Pack (The Ulfhednar Saga bk 1)

Training

When Val woke the next morning, she immediately leapt to her feet. She was startled by her surroundings and her full stomach, the latter being something she hadn't felt in months. What was going on? She thought to herself. Then the memories began to flood back.
That's right. The Ulfhednar. Her stomach fluttered at the thought, wolf warriors created by Odin himself, and apparently she was one of them. She was, by blood, one of Odin's fiercest creatures, honored by him, descended from him. The mere idea of that being possible overwhelmed her. It made her blood warm and her body soar. Only one thing was more powerful and that was the memories of a stranger walking into her life, body decorated in scars and tattoos.
He had taken her by surprise and she wasn't sure how that had made her feel. Surprises often led to danger, the death of those she loved. Perhaps that is  what he truly was, some sort of sign that the end was near. Torstein made her feel out of control which she hated more than anything. Bad things happened when she was out of control too. However, this particular version of out of control also made her feel weightless and as if she were lost in some sort of impenetrable light. Even with that loss of control she held clear thoughts of what needed to be done. Having thoughts of him brought her uncontrollable clarity and that terrified and confused her.
Why did having him around make her more aware?

Shaking off her confusion she decided it was more important to think about what she was certain of and not what kept her guessing. What she was certain of was finding the answers her people needed and more amazing food. Without another thought in the wrong direction she climbed out of her bed, grabbed her weapons and made for the mead hall.
It still stood glorious, as it had the night before. The scent of roasting meat wafted out of the doors, her mouth watered and her wolf yearned for the sweet taste.  She walked in, excited by what was before her and stopped in her tracks at what she saw.
Olaf sat with Torstein, dining on roasted fish and the harvested crops from the day before. They were both watching, staring at Bran who was sitting upright and waving his arms out wide and high over his head. Suddenly he lurched and fell backwards, the blade of his axe clanking against the wooden floor. Val started, heart stopping in her chest. She leapt forward and towards her brother to protect him from whatever it was that pushed him to the ground. She was panicked, until she heard them laughing. Before she close the distance between them, Bran was on his feet laughing with the other wolves. He was okay.
"Hey Val!" He called excitedly, not seeing the distress on her face. "I was telling them about the time that deer knocked me off my feet, totally rocking my brain during my first big hunt, you remember that?"
He paused noticing her expression, she thought.
"You ok?" He asked. She shook off her previous thought and responded.
"Yea Bran, I am good." Pausing, she smiled, remembering something he may have left out.
"Did you mention it was a yearling and not a great stag with a rack the size of your body? He barely had an antler to speak of and he put my great brother into the ground like a pup!" She laughed and winked at her brother as Olaf and Torstein cried out with belly aching laughter, another wolf near them clapped a great hand onto Bran's back while he booked with laughter.
A small laugh escaped her lips at the gesture. Relaxing back on her heels she looked for a place to sit.
"Valdis, come eat. Fill your stomach and celebrate with us. You are home now and we will destroy the cause of your pack's suffering together. That is means for celebration!" Olaf bellowed. He was red faced, proud and every word he spoke came from his heart. He was probably an amazing ruler, she thought. Immediately, she felt a pang of loss. She missed her father. Missed his thick voice and shining eyes. She even missed being in trouble with him because at least then it was because he cared. Now she just felt alone. She was going to fix things for the pack and see her father become that ruler again, she decided.
"I am so hungry, I could probably eat a whole yearling!" She chimed in, deciding that a good laugh would clear her heart of its longing, resulting in that booming laughter again. She smiled in response and sat beside her brother to enjoy her meal.
Once they finished eating, Olaf wiped his mouth and began picking food from his beard, which took on a life all its own, she thought. It was a writhing mass of tentacles hunting for one parcel of dropped food like a hungry sea monster battling a sinking ship. The image almost made her stomach turn. He caught her eye and gave her a smile.
"You two, to put it bluntly, are part of a small sect of Ulfhednar that branched off from this pack generations ago. The thought was that they would be able patrol and defend more land. Sadly, they became too vulnerable after leaving this place." He stopped to take a swallow from his horn. "Something began killing them off, separating them from us. We thought all were lost to the evils hunting them down, but when my father was a boy we learned that wasn't true.  A few were able to hide and settle, creating their own village." Stopoing for a moment, he focused his light eyes on Val. "that would be your family." He paused again, looking from her to Bran.
"We have been searching for you for years, and finally,thanks to Torstein, you're here." He was red with delight, perhaps he wanted a slap on the back for being Jarl when they were found. Surely he would be remembered in the sagas for this!
The information was hard to swallow, however she was piecing it together just fine. This all made sense to her, why she could shift, why the pack existed but no other local village had that same ability. Why she felt a strong pull for the fight to protect her people and why her home never felt one hundred percent like home.
"Please Jarl, continue." She said softly. He smiled wide and bellowed "Fill my horn!" He demanded, "We have much to discuss!"
With one glance she saw several wolves move quickly to grab him drink. A young, soft boy that hadn't seen much yet in his life brought the Jarl a horn so full of mead that it was sloshing over the rim. After a long swill, Olaf began to speak.
"We know that the Allfather gave his eye to Mírmir so that he could gain knowledge, we know of his ravens, Huginn and Muninn learning all there was to learn in the world returning to tell Odin what they had witnessed in their travels. One thing he saw repeatedly was the wolf. He admired wolves greatly because of their pack unity and devotion to each other. Their lives were lived purely, they had the ability to honor the pack, protect and survive. They were brilliant creatures that didn't use their power to take advantage of weaker species." She found herself nodding in agreement. She remembered the stories from her childhood and always admired the native Wolves for their honorable and brave lifestyle.
He took another long drink before he continued.
"As he traveled Midgard, Geri and Freki, his inner passions made living as wolves, spawned their own packs, giving all of the earth the presence of the glorious animal. Seeing this he was happy. However, there were still those that challenged the Allfather. Those that fought with cowardice. Due to this, he decided to create something new. The Ulfhednar. They were part of him and part wolf. They had the ability to change forms and became amazing warriors." Stopping, he smiled.
"That is how we were created. Odin tasked us with protection and in turn gave us this land as a sanctuary. It is safe to live and train, then when the time comes, we leave to fight battles and preserve our way of life, the life Odin wanted for his people here on Midgard."
Val gulped. This was a lot to take in, a lot to believe and take on as part of her life. She leapt to her feet and took up a horn. She needed a drink to wash out the ashy taste left on her tongue. She walked slowly towards the bowls. The simple task of walking was difficult after these revelations. Her legs were heavy in her boots and gear, arms shaking with adrenaline.
"Are you okay" Asked Olaf. He had a genuine look of concern on his face that made him seem fatherly. She absently wondered if he had children.
Suddenly she felt a warmth on her back and a presence beside her, Torstein was there. His touch, low on her back was almost reverberating through her body shaking loose the weighted feeling she had moments before. "Val, breathe. I know this is a lot to take in, but you're strong and you have always known this to be true." He whispered. He was right. Deep down she had always knew they were different.
"I am fine, Torstein." She snapped. Then chiding herself internally for doing so. She hates being seen as weak but she didn't mean to snap at the one person that made her feel comfortable. Taking a deep breathe she spoke, "I understand and I am honored to be part of this, it is the second half of this tale I am afraid of." He looked at her, confusion gracing his features.
Clearing her throat she continued. "If this is true, then tell me, what of our enemies? What were we created to destroy? And don't tell me it was to fight humans because I know Odin wouldn't create a race of warriors to battle humans. What else is there?"
She sat, horn in hand and took a large mouthful of the sweet drink. She couldn't imagine the kind of creatures they were created to destroy in order to protect the old ways and their pack. They must have been terrible creatures because she knew her skills and what she was capable of, let alone a fully trained Ulfhedinn. Perhaps the creatures that attacked them on their trip to Ulferheim? Or whatever it was that was plaguing her pack? It was then that she realized they were probably one and the same.
"Please, continue." She said quietly, remembering that she had in fact interrupted Olaf. She glanced at Bran who was obviously shocked by her outburst. She didn't care, it was the truth and she wanted to know.
"Just like the Gods, we have enemies. Because we are protectors we battle many adversaries, but one, one has us on guard and reeling at all times." Olaf took another long drink from his horn, preparing to speak the name of the God of Mischief. "Loki, seeing what Odin had done, decided that he too needed his own army. One that can battle the Ulfhednar and win. An army that was as twisted as he and could take down Odin and all of Asgard. We haven't been able to learn much about what he has created, but whatever it is, it isn't going to be easy to kill."
"And there is no way to know who is working with Loki." Torstein remarked with a look of complete disdain on his face.
"Olaf, I think I might know what creatures he has summoned." Torstein interrupted. Olaf's eyes brightened at his words. A look of excitement akin to a child receiving a gift, upon his face.
"Go ahead" The Jarl replied.
She vaguely noticed Ingrid. Had she been there the whole time? She had stopped talking to some women that were tending children and came in closer in order to hear what Torstein had to say. The look on her face confused Val. It seemed cruel and cold. Odd for a woman most of them seemed to adore.
"When we were just out of Bran and Valdis' land we were set upon by a creature. It moved like smoke through the trees and rocks as if it wasn't real. It reeked of death and was the color of corpses." His eyes were hard and set on Olaf.
"Did it affect you?" He asked Torstein.
"Not me, but I wasn't that close to the creatures. I can't be sure." What were they talking about? She thought to herself and cursed her parents for not continuing her education.
"It affected me." Bran chimed in. "Whatever it was made me feel weak within moments of its arrival." Both Torstein and Olaf turned to him suddenly, eyes wide.
"How so?" Torstein asked.
"Sick. When I hit the one attacking us, I felt angry and weak. I can't explain it, but I felt awful. I began to lose focus, to lose sight of what we were doing and I was so angry."
"And once we left?"
"I began to feel better, progressively as we moved further." Bran looked down in embarrassment. She wondered if it made him feel weak, admitting to other males how they caused him to ail. Anger flared in her heart, heat rising in her cheeks. She didn't like anything messing with her brother.
"Draugr" Olaf said. Torstein nodded his head in agreement.
"What is a draugr?" She asked. She knew they were terrible creatures, she had seen that firsthand. But the knowledge of what they actually were had evaded her.
"The Draugr are undead. They can be created for evil purposes and are nearly impossible to kill." Olaf begun.
"They are stronger than ten men, they can make themselves bigger and smell of death, because they are corpses, imbued with magic." Magic? How would they fight something this monsterous? "Worse possibly is that they can draw your energy and invade your thoughts with ill will." Torstein's face was grave.
"So you think Loki has sent an army of undead after the Ulfhednar?" Bran asked.
"I believe so."
"To what end?" I murmured. My eyes downcast.
Torstein moved to stand in front of me, lifting her chin so that I had no choice but to look into his gaze. His blue eyes seemed to wash any fear Val had away.
"If they can destroy our bond, the brotherhood shared by our kind, they can destroy us. If we are gone Loki is that much closer to destroying the Gods and getting what he has always wanted. Unlimited power without anyone to oppose him." Anger rose once again and she swore Torstein smiled at her for her reaction. That thought made certain when he whispered "good wolf" in her ear.
"How do we fight them?" Bran asked.
Olaf paused, looking for his wife she thought. "Laila, can you do some research, let us know what you find?" He asked a little wolf with bright red hair. She was a beautiful little creature, one that seemed to catch her brother's attention she noticed. She smiled and shook her head in response to that revelation.