THE SHE-WOLF AND THE RAVEN

Chapter 8: Magic

"There was a time when people were animals and animals were people. Deer and Wolf were living together in one long house at LaPush. Wolf lived in one end of the house. Deer lived in the other end. Deer and Wolf were good friends. The deer children and the wolf children played together peaceably.

"One day the wolf children dug a great hole. They said to the deer children, 'Let's play a game. You go down into the hole.' The deer children said, 'All right.' Then they all went down there in the deep hole. Then the young wolves began throwing dirt into the hole. They wanted to kill the deer children so they could eat them. They threw in dirt until the deer children were completely covered over. Then the wolves said, 'We will wait for them to die. They are helpless creatures. When they are dead, we will eat them.' The deer children in the hole were afraid. They said, 'Those wolves are not our friends. They want to eat us.' The deer children had spirit power. They changed themselves into ants and dug their way out of the deep hole. When they were ants, the wolves did not recognize them."

ooooo

Three wolf pups wrestled in the grass and fought over a stick in the summer warmth of the meadow. Their elder siblings sat in fixed attention with their ears perked and their eyes bright with intelligence as they listened closely to Loki. Of course they would be able to understand. How had he been so blind to their capacity to understand? He had always felt their innate magical potential, but he had never dreamt he could so address and instruct them as he was doing now.

The woman sat on a log nearby, quietly listening, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she considered all he said. He smiled inwardly and basked in their undivided attention as he spoke of what he most loved to talk about.

"There are two primary locations of magical energy. The first comes from external sources, such as the power held within a geographic location or from another magical being. The second is internal and it comes from within yourself. It can be inborn and innate or it can be developed through tutelage under a gifted mage. Both sources of power can be accessed either through the mastery of the core tenets of underlying forces or through developing reciprocal alliances with supernatural beings. The former involves knowledge of rules and how to harness impersonal forces for your own purposes. The latter relies less on acquisition of knowledge of rituals as on one's relationship with personal forces endowed with magical powers.

"Each of you has a deep well of instinctive magic which enables you to transform your external form while maintaining your inner spirit. If you harness that magic, I am confident you will be able to achieve purposes other than shifting between wolf and human."

The woman leaned on her elbows and considered this carefully. She sat more upright as a thought appeared on her tongue.

"My great-grandmother told me once that our people used to believe that we each have two souls and a ghost. The inner soul is more vital. The outer soul is more fluid and can be changed or moved around or leave us for a time. She said the ghost was shaped like us, but I never fully understood what she meant by that," she said.

"It's an apt description," he replied. "It is your inner soul that remains unchanged while you allow your outer soul to shift form and carry your physical body along with it."

"How?" she asked.

"You must focus inward," he said. "Your physical senses are of now use in this. Burrow deeper into your innermost self. Your physical senses are like a river watering the surface of the land, but for this you must tap into the wellspring of water bubbling up from deep within the earth. Go to the source. Drape it around you as if it is a garment and pull it to the surface with you. Use that power to embody your next form."

He watched as she closed her eyes and a myriad of emotions flickered across her still face. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again.

"I can feel it. I know what it feels like to phase forms, but how do I use that to shift to different forms?"

"It can be helpful to have another creature around in order to imitate their form," he answered. In a flash, a deer stood before her instead of a man. He watched her surprise melt away and she closed her eyes again. Her frustration grew the longer she sat with no visible fruits for her efforts. She gave a huff and leaned back on the log.

"How long did it take you to master this?" she asked.

He shifted back into his Aesir form and grinned. "To master it? At least a century, though I shifted by instinct on occasion as a child."

"A century!" she shouted. "Please say you are joking."

"Fine. I am joking," he answered impassively. "Never fear, my lady. At this rate, it will only take you two centuries to turn into a fox."

"Ugh, don't be an ass," she said and threw a pebble at him. It bounced off his shoulder and he gave her a wide grin. In a flash, a tall, grey donkey stood before her. He gave a loud bray and charged her. She shrieked and jumped to her feet. He was faster and before she could escape, he used his head to push her over the nearby ledge. She fell with an inelegant splash into the river behind her.

The wolf pups all leapt to the bank with worried glances. Loki transformed back into his Aesir form and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh, don't give me that look, Sarah," he said as he caught his daughter's glare. "I promised you I will not harm her. A simple wetting will do her more good than ill."

Isaac's tongue fell out of his mouth as he released a breathy, wolfy laugh and he jumped off the bank to join his mother in the river. She steadied herself on his head, muttering a string of curses under her breath as she righted herself and fought the current to return to the bank.

As she neared and saw Loki's smug grin, her rage boiled over and she exploded into her wolf form. Before he could react, he was pummeled by an angry, grey wolf and pulled into the river by her teeth. She left him in the current and growled before she made her way back to the shore. Loki laughed and followed after her, now soaked through.

She reached the bank where the pups all waited, their faces conflicted over whether to be amused or concerned. She licked the black pup behind his ear and with a great shake, sprayed the rest with river water. With a haughty glance, she turned her back on Loki as he came out of the water after her. With a snap of his fingers, he was dry again and he winked as she pretended not to care.

She paused as she walked past the torn remnants of what had once been her dress. She nosed at the piece of fabric and looked at him.

"It's hardly my fault you've destroyed your only garment, good lady. I am sure you can make due without," he said. He could feel the spike of both fear and irritation within her and he laughed as she growled. "Why don't you shift forms and we can continue our lesson?"

She carried the piece of cloth to his feet and dropped it there and cocked her head to one side.

"How many articles of women's clothing do you expect me to carry with me? You were fortunate I had that one in my storage," he said as he picked up the piece of cloth. "This piece may be just large enough to fashion a loin cloth of sorts, though I am afraid that would leave the rest of you exposed. Seeing as you do not feel the cold, it should matter little to you."

She growled again and snapped at where his fingers held the fragment of cloth against his waist in mock consideration of its size.

"Temper, temper!" he exhorted, his grin growing as he felt her ire bubble and grow within her. "Well, perhaps I can stretch it out a bit to make it cover more." With a slight shimmer of green, he stretched out the piece of cloth to make a dress, of sorts. He held it up for her again.

She yipped and covered her eyes with her paws. He laughed and considered his creation again. "Ah, Lady Leah of the Land of Clear Waters does not approve of my tailoring skills, it appears. Is it the color or the length of the bodice which does not meet with your approval? You may need to shift forms to ease our clumsy attempt at communication."

She sighed and shook her head. With so little material to work with, the dress he had formed was as transparent as dragonfly wings. "Come, try it on for size," he said as he shook it out before her eyes again.

He heard a soft whine come from behind and he turned to see Sarah's concerned face. Sarah lay the remaining pieces of the torn dress at his feet and cocked her head to one side.

"Ah, good Lady Sarah does not approve either. I suppose I will have to try again." He gathered all the remaining pieces of the dress and within a few moments, it hung undamaged from his fingertips. "Will this do?"

Leah grabbed at the dress with her teeth and disappeared into the trees. She returned a few moments later clothed with the repaired dress and a deep scowl on her face. She paused to scratch Sarah on the head.

"You should turn yourself into an ant so I can squish you," Leah said as she glared at him.

"Tempting. I'll consider it," he answered dryly. "Now, back to lessons and you can learn how to turn me into an ant yourself."

Ooooo

They had been at these lessons for days, without much success. Leah succeeded in shifting only half her body to wolf form and leaving her head and shoulders in human form for a few moments. Loki sent her around the forest on a quest to pay closer attention to the biological forms of all the creatures she came across. She came back in a temper and he found it so entertaining, he repeated his instructions the following day, hoping to put her in another dark mood.

"Maybe I just can't do it," Leah said in frustration as night fell over the forest. "Maybe you can because you are whatever you are, but not me."

"You doubt my assessment of your capabilities?" Loki responded with one eyebrow raised.

"Yes! I mean no! I mean, I doubt my capabilities."

"Be that as it may, you need not doubt mine. I read magic as some read books. I am not exaggerating when I say you are capable. Now, what form are you envisioning?"

"Falcon," she said.

"Try again."

As she closed her eyes, he came closer and fed his own magic into her, nudging her stubborn, untested edges into unfamiliar directions. He could feel the rush of change as she inhabited the form of predatory bird instead of wolf. She clung to his hand with her claws and gave a loud call. She ruffled her feathers and ran her curved beak through the soft down beneath her wings.

"Oh, you are not staying here," he said and he threw his hand up into the air with enough force to dislodge even her tight grip. With a clumsy jerk, she extended her wings and nearly fell before she caught the wind with her long feathers. She rose higher and higher until her call sounded out over the tops of the tallest of pines and she dove back to her perch on his arm with such speed, she would have torn his flesh if he were human. With her eyes bright, she ruffled her feathers again and looked at him.

"You did quite well," he said. "Are you quite finished being a falcon?"

She nodded.

"Close your eyes and try again," he said. He gave her another nudge to help her along, but he could feel her grasp of her magic loosening to match his exertions and he grinned. It would not be long before she could do it all on her own.

Ooooo

Loki held a silvery, gilded mirror in the air before him. In its reflection, he could just make out the corrugated greens and emeralds of the branches from the indomitable forest behind him. It was fitting, in a way. The Asgardian mirror was the possession of a prince. The precious metals and jewels inlaid in intricate knots up and down the edges was designed by one of the finest dwarven craftsmen in the Nine. In its enchanted surface, he could see a reflection of anywhere in the Nine he wished to see (or use it as a mirror, as he was doing now).

Within the rectangular glass, his own pale face peered back at him with long, unkempt hair and a dirt-smudged face. He ran his fingers through the cape which had once been as familiar as a second skin. That cape, as green as the majestic forest archways that forged his new palace, were the trappings of a dead prince. He belonged to an isolated, forested world of beasts and birds, rivers and mountains and no longer to the world of gilded mirrors and velvet finery. Loki, son of Odin, prince of Asgard was a figure sculpted of lies and mist, as elusive and intangible as the face staring back at him from the mirror's surface.

With a grimace and a flick of his wrist, the emerald cloak -- the symbol of the former prince -- vanished. His armor followed. He remained in a simple cream-colored tunic with brown lacings and leather breeches. While finely made, these garments revealed neither rank nor house. He would gather less notice from the Midgardians, but would not so demean himself by adapting to their style of dress entirely. He refused to wear their garbs unless it suited his purposes.

A shimmer of green enveloped his face. His face, now absent of dirt, and his hair, now untangled and smooth, showed a marked improvement. He removed a knife from his sleeve and quickly ran it across the edges of his hair leaving three inches of curled, black locks at his feet. What remained, he braided and let fall down to just below his shoulders.

He caught a flash of rose fabric and a pair of dark eyes appeared behind his shoulders in the mirror. The woman, now in her human form, quietly took in his changed appearance from a distance. She didn't speak, though he could feel her curiosity. He vanished the knife and met her eyes in the mirror with a question on his face. She came closer and knelt before him and picked up a lock of his hair from the pine needled ground.

"Will it change your fur length?" she asked as she released the lock of hair back to the ground and stood.

"My fur length? Of my wolf form?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Of course not."

He bit back his surprise as he felt her spike of jealousy and wistful longing. She quickly masked both emotions and he felt her fingers gently touch the edge of his braid.

He turned to face her with one eyebrow raised and she dropped her hand. She then lifted her hand to her own short, uneven hair which hung as dark as raven's wings around her face. She took one thick lock to investigate its edges with a rueful half-smile.

"Long hair means long fur for me," she said. "The first time I phased, I could barely see because my coat hung so long around me. I don't cry much, but when I saw my hair on the floor of my cousin's bathroom, I couldn't help it."

She nervously shifted on her feet and looked over his shoulder to see her reflection in his mirror. Then she dropped her eyes, overwhelmed by such a barrage of complicated emotions that he unconsciously stepped back from the mirror to avoid whatever accusations dwelt there. He walked behind her and pulled all her hair between his fists. It lay sleek and heavy in his hands, despite its lack of length. He knelt to retrieve one of his locks of hair from the ground. With a flick of his wrists, a whisper of runes, and a minimal burst of magic, an onyx comb lined with tortoise shell knots appeared. He fit the comb behind her right ear and her reflection in the mirror burst into a cascade of ebony hair that fell to her waist.

She gasped and gave a startled jump. Then her fingers ran through her hair as she stared at her reflection with wide-eyes.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"When you remove the comb, your hair will go back to the length it was," he said with a pleased grin on his face. He plucked the comb from behind her ear and she returned to her ear-length hair again. She eagerly took the comb from his fingers and placed it back into her hair. Then she turned to gaze at her reflection from the side and behind. When she met his eyes again, he could just make out the crystalline drops of water fighting to emerge from her dark eyelashes. She blinked them back, but not before he caught the undisguised delight hidden in her eyes.

Between the expression on her face and the elegant veil of hair now gracing her lithe form, he stopped to linger on her reflection a moment longer. He had yet to acknowledge what a lovely creature she could be -- when she was not glaring daggers at him or covered in the form of a beast.

She reminded him of the Lady Sif, he realized. In the wary, restless movements of her muscles and the unconquered pride of her eyes which dared all who beheld her to look away first, she was first and foremost a warrior. Beneath, though, intentionally hidden away from all except the most tenacious of surveyors, a woman lived, just as in the Asgardian warrior. Loki had always known Sif's secret. Beneath her deadly broad stroke and her impermeable armor, she remained as devoted and tender as she was fierce and strong. As he watched the momentary lapse of joy grace the eyes of the she-wolf woman, he recognized that same spirit forged of fire and iron.

"How did you do that?" she asked, drawing him away from his temporary admiration of her reflection.

"Magic," he said. Then, with another wave of his hand, the mirror vanished.

She rolled her eyes but did not inquire any further.

"Let us return to the pups," he said and he shifted back into his wolf form

She phased and followed him back to where the pups played. He braced himself for the shift to a wolf and let the magic transform him again.

He stayed in his Aesir form most of the time in the week since he'd returned. Midgardian bodies were too weak, their senses too dull, and none on this realm would be able to discern the difference in magic between an Aesir and Midgardian.

It was simultaneously both more and less awkward now that they each knew of each other's ability to shift forms. As wolves, they were familiar -- too familiar -- with each other. The instincts and habits of the past nine years were deeply ingrained between them. The constant closeness with the grey wolf was too instinctual and easy to fall back into.

But they were not wolves. In his Aesir body, it was easier to remember that.

Ever since the truth came out, a chasm ruptured between them. The ability to take a humanoid form somehow changed everything they had previously never questions. He could not look at the grey wolf without seeing the eyes of the woman and knowing she was not as she seemed. The behaviors and indulgences tolerable in wolf form before now were mired in impropriety and nuances never before considered. The knowledge that they could communicate made the silence between them stiffer. They danced around each other in a volatile whirlwind of unspoken words and unintentionally spoken emotions.

However, when it came time to travel or eat or sleep, he was forced to shift into wolf form again-much to the delight of the pups. As a wolf, it was easier to sleep and find rest. As loathe as he was to admit it, the shared warmth and companionship of the pack helped to ease his mind and chased the dreams away. As an Aesir, his dreams were his own and none could dispel them.

Ever since his time in the Void, his dreams were dark and thick and viscous. More often than not, they were filled with screams and cries and flames as he saw Asgard burn again and again. He could hear the reverberating echoes of the Mad Titan like a peel of thunder through the Eternal City. He saw all he once loved piled as carrion again and again, night after night, in gruesome prophecies of the end of the Aesir. He wondered if they were lingering "gifts" of the Mind Stone or remnants of his time as a "guest" of Thanos. Regardless of their source, he found little rest in his sleep unless he slept in wolf form.

The she-wolf emerged from behind a tree in a flash of grey fur. She followed him to where the pups tumbled in the grass and Kwoli gave a wide yawn after chasing a butterfly through the meadow flowers. On seeing their return, the three smallest piled around him with small yips and barks. He collapsed onto the grass in a huff and lay in the warm afternoon sun. He closed his eyes as the pups pressed in close to his side to sleep. He could feel their breaths against his chest and he fell asleep knowing he would rest well.

ooooo

Loki sat with an easy grace on top of a boulder and hummed a tune softly to himself. The golden rays of the sun reflected off the river below and turned the granite cliff face into a rosy pink. The wolf pack lay between the Douglas firs around him, still wet after their afternoon swim in the river. The she-wolf had successfully turned into a salmon and, tired from the exertions, now lay in the fading sun in her wolf form. She gave a lazy yawn before she turned to groom Kwoli's fur.

Sarah's cobalt paws paced back and forth between boulders. She refused to join in the play of the other two pups with Isaac. Instead, she focused on something so hard, she nearly stumbled over a rock she failed to notice. Leah gave her an inquisitive glance and seemed to speak to her, though he could not figure what she spoke of. Sarah nodded and continued with her pacing.

Loki lay back on the rock and closed his eyes. The warmth of the sun intermixed with the sweet scent of the woods and river. He nearly drifted off to sleep when he was roused by a sudden commotion below him. His eyes flew open and he sat upright to see all the wolf pups surrounding a figure crouched in the clearing.

A young woman, just barely of age, knelt on all fours and stared back at the pups with wide hazel eyes. Black hair fell down to her shoulders in fine, wavy tresses. She lifted one hand and then the other to peer at the unfamiliar limbs she now controlled and her mouth fell open.

Loki jumped off his perch to run to her. He grabbed her hand and helped her stand to her unsteady feet. She clung to him with shaking hands.

"Well, that answers that," Loki said over his shoulder to where Leah and Kwoli were still frozen in shock. Isaac whined and nosed his sister's unfamiliar hand. "Come, Sarah. Let us see what we can do about finding you some clothes and then we can practice walking to strengthen those legs of yours."

oooooo

Late that night, as the pups fell asleep, Leah lay in the grass in her human form and gazed up at the half moon overhead between the mountains. Loki sat against a tree a few yards away and watched the white peaked currents of the nearby river as it reflected the fey light of the moon back into the forest. He whittled a stick with a knife, carefully carving out the figure of a wolf from the soft pine branch he held. The shavings littered his lap and the ground around him as he worked.

"We have eight year old wolves who look like eighteen year old humans," Leah said, breaking the calm silence between them. "They don't know how to walk or talk or anything about living with other people. This has got The Jungle Book or Tarzan written all over it."

She didn't look at him as she spoke, but he could feel she was troubled.

"They will learn," he said. "Though, I believe it may be time to rejoin humanity...unless you think they are better off remaining as wolves."

"I only thought that we'd all remain as wolves when I thought we all were only wolves...Fenris, what are they?"

"Our children," he answered.

"Yeah. Holy Moses, Fenris-we have five kids! Somehow, five wolf pups sounded much more manageable than five human...or part human...children. Do you think the little ones can phase?"

"When did you first phase?" he asked.

"Ummm, I was a teenager. Most of us didn't phase until we hit puberty."

"I would assume the little ones will be the same. Sarah is nearly at full maturity. By next winter, it may be possible for her to bear her own litter."

"Oh, no. Don't you tell me that! I'm still grappling with the fact that I have five kids and here you are telling me I could be a grandma before the age of 40?" she said and she rolled over to prop herself on her elbow to face him.

He laughed and tossed a stick at her.

"You know," she said as she tossed the stick back. "It would have been nice to know you were actually a shapeshifter before we made litters of magic babies."

"I do not remember you stopping to ask me that at the time," he responded with a rakish grin. "In fact, if I remember properly, you asked no questions at all…," he began but Leah cut him off with a sharp glare and a smack on the chest with another stick.

"Ugh!" she said and she covered her face with her hands. "That was so much less embarrassing when I thought you were only a wolf. Then all those wild wolf hormones seemed acceptable. Now, it's completely mortifying to think about."

"I believe I have mentioned during our lessons to choose carefully which form to inhabit...as certain seasons grant your biology more control over your will or ethics than others. Mating season is one such time to be especially wary."

"No kidding."

"Especially for you," he continued. "In a female form, you may trap yourself and be unable to phase again until you have given birth."

"Is that why I couldn't phase back after I imprinted on you?"

"It's possible. It could also be influenced by the initiation of the new magic required for the bond. The mechanics underlying your magic are still unfamiliar to me."

"Wait- so could you still change after I imprinted?"

"Of course. In a male form it is different. The instincts of a father wolf to care for and protect his young are nearly overpowering, but physically I could still change if necessary. However, as a female you would endanger your young and so you remain fixed. I remember one time when I was a mare and..."

"Wait, you can turn into a female?"

"Of course...though it is a greater exertion and much more difficult to maintain."

"And you gave birth?"

"If you would stop interrupting me...," he said with an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, yeah. Go on."

"One time, when I was a mare, I could not change forms until I gave birth to my foal. As soon as the foal was weaned, I regained full power to change back again."

He could hear her soft laughter through the darkness.

"Yeah. More questions I should have asked beforehand: 'Have you ever been a woman or had kids?' Don't say it again-I know I didn't ask. It's not like it would have made a difference at the time."

He chuckled. "Perhaps, you should ask all your remaining questions before the next mating season begins," he said.

She groaned. "At this rate, our progeny are going to take over all of Canada. Maybe we better sit the next few seasons out."

"I'll try to remind you of that when the time comes," he answered.

"Ugh. Seriously, I can't even face you right now. I am so embarrassed," she said and turned her back to him.

He laughed and they both fell silent again. The sounds of the river and the chorus of crickets and frogs and night birds surrounded them both and he thought she was asleep. If she was, she did not stay asleep long. A voice called out to and startled them both from their reverie.

"Leah? Leah is that you?" called a male voice from the shadows of the forest.

Loki felt it at once-the stabbing, searing pain that coursed through Leah as she first heard that voice. She jumped upright and stared transfixed into the darkness. While her face remained an impassive shield -- it was only that. A shield. Her pursed lips and fierce stare were there as armor to protect her from whoever was calling her. Within, she roiled like the sea during a storm with recognition, sadness, panic, and shame.

Whoever owned the voice also had once owned her heart, he was sure of it (and still owned a part of her heart, however small).

He felt his own jealousy curdle within him like butter in cream and he stood with his knife ready. While he still resented her for her magical bond, he also had no intention of sharing her with anyone else. Part of him (both wolf and man) flared up with territorial possessiveness that wished to draw a line or build a fence around her so all possible interlopers would know what was his and that rivals were not welcome.

A man, tall and dark and strong, emerged from between the trees clothed in only a pair of torn breeches. An aura of magic, similar to Leah's but of a slightly different timbre or taste, emanated from within him. His dark eyes sought out Leah with an earnest, familiar expression which morphed into both relief and joy as he approached her. She watched him as warily as a rabbit from a hole, and remained motionless.

"Lee Lee, you are alive!" the man said and he picked up his pace to close the distance between them. He pulled her into a tight embrace against his bare chest. Then he kissed the top of her head and held her close for a moment before he stepped back to appraise her carefully.

His perusal was interrupted by her fist connecting soundly with his jaw. He staggered back with a surprised shout and spat out blood onto the ground.

"What was that for?" he asked as he rubbed his swelling jaw.

"Don't you call me that, Sam," she hissed, her eyes flashing with anger. "Don't you ever call me that."

He stopped rubbing his injury and watched her warily for a moment before he nodded. "You got it."

"Why are you here?" she asked. Her tone was both indifferent and aloof, but internally, she was a devastated, furious mess.

"I came to bring you home," he answered. She ran one hand through her hair and shook her head. At the word "home," she nearly burst with both fear and longing, dread and desire. For the first time, Loki realized he knew very little about the woman he had lived with for the past nine years. For so long, this had been their home and neither had wished to speak of where they had once lived or what their lives had been before. Now, her past had come to claim her and he knew their delicate dance in mutually shared ignorance could not continue.

"And if I refuse?" Leah asked as she folded her arms over her chest in stubborn defiance.

The man shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. "I won't force you, Leah. I can't force you and you know that. I just…Leah, Seth is getting married this month and it would mean a lot to him if you were there. When he heard you were still alive, I hadn't seen him smile like that since, well, since everything happened. He needs you. We all need you."

Leah turned away, torn over his words. Loki emerged from the shadows to stand beside her, knife in hand. The five wolf pups, woken by the commotion, peered at the newcomer from the shadows of the forest. Only the two eldest dared to cautiously approach a few feet closer.

The man's face grew confused.

"Sam Uley," Leah said with a sweeping motion of her hand around her. "Meet Fenris Friggson, my imprint. And these are our children."

ooooo

Author's Notes:

I realized I needed to do a flock of research to prepare for upcoming chapters...hence the lateness of this. Here it is. Thanks so much for reviews and favs and follows. I love having your input on this story as it enfolds and develops.

Story of The Wolves Kill the Deer Children comes from the same source as was cited in previous chapters.

The bit on Quileute belief in two souls came from the Quileute's newspaper, The Talking Raven, February, 2017.

The birth of Sleipnir, Odin's horse, is my nod to Norse mythology...and Leah's hair-I couldn't resist that one either. I don't plan to pull in a lot of Norse mythology here, but when it sneaks in, it sneaks in. ;)