Grey Souls

Four Years Gone

Chapter Thirteen

Four Years After The Crash

"Only the love of a mother can save the furthest gone."

Crackling of the fire and the soft shifting of the woods was all that greeted her on nights like this. Daga sat leaned up against the large log she had moved closer to where she built her fire, her back pressed against the hard bark giving no thought to the way the rough texture of the wood pinched her skin through the leather binding that wrapped its self around her breasts but leaving the rest of her torso both front and back bare. She wore dark pants made from warm animal's hid along with her trusty and warn moccasins that encased her tired feet.

Her thick warn cloak of animal furs laid over the log beside her with her trusty pack that carried anything that held any meaning to her anymore, the young battered warrior gazed emotionlessly into the flames of the fire her mind was so loud and scrambled she couldn't even hear herself think properly.

Her normally snowy skin was sickly ashen, her eyes carried deep harsh bruises under them, her poor body was bruised all over ranging in colors and sizes and she had angry red inflamed cuts and scratches not to mention the infected looking bandage wrapped tightly around her side where she had sustained a serious stab wound days prior. Her hair now went down to her knees in length and was stringy and matted and dirty in appearance, it had lost its shine and silk like texture and had gotten so long with out proper care it had began breaking and splitting horribly but she gave it no thought as she threw it up into a large bun at the back of her head with random pieces falling about.

The young warrior didn't care though. About anything. She paid her wounds or sickness no mind or thought as she watched the flames dance as if they were trying to communicate with her. She simply stared with a blank dead look in her eyes as she let the world fall away and her inflicted mind to drift, much had changed over the four years, and none of it for the better.

Daga was exhausted. She was hurting in every way you could imagine but she brought the pain up to the forefront of her mind and beat the wounds that refused to heal until they began to more bleed and become inflamed and angry. She focused on her hunger for food, for water, for a fight. For blood to be spilt. She focused on her need to return home and her desperation to see her son, to meet her daughter. She focused on her desperation for her loved ones. To see her papa, her ada, her mama, her step mother, Floki and Helga, Sassa and her brothers especially Bjorn and Ivar. She focused on the agony and anger that ravaged her body, mind, and soul. She aloud herself to build a resistance to the horrific emotions and the physical pains not to block them out but to build the strength she needed to get through the situations at hand.

She was tired of fighting so very tired and yet she felt her blood thrum with its lust for it she felt the bear inside her growl with restlessness and unease, she felt her mind flicker with all of the knowledge she had gained through out her life.

She felt her heart pound steadily and strongly inside her chest. That alone was all there was letting her know she was still breathing, that she was still alive.

Turning her head to the side she found her bow and grabbed it before pushing herself up with a grunt of pain. Grabbing her last arrow she had she limped her way into the darkness of the woods and let her bear's senses drift to the surface, she walked and stopped and walked and stopped. She listened intently and patiently as she waited for her prey to make its self known by falling into her path.

Hearing a crack she whirled around so fast she was a blur as she brought her arm back holding her arrow steady while the other hand kept her bow in place but she didn't release the string of the bow. She didn't let the arrow fly.

Slowly letting the bow and arrow down she stepped forward slightly as the beautiful dark grey wolf with light grey eyes that held flecks of liquid gold step out of the shadows. Daga noticed she was a female one who apparently had pups somewhere judging but the heaviness of her breasts that sagged with milk. She was skinny and looked tired and for some reason that broke Daga's already ravaged heart she gently limped forward as not to startle the young mother before dropping to her knees beside her and reaching out softly to let the she wolf sniffed her hand before giving it a lick causing Daga to smile softly down at the majestic beauty before her. Daga gave her head a gently pat before standing again "Wait here."

The wolf looked up at Daga and gently huffed in agreement watching as Daga wondered off further into the woods. She stopped and closed her eyes and listened intently before suddenly spinning out and drawing and releasing her arrow all in the span of a single breath. The arrow ripped straight through the heart of a large older buck who toppled to the ground sideways, he was dead before he ever even hit the ground. Daga walked over to the tree just behind the dear and went to remove her arrow only for it to break in half, the Berserker couldn't help but huff an amused laugh. The warrior broke the arrow head off and threw the wood of the arrow to the side before putting the arrowhead in her pocket with out looking at it. She shouldered her bow followed by bending down and picking the massive dear up and slinging it up and over her other shoulder with out a thought to the physical pain it caused her before turning and walking back the way she came.

Daga was surprised to see the mama wolf still there but smiled like a little girl when the she wolf stood and wagged her tail excitedly "Show me the way."

The wolf took the lead and began walking the winding trails of the woods until about ten minutes later they came to a medium sized cave that was deep and cozy in the side of a wall of rock hidden by moss and grassy greens that grew over it Daga dropped the dear before dropping down to her knees and pulling a buck antler handled knife from her boot she reached down and ripped open the dear before digging through the insides and finding the liver which she cut out and handed it to the mama who took it gratefully from her hand and began devouring it.

"Eat up, I'll be right back." Daga explained softly before turning and going to retrieve her belongings and put out the fire. Once she was back to the cave she was happy to see the wolf mama eating happily, Daga sat down beside her and began to build a small fire which was thankfully a success. Once that was done she grabbed a leg of the large buck and cut it off before cleaning it up and cutting a large chunk off before sticking it on a small stick and holding it over the fire. After eating until her own belly was full she noticed the she wolf had gotten full and beded down off to the side in a little nest of straw and twigs and such. Daga crawled forward solely as she heard little whimper sounds and saw the wolf mama nursing three beautiful pups. One was solid black, one was solid white and one was a stormy grey.

"They're beautiful mama." Daga whispered in awe causing the mama wolf to lean forward and lick her tears as they started to fall. Daga fell asleep against the side of the nest with the mama wolf's head buried in her neck and her arm thrown around her shoulders.

The Princess of Kattegat hadn't slept that good in years.