Between Waves and Clouds

37 - Totems

Nuffink was pacing back and forth on the bridge, bitting his nails. Selina and Baby Tooth had been gone for hours and there was still no sign of them. It was getting too long.

''They should alreay be back. Something must have happened.''

''Calm down, bro.'' Zephyr grunted while she was just as pissed off as him. ''Your pacing runs on my nerves. For the love of Gods, just sit down and stay still, they'll be back soon.''

''How can you be so calm ?!''

Nuffink breathed in deeply and dropped next to his sister, sitting with his legs crossed. On the other side of the chief's daughter was Birdlegs. Seeing her friend's anguish, she tried to comfort him with her soft voice that know how to enlight other's mood.

''Don't worry. This witch helped Frost once, why would she decline his friends ?''

She may be optimistic, it didn't help the blond viking. He frowned and buried his chin in his palm, ignoring how his elbow just hit his knee.

''Guys !'' Igvid called out from the railing. ''Something's moving underwater !''

Without thinking, all the vikings gathered next to the brunette, looking down in the water to see the beluga breaking the surface. It didn't took long before Selina joined her. There was a wet and moss-covered rope in her hand.

''Care to help ?'' She asked, gesturing to the rope.

Zephyr bent over the railing and took the cord before pulling it and hoist the small nest tied at it. Selina plunged back into the water before jumping out of it and land on the bridge, splashing the vikings around her. Baby Tooth pouted as she couldn't get closer, even less climb onboard.

Selina was starting to choke as she wriggled helplessly on the bridge, much to the vikings' panic. Nuffink wondered why she even had climbed onboard, until she got her hands on her necklace. She opened the small ice box and revealed her totem. Instantly, a flash of light turned her into a young human woman the vikings knew. Her jade skin was back to a pearly pale pink but her hair and eyes were still the same.

They tried to recover from their surprise, and it was thanks to Igvid they actually did, as she pointed to the small nest and asked what it was. Selina sat up in a jolt.

''Don't touch it !'' She yelled.

Zephyr jumped back at the sudden outburst and let go of the nest she had aimed to open. Selina walked to it and carefully opened it without touching what was inside.

''These are totems.'' She explained. ''Edelweiss made them for you, but you can't touch them yet.''

''Why ?'' Sneezelout asked, creeping closer as he wanted to touch them expectially because he had been forbidden to.

''A totem can only be linked to the first person to touch it after its enchantment. Once the bound is made, the totem will only work with that one person. This is why you can only touch one each.''

Astrid knelt down next to the nest and stared at the totems. They didn't look much, it was only sticks, shells and pebbles.

''How does it work, exactly ?'' The chieftess enquired, curious.

''Edelweiss cast a spell on these objects, the magic will be released at first touch with the bearer. For an enchantress, the totem will turn their tail into legs. In your case, it will turn your legs into a tail. But be careful, the spell will be broken once you get appart from your totem, so you must keep it with you or else you'll drown.''

''Got it.'' Sneezelout said, though he sounded anxious.

Astrid picked up a small piece of fossilized wood, the size of a coin, and felt tingling in her fingers. But aside from that, she didn't feel anything. While she was staring at the object, Selina resumer her explanations.