A/N: Liten Kanin means little rabbit or bunny.
Pickles switches to Gaelic.
The next chapter should be up soon. Thanks for reading, :)
The song Pickles sings is called "Down by the Sally Gardens" It's really beautiful. You should check it out
Ch. 5
"Hey, Boy. We are at Bergen." Toki looked up from his feet and gazed upon the town ahead of him. The village was large not as large as what Brika had become but they still were sister villages after all. After the destruction of his village Toki went from town to town doing odd jobs for his keep. During the course of three years Toki had learned that the vile men who ruined his life were non other than the notorious Bergson Clan Vikings. He still vowed vengeance but until recently had no plan to act.
"Thank you, sir" Toki gave a characteristically boyish grin. His Newly grown fu manchu adding a humorous catfish likeness to it. He helped the man he was hired to help load the goods into a small wooden storage house. When all was done the man gave him a small sack of Silver bars. Toki was surprised at the weight.
"I think you gave me too much. Its so heavy." He looked at the man with large eyes. The other man laughed. Usually people didn't say they were mistaken unless given to little.
"No, you silly boy. You earned it. You did some hard work. It is a shame I cant keep you." The other man patted Toki on his back. He had offered Toki a job permanently, but was politely turned down.
Toki once again smiled his catfish grin. He turned and left. He had a plan that must be put into action. His stomached growled. Maybe after food.
As Toki walked down the streets he threw the sack in the air and caught it. He delighted in the slight clank and ding noise it would make. He had never himself owned this much. In fact most people who hired him gyped him of his pay. He threw the bag up and down again.
Toki stopped at few open tents and purchased a loaf of bread and chunk of meat. He eye balled the herring and decided against. It would look awkward if people saw him lugging around a tiny fish. He hated the bones. He walked and ate bored with staying in one location. While he walked around aimlessly he eavesdropped on conversations. One in particular caught his ear.
"The Bergson Clan have really become a terrible bunch." the faceless merchants chatted.
"I hear the blonde warrior is the one to truly be frightened of. Bergson may be big, the other one is giant. They say he came from Álfheim. That Freyr watches over him to make sure he isn't harmed by humans." The merchant began to shake as if frightened.
"Posh! You are full of Troll guts! Giants and Elves don't live in the same worlds. And if he was a giant he would be an Ice giant!" A merchant argued.
"No, no maybe he is an dark elf" Another merchant brought to a point.
"You are an idiot as well! Dark elves hate the sun."
They continued their arguing and bickering until Toki had the nerve to walk up and ask who they were talking about.
"Stupid boy, you don't know of Skwisgaar Skwigelf?" Toki shook his head.
"I only know of Bergson. Who is Skwisgaar?" He looked up at them with curiosity shinning in his eyes.
"Only Bergson's right hand man." The man wove his hand around as speaking about some kind of God or legend. "He is said to be an amazing fighter, but his heart is as cold as the snow in Sweden."
"OI! Merchants out of the way." A group of rather large men walked by. The men were surrounding another tall man. The other man was quiet finding no interest in his companions yelling. He looked ahead with an aura of grace and respect.
"Asmund Kyrri. Asmund the quiet" Toki whispered to himself. He suddenly remembered why he was there. He wanted to become a Viking! Toki shoved whatever food he had left in his hand in his mouth and followed after the group.
After a short distant Asmund was tired of being followed. He looked behind him and spotted a young man with catfish whiskers hide behind a stack of logs.
"You there! Come out from hiding" He called out to Toki. Toki who had thought he found the best hiding spot let out a quiet curse and got up from where he was hiding. "Why are you following me?"
Toki blushed madly being called out. He swallowed hard and barely over a whisper "I want to join the Kyrri clan."
"You will have to speak up. As I age so do my ears." Asmund called out again.
"I want to be recruited into your clan" Toki called out clearer. Asmund laughed.
"Silly child. It's not simple. We don't rape and pillage like the rumours say. It is hard work, its not so much different from a normal village." Asmund waved his hand in dismissal and began to walk off. "Go home to your family child."
Toki puffed up his chest in frustration. He pushed past the surrounding men and ran right up to Asmund. "I want to join. I have no family, and I can manage hard work. I am stronger than more than half these men." Asmund was not impressed in the least. He looked at Toki right back in the eye. Toki stood his ground, he was determined. Asmund stood back, and smiled. "Liten kanin there is something in your eyes that shouldn't be there. CHARLES!"
With silent skills a man came up from behind Toki carrying a few bags of Odin knows what.
"Yes, my Chieftain?" The man was not as tall as the others and he had weird shaped glass frames perched on his nose. Toki assumed he came form England. The man was over all smaller but he had a look in his eyes that said "DON'T FUCK WITH ME"
"This kanin will be coming with us. I want you to get him informed on the rules of the clan" With that Asmund walked on with his companions without saying another word. Charles looked at Toki and tried to give the younger man a comforting smile but Charles was just to intimidating.
"So. Uh what is your name?" He highly doubt it was little rabbit.
"Toki. Toki Wartooth." Toki stated proudly. He was going to be a Viking after all. Charles was a little stuck on the last name. Wartooth. Harald Wartooth? He made a mental note to check on that later.
"Okay, so first job of yours is to carry these sacks." Charles dropped the mysterious bags in the awaiting arms of Toki. Toki held them with little difficulty. Jostling around a bit to get comfortable he heard the distinct clang ding noise of the silver bars. The huge sacks were filled with them. He eyed Charles wearily.
"Al right Toki, why don't we uh set you up in the village, hm?" As they walked Charles asked questions and Toki answered them. Charles also gave a little information on the village here and there.
Upon entering the village they were bombarded with curious villagers. Who was this mysterious young man that was brought in? Charles fought and shoved his way to Asmund's hall. Asmund walked with the demeanour of a God down to them. He grabbed the sacks with ease off Toki's back and beckoned the men to follow him. Toki was bouncing with excitement. Asmund sat them down in front of a fire pit. Charles sat immediately right next to him and Toki sat across.
The sun was setting and the temperature was dropping dramatically. Other men of the clan slowly began to join them. They sat by the fire ready to have their share of the bars be delivered. Toki silently studied the other men. The were tall and made of mostly muscles. There was such a vast variety of them, he couldn't place where most of them had come from. One in particular was very amusing to him. He was a short and a little pudgy. His long red hair was clumped into multiple thick messy braids and pulled back into a ponytail, but the few braids that had strayed form it were beaded with emeralds. His beard was neatly trimmed and he had a constant sideways smirk when he talked.
"Hey kid. Ya gahnna keep starin' at me like that or are ya gahnna say hello?" The short man extended his hand. Toki embarrassed at being caught sheepishly shook it. He sat next to him and chatted up some other men next to him. He poked Toki in he side and offered him a drink. Toki shook his head no. He was not used to drinking, but the man was persistent. Toki finally agreed and drank from his mug. The red head laughed and clapped Toki on the back, spilling some mead.
"Ya funny kid, I like that. What do they call ya?" The red head asked his arm now around Toki's shoulder. Toki not used to such attention began playing nervously with his ring. The one he had never taken off for three years.
"Th-they call me T-Toki" he stuttered. His hand was rapidly twisting the black and white silver ring. In the fire the black was blacker and the white glowed. The white was so bright and black was so dark it caught Asmund's eye.
"Liten kanin!" he called across the flames. Toki looked away from the red head to man across fro him. Asmund's cold stare made Toki lean away from the fire, nearly falling off his stoop. "What is that you are playing with?"
Toki sat straight and looked at his hand. The silver was a little scuffed up from the years of use and hard labour but it was still beautiful. "It's the last memory I have of my home." His voice was sad, drawn out and tired. He had long come to accept what had happened and he rarely cried over it now. All he wanted was to kill Bergson and avenge his family.
"Liten kanin, the look in your eyes. There it is again. Something that should not be there." Asmund rose and began to walk off, Charles followed after.
"Hey kid, where ya frahm, anyway?" The read headed man draped his arm over Toki's shoulder once again. He leaned over clearly intoxicated.
"A little village far from here."
"Weeeeeeeeelll et kinda' look liekes ya joinin' da family" As the man continued his already thick foreign accent became more pronounced. Toki could hardly understand him. "Mo naaaaame ise , Pickles." He was slurring two different languages together.
"Um, Pickle... where are you from?" he asked shyly.
"Eeeeeeets PICKLES with a ssssssssssssssss" He replied sharply. Toki still didn't understand.
"Irish... Ireland! Irland." Toki understood the last one. He had heard of the Scottish and iIrish drinkers. It made since.
"Don't ya let ol' Asmund scare ya. He is like an old Grandpa. Quiet but really nice and if ya good. He might even take ya fishing." Pickles laughed and drank some more. "And AFFDhensen, da man with da with the weird things on his eyes. He is Asmund right hand man. He does all the work with money, trade and he chooses the right locations to raid and travel. Reeeeeallly smart. Might be Danish, cant tell." Pickles continued to mumble on awhile Toki silently distended and sipped his mead. Everyone in the hall seemed to be having fun either laughing or playing games. Toki thought the games looked fun,but was too shy to ask to join. Pickles noticed hi staring off at the games and seized him by his arm and led him off to a group. Pickles set down a handful of gold bars and yelled "3 or 4"
Toki watched as a pair of dice were thrown both landing on threes. The group of men groaned while Pickles cheered and gathered up his earnings. He nudged Toki to give it a shot. Toki placed a much smaller amount down and guessed 5. The men laughed at him and placed many more bars down . 5 was the least common number on the dice. The dice were thrown and sure enough the both landed on one a 5. Toki jumped and clapped happily, the others were astounded and flipped there table over. The game had to be rigged. Toki collect the bars and added them to his little sack. Pickles patted him on his back and led him off to other games.
As the night grew long and the men were falling asleep. Toki sat next to his new friend Pickles where they sat and talked.
"Pickle? Why did you come to the north?" Pickles had long stopped correcting his name. He looked up and the planked ceiling.
"I don't remember. One day I was in Ireland and the next day I wasn't."
"Do you miss it?" Pickles smiled at Toki's child like curiosity. Pickles thought for a second. He thought about his home, his mother, his father and his older brother. No he didn't miss them. He thought about about the green gardens and whooper swans. He did miss those. There weren't many swans, if any in the north.
"It was down by the Sally Gardens, my love and I did meet.
She crossed the Sally Gardens with little snow-white feet. She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree, But I was young and foolish, and with her did not agree."
Pickles couldn't describe his feeling towards home so he began to sing. Toki sat in awe of his voice.
"In a field down by the river, my love and I did stand And on my leaning shoulder, she laid her snow-white hand. She bid me take life easy , as the grass grows on the weirs But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears."
Pickles eyes began to droop. He was tired, drunk and confused. The song of his home always made him nostalgic until he remembered what he left. He was happy to be away, but something in his heart always pulled him back.
"Down by the Sally Gardens, my love and I did meet.
She crossed the Sally Gardens with little snow-white feet.
She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree, But I was young and foolish, and with her did not agree."
At the end of his song Pickles let out a loud yawn and fell asleep. Toki still wide awake in the presence of his new surroundings sat and stared at the fire. The song that Pickles had sang was fresh on his mind. Was it about Ireland? Did he have a wife back there? He would have to ask him when he was awake.
Toki sat in silence so in thought he barely registered Asmund
brushed away a sleeping Pickles and sat next to him.
"Liten Kanin. Let me see your ring." he said in a gentle voice that contrasted his piercing eyes. Toki lifted up his hand. Asmund studied it with great concentration.
"The rabbit. It will be victorious in the struggle. The Harrier's beak is too small. He wouldn't be able to eat him, or he would choke." Toki studied the ring himself. In the back of his mind he knew what was illustrated but he couldn't be sure now. He didn't even remember how he obtained it. Just what it represented to him.
"Why, do you call me bunny?" Toki asked. Asmund laughed.
"Because little one, you are such a child still. A liten Kanin. A little rabbit." Asmund gave Toki a slight smile. "You know. I had a son once. He would run and catch rabbits all day. But he would never let us cook them. He would pet and hug them, then let them go. It soon got to the point that rabbits would just go up to him, demanding to be pet. He would always be covered in rabbit fur we started calling him Kanin." Asmund smiled. "He had the same look in you have in your eyes. A look of wonder. It makes it seem he is still here." Toki wondered if he would regret asking what had happened to him. He twiddled his thumbs.
"You don't need to be nervous about asking a question. He was killed. My wife as well. I was off on a raid. Another clan attacked." Asmund's eyes softened. "But that was many years ago."
"I understand." Toki looked at the fire. Asmund studied his face and frowned, He grabbed Toki's chin and looked the boy right in the eye.
"That look! It shouldn't be in your eyes. I know that look well and it only leads to pain." He let Toki go.
"I would like you to stay in my hall. You shall join my clan and become a part of my family." Asmund ordered more than stated. Toki was so happy his goofy catfish grin nearly split his face in half. Asmund bid Toki goodnight and went to his bed. Toki fell asleep where he sat..