His Shieldmaiden *Vikings/Hvitserk Ragnarsson/Halfdan The Black*

tólf

It had been a few days since Bjorn and Kara settled in the small cabin in the woods, staying in the wild until Bjorn decided he wanted to go home. Kara had bonded with the wolf pups more and had named them, much to Bjorn's amusement, as he watched his sister adopt the pups as her pets. There were two girls, Kona and Siva. The last was a boy named Vestri, who had grown very protective of Kara within the last three days of knowing the girl. Now, in the early morning, Kara had taken the pups out with her as she went to check her snares, hoping they had caught something. The girls were in front of her, Siva leading Kona down the path, while Vestri stayed close to Kara as she made her way through the snow.

At the first snare Kara was met with an empty line, causing the girl to frown as she shook her head. She reset the snare and moved away from the site, making her way toward another snare that was close by. Kara pulled her cloak closer as she made her way to the snare, smiling widely when she saw that there was a rabbit caught in the trap. The pups watched as the girl shot forwards, grabbing the animal before she stuffed it into her bag before she reset the trap. Vestri sniffed the bag on her waist as he walked beside her, licking his lips as he wagged his tail when a bark left Siva's mouth, the other pups beginning to bark and growl as well. Kara looked up and her eyes widened when she saw a large bear in the distance, the grunts of the bear were heard as it turned to look towards her. It sniffed the air before it gave a loud roar and started running towards her, her hand reaching for her axe when she heard her brother yell, the sound of him running down the hill loud as the bear barreled towards her.

"Kara!" He yelled, watching as the bear whacked Siva out of it's way as it ran at his sister. She rose the axe as the bear closed in on her, bringing the axe down into the bears shoulder before she yanked it out, trying to move back as it rose on it's hind legs. The last thing Kara heard was a growl coming from the pups as they attacked the bear, the sound of Bjorn screaming her name, and what seemed to be the sound of her clothes tearing as the bear's claws ripped through her shirt. 

Kara woke with a gasp as she heard a loud roaring coming from outside, hissing as she felt a burn on her side. She looked down and saw Vestri laying by her feet as Siva and Kona laid on her sides leaving her sandwiched between them, causing her to smile as she ran a hand down Siva's back as she closed her eyes. "How are you doing, girl?" She asked, smiling as the pull raised her head as Kara rubbed behind her ear when the door opened. Kara laid her head down and closed her eyes as Bjorn walked inside, keeping her eyes closed as he got dressed.

"When did you wake up?" He asked lightly when he saw her hand rubbing Siva's back, soon walking over to the bed. The wolves got on the floor and Bjorn sat beside his sister, smiling when she opened her eyes to look at him.

"Just now." She answered, watching as he lifted her tunic up gently. He looked over the cauterized wounds across her torso; four long, jagged scratch marks from the bear on her abdomen. They were swollen and scabs were forming over them nicely, causing Bjorn to nod as he fixed the tunic before standing, offering her a hand.

"We agree no one is going to tell Lagertha you almost died, right?" He asked, grinning as he handed her a cloak made of the bear fur. Kara laughed and nodded, slipping it on as he grabbed her bag. "Now we are going to Hedeby. We will see mother and them I am going to bring Torvi back to Kattegat with us. We have overstayed our welcome in the wilderness." He stated, watching her pull on her boots before he opened the door. The pups ran out and she followed, squinting at the bright sun as she walked outside.

"Let us go see mother and get your woman, dear brother." Kara smiled, hugging Bjorn's arm as they left the cabin behind them to make their way back to Hedeby.

The siblings were walking in the woods, making their way through the trees when Bjorn slowed and grabbed his sister as he looked around. She looked up at him and frowned, watching as he took in their surroundings. A branch snapped and Kara straightened, watching as the pups stopped moving, all looking in the same direction as Bjorn as he pulled out his axe. He gestured for Kara to stay before he ran forwards, looking around to see if there was anything there when someone jumped out and swung a sword at him. Kara gasped and covered her mouth as she watched Bjorn jump away.

"Kara! Get away from here!" Bjorn ordered, trying to avoid the sword as he swung at the man. He swung again and missed, though he looked back and saw that his sister and the wolves were gone. He heard the man behind him growl and he frowned, turning and swinging only to hit air as the man had disappeared.

Kara could only hear silence as she ran, trying to find a place to hide when something slammed into her back. She turned over and gasped when she saw the man, his sword held high as he went to strike her when Vestri bit his leg. The man turned and kicked the wolf, turning his back to the girl as she stood, raising her axe to strike him just as Bjorn rammed into him. The man and Bjorn fell away from Kara, giving her time to grab Vestri and run away with the other two pups in front of her. As she ran a hand grabbed her, covering her mouth as the person turned her to face them. It was Bjorn, his eyes wide as he lowered Kara backwards. He lowered her to the ground and pushed her so she was under a cover of brush, taking off his furs before he placed them over her as Kona and Siva curled next to her.

"Stay here. Stay quiet." Bjorn whispered, kissing her forehead when the sound of the Berserker laughing rang through the forest. Bjorn turned and ran, leaving Kara there alone as he went to draw the crazy man away. She laid there for a little while before she heard snow crunching under food, a shiver of fear running through her as the Berserker ran past her. He ran in the direction of where Bjorn had gone and there was only silence before the sound of someone crying out in pain echoed around her. Kara hesitated but she stood, leaving her hiding spot as she looked around. Picking up Bjorn's fur, Kara placed it over her head as she walked towards the source of the noise, eyes searching for the source when she finally found it. Her brother had caught the man and had him tied to the tree, fish hooks dug into his face and the same lines attached to the hooks were used to tied his hands behind his back around the tree. Vestri limped beside the girl, sitting when she stopped to watch as Bjorn tortured the man.

"Who sent you?" Bjorn asked in a low voice, wagging a ring at the Berserker. The crazy man onto growled, refusing to tell Bjorn. Bjorn repeated the question as he raised the knife, waiting for an answer. When one was not given he rammed the knife into the Berkserker's belly, dragging upwards before the sound of the knife being forced through the bones of his ribs made Kara shiver. Bjorn reached inside the man, pulling out his insides before he turned, shaking off his hands as he saw his sister standing there. He pushed the ring onto his finger and walked towards her, wiping his hands off on his pants before he knelt before Kara, wrapping his arms around her. "Are you okay?" He asked as he pulled away, smiling when she nodded before she pulled off his furs, placing them on him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He smiled and patted Kara's head, kissing her forehead before he stood completely.

"I am fine, do not worry about me. Now, let's go to Hedeby." He declared, placing a hand on her shoulder before they turned and resumed their journey, making their way to Hedeby once again with the wolf pups walking in front of them the entire time.