What's in a Name?

Wait... We're still alive?!? 1613 - 1914

AN: Short chapter warning

As we checked in at all of our homes, heading to my main farm in Norway, we met up with old friends and made some new ones along the way. After we finished all that needed to be done at the farm, we decided to travel towards Russia and the other ocean.

As we traveled for the next 190 years, we've helped out some of my brethren, lupines, and villages that were plagued with walking nightmares that would attack them at any time of day or night.

As we went through Turkmenistan, Varrick and I helped out several family groups of Akhal-teke horse breeders.
Thankfully, these horses were intelligent enough to help us locate the monster that decided they tasted wonderful. Just like the Arabic tribes, the family groups gifted me with a couple of studs and mares to create my own breeding herd. I went to work putting another family group together to take care of my new gifts. My new family was made up of 10 orphan children, 12 teens, and a newly married couple, who all willingly took my last name of Gangleri. Varrick assisted the family to put together a house and barns for wintertime. While I made tents for the family to be able to use while on the move for summertime. I taught herbalism and the healing arts to all the children. I also gained my first daughter, Şemşat Melfinadöttir.

From there, we continued on into Russia, India, Mongolia, China, other smaller countries, and Japan. While in Mongolia, Varrick and I hunted down a small pack of wolf-cat like creatures that terrorized villages day and night. I also gained yet another herd of horses as the villages way of saying thank you. This time, it's the steadfast Mongolian horse or Takhi that I'm gifted with. Seeing as I've gotten pretty good at creating families at this point to take care of and protect my new horses but also aid in the protection of the villages. I left my third son, Sülde Melfinason, in charge. Varrick and I have learned many new languages, cultures, fighting styles, and new herbalist techniques with new healing arts.

In 1740, we decided to go to Japan, but we met with the issue of Japan having closed their border. "Do we really want to go?" Varrick asks me. "Sure, why not? I'd like to learn more about their samurai." I reply. "Well, seeing as we can't get there by ship. How do you propose we get there?" He asks. I just smile and pat Ivan's neck as his wings sprout, and after their fully grown, he flaps them. *Why by flying there,* Ivan says smugly. I laugh hearing the groans from Varrick and Ericik. After we all mount up and Ericik is being held in place in front of me while Varrick has his arms wrapped around my waist, I nudge Ivan. "Let's go, Ivan."

Once we've landed in Japan, Varrick hops off and hugs the soil. *Hey, get me down from here,* Ericik complains. I try to help Ericik hop off of the saddle, but he ends up falling off on top of Varrick. "Oof, get off of me, wolf," Varrick complains. Ericik hops off of Varrick. *Thanks for breaking my fall pup,* Ericik replies with a laugh in his mental voice. I just laugh at both of them. "Alright, boys, let's behave," I say as I'm trying to stop laughing. I have the wings recede from Ivan, who does a whole body shake after they're gone. "Frida, please scout the surrounding area so we can get our bearings," I ask my owl. Frida hoots once and takes off.

In the 63 years that we lived in Japan, we made many friends and learned a lot from the local samurai. We learned the Samurai and ninja fighting techniques. I learned healing from them as well as their herblism. While we lived there, we gained some of the samurai horses known as Kisouma, a short stocky horse that was used to get to battles but not really in them. I create another family to watch over my holdings and horses. This is where my second daughter lives, Tomoe Melfinadottir.

In 1803, we took a ship and traveled to America. We met and lived with several tribes of Native Americans, the Navajo, Sioux, Apache, Cherokee, and Comanche. While living with them, we learned their unique languages during our years with these wonderful people. We had been given new names that all tribes used for us, Varrick was named Wolf Shadow, and I was named Dancing Wind.

I loved taking care of the children for the mothers so that they could go off foraging for the day or do any other tasks that made it difficult to watch over the children. They knew that the elders and the children were well protected with me there. I asked the Shamans and the Village Chiefs what skills they would approve of me teaching the children and anyone else who was truly interested in learning. I was asked to teach them different languages, stories, and songs from my side of our world and herbalism. I also taught healing to the shamans thanks to my centuries of learning different types of healing. Mind you, I learned their cultures, healing, and herbalism.

Varrick learned their way of fighting. He enjoyed helping the hunters with the game when it was scarce by chasing it into the open. During the 73 years we lived among all the different tribes, their horses gained some endurance, stamina, strength, size, and speed, with Ivan being a willing helper. By this point, one would think that I'm making an army of loyal followers with mounts for some unknown future event.

One sad day in June 1876, Varrick and I were getting ready to head east to New York when we felt the need to help out our friends with a battle with the 7th Regiment of the US Calvary. After the battle, I helped the Shamans with the healing of friends who were wounded in the battle. Varrick helped with the preparations to those friends who died during the battle. After that, I walked the battlefield where I sent five of the fallen to the halls of Valhalla. The rest of the mortally wounded I either fed from taking pleasure in their cries of pain as I viciously drank from them or just viciously slashed their bodies to make them suffer as they bled out.

I've found that I don't forgive as easily in my long life when it comes to my friends, for they are here for a blink of my eye, and I must do my best to protect them.

After the burial ceremonies, Varrick and I left for New York. We got there before Yuletide (or Christmas as these Americans called it) started. We found the perfect house on a corner of 5th Avenue within walking distance to Central Park. We lived in New York City peacefully for the next 39 years. I took college courses to start on my Ph.D. in general medicine and alternative medicine, thanks to my contacts in Wakanda. I used part of our house to provide free medical care to those families that couldn't afford it. Varrick and I agreed to slip little trinkets in pockets, baskets, and purses of these people to provide aid where we could. Ebbe and Aksel loved sneaking the goodies to those who deserved the aid.

Sadly, all good things come to an end, World War 1 started in July 1914.

@)--'-- @)--'--@)--'--@)--'--@)--'--