Chapter 6
I do not own Spice and Wolf or Holo, the Wise Wolf of Yoitsu
The darkened land rushed past and the cool air flowing around her made Elizabeth wish she had worn a heavier jacket.
Holo ran and ran, her breath coming in great pulses as her mighty lungs took in the night air, she paused only briefly to let out a long, drawn out howl that echoed throughout the hills and set lesser dogs to howling in response to Holo's great declaration of lupine pride, for was she not, a proud wolf?
They came to a road and Holo cleared it with ease, leaving it far behind, only the drumming sound of her great paws striking the ground marked their passage.
Holo ran like that for nearly an hour then she slowed to a trot and finally stopped, gazing northward.
Elizabeth gradually made out the reason why she had stopped, for there before her were gathered hundreds of wolves, all waiting to pay respects to their God.
A huge, dark furred male wolf came forward , his yellow eyes glinting. He let out a series of yelps mingled with growls and an occasional whine.
To Elizabeth's amazement she could make out what he was saying, he was asking, no demanding to know why Holo was allowing a mere human to ride on her back.
Holo's response made him step back suddenly, "She is my great daughter, descended from my human mate of so long ago."
The great wolf growled "You mated with a human? You, our God?" "He loved me and I loved him, he put his life on the line for me many times. When he asked me to be with him forever, I said yes." Replied Holo sharply, the tone in her voice, a rebuke.
The huge male prostrated himself at once and he rolled over, exposing his soft underbelly and throat to his God.
Holo stepped over him and placed her great jaws over him, establishing her dominance for all to see.
Having settled that little matter. Holo raised her head again and gazed towards the great north lands, at the edge of the great forest stood shapes, shapes clad in fur.
One larger than the rest came forward, it walked fearlessly towards her, the wolves parting before it, striding on its hind legs like a man, it walked. Elizabeth from her vantage point atop Holo's shaggy shoulders watched in growing wonder as the massive shape stopped, in the dim light, it resembled a great bear, a bear standing like a man.
It reached up and took off its head to reveal a human face, a face nearly twelve feet off the ground. For a long moment no one moved, finally the huge man, for that was what he appeared to be, spoke.
In a deep, rumbling voice he said, "Greetings, O great wolf spirit! Beyond these lands lie the lands of the great bear spirit. Do ye come in peace?"
Holo made a throaty sound that resembled a chuckle and in her softest growl she replied, "Aye, I come in peace, this world has changed too much for there to be enmity between us."
The giant man nodded and replied, "That is good to hear and it is good to see that you yet live, O Wise Wolf of Yoitsu."
Holo sighed and replied, "Aye, I live to the south of here on land farmed by my descendants. The girl sitting on my back is my great daughter for she is wise in the ways of growing things."
The huge man smiled at Elizabeth and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you..."
"Elizabeth! My name is Elizabeth and it is a pleasure to meet you too, sir bear."
He laughed and replied, "Harald Gunnarson is my name, miss Elizabeth."
Holo chuckled again and asked Harald, "Tell me O Gunnar's son. When did your people leave the lands of the north, in the old world, when did you leave Jotunheim?"
"We left when the small fierce men with the red beards and the sharp spears and long swords came and drove us across the wide sea. We followed the great bear spirit to this land of great mountains, deep forests and vast tundras."
Elizabeth suddenly cried out, "You're the Sasquatch! You inspired the legends of a giant man of the north woods, that is so cool!"
Harald chuckled and replied, "We wear the bearskins to hide ourselves from the Norsemen and their little gods, for they were our foes of old."
Elizabeth suddenly clambered down Holo's massive flank and she walked fearlessly up to Harald's great form and extended her right hand, he loomed over her at more than twice her height.
A smile spread across his bearded face and he too, extended his right hand.
Elizabeth gripped one of his great fingers and they shook hands.
Elizabeth declared, "You don't have to hide anymore, the Norsemen have been tamed and you won't be hunted, there is a young frost giant, a girl, who is now living with her foster father out in Oregon, she is going to human school and is learning about the world as it is now."
The giant paused and replied slowly, "We have heard tell of this youngling, this girl you speak of. The wisdom of her father's decision remains to be seen and we will remain cautious."
Elizabeth grinned at him and said, "Fair enough, I too, will keep this meeting to myself if you wish."
Harald smiled down at her and replied, "I do not think you will tell the tale of our meeting tonight, after all, you yourself, rode here upon the back of a great wolf spirit. Your friends would not believe you."
Elizabeth laughed, "You're right, they wouldn't!"
Holo gently nudged her with her nose and said softly, "The night wanes and we must be off." As Elizabeth climbed back onto Holo's great form, Harald smiled at them and said, "It was good to meet you and your great daughter, O Wise Wolf of Yoitsu, I will relay your goodwill to the great bear spirit."
Holo nodded her great head at him and the gathered wolves, then she turned to head south again. Soon, the drumming of her great paws against the ground lulled Elizabeth into a dreamy sort of half sleep and she rode on Holo's back with the sensation of having strong arms holding onto her as she lightly dozed. Once while in her dreamlike state, she looked back and saw a man holding her, on his face was a warm smile, a smile that was very familiar, much like her grandfather's and yet somehow, far older.
It was shortly before dawn when they returned. Holo stopped outside the farmhouse and returned to her human form.
Suddenly naked and shivering in the morning's chill she muttered, "The worst part about this form is that it suffers in the cold so."
Elizabeth opened the front door and they entered the house quietly, only to smell a hearty breakfast awaiting them and see Elizabeth's grandmother smiling at them.
She said cheerfully, as if seeing a wolf spirit was a daily occurrence, "You girls take a bath first, then come have breakfast."
Elizabeth grinned at Holo and said, "C'mon, this'll be fun!" as the two clambered up the stairs, her grandmother called out,"Don't take too long or your breakfast will get cold!"
Once in the upstairs bathroom, Elizabeth ran the water and while the tub was filling, she stripped down to the altogether.
She smiled when Holo commented, "If you had a wolf's tail and ears, you could almost pass as me!" Elizabeth stepped into the tub and was joined by Holo, the wise Wolf of Yoitsu.
Holo was by far, the grimier of the two, considering that she had run most of the night and had splashed repeatedly through mud and dirt while running.
Holo was delighted when Elizabeth insisted on shampooing and conditioning her reddish hair and tail, grimly working all of the little snarls and tangles out of it. Once it dried, her hair and tail became quite fluffy, much to Elizabeth's amusement.
Finishing up with brushing Holo's luxurious hair and tail, Elizabeth stepped back and said, "I've never brushed so much hair in my life! How do you manage it?"
Holo just grinned toothily at her and replied, "You forget that I have lain in the wheat for centuries, I have not had to bathe or brush my hair in all that time."
She glanced down at herself and quipped, "Or dressed either!"
Elizabeth went to her closet and picked out her own clothes first, then she studied Holo's slim form, "You and I are about the same size, so anything I have will fit you."
"Not necessarily!" Declared Holo as she turned slightly to one side and wagged her impressive tail, impressively.
Elizabeth frowned and muttered, "Forgot about that little detail!"
She picked up a pair of stout scissors and quickly cut an opening for Holo's tail in the back of an older pair of blue jeans.
She said, "I'll hem that later, getting you covered up is the first thing." Soon after, they trooped downstairs and were greeted by Elizabeth's grandparents and a hearty breakfast laid out on the table.
The older couple stood there smiling, then her grandmother said in earnest, "I always felt there was a bit of magic about this place, in the land and its people, the warmth I felt here was almost palpable. When your grandfather asked for my hand, he made me the happiest girl in the world. Little did I know the stories he had told me of his family's history would turn out to be true, that he really is descended from a wolf spirit of the harvest."
She reached out and enveloped Holo's slim form in her ample bosom. Holo's fluffy tail wagged happily as she hugged her back.