Hoops and Vikings Part I

The cold breeze bit deep into their skins as they paved slowly through the thick snow. Two men known for their exploits in unearthing mythologies, it would have been a mystery if they had ignored this very one. Finding one myth that would hang up in their wall of discoveries proving that it's not just a myth. THE VANDOLSK. It probably was the reason for their motivation to embark on such a journey through the harshness of the icy winds of the northern hemisphere across the lands of Brondx and Sessis. The reminiscing would stop as they stood alone right in the middle of the snowy woods with little or no footprints except theirs underlying through the grey of the already snow covered mountains. A loud roar some distance and it was enough to urge them to stop and cautiously watch their next steps. Something bigger was with them there no doubt or could it be the VANDOLSK? Or was it just another bear like the one they had encountered a while ago?. With a sigh that let out a puff of smoke from his mouth, Vandorr Brensk squeezed his gloved hands to wake them up as the cold bit them into hibernation. The cold breeze howled more this time suppressing the already frightening surrounding into a cringy aura. "What's this feeling?!" Armando Indie asked in a cool voice as he looked around, wriggling the snow off his full brown beards. "One that makes you regret ever coming?" "C'mon ! Armando it's too late now..." Vandorr said staring at his hands suspiciously. "Don't be silly, Vandorr. I alone took down the hairless Yeti of Zaroboa. I can take care of myself don't you think?!" He replied him with a scoff letting warm air wheeze from his snow flaked mouth. "And while we reminisce on past glory, let us beware of this mystery charging at us literally!" Vandorr said sharply as he pulled out two revolver guns from their holsters hanging from the sides of his thick black trousers. His leather coat swung immediately as he pulled and without hesitation, fired some rounds at the charging creature. A pale one that took the resemblance of the mix of a man and a mountain lion, it's eyes shone red as it roared louder and charged forward faster. "No one told me the VANDOLSK was a werewolf?!!" Armando said out so loud as the gunshots seemed to overwhelm the absolute silence of the surroundings. "I'd be damned if this was a werewolf, Armando! God forbids this abomination!!" Vandorr replied as he walked briskly towards the charging creature some distance away still shooting at it, It shrieked in pain but seemed to not be bothered by the assault that it roared even more as it's eyes grew wider and redder, this time jumping from one tree to another in order to dodge every bullet that it became really hard for Vandorr to keep up. The VANDOLSK charged relentlessly changing directions faster than before that it was only a matter of time that it would get to closer as the distance between them had reached just a few metres. With Vandorr being the one in front, it was only logical that he would be first to experience the undying wrath of a creature that took a grudge. His bullets seemed to be useless as the VANDOLSK dodged every hit with swiftness and in a blink of an eye, it stood face to face with him leaving the only space between them enough to feel its warm rage. He grasped at the VANDOLSK's hand as it grabbed him by the neck and pulled him up some considerable height that his feet dangled carelessly in the air. "Armando....a little help here.." He managed to say through stutters of little breath he could rummage. The VANDOLSK stared at him as though he were strange, bending its neck from left to right like it had never seen such a strangeness before. Something would happen that would become a mystery for these two explorers, something that would have them rethink their already made up thoughts, that will alter their sheer will - what it was?! No one knew for sure but it was likely as it would turn out to be that the actions of the other man would decide the fate of who won this already lost battle. "Armando! Any minute now!" Vandorr gasped more at the tightness of the scaly hand around his neck. Armando's knife had hooked itself on his belt leaving to struggle to pull it free but it stucked on. "Just one minute! In what possibility of events is this even acceptable??" He grunted as he pulled the knife harder out of his crook edged design belt made of almost steel. The creature fidgeted immediately at the sight of it. The Knife on Armando's hand. As though terrified, it dropped the already choking Vandorr and prepped backwards letting out groans and shrieks of uneasiness and undying agony leaving the two men there, standing in confusion at the absurdity of things that was happening. "Of course, it's the Knife!" Vandorr said sharply as he massaged his neck softly whilst staring at the Knife in Armando's gloved hand. "Your knife is forged from silver. Am i right?!" He asked again this time stepping slowly towards the VANDOLSK. "Of course, Forged from the steeping silver outcrops at Enliecht. It's one of the finest in the entire--" "That's good to hear, Armando but can i see it?!" Vandorr cut in, he knew what was to happen next, Armando preffered to wabble on about things like his successful forgery quest or even more his battles with the Yeti, it was even terrible because he had to do it at a very wrong time. "Maybe if you speak nicer sometimes i would give you things" Armando spat with irritation as he handed over the knife with contempt. "God has favoured us today! We might become gods after this Armando!" Vandorr had ignored the reaction, his enthusiasm spoke all. He had soon approached the VANDOLSK cowering in fear, without hesitation and with the rage of an angry bull, he charged at it and dug the knife deep through the creature's bare chest and watched it give its final wail soon that its body grew limp and lifeless ,laying dead in the thick snow. "Who could have thought...?!" Armando Indie stared at the lifeless creature as it laid on the freezing blanket of snow, he could see all its bod feature now, the hairless round head, slits for nostrils, long ears protruding on both sides of its head and an overall pale skin. He had not finished with his reviews when something else happened, the creature had began to morph into something else, the form of a human. It had become a woman lying n***d on the snowy ground with a green shiny object in the shape of a small diamond pendant in her hand. "Should we be touching that Vandorr?!" He said again sternly as Vandorr had crouched to take a look at the attention seeking object. "I'm sure the Yeti of Zoroboa will agree more. If only you knew what you killed that night" Vandorr Bresk said with huff of smoke escaping his mouth through his bushy brown beard. It was going to start, the mockery. He knew for sure that Vandorr would resort to it and now he regretted even talking about it "Don't you dare take that one from me..!" He rubbed his hands together trying to keep them warm. He didn't have a beard like Vandorr but a moustache stuck on his evenly smooth face. "What is it..?!" He asked as Vandorr held the pendant in his hand, carressing it carefully as he examined it. "I have no idea, the right question should be why a very ugly creature would turn into this beauty" Vandorr replied as he stood to his feet. His full brown beard was already full of snow as it had started falling again. "I'd have blushed if I hadn't seen a werewolf become human as well or even a human become a two headed Chimera.." Armando put his knife in it's sheath, he was already bored. "We aren't going to leave her here right?! We should bury her" Vandorr turned to him. "The snow will..." He heaved a sigh and walked away.There was no way he was taking up that responsibility but for sure Vandorr would. "Armando...bloody hell! Look!" Vandorr beckoned to him as something unusual was happening, the wound from the stab earlier had begun to heal and the once lifeless girl had coughed back to life. Armando hurried back, bustling through the thick snow to see what had happened. "What the hell?! You've got to be kidding me!! We should kill her again, she could be dangerous" He panted, struggling through the thick snow which for some strange reason were almost knee deep. "And what sort of man would you be?!" Vandorr stared at the girl, still in her early twenties from his guess as she sat up immediately staring left and right in confusion and terror, maybe he had been expecting Armando to say something like that but the surprise on his face brightened at what was happening. He had hit a spot on Armando as he left him speechless. "Let's help her up! The cold even frightens the bears, how much more humans" He said as he bent down once more to help her to her feet. Armando grumbled but soon lent a hand. She stared at them with fear, muttering words that couldn't be understood. "Come now, we won't hurt you" Vandorr said stretching his big hand to her. "Where would we put her then?!, the sledge is two miles out from here" Armando asked as he supported Vandorr in lifting up the girl on his back "I must remind you that she is a shapeshifter, Vandorr" He said again with a weary suspicion in his voice. "Until you show me a better way, make sure our journey back is worth going" Vandorr responded with a snort.