delicious."

This was bad, even more so when he grabbed my waist and pushed me against the wall, a hand on my backside. I yelled. "Get off me you bastard!" and kicked him between the legs and he let me go in shock, and I turned away. It wasn't in my nature to run away, but Daren was more than twice my size, and very nearly Erics height.

"Argh-!" I yelled now as he pulled me down by my long ebony hair and sat on me, a growl in his throat.

"Get your fucking filthy hands off her!"

I knew that beyond furious yell very well, and Daren was yanked off me, then I heard a snarl and sat up to see Eric pinning him to the snowy and wet floor, and as I looked, he hit Daren in the face and I yelled. "Eric! Stop it now!"

As I went to pull him off, he pushed me back and I landed in the slush with a thump.

The shouts had alerted the others inside, and the adults came out, and the first on the scene was Father, and he yanked his son back by the scruff of his neck and roared.

"What is going on here-!"

Eric had a split lip and his eyes were narrowed in hate as he glared at Daren. "He was touching Freyr."

Father looked to me, then back at Daren and demanded of him. "Is this true boy-!"

Daren was silent, and then his father stomped forwards and grabbed his son by his fur cloak and snarled. "You stupid fool! What have you done-!"

He was still silent, and I saw that he had a good few bloodied cuts on his face, and there was mud on his left cheek. His hair was caked in it.

"I apologize." he said to Father now, and he snarled. "It's not me you need to apologize to. I should have you and your family run out of town."

Darens father spoke now, almost pleading. "My leader... please, my son has shamed us, but do not judge us on that."

Eric walked over to me now and ignored everyone else as he asked. "Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine." I told him, and he didn't seem convinced, and Daren was given a look that meant that he was going to have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life.

Father was still talking to Darens father, Alecto, and he had his head bowed in shame for his sons actions. It was over now, and the son in question was dragged by his neck towards the longhouses, and Alecto could be clearly heard yelling in anger at his son.

Everyone was silent now, and someone called. "Back inside! The mead will not drink itself!"

There was movement and chatter now as they moved inside, and now it was just me, Father and Eric stood outside. Father sighed, then put a hand on his sons shoulder. "Go clean yourself up Son."

Eric nodded in silence, then Father went back inside, leaving me and Eric stood in the cold, snow starting to fall once more, freezing the ground as we stood it felt like.

"Come on-" I sighed now, taking his hand and leading him forward towards our home. Mother was up at the hall I realized as we got in and the fire was burning low. "Sit down." I ordered him now, and he sat down on the stool before the fire, watching me as I threw some more wood onto the embers, and it picked up, throwing Eric into sharp relief.

"Oh Eric..." I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment, then stared at the bloodied lip and one next to his right eye. There was blood down his right cheek and mud was mingled with it. He looked awful.

"Stay." I ordered him, and he did as I fetched a bowl of water and rag, pulling up another stool before him and raised the damp cloth to his cheek and started wiping the blood and mud away.

"I'm going to kill that bastard." he said now as I did the cut next to his eye, and I rolled my eyes. "Eric, don't."

"Why? He hurt you." he growled, and I prodded his bruised cheek, making him close his eye as it twinged. He shut up and premitted me to carry on cleaning him up. Eric was always touchy on the subject of other maids (except the female ones he liked. And I mean liked...) cleaning him up, but I was always one to get on his softer side.

I had finished clearing him up now, and he just watched me with those ice colored eyes of his as I tipped out the bloodied water outside, and as I walked back inside, he was stood up in front of the fire, his usually blonde hair almost looking like it was on fire from the red and orange light.

"I couldn't let you get hurt." he told me now, raising a hand to my cheek and I frowned. "Eric, you're acting weird."

He chuckled, then lent forwards and my eyes widened, but instead of kissing like me as I had expected, his kissed my forehead and said against my skin. "You should get some sleep."

Eric left the house now and into the night where the snow was falling thicker and faster than ever.

All I could do was stare after him as he vanished-

That man had so many conflicting thoughts inside that head of his.

So, getting more interesting now- should be getting even more exciting soon. Reviews are much loved ta.