Running Ember: Wolf Shifters of Norse Lore

Chapter Two

Hati looked around, wanting to be a part of everything. Seeing humans and Vargr stand side by side upon exiting the ferry had excited him greatly, and he just wanted to make all the kids feel safe again now that the shading had fallen. It had dimmed the mood, and the many Warlords had frightened the Regional Mother and both human and Vargr parents.

Rasmus was doing his thing around the shooting tents, gathering quite the crowd of little ones. Hati wanted to be a part of their excitement.

Vivi, Finn, and his Alpha mate, Lukas, were chatting up the band by the stage, and Hati wanted to go join them to help raise the party.

Kids were now occupying the bouncy castle, and Hati wanted to try the slide with them. He’d have to shift to his human form, of course. Most of all, he wished Cristel could have been there with him to see this open community, but she had to help Tanja and Sanne and take care of little Charlotte. Hati missed them, and the newly forming bond to the little orphaned half V?lsung pup tugged at him to come home. But he was here to secure her a future that allowed for the unity he witnessed here.

He also wanted to be with his mate, who walked around with the mayor and Regional Alpha Kjell, while Maya and the mayor’s wife had gone off to see to food and extract for Sleipnir.

His indecision meant he stood in the middle of it all and looked around, lost.

“Alpha?”

Hati turned to find a Bitch watching him. “Yes?”

“My name’s Belinda. I’m Kjell and Maja’s daughter. Would you like me to show you around?”

“I’d love a tour.” Hati looked around. “I’m mostly curious about your thoughts on a party.”

“Why we throw a party for you?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Belinda smiled. “Well, the rise of the legendary wolves is a big deal.”

“Ugh, I know.”

“Ugh?”

“Fame was never something I looked for, but I do enjoy the attention I get from pups who want to play.” Hati turned to look at the bouncy castle, his heart filling with joy at the sight of humans and pups playing together. “That.” He pointed. “That’s my ember’s dream for all children, pups, cubs, kids, all of them. Playing together.”

Belinda stepped up close to him. “And that’s why I’ll run with you, too.” Shading burst forward and left everybody quiet for a moment. “I’m not fond of that, though...”

“I get it. No one is.”

“I don’t like feeling blind and deaf.” Belinda turned to look at Hati. “As his mate, how do you feel about that side of him?”

“Thankful.” Hati’s answer clearly surprised her. “Less Alphas die obtaining the means for all our prosperities.”

“So you just trust in his senses when your own are limited like this?”

“Mine aren’t limited because we’re mated.” Hati looked up, trying to picture what the center plaza would have looked like before he’d been given sight through Sk?ll’s senses. “We are one.”

Belinda nodded in thought. The shading fell again, and she looked around. “And them?” She pointed up to where a V?lsung stood, looking around vigilantly.

“Take the time to understand them. You’ll be surprised by what you find, I’m sure. In a positive way.”

“I just can’t imagine their...pups playing with ours or humans.”

“They do play differently, I’ll give you that. They’re born with a warrior mentality, and all play is training.”

“Then how can we ever live in peace with them?”

“By respecting that fact. Back home, the V?lsung pups are sometimes tasked with protecting pups.”

The mention of them made Hati homesick to bond with Charlotte. He wondered how much of that mentality was in his adopted daughter, considering her father was a Warlord and her mother had been human. He hoped for something close to Vargr. Like Thyra, but she’d told tales of her dad and siblings, and the V?lsung had been powerful in them. Something like Matt. But that was the Alphas. The Betas had embers and were more like Vargr Alphas. The difference was that their dad was an Alpha, not a human, so Hati half expected Charlotte to be more like a Vargr, yet he planned for Alpha traits. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared, and he was happy he had both Matt and Thyra to help him and Christel with raising the pup.

“Has their presence put too much of a damper on the party?”

“No. In fact, the party was more for humans and Betas and little ones. They’ll see so many of us off now. All Alphas but my mother will run.”

“And the Geri Freki?”

Belinda flashed a tight smile. “Let’s hope Alphas Geri and Freki can help there.”

“Is it bad up here?”

She shrugged. “Want a beer with that story?”

“A soda, but you should have a beer if you want.”

She showed the way, and Hati followed, more than aware that many seemed to want to talk to him. A group of teenage Vargr stood huddled together, whispering and goading each other to see which one of them dared go up and say hi. Hati grabbed Belinda’s arm and turned to walk up to them, and the pups looked a bit taken aback.

Belinda chuckled.

“Want to join us for a soda?” Hati asked them.

“Yes, Alpha.” The pups got moving, and one quickly collected a backpack.

To Hati’s delight, Belinda showed them to the beverage tent near the bouncy castle and the excited cries of pups and kids jumping around.

The band took the stage at that point, but it was mainly equipment tests and them getting ready. Hati sat so that he could see the stage, but he didn’t spot Finn on there. Yet, he surmised.

“So, pups. What are we looking forward to the most this evening?” Hati asked.

“The band,” one said, pointing.

“And Bjorn wants to see if he can goad one of you into a fight,” another said.

“And he’s been told no,” Belinda said.

Hati chuckled. “Well, tell Freki that, and he might go provoke him.”

“Or you? Or Sk?ll.”

“We healed on our way here, so we’ll only battle if it’s life or death on the line.”

“You healed?” Belinda asked. “I saw the fight and that you were carried to an ambulance, but...how bad?”

Instead of explaining, Hati shifted to his human form to reveal what his black fur hid. Distance had hidden the scars as they’d disrobed and shifted to disembark the ferry, and it was probably the up-close view that left them quiet now. “Sk?ll’s are worse and newer because he tore a V?lsung Warrior apart two weeks ago.”

“Didn’t Geri and Freki fight with you?” a pup asked.

“Yes, they did, and they’re banged up, too, but not this bad.”

Hati shifted back to his Vargr form upon seeing humans staring uncomfortably at his angry red scars. They didn’t hurt anymore so that was a plus. Now it was merely cosmetic healing, which would undoubtedly take longer, considering the run would take up his body’s energy that would otherwise be directed to that task.

So many of the Alphas bore marks of combat now, and Randr barely stood out among the Alphas he stood with along with Tristan and Thyra, but Thyra’s facial scar was visible even in Vargr form as fur didn’t cover that area.

“Tell me about the band,” Hati said.

“A Beta from our pack is a music teacher, and he has a band, but one of his classes has prepared a few songs for you guys,” a young Bitch said.

“Awesome.” Hati looked forward to that. “Do Geri Freki attend the same school?”

“No, different school. They don’t live on the island. We live on the North end of the island.”

Hati nodded, remembering from the map that the island had a lot of forest up there. “And everybody here knows about the Vargr?”

“Yes. We’ve always been protectors of the area from the wildlife up here, and we might have made our mark because it’s very rare to see bears here. And wolves, for that matter, but those are rigged numbers to avoid poachers.”

“Cool.”

“And we hunt polar bears during winter,” one of the pups said.

Hati looked at the pup. “Nice try. This isn’t Svalbard.”

Belinda chuckled, while the pup broke into a big smile. “They love taking the piss out of tourists.”

A roar sounded relatively close by, followed by a human screaming in fear. Belinda shot to her feet, telling the pups to stay. Hati felt Sk?ll pull him, so he quickly ran to join him, followed closely by Belinda. Sk?ll was on the move, though, and the sensation of the Warlord took over the calmness that dominated when Sk?ll was in his Vargr form and with friends.

Hati sped up and rounded the corner just as Sk?ll made it by, and the three of them ran to where people moved away.

A Warlord stood over a human, growling and drooling on the curled-up figure, and the scent of fear mingled with that of the party and meat on a grill.

“Warlord?” Sk?ll asked.

“If I understand your wishes for this party correctly, then no human armed with a knife may pick a fight with another human.”

Sk?ll glanced at Hati, who smiled and looked at Belinda. “Correct. In this case, it’s called a citizen’s arrest. I’ll get a cop.”

“Let me handle this, Alpha,” Belinda said.

“Warlord,” Sk?ll corrected.

“In that form, he’s Warlord Sk?ll,” Hati explained. “He’s quite adamant about that.”

Sk?ll rolled his eyes at Hati, bumped Hati’s shoulder with his head, and sauntered off. Hati followed, leaving the frightened human to remain pinned under the gaze of the drooling Warlord but in the Alpha Bitch’s custody. There was no scent of blood in the air, so the V?lsung hadn’t clawed him or anything.

They didn’t have to move far before two men in uniforms were making their way there, weaving through the band of curious people who held quite a distance.

“Alpha Bitch Belinda is on it,” Hati said.

“Thanks.” But the cops continued.

Sk?ll shifted back to his Vargr form. “I was being told about the region’s history. It’s as old as the regions in Denmark, and the Vargr have lived openly here ever since.”

“Belinda introduced me to some pups. Wanna come say hi?”

“Sure.”

Hati led the way back to the table where the pups had stayed, but they’d gotten sodas. “We can see the stage from here.”

“Perfect.” Sk?ll held out his paw for the teen pups to slap. “Up to mischief?”

“Not yet.” Hati looked at the pups. “Ideas?”

The musicians interrupted, welcoming everybody. They introduced the mayor, who took the stage.

“Welcome everybody, citizens and guests alike. It wasn’t planned that I started this party off, but we have more guests than we expected, and some of you have asked more questions than could be ignored. Like, who are the ones traveling with the Vargr.”

Steffen, Tristan, Elakdon, Randr, Thyra, and a bunch of Guards joined Hati, Sk?ll, and the pups at the table.

“We’re lucky enough to always have known our Vargr neighbors, yet we know only the V?lsung from history and even less about Sleipnir. Both will run with the Vargr tomorrow, and we’re honored to have you as our guests.”

Applause and some whooping interrupted, and the mayor patiently waited it out, joining in on the clapping and welcoming.

“Citizens of Troms?, please stay clear of V?lsung,” he finally continued. “They don’t like parties, I’m told. Outside that, make friends and show our guests our great hospitality.

“Guests, you may have noticed the signs here and there, but to make sure you all know, the earnings from this party go directly to a new charity foundation set up to bond us closer together as a community of humans and Vargr. And Sleipnir, if they ever grace us with a visit.

“Now, enjoy the party with friends tonight so that you will remember friends in the North as you begin your run to secure us all. We are grateful!”

Everybody clapped.

Hati liked that they’d started their own unity project up here, and he hoped to hear more about how that charity foundation would secure it.

“I notice one thing missing here.” Elakdon looked around, and his gaze ended on Hati and Sk?ll.

“Which is?” Sk?ll asked.

“Very colorful clothes. The Sámi people.”

“I know very little,” Hati said.

“And I know less,” Sk?ll said. Hati clearly felt the annoyance at learning that. “I know...reindeer?”

“Yes, reindeer.” Elakdon chuckled. “The Sámi people are a nationless people of Sápmi, which is an area stretching mainly the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, and like all other indigenous groups, they’ve been suppressed, forcefully sterilized, had their kids deported to Christian boarding schools, had their culture and language wiped out, while their noaidi, their V?lve, were burned at the stakes.” The old King looked pissed. “Unfortunately, I don’t control enough land up here, but I have tried to keep the Sámi from being run over by humans. And mainly failed.”

Hati felt anger build in his mate’s ember, but it was probably responding to the pain in Hati’s at seeing more children’s futures and prosperity threatened. The Geri Freki pups were finally there and playing, but only with human children. The Vargr pups stayed in separate groups.

How were they ever to create a future with room for all? Human history didn’t exactly lend ideas except for how not to go about it. Hati didn’t even know where to start.

Sk?ll put an arm around Hati and pulled him in. “Voice your concerns.”

“How do I change that?”

Sk?ll sighed. “You don’t. Freki!”

Freki sauntered over with an alcohol-free beer in his hand. “Yeah?”

“You and General Madsen should see if you can get in contact with the Sámi people to see if there are Rigr among them.”

“Uh!” Elakdon sat forward. “There’s a Sámi council. I can get that number.” He pulled out his phone.

“But we run tomorrow morning,” Hati said.

“We cross into Sápmi again on our way north in Sweden, and we can make a pickup spot there for anyone who wants to take the Sámi problems to the EU with us,” Elakdon said.

“Sámi, Sápmi, what’s the difference?” Sk?ll asked.

“Sámi is the people, while Sápmi is the land of the Sámi people.”

“Cool.” Sk?ll looked at Hati. “You focus on the kids of all our peoples and the prosperity that’ll see them play together. Freki will test the ranks of the adults helping you see it through.”

Hati nodded, thinking he had something he could do today. “Who’s up for mischief?”

Tristan and Steffen raised their hands.

“What kind?” Elakdon asked.

“Pups aren’t playing together.” Hati pointed.

Elakdon turned to look, then faced Hati again, pouting. “I’ll finish this call and come play.”

“I’ll get Geri to help you out while I talk to General Madsen.” Freki walked off.

“Come play?” Hati asked Sk?ll.

“Okay. A pulse of shading, then we play.” Sk?ll stood and shifted.

Elakdon lowered his phone. “I’ll wait.”

“What mischief?” Tristan whispered, grinning.

“Let’s learn new games and teach a few,” Hati suggested.

“I’ll go see if those shooting tents have balls as trophies. Maybe Rasmus will win one for us so we have something to play with.” Tristan and Steffen got up and dashed toward the tents.

Hati grinned and dashed off toward the bouncy castle to round up the kids.