The Children of Fenrir: Eir

Chapter 13

My stomach grumbled, it would seem my nerves had no effect on my appetite. I pulled my clothes off the branch I had hung them over and dressed. I put my sling on and grabbed the rabbit. Just as I was about to take the path back up to the village I heard voices. I stilled, two men were coming down the path and arguing.

“Someone has been this way, we must make ourselves scarce,” the first said.

“Scarce? Let them come. Lesser gods than the allfather have bound their ancestor. I am not afraid of any Lycan.” the second boasted, earning a growl from the other.

“Your idiocy is not what we are here to prove. Odin only wanted us to gather information.”

“And that we have! The sun pup has found her mate, there will soon be a transfer of power.”

As they passed by me I peered through the branches. The men only wore trousers. Their torsos were hairy and muscular, with ancient symbols carved into their bodies. They had full beards and long, thick braids of brown hair down their backs. They were speaking of Sage and my desire for blood was strong. I was alone, but these were Ulfhednar. The wolf skins. Lycans were able to shift to wolves because of the blood of Fenrir that flowed in our veins, but the Ulfhednar carved symbols into themselves that allowed them to wear a wolf’s body like a second skin. They did not have the heightened senses of Lycans, which is probably why they did not sense me along the path. A Lycan would have heard my breathing or smelled me long before now. 

“You know that will not be enough, who is this whelp? Where has he come from?” 

“What does it matter? He does not appear to be much of a fighter. He’s only an assistant to the healer.”

At that moment I sensed movement to my right. One of the twins, Dagny or Asmund I did not know which, slid through the brush next to me and held a finger to her smiling lips. I sensed the other twin was nearby as well. A bush rustled down the path near the bickering Ulfhednar. They paused and looked at each other warily. The twin rolled out of the brush and sprung up in front of them.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen. What brings you into our fine woods on this day? I hope you come with no nefarious intent?” As she spoke the twin next to me crept up behind them, a knife in each hand, ”For if you harbor any ill will to the Alpha that I have sworn to protect my sister will be required to-”

Whatever she had said was drowned out by the cries of both men as her sister sliced through the hamstrings of one. He fell, crying out in pain. The other one turned towards her and her blades found purchase in his thick neck. She pulled them out and his mouth opened as if to cry out. He fell, blood gurgling up out of his throat and down his chest. She turned to the other, as her sister whistled.

“Damn, Dagny. You’re getting good with those.” Asmund put a spear to the living man’s throat, “Better not try anything if you know what’s good for you.”

“Eir, could you help me with this one.” Dagny called, “We need to stop the bleeding. This is the second time we’ve caught Ulfhednar this close to the village. I would like to question him.”

I rose from the brush and Asmund helped me turn the man over. The cuts on the back of his thighs were clean and precise. This man would not be walking any time soon. I pulled some gauze from my bag and directed Asmund to apply pressure. The man cried out in pain, and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a pleasant sound. Once we had stopped the bleeding I stitched the wounds closed. Dagny had dragged the body of the other man deeper into the woods where the animals would take care of him. She fashioned a sledge to drag the man in on and sent Asmund ahead to bring word of what had happened to our Alpha.