Terra Centuria (Res for Raven)

Again they were beyond the walls of the fortification that was the protection of the encampment. It seemed Silver liked being out side the walls and open to the dangers that might lurk in the forest. But they were not quite alone. The two dire wolves had followed, but had kept a distance. One of them was from the Pack Silver claimed. A sister of sorts he guessed.

Interpetation? Now what the old woman had said was straight to the point. Now beating around the bush, no riddles or puzzels. He knew exactly what the old woman wanted. It was up to Silver to see that though.

"Have I ever run free." He smiled thinking back to his child hood when things were not so complicated. "Only as a child, when I had no care in the world but play." he told her. He knew she had, before it all been free to run with the pack and enjoy a freedom few really had.

Silver smiled and folded her arms some as she nodded and swung her shoulders lightly from side to side. "As a child." She told him, "Behind the great wall with the entire village watching over you, no doubt. No Tryton, I mean really run free." She took a deep breath and swung her arms open wide to the forest. She scented her sister somewhere close by with Tryton's companion. "I mean out here. No walls, no eyes staring and watching you, being one with the forest and the wind and the whispers of the trees. No weapons, no trappings of the human world, no need for the understanding and restraint of being civilised. Just free." Yes, she very much loved being away from walls and palisades and guards and just people in general. It wasn't about the danger for her, it was about feeling alive and being a part of life itself, connecting with the Great Mother on her terms as it should be.

"Would you dare run with me, Tryton?" She asked, "I've spent entire days and nights in your human world now, spend just one night in mine. Let me show you what you crave to learn from me, let me show you me, the way I was meant to be, the way I was born to be. No Ban-Dia, no war, no fighting, no rules. Would you dare leave it behind for one night.. for me?" Every word she said was true. She had spent days, weeks even living the life of a human with only a few brief moments to cherish and remember what it was to be herself again the way she knew in her heart and soul and perhaps this was her own way of reaching out to another soul, one that matched her own in some way. They had come from such different worlds, but having spent time in his, would he or could he spend just one night in hers? Could he honestly leave it behind for just that one night? He seemed to need to understand her as she needed to understand him, or at least, she hoped he did....

Tryton pondered her question for a long moment. No armor, no weapons just them running free in the woods. Well they would not be entirely alone. The two dire wolves would be there with them. For he doubted very much that the male would let him venture to far alone. Now that the female and him had bonded, mated or what ever they had done, she would be with him.

"For one night, why not." he grinned. "But I am not entirely comfortable about running about naked. He chuckled. Am I allowed to wear my tunic?" He took her by the hand and lead her back to the encampment where he took his armor off and left his sword with it. All he wore was his sandles and his tunic. The two wolves were there waiting for them. It seemed like they to wanted to have a run through the forest.

Silver laughed and followed him back to the camp, but when he kept his tunic on and his sandals, she shook her head at him. "No." She said, "You will only feel uncomfortable for a short time, I promise." She stepped back, shedding her dress and revealing her true form to him, clean and aching to be set free. "Come." She offered, even holding out a hand to him, "Nothing will happen to you and your possessions will be safe where you've left them. When I say to run free, I mean free, Tryton."

A little ways out already and as eager as Silver to get going, the paired wolves whimpered and yipped their impatience. Silver smiled back at them and nodded, "Come, we are wasting precious time with the Great Mother, come." She pulled at his tunic to make it him take it off, "Or are you afraid someone might see." She presented him a clear challenge, compounded by the fact she too was covered in only her own skin.....

Tryton laughed and shed his sandels and tunic. He was as naked as she was and he could tell the wolves were anxious to be off as well. To run free in the woods and for them, to howl at the moon. It had been some time since he had run barefoot. His feet were well use to not having sandels on from his boyhood. "Ok is this better?" he showed himself to her. "Where to?" he asked and followed her away from the encampment.

As they began the wolves ran circles around them, playing and growling and barking. They were enjoying the run and the forest. As he ran with her, he could hear what sounded like laughter on the wind. He could imagine Gaia was watching and laughing at him. "What do you think the old witch would say about this?" he asked laughing.

Silver gave him his answer by simply smiling at him and nodding, deciding he would definitely be a worthy bloodline some day. The Great Mother had not only made him handsome of face, but of body too and Silver looked openly on him. And then they were running. Silver could imagine the Great Mother running with them, bringing them together and making them one with her and it was intoxicating. There was nothing Silver had ever felt like it and the more time she spent in the human world, the more she missed and cherished these rare moments. Hearing the new pair larking and playing around them, Silver began to yip and howl with them, letting her voice free as her feet carried through the forest faster and faster. Even on just her two feet, Silver was the fastest wolf in her pack and she let that show now. "Keep up Tryton!" She called, "Don't fall behind now!"

Silver began to feel true life forge into her, freeing her from the restraints of civilisation and she began to howl at the moon above them, embracing her wild nature as the Great Mother had intended. She felt alive and powerful and it showed in her form as she raced through the forest without feeling any hint of fatigue. In fact, the more she ran, the more she wanted to. The ground felt smooth and soft under her feet and she kicked up debris and leaves as she ran, giving Tryton an easy trail to follow should he fall behind further. Of course, their companions would never let him fall too far back and they would certainly lead him to her when she finally ran out of puff, but for now, Silver felt happy just running.

All around Tryton, the trees began to whisper at him, goad him on, push him to run faster, harder, he had to catch Silver. She had played by his rules for so long now, it was time he learned hers. It was time he learned the way of the Dire Wolf. Like his companion, he had to push his potential, make his mate see his worth, vie for her and win her. Catch her, the trees called, let go of yourself and be with her, find her, catch her, find her, catch her. And on their whispers continued, pushing him still harder and faster and his companion engaged in this too, snapping at his heels playfully to make him move just hat touch quicker.

All the while, Silver's laughter and wolfish howling echoed through the whispers, creating a special kind of magic only reserved for those worthy of it. She offered him a flash of silver here, a glimpse of powerful muscle there, a fleeting glance at what the Great Mother had promised him. A way into Silver and the legend that was his to share. "Keep going, my little human!" Silver chanted at him, "I am far from done with you yet!"

Tryton was not a marathon runner, but he had been a good runner. He would run for a good five miles and could have done more but he never wanted to tire his men that much. Silver was fast but he was the distant runner. He controlled his breathing and the speed he was running so he could go further and further if necessary. As his big hairy friend loped at his heels he smiled. "I could catch her if I wanted but it is more fun to run like this." he whispered to the wolf.

There were branches and rocks here and there in the forest and Tryton leap over them and kept going. How far they had run he had no idea since there were no markings to indicate the distance, but it had been a good distance. Now he began to speed up his pace, like in a race. One did not give his all in the beginning. That was foolish. Like he had been doing, one paced themselves and then increased the pace till he could catch up and pass if he wanted. He slowly caught up, and was right behind her. "How is this." he said smiling. At the pace he was now doing he would not be able to last to much longer. He would have to stop and catch his breath.

Silver could hear Tryton coming up behind her and catching up to her and she laughed over her shoulder at him as he tried to keep pace with her. The amount of noise he made while running could have woken the dead, but this run wasn't about being stealthy and predatory. "Not bad, not bad." She called to him through her controlled breathing, "But there is more yet within you Tryton, I know it." She turned slightly, taking them off at a tangent that brought them alongside the river. Tryton may not have known where they were or how far they had run, but Silver knew exactly. After all, she had lived and hunted in this forest her entire life. She had taken them in a wide circle around the encampment, making sure they were never more than three miles from the centre of it. They may have been running free, but Silver understood they would have to return quickly should something happen.

A few hundred yards down, the river opened up into a small lake before it vanished underground again into the aquifer. Silver led Tryton down and alongside, letting him keep pace a little longer. Slightly apart from them, Silver's sister wolf began getting excited again and started bounding and leaping about as she ran. She knew what was coming up and it was something she had enjoyed since she and Silver were still pups. The ground began to rise a little while the river continued a downward trend towards the lake. That meant a long drop somewhere close by.

The closer they got, the more excited Silver's sister became until finally, the young female could no longer contain herself and she began to run up alongside Silver and snap at her to make her go faster. "Is your chest ready to explode yet?" She called to Tryton, "Can you feel your heart pounding in your head? Wait til you try this!" And she shot off with her sister. At Tryton's side, his companion also knew what was coming up and he encouraged his human friend to keep running just that bit longer. He'd done it before, when he was still but a whelp, but it had been a long time. The idea though still excited him greatly.

The ground levelled out and became harder and colder as earth gave way to stone. Silver dug her toes in for more grip and she measured her breathing for the jump coming up. And what a jump it was! One might have called it a leap of faith, for it certainly needed a little if one cherished their life. The drop was no less than fifty feet and the distance to the deeper water was a good twenty feet from the cliffs. One needed a great amount of speed and nerves of steel so to speak. Having made the leap many times over the years, Silver knew what to do, though she still felt a pang of trepidation and fear every time. This time though, she felt pure exhilaration and lust for life and she literally launched herself from the cliff with her arms spread wide, making them like wings as she soared through the air. Her wolf sister also leapt without hesitation, though admittedly with much less grace and she started treading air very quickly in excitement. Silver simply dropped through the air like a spear and she hit the water with a gentle splash. Her sister landed with a loud and big splash and then soon after, Tryton's companion joined them, howling all the way down in pure terrifying pleasure. All that remained now was Tryton. Would he finally let go entirely and make the leap too?

Silver was use to running, like the wolves were. She would have made a great marathon runner and probably beat every man there, if she had been a man. It seemed she knew where she was going and so he just followed along, though he was beginning to tire some, he kept going, pushing himself to his limits. They were following the river and it seemed the dire wolves were enjoying the run as much as Silver. Well it was their environment as it was Silver's. She had been with the Pack of dire wolves when he had first saw her.

She was now among her people and out of the free lifestyle she had grown up with. It must have been hard for her to adjust from that of being completely free to joining humans and their ways. But she was not an animal, but a human being and she did need to be with people and not just the wolves. But at times he could see the need to go back to the more simple and free times to relieve stress and just be able to enjoy themselves. South of the wall something like they were doing would be considered insane and frowned upon. Well for those of the regular people. Emperors and those in power could do what they pleased and not really be condemned for it.

They finally came out of the trees and onto more rocky ground. From what he could hear and see they were running towards a cliff with water somewhere below. Her and the female wolf flew off the cliff before him, Silver extending her arms like a bird. Out the two went a good distance before they began to fall. Well he figured she knew what she was doing and he continued on and him and the male wolf pushed off the edge of the cliff. he could see the water below, shallow along the shore and deeper further out. If one hit the shallows they would be dead. The male wolf howled as he began his decent and soon enough the cold water engulfed them both. He went down a good distance and swam back up to the surface and took in a deep breath of air. He looked around to see where Silver was.

Silver felt as though she was flying forever, but it always felt that way. Eventually, she felt the cold water hit her and she felt like her heart and lungs were about to explode. And the rush of it was like a drug. She dove deep down into the water, almost touching the very silt at the bottom of it before she couldn't hold her breath any longer and she made for the surface. Breaking through, she launched some out of the water, pushing her body out to her waist and sucked in as much air as she could manage. She then breathed out once more as she fell back into the water and she surfaced again more gently. Coming back up again with her head back, she smoothed her hair away from her face and smiled with her eyes closed, savouring the after effects of the rush she'd felt. Her sister, having felt that much more fleeting, was already making for the water's edge, but Silver lingered a moment longer. She heard the splash and felt the movement in the water from Tryton and his companion and she nodded as she opened her eyes again. He'd made the jump.

Tryton surfaced again in front of her with his back to her and Silver ducked back down into the water as he took a deep breath and started to turn to look for her. In the dark, the water was black. She dove down some and made for his legs, brushing past them and him as though she were a large fish. She then surfaced some distance from him to gauge his reaction......

He couldn't see her but he saw both wolves swimming towards the shore line. He wondered if Silver had already swam to shore or not. He was was breathing pretty hard from the run and then holding his breath underwater. He then felt something brush against him, but it was warm and not cold. He smiled as he had a feeling it was Silver. He chuckled and began to slowly swim towards the shore.

He was almost there when he heard the growling of the two dire wolves. He knew there had to be some one or something that was making them do that. He slowly let his feet find the bottom and began walking forward slowly, letting his upper body sink down as he moved closer to shore so only his head was above water.

As he moved forward he felt his foot hit something and he reached down and his hand wrapped around what appeared to be the smooth haft of something. He pulled it up and found he had what looked to be a well tooled, stone war hammer. He had little time to wonder about it and how it had come to rest in the shallow water of the lake. He heard voices, male voices getting closer.

They appeared on the shoreline as the dire wolves rose to greet them with deep growls. The two men, vikangars stopped dead in their tracks as they brought up their cross bows to shoot them. That is when Tryton rose to his full height in the water and raised the War Hammer into the air. He moved forward out of the water as the sound of thunder suddenly seemed to roll across the sky. The look on the vikangar's faces, fear, astonishment, and wonder made him wonder what was so strange. But he didn't have much time to wonder, for the two dropped their crossbows and ran as if a demon was after them.

Silver laughed quietly as Tryton tried to look for her once more, she figured he'd known it was her moving around him. When he started swimming to the lake's edge, she began to follow. The water was feeling colder than she wanted now anyways, but then she heard her sister growling at something. This wasn't anything playful or friendly, this was a warning and Silver quickly swam tot he edge and put her feet down so she could run if needed up the bank to attack or defend. As it happened, Tryton had much the same idea, but then he found something in the water that caused utter confusion for everyone.

Emerging from the tree-line, two Vikingar stopped dead when they saw Tryton. They looked shocked and confused and Silver had to bite her lip, but then thunder rolled heavily across the skies and she saw something heavy in his hand. This caused the Vikingar to literally drop everything and run away in terror and Silver could only blink in shock and confusion as she exited the water to come to his side. "Ok, so that wasn't at all disturbing." She said with some sarcasm as she looked over what appeared to be a stone hammer in Tryton's hand, "And scaring off the Vikingar with just the sight of skin wasn't it. What under Father Sky is that?"

Tryton watched as the two Vikangars ran as if their lives depended upon it. They could have shot him with their crossbows but they had dropped them and seemed utterly terrified. He looked up at the sky and saw only clear sky and the stars above. Now clouds and nothing to cause the thunder that he had just heard. He could only shake his head and again wonder.

It was then that Silver spoke and he turned towards her, confusion on his face to say the least. "Strange is all I can say. Did you hear the thunder?" Again he looked up and saw nothing that would have caused it. When she mentioned Father Sky, the great god of the sky the other half of creation, he chuckled. "Aye Father Sky indeed. Perhaps he is looking out for me." He then looked at the War Hammer in his hand, "This is a War Hammer. Old but still useful. Some of those south of the wall used such weapons and I have seen the Vikangar's uise them as well, but they are made of metal."

Tryton and Silver may not have known why the Vikangars ran, but they did. Rising from the water of the lake, his War Hammer in hand and the thunder announcing his arrival, and accompanied by two Dire wolves, they knew. Or at least they thought they knew. The God of Thunder had come to Earth, and it had not been among their warriors but close to the fortified encampment of the people they were trying to conqure. They ran all the way back to their encampment and reported what they had seen.

Sulver didn't dare touch the hammer, for if it truly was something Great Father Sky had sent Tryton, it wasn't hers to touch or handle, only his. She did however, have a very close look at it. "There are markings on it." She said, pointing to where she could see the scripture, but not touching it in any way. "We should get this to the Seer, she would know what this is." Speaking of which, "We should get back anyways, lest those Vikingar come back with more of their brothers. I doubt very much your skin and that lump of stone would frighten them off a second time." Then, with a whistle, she got her sister's attention and Silver turned back towards the camp.

Any idea of play now completely left her and she put her mind back to business. She thought carefully on the hammer as she walked quickly through the forest. They weren't far from home so to speak and would make it in but a few minutes. Just enough time for Silver to think on what the hammer could possibly be. There were a few ideas that came to mind. Perhaps it had belonged to an old Druid warrior? It would have to be ancient though, there hadn't been one of those, certainly not a male one for many generations and it wasn't the weapon of a woman. Could it have been a ceremonial piece given to a blacksmith? Why then would it have been dumped in the lake? Then she wondered is it truly was a possession of the Great Father Sky. She tried to remember the old songs, but she couldn't quite remember the exact one it came from. They needed the Seer.

Arriving back where they had started, Silver pulled her linen from the branch she had left it hanging from and tied it on some. It covered some of her, but she couldn't be bothered with the faffing. She then snapped out Tryton's tunic and held it out to him before she picked up his heavy blade and his sandals.....

In the moon and starlight, Tryton could see etchings in the stone War Hammer. They were not those just scratched in, but had been carefully and beautifuly engraved. He ran his fingers over them and they felt as if they were a message of some sort, but they were in a runic language he did not know. Silver said they needed to get it back to the Seer and see if she knew what it was.

They started back and as he walked he slipped the leather thong at the end of the haft about his wrist. As it hung at his side this way, it felt lighter then it should have. A stone that large should have had more weight to it, but yet it didn't. By the time they had gotten back to where they left their clothes he was dry and he slipped on his tunic and put on his sandals. He didn't waste time with the armor by he did take his sword from Silver and belted it on. He carried the armor in one hand and the hammer in the other.

When they entered the encampment the guards looked at the two with grins and he could hear the whispering. Even his own men grinned and chuckled as they passed them. As they approached where the old woman still sat by the fire, she tapped her staff on the ground. "Father Sky has been speaking. It seems he may have been speaking to you Tryton, son of Hector."

Silver kept her head high as she walked through the camp to the old witch and it was clear from the start she already knew exactly what was going on. The old hag gave one of her famous toothless grins before she smacked him on the side with her staff and then turned about, "It is about time that he did." She continued. Silver could only lift an eyebrow and follow as the hold witch staggered her way back to the main tent. Within minutes, the Elders were following too, whispering about what was happening, where the two warriors had been and why they both looked so dishevelled, yet unmarked. The rumours would be rife by dawn.

Entering the main tent, the old Seer eased herself into a tall chair covered in fur and sat back. "Show me my father's hand." She said, meaning the hammer, "Show me his words."

He brought the hammer up and laid it on the rough table that had been made of timber. Once the Elders saw it they all drew in deep breaths and mumrmered in an old language, as they bowed their heads at the War Hammer. The old woman looked at it but did not touch it. "Anchient this is, made long ago for one of the greatest warriors of the time. Father Sky was proud of this warrior and through great magic was it created from a falling star. Even the leather bindings that wrap the wooden haft and lash the stone to it was cured and tanned with magic so that it would stand the test of time itself. " she said.

She looked up at Tryton eyes seeming to bore into his very soul. Then as she sat in her throne like chair, she bowed at the waist to him. "Father Sky has given this mighty hammer to you Tryton, son of Hector. Only he that is deserving shall wield the mighty hammer of the sky." she said as she moved her hand over the writing on the hammer but not touching it."

She looked over at Silver and then at Tryton. "It is a mighty gift, that Father Sky has sent you. It was lost so long ago, that now many think it but a myth. May our enemies now tremble with fear."

Tryton was not sure of what exactly it all meant. Yes he had been told about the ways of his people and of Gaia and Father Sky and the like. But none of the old history that it seemed the old seer was talking about.
+

The Elders, once the old witch had finished talking, began to whisper among themselves as they recounted the old songs between them and Silver listened to it all with a small distant smile on her lips. She remembered the story now in great detail, having remembered Merlin telling her of it. He had used the story as a comparison to her own legend. The warrior was fabled to have been created by the Great Father Sky's very own voice and gathered up in the Great Mother's dust so that she might give him life. It was said that he would come at Great Father Sky's bidding, emerging from the Great Mother, his hammer in hand and protected by the Great Mother's own children, the Dire Wolf. This warrior was much like the Ban-Dia, his name was Athair Ord, or Father's Hammer. His was a legend that not only spanned the generations of this land, but also its borders and seas. His name changed of course from place to place and from story to story and song to song, but his purpose remained the same. Like the Ban-Dia Laoch, Athair Ord was a protector, a saviour.

After some time in thought and listening with old ears, the Seer lifted her hand to silence the room once more, "And so it has come to pass." She said, "I told you once of the ancient bloodline, the return of the lost sons to the land and the Great Mother's embrace. Let it be known this night and forever more that this ancient bloodline, lost and returned has been blessed by our Great Father Sky, reborn from our Great Mother herself under their beloved daughter, the Lunar Goddess." She reached over and grabbed at Silver roughly, dragging the girl to her feet and she pushed her with her staff towards Tryton. "The end of the invading heathens. May their death cries echo for an eternity as a warning and may these ancient bloodlines forever remind us of this blessing."

Silver lifted an eyebrow at the old Seer and cocked her head to one side as she listened to the rallying cries of the Elders and those privileged enough to have listened from outside the tent. "At some point, Tryton." She said in whisper as she leaned over slightly, "She will realise that we are only mortal, so I suggest you find as much life as you can before she throws us both headfirst at the Vikingar hoard."

Tryton looked at her with a raised brow. It had seemed that the hammer he had found was that of a legendary warrior. One that had made a name for himself and had been thought to have been created by Gaia and Father Sky to protect the people. He had been told that his blood line on his mother's side had been old. Merlin and his grandfather were brothers and it seemed that his mother had been a druid in her own right. Was he of such an old blood line? Even though he had accepted that Gaia existed and had seen her, he was still new to the whole world of his people.

He picked up the hammer and the old seer smiled. "Call in our strongest warrior." she said. A few minutes later a large man entered the tent. "Hand him the hammer." she told Tryton and he did. The man took it and it seemed that he could not hold it up, as it fell to the ground in his hand. He tried and tried to lift it but he could only move it an inch off the ground. "Now you pick it up." she told Tryton. He took hold of the haft and it came up easily in his hand. The warrior looked at him with wide eyes and the old woman laughed and the elders smiled.

"You must tell me of this." he told Silver and he opened the tent flap for her. "So what are you suggesting? When you said I find as much life as I can."

Silver exited the tent as Tryton held the flap open for her and she laughed quietly, "I will tell you all I can from the stories and songs, but beyond that, I don't really know. As for enjoying life, it's something I've made sure to do every day since this war began." She looked him more squarely now. "The old witch has them all believing now that you are a chosen one, not unlike myself. Only, you are far more than I now. You are the reborn son of Great Father Sky. You won't just be expected to fight in this war anymore, you'll be expected to lead the entire army and inspire them.".....‏

"Oh no, I am here to train our people, you are the one that will lead them. I will fight with you, at your side, but you are the one that will lead them." he told her. He was not going to take that from her, and as he had told Gaia he was only there to train their people so they had a better chance at surviving and defeating the enemy.‏

Silver laughed again and shook her head, "You don't understand, do you Tryton." She said, stopping to turn and face him, "The hammer you hold in your hand, that is me. I am not a daughter or a child of the Great Mother, I am her weapon. Just like a sword, an spear, or a hammer. You command the weapons of your army and that now includes me."....‏

He still shook his head. "Then like you I am a weapon, forged for war. I do not command you, we command togther then. If I understood the old woman, we are both of ancient bloodlines. One of Gaia and the other Father Sky. So together we will lead our people into battle, fight and destroy our enemies."‏

Silver shook her head again and laughed once more. "You still don't get it, do you." She chortled, "But you will." She then nodded in agreement, "That is the belief, yes. Our mothers came from the original bloodlines of the land, from the time of the first songs. Our ancestors were the first Druids and were supposedly chosen to lead the people out of barbaric ways and into more knowledgeable ways."....‏

"You see, both were to lead our people." he grinned. "I think Gaia and Father Sky has ordained this, as does that old woman in there. He did not want to take command away from her. She had been doing it now for some time and it would not be right. It seemed that word had spread like wild fire. The words spoken in the tent could be heard well outside its thin walls. The people had gathered.

"Warriors of the the great mother and father." they said almost in unison.‏

Silver offered a small shrug of her shoulders and then carried on walking, though her eyes did drift to the hammer and she wondered if the legend really was true and that only the chosen warrior could lift and wield it. Then she heard a chant all in unison and she snapped her eyes to the people bowing their heads at them both. She smiled and bowed her head back at them, "As always, my people." She said to them with reverence, "I am but her weapon for you to wield and destroy your enemies."....‏

The old woman emerged from the tent behind them and again used her staff to smack Silver on the side towards Tryton. It was as if she was trying to tell the two of them something. Tryton looked at Silver wondering if she also felt the same notion.‏

Silver growled some this time as she felt the old witch's staff hit her flank yet again. "Continue, old woman and you lose it, understand?" She snapped quietly as she rubbed what would actually be a sore spot later. The Seer waved it off with dismissal and started pushing them both towards Tryton's tent.
"You two need to discuss a few things and continue whatever it was you were doing when you found the hammer." She told them, giving them yet another push and this time, Silver turned sharply and snatched the staff away.
"I warned you, old witch." She said rather darkly, "Hit me again with this, and I'll take it from you." She then turned it in her hand, made it like a spear and threw it somewhere.
The old Seer didn't take offense as one would think, but instead, she laughed heartily and started kicking at them instead, "Put as much fight into your pairing as you do fighting with me, and such wonders could await us all."....‏

The old womans words cause the people to laugh and smile broadly. It seemed they to had seen something between the two. Now the old woman had actually spoke what many were thinking. Tryton looked at the old woman and then at Silver, raising a brow.‏

Silver also raised her brow and she turned to face the old woman fully, "I am the weapon of the Great Mother." She said, "Born in blood and battle to fight for her and her people. I am made for war, old witch, not for breeding! As and when their war will end and should I survive, then perhaps the Great Mother would allow it, but until then, I already have my purpose!" She then looked at Tryton almost with sorrow in her eyes, but when the old woman started laughing, Silver growled again, actually lifting her hand to strike the old witch if she didn't stop......‏

"Should you survive." Tryton said. "What were you telling me just a few minutes ago." She had basicly told him that they should enjoy their lives as much as possible before the old woman threw them into battle.‏

Silver hesitated and turned her eyes back to Tryton, "Aye, I did." She said, "And it is something I have done every day since this war began." She lowered her hand and turned to face him fully, "And I told you also that I cannot be of use to my people and my land with a belly of pups or my blood filled with herbs for the sake of a moment's pleasure. A mate's touch is something I wish to treasure and keep without fear of him being taken from me, or me from him. This war cannot be that time, Tryton, it simply cannot be.".....‏

Tryton smiled. "That would be if all was normal. But it seems we are not. As for treasuring ones mates touch, is it not more to treasure not knowing what the future holds? Even with out war, one can die of many things. Some only have what seems to be a moments pleasure. But of course it is up to you on that." It seemed the people were expecting it as much as the old woman.

"When the time is right, when she is ready." he told the old woman. "I am not the kind that would force such a thing. That would be against all that I am suppose to represent." he gave her a hard look.‏

Silver narrowed her eyes some, feeling that once again, he had simply flounced her entire line of thinking, but she didn't make any outward notion of it, choosing to look away instead as Tryton then flounced the Seer's views as well. In truth, he hit the nail on the head with his comments to the old woman. She simply wasn't ready, not mentally anyway to deal with such a distraction. The war with the Vikingar had taken much from Silver and she felt she just couldn't handle the idea of losing the life of her mate as well as her own. In that, she was just like the Dire Wolf. Unlike some pack animals, the Dire Wolf stayed with their chosen mate for their entire lives and often, if one of them died, the other would follow, for the idea of finding a new mate just wasn't something they were able to do. The connection was that important......‏

"So let us deal with our enemies and then we will see what comes." Tryton said. "If Gaia and Father Sky has willed we become one, then that day will come. But now we must focus on ridding our land of the invaders and those that are coming." he turned to Silver and placed his hand on her chin turning her head to look at him. "When this war is over......." he smiled at her.‏

Silver tolerated the intimate touch only for a few seconds, for it was clear the entire confrontation had made her uncomfortable and the continuing staring and ogling from the people around them was making it worse. She pulled her chin from his hand and turned quickly from them all, "When this is over." She said as she made a hasty retreat to her tent.....‏

Tryton sighed and looked at the old woman. "We must continue to train and prepare. In a few weeks we will see how our people fare in open conflict with the invaders." he looked at the retreting form of Silver. "It is not time for her yet. Give her the time she needs." With that he himself made for his tent.‏

With their entertainment seemingly destroyed for the night, the people began to disperse and even the old Seer was forced to back down, but she wasn't done yet. "She's had enough time." She said to the retreating Tryton, "She is merely being stubborn, like most women her age."
In Tryton's tent, that fact seemed to be compounded as it was clear he would not see his bed. Silver's sister had taken up residence in it and made it her own to share with her new mate. The large female was sprawled out across the entire thing and she made it perfectly clear that she would not move, not even for the reborn son of the Great Father Sky. In point, she couldn't give a care. This bed, this tent now belonged to her and Tryton would have to find elsewhere to bed down for the night....‏

Tryton shook his head as he grabbed what furs and blankets he could and let the she wolf have the tent along with his male friend. It seemed all were trying to force him and Silver together. But like he had said, he would not force the issue and he would let her decide when she was ready. She may be stubborn like the old woman said, but she was the one that had to realize what she really wanted. He found a place in the makeshift stable for the horses. A corner where he would be dry and his furs and blankets would keep him warm.‏

Silver spent a few minutes wandering around her tent and being utterly unable to get Tryton from her mind. In the end, she found no resolution to it and so left her tent to take a walk through the camp. Passing the stables, she heard rustling that didn't belong to any of the horses and so stopped to check it out. Peering around the corner, she found Tryton making himself a bed in one of the stalls. "What under Father Sky are you doing?".....‏

Tryton had laid down and was getting comfortable when he heard Silver's voice. He chuckled, "It seems I have been kicked out of my tent by your sister wolf. She would not budge and it seems she has claimed the tent as her's and my friends."‏

Silver snorted with laughter and shook her head, "So you're gonna sleep out here with he horses." She said with some sarcasm before she moved forward and started picking up his things, "Come on, you can stay with me." She said, "So long as you don't mind sharing with a few more wolves.".....‏

"And what are the people going to think? Especially the old woman." he asked. "They are all thinking one thing and seem to want it badly for some reason." Oh he would not mind it himself but again he was not the one that owuld force the issue. "This is a better solution to the problem for now. I can always get another tent in the morning."‏

"I'm sure we can share the furs without mating for one night." She said, "And they can think and say what they wish. They have their rumours and we have our truths. Come on, I won't see you sleep with the horses." She gave him a slight kick to make him move....‏

He got up and picked up the furs and blankets and followed her to her tent. He did not feel comfortable about it though. He did not want something to happen that would cause her to feel award or anything else. "How many wolves do you have sharing your tent?" he asked.‏

Silver pulled the flap back and then smiled, "That many." She said as she pointed to the overly large bed containing no less than five of them. "My mother and youngest siblings." She said with pride. Silver's mother lifted her head and then cocked it to one side to see her daughter arriving with Tryton. She gave a low growl and then a yip at the youngest, a small male and he quickly moved to make room. Silver smiled and went to the bed with a small whine and her head down and shoulders low. Silver's mother growled back and swished her tail over the edge of the bed and then lifted her back leg so Silver could crawl in with them. The old female then grunted at Tryton to invite him as she shifted her weight some for Silver. "You're being invited Tryton." Silver said quietly as she made herself comfortable among her siblings. "She won't offer twice.".....‏

Tryton shook his head and laid his furs and blankets down and laid down on them. He made himself as comfortable as he could. Well nothing was going to happen with the young dire wolves and the large female there. So that fear was washed away and he settled in.‏

With a low growl at the insult, Silver's mother got off the bed and loped over to Tryton. She then snapped her maw at him. Silver peered her head over one of her sister's backs and bit her lip. "You'd best move, Tryton, or you'll piss her off." She said quietly. In response to that, the large female snapped her powerful teeth at him again before she reached down and literally put her maw around his shoulder. She wouldn't bite down too hard, but she would drag him into the pile if necessary.....‏

"Alright, alright.." he said and moved closer to Silver. "I don't want to crowd anyone." he told Silver. "After all I am a stranger to them." he brought his furs and blankets. He was now among the young of the mother wolf. A couple snuggled up to him and his furs to share the warmth of their bodies with his and his with them.‏

Silver smiled as he relented and came to the bed with them all. The mother wolf also snorted with satisfaction before she clambered back in and started arranging her young, Silver and Tryton included. "You're hardly a stranger." Silver whispered as she found herself being shifted towards him. A couple of the youngest were also curled up against him, but they did make room for Silver. The mother wolf had purposely put them in the middle for the best warmth as they were furless. "Besides, she remembers you from before Father died. You'll always be welcome with the pack." She snuggled in a little further and then settled down to close her eyes. The other young did the same and the mother soon wrapped her tail over the lot of them like a warm comforter. As it turned out, Silver had been shifted close enough for him to touch, but also high up enough that she could curl around him should she need to move. It put her head and shoulders over him with her hips about level with his ribs and her chest no more than an inch from his chin...‏

As she positioned her self, or the she wolf did, she was quite close to him and it made him a bit uncomfortable. That close and knowing almost every inch of her body from her being naked in front of him, and their run through the forest, was indeed making him a bit uncomfortable as his manhood was hardening and making things definetelly uncomfortable. But he did not want to move, he did not want to disturb the young wolves or their mother. He also did not want to do anything that might make Silver mad, or feel uncomfortable.

He had a feeling he was not going to get much sleep like this. But he did his best to relax and try to sleep. Somewhere and sometime during the night he did fall asleep but with only a scant few hours of sleep he awoke and could not sleep anymore. He slowly rose and made sure Silver was covered by a blanket before he stepped over the young ones and left the tent. With him he carried the War Hammer. He looked up at the still dark sky. "Well Father Sky, what have you in store for me eh. Am I from the ancient blood line of the one they called your son. Was he just a man like me, for I am mortal and not some deity. I bleed, and can die." he spoke to the sky. "Probably sooner then later at that, with what is coming."

He went to his former tent and retrieved his armor and donned it. Strapping his sword on and carrying the War Hammer in his right hand he took out something that had been his father's. It was a long cloak made of heavy wool, dyed blue and was trimmed in fur. This he attached to the shoulders of the armor with round brass clasps. He then made his way around the encampment talking to those of his men on guard and those of the warriors of the people also.

Silver wasn't acutely aware that Tryton had gone until she shifted in the bed and no longer felt his weight there. It felt somehow odd without him and she woke with a heavy stirring and thick senses. Her siblings were still asleep and her other was gently snoozing. Silver pulled the blanket about her and carefully slid from between them all and left the tent. She wasn't sure how long Tryton had been gone, but it couldn't have been that long, for his space had yet to be occupied by another.

Pulling the blanket a little tighter against a slight chill in the early air, Silver made her way through the camp looking for him. She came upon him talking with some of his men on guard. She stayed back while they spoke and waited for them to leave him again. Only when she knew they were alone, did she make her presence known. "Can't sleep?" She asked...

Tryton saw Silver approaching as he was talking to some of the men and hurried up his "Good Job" speech and moved towards her. "No I can't. Guess I am not use to sleeping with so many pressed together like that. What about you. You should still be there sleeping. Just because I can't, doesn't mean you should not be getting your sleep." What he said was partially true, but he felt uneasy being that close to her and not being what he would have liked it to have been. He ran a hand through his hair, now kind of long since he had left the wall. With out his armor he looked more like his people now then before.

In the Vikangar encampment the two had reported to the King. "It was him I tell you." one of them said. "It was Thor himself rising out of the water, with two dire wolves at his side. He held his Hammer and we all know what that looks like. It is an omen. He sides with them. He is angry with us." The King of the Vikangars listened and shook his head.

"Thor would not side with these savages. Your eyes played tricks on you. You let your fears get the best of you and you saw what would frighten you the most." The king dismissed it all. But talk was running ramped among the encampment. Many believed the two, others were skeptacal but yet still worried.

Silver nodded, but she did lift her brow, "I would have thought such a thing wouldn't have bothered you." She said openly, "No doubt you would have had a bed filled with women on the other side of your wall, but I suppose of those were suddenly covered in fur, it could disturb you a little." She laughed some. "As for me, the empty space woke me. I fell asleep with a warm body, but woke with a blanket." She pulled the cloth a little tighter about her shoulders again and took a deep breath before she cocked her head to one side, "Come back." She said, "Even if you can't sleep, you can help me sleep by being there?" She moved to him and pushed her fingers through his growing hair, "You need to rest as much as anyone and at least it'll be warm in the pile, warmer than any fire."...

"A bed full of women." he chuckled. "Is that how you see the men south of the wall." Indeed it would have been nice, but that was far from what his life was. Maybe the emperor or some of the generals might have the luxuary of having a bed full of women, but he had only his bed and none to share it with. Not that he had not had his share of women, but he had not found the one he thought would be right for him. Perhaps that had been Gaia's and Father Sky's doing.

"There is none I have shared my bed with in a very long time, let alone have a number of women to lie with." he chuckled. He didn't think he would be able to sleep, but he would go back and see if he could get her to sleep some more. The morning was but a few hours away and the training would continue. Once back at the tent, he removed his cloak and armor and sword and let her lay down before he settled down again .