Reunited Kin

Summer, Year 760 of the new age
Blackwood, Near Rabbit River
Featuring: Skoll and Hati

Hati

The young stag hadn’t stirred after one hour. The ravens surrounding him in the trees had begun to grow weary, normally when one of their own fell from a hit and didn’t move meant they were dead, yet they could still feel their master’s breathing, so why was he not awakening? One of the ravens, Hati’s favorite when it came to possession, flew off his branch and landed lightly on the unconscious stag’s shoulder, walking from side to side looking for any sign of movement. Doing this usually woke up the dark stag yet this time he didn’t even got an ear twitch. Something was not right and they did not know what to do in this case.

The raven blinked at the stag before it began cawing, the rest of the murder soon joining in. perhaps the noise will wake their master. If he didn’t then nature will go as it should and they will eat the corpse.

Skoll

Skoll was on patrol near the Oakfern border with some other stags. They had separated to be able to check even more possible tunnels were the despicable pests from Oakfern could sneak in and so Skoll was on his own, or better, mostly.
Hagen had recently taught him to use spirits as scouts and he had indeed found it very handy, his most trusted spirit turning out to be a white wolf, that obeyed his every call and wish. Skoll sometimes wondered, if it was the possessed white wolf he had killed long ago, when fighting Gollun after his step-father had killed his son and that was why the animal’s spirit felt so oddly attached to him. Then, however, he always brushed this thoughts aside, that was past.

His ears twitched, when he saw the ghostly shape of his spirit come through the bushes, ears perked, tail held high, a clear sign he had found something.
“Show me.” he told the wolf and the spirit leaped off noiselessly again, Skoll close behind. The wolf lead him to the river, when suddenly a chorus of corvid calls broke out, making Skoll’s brows narrow, what was happening here? He kept following his spirit, when suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks.
They had reached the river and down, still halfly in the water lay the shape of a fawnling. The spirit was standing beside it, head thrown back in a noiseless howl, while the ravens cawed and screeched all around. Yet it was not this sight that made Skoll’s heart suddenly race, something like this wasn’t that unusual a sight in Blackwood, it was the fawnling down there that made his chest suddenly grow tight in fear. He knew him! He knew him like he knew himself!

“HATI!” Skoll called, flying down to the river, shooing away the ravens and grabbing his brother, pulling him out of the water completely.
“HATI! HATI? Can you hear me? HATI!” he yelled at the stag, bringing his nose to his throat, thank the Mother, there was still a pulse! Carefully he kneeled down and pushed his forelegs against Hati’s side, to get any water out of his lungs. The Mother couldn’t have him, not yet!

Hati

‘HATI!’

His head throbbed. Who was calling him? Couldn’t they keep quiet?

’HATI!’

‘Fine I’m up I’m up’ the stag thought to himself as he slowly opened his eyes only to close them shut again. Everything was so bright and blurry and his head hurt like someone had thrown a boulder at him. Why did it hurt? All he remembered was...the Oakfern what happened with the Oakfern?! His eyes shot open at the sudden memory. He had been defeated by a rat! He shot up to his knees as fast as he could, anger and shame surging through him.

“Son of a fu-!” he stopped cold, like he had seen a ghost.

His gaze had fallen on the one who had woken him up. It wasn’t the Oakfern, it wasn’t his ravens, it wasn’t his cousin, it was someone he had once let down, someone he hadn’t seen in years, and the last fawnling he wanted to see him in this state.
Hati gulped loudly and slumped on his spot, looking away, feeling like a little fawn again. He hadn’t planned their meeting this way, not after being unable to help his brother in his time of need not once but twice, not after being defeated by one of those fawntakers. His eyes looked at the ground guiltily, his brother was the king now, yet Hati was still as weak as before, if he couldn’t defeat a single Oakfern then he was not worthy of seeing his brother.

“It wasn’t supposed to go this way” he muttered to himself and his favorite raven swooped in and landed on his shoulder, the small weight didn’t give Hati the comfort it normally did.

Skoll

Skoll felt Hati stirr underneath his pushes in try to wake him up again and then his brother awoke with a gasp, rolling to first lay on his belly, then sit up. Skoll also jumped back to his feet, watching his brother and not able to hold back a smile and a relieved sigh, when Hati first cursed at him, just to stop dead in his tracks, when he saw it was no enemy he was facing, but Skoll.
“I’m also glad to see you again, brother.” the dark stag smirked somewhat and it was true. He hadn’t seen Hati in what felt like forever. He had never really known why his brother had withdrawn himself so much lately, but he also never had wanted to push him and force his company upon him, it was Hati’s decision, after all, if he wanted to see his brother or not. He had regularly asked Varr about Hati’s well-being, but other than that left him in peace. He probably would have prefered meeting him again in a less dramatic way, but he still was glad to finally see him again and most of all, alive!

Skoll twitched his ears somewhat at Hati’s words,
“I suppose so.” he said, “You can thank your birds and my spirit, otherwise the river might’ve pulled you back in at some point or your little friends might’ve made you into a feast.” he spoke, briefly motioning with his head towards the ravens, “But what by the Mother happened, anyway?”

Hati

“Heh” he let out a small laugh and glanced at his ravens “They are smart ones, though they will need some predator to open my body first before feeding on me” he honestly wouldn’t mind if they ate him when his time came, then he turned to look at his brother and said more softly “It’s good to see you too,brother”

Hati stubbornly looked away when Skoll asked what had happened. He should tell him, or else he would probably worry too much, but it still hurt his pride to even remember that fight.

“An Oakfern” he said shortly “I-” he gritted his teeth in anger “I was defeated by one of those rats.”

Then he got to his feet, he couldn’t stay down for too long if he was angry. Yet when he finally regained his balance his anger all but disappeared as he looked down at Skoll.

“By Uir,brother, I have grown taller than you!” he exclaimed before his body began to shake with laughter, his tail switching behind him. His brother who had looked so big back when they were younger was now smaller than him, all those old half-hearted tauntings about his skinny body and height had come back to bite Skoll big time.

Skoll

Skoll just gave an amused snort at Hati’s words, looking up at the ravens, who peeked down at them from their perches through clever, black eyes.
“The way they were crying it probably wouldn’t have taken much longer to call a predator here, who would gladly offer them the service.” he said with somewhat of a smirk, “Lucky for you, my wolf is no longer hunting us, but for us.” he joked, motioning towards his white spirit wolf, before sending him back to scouting, with a nod of his head. It couldn’t hurt to know, if the ravens had actually really caught the attention of a cougar or wolf pack.
“It’s been far too long.” Skoll then nodded again, his smirk becoming a smile, when he nodded in agreement, just now that he saw him, Skoll realized, he really had missed his brother.

The dark stag’s ears then folded back, when Hati looked away, he knew that stubborn face, it meant Hati was ashamed of what had happened. When he eventually admitted, he had been defeated by an Oakfern, an angry snort escaped Skoll. Not at his brother, but at the fact he had fought one of the cave dwellers, here, in their land. He had to talk about that with the warriors again, also with the witches, maybe they should place even more curses around the border and have even more warriors patrol. Yet, it was still a long way, to unite Blackwood the way Skoll hoped it would be one day, there were still too many living only by themselves, following only their own little goals and forgetting about the greater good, the promise they had given the Mother and the cave rats knew all too well to use every little hole to their advance.

“An Oakfern? Where was it? Did you come near to one of their tunnels or did he attack you outside one?” he asked, while Hati returned to his feet. His anger however dropping from one moment to the other, when Hati suddenly burst out laughing. It was true, the last time, he had seen him was shortly after Anite had left him and Hati had obviously used the last few years to still catch up on some growing, yet, by now Skoll was beyond taking offense concerning his height, especially from his ‘little’ brother and so he just chuckled amusedly, before saying with a smirk,
“Well, I do hope you didn’t just invest these last few years in growing, Hati.” he joked, “Tell me, what you’ve been up to?”

Hati

“The tunnel is an old one, it’s well hidden so not many soldiers could see it unless they were looking for it specifically” he explained,  he knew his brother was no the King so matters like these would help him “Still sometimes one or two young fawntakers come out of it, probably to show their ‘bravery’ or just as a silly bet. I was about to take care of one of those when an older Oakfern came to his rescue, probably a soldier from the looks of him” then he shrugged “They didn’t seem to be looking for fawns, just a silly amateur trying to show off and an elder getting there before I could finish him.”

The younger rat had run back to the tunnel when the soldier had appeared so Hati could only think that the older Fawnling had gone back to the tunnel too.

“Oh just killing glowing rats” he said lightly, he was too used to killing Oakferns and hanging them from trees now to think about it as unusual “Feeding my little friends” he glanced at his ravens again “And practicing magic...though I seem to have gotten rusty in my battle skills”

Then he looked at his brother, he had grown some muscle compared to the last time they saw each other and he had gained a scar by this nose. “How about you,Skoll? Aside from defeating Anarawd and actually doing something to defend the borders, what have you been up to?” he asked with a smile.

Skoll

Skoll snorted angrily at his brother’s tellings, “Damn cave rats, they are indeed like a bunch of glowing vermin, the moment you chased them out of one of their filthy tunnels, they come creeping out of another.” he huffed with a shake of his head, “Would you mind showing the tunnel to some witches later on? Maybe we can curse the entrance, would serve these little pygmies right.” he snorted, “You will eventually get back to this cave rat, brother, the Mother will make sure you get your chance.” he nodded.

“Well, just not this time.” he then smirked somewhat teasingly, when Hati told about mainly having been out to free the world of Oakferns, “It’s good to hear you haven’t been idle though, even though, it’s even better to finally talk to you again.” he then added with a smile, “I hope this coincidence means we shall see each other more frequently again? You are strong and intelligent, Hati, just what the herd needs.” , he gave a short laugh, “Ah, nothing we couldn’t do anything about. I’d love a sparring or two, little brother and in matters of magic, do you remember Hagen? He has become impressive with his magic, maybe you should talk to him, he might be able to help you become even stronger.”

Skoll shrugged a bit,
“I’m just a humble servant to the Mother and will keep trying my best for the herd, as long as She and they will have me.” he nodded, “There is still a lot to be done, I think.” he added with a bit of a deep breath, followed by a smirk, “Well, aside that I found a mate. She is strong and independant and beautiful and I have two daughters, who I’m sure would love to meet their uncle.”

Hati

‘I hope this coincidence means we shall see each other more frequently again’

Yeah, he would like that. Perhaps it was time for him to return to the main herd again and with his family.

“Yes, I believe it is time for me to return to the main herd, brother” he said with a smile, he hadn’t been near the herd for a while, he wondered what had changed. “Hagen?” he took a moment to think, he had a fleeting memory of a stag with a wounded leg but that could have been any other Blackwood stag “I’m afraid I don’t remember much of Hagen, brother, but if you believe he can help me train then I will look for him”

Then Skoll went on to speak about his mate, a Blackwood doe and his two daughters. Hati couldn’t help but feel happy that Uir has blessed his brother with two fillies as well as a doe worthy of him.

“I’m an uncle again” he said lightly, his tail twitching behind him happily “I would love to meet your new family, Skoll, if they would have me.” then he shifted a little on his hooves his dialect unconsciously but very slightly switching into an older one “Is there anything that has changed in the herd that I should know about, Skoll? I may have visited the herd from a distance but news get to me slowly so any new laws that you have made have not fallen to mine ears”

Skoll

His brothers words made a smile appear on Skoll’s lips, he was indeed very glad to hear this, not only because he just realized, he really had been missing his brother’s company, also because he knew his brother was an able stag and Blackwood definitely could use every able stag and doe it had.
“I’m very glad to hear that, brother! We need to eat some fermented fruits on that!” he nodded, followed by a chuckle, “By now you’re definitely old enough for those.” he winked teasingly.

When Hati told about not remembering much of Hagen, Skoll shrugged a bit,
“I can imagine that, you were fairly young still and I don’t think you two ever actually talked, but you definitely should seek him out. He was a great tutor to me and I’m sure he will be a great tutor for you too, if you bring him a mushroom or two, an even better one.” Skoll chuckled.

The dark stag nodded somewhat thoughtfully, yet smiled the same time, even if there was a hint of sadness within it, like every time, he thought back on Fenrir.
“Indeed, you are. This time of two beautiful, feisty fillies of pure blood, they definitely will become great witches and fighters.” he sighed some, “I went to Glenmore a while back to make amends with Fenrir’s spirit, I think this chapter is finally over.” he admitted.
“Oh, but they will love you, Hati! Nira is a talented witch, I’m sure there is much you two can talk about and the two witch-princesses always love a new playmate to torture.” he laughed.

At his brother’s next question, Skoll considered for a moment,
“Not much. I asked the stags to stop raiding for the sake of breeding only, I feel sorry for the weak halfling fawns left in the heretic herds until they are old enough to return. Only strong does, who really want to drop their false gods and rejoin the Mother should be brought to Blackwood, I think. I also increased the patrols along the Oakfern borders, as you probably noticed, but there never can be too many fawnlings watching for these little pests and trampling them, the moment they surface from their filthy caves.” he snorted.

Hati

Hati laughed with Skoll, happy to finally be back with his family for a change.

“I’ll make sure to seek him out, brother” he said in regard to Hagen, he himself had found a few herbs that shamans liked to use here and there, perhaps that would be enough for the stag.

Then Skoll spoke of his daughters,his nieces, but Hati didn’t miss the hint of sadness that glinted in his brother’s eyes. He had never truly met Fenrir but the fact that he had been killed for nothing by his own half-brother and his mother’s murderer still angered him. Still the thought of two fillies made him push the anger away.

“You have truly been blessed by Uir then brother, fillies are rare in our kingdom, for you to have two, the mother must truly like you” he grinned.

Still the talk about the new decree made Hati’s ear drop ever so slightly in thought. To stop raiding? He understood that raidin normally meant bringing does with weak character to the herd but it was more of a necessity than some hobby.

“Brother, are you sure about this?” he asked his voice serious, he had been a raider himself once and he knew the reason he had done it “We raid because of the little number of does we have, I understand that it is good to keep the blood pure but think about it Skoll, if we didn’t raid Uir’s blood could die out completely or worse we may even turn like those Glenmores”

For the Mother’s kingdom to turn like that of those disrespectful Glenmores. Hati would have none of it. He knew Skoll’s intentions were good but he seemed to forget that they raided for a reason. Still he waited patiently for his brother’s reply, perhaps he had a plan about this, maybe there was a reason he was doing this other than just to lower the number of half-bloods, so Hati waited patiently to hear his brother’s words.

Skoll

Skoll smiled humbly with a little nod, when his brother congratulated him to his two fillies and how it must mean he was in the Mothers favor, if she gifted him with two healthy and strong daughters.“it seems like it, only Ùir knows however, she put me through enough too.” He spoke with a bit of a bitter hint for a moment clouding his smile. It was true, the Mother sure had made sure to show him the hardship of life growing up, Skoll knew Hati knew best of all others. Yet times seemed ready to change and being reunited with his brother finally definitely was also something Skoll had been hoping for, even if he still did not quite know, why his brother had withdrawn from him like that for the last few years. He would ask him eventually, but not today.

When the subject came to the changes in the herd that had happened ever since Skoll became king, the dark stags ears folded back a bit, when his brother voiced his concern about their future without any raids, a bit of a snort escaped Skoll, he had heard some others voice the same concerns already and slowly he was developing the feeling, he maybe should call the herd for another meeting as rumors, like they often did, had twisted his genuine plea to the herd and some explanation and elaboration might be due, as many seemed to have understood him wrong.

“No brother, you misunderstood me.” He said with a slight shake of his head, “By Ùir I would never ask the raiders to completely stop their business! As you say correctly, we need them to make sure our bloodline survives, but while you have been gone many stags forgot the true nature of raiding! They went to other kingdoms and mated with does randomly there, I even heard some forced themselves upon does and left them in these heretic lands, where their children were abused, harassed and mistreated, forced to grow up under nothing but hostility with their weak mothers not able to protect them. What I ask from the raiders is to take their business seriously, to pick the does carefully! Only strong and cunning does willing and able to survive and honor the mother should be brought to our lands, where their children can grow up to be strong and be properly raised in the name of Ùir and not mistreated, because of the mindless lust of a stag.” He spoke, followed by twitching an ear hopefully, “You do understand, Hati?”

Hati

Hati hummed as his brother explained what he meant. Yes, he understood. During his time away he had seen too many raiding parties come back with wicked smiles on their faces yet no does with them. He glared at the thought of them, to disrespect Uir’s words and come back feeling prideful, what had Anarawd been doing during his reign?

“I understand, brother” he said finally “Perhaps you should explain that to the rest of the herd too before wicked tongues dance and twist your words. Indeed too many Raiders have strayed from the Mother’s words. But I’m sure that under your rule they will get the punishment they deserve for leaving their own young to die with the other herds and forcing themselves on does.”

Then he sighed heavily and shook his tail lightly.

“But enough of that, we haven’t seen each other in years and I have new family members to greet and a teacher to look for” he said grinning “Will you show me the way to your den,brother?”

Skoll

A sigh of relief escaped Skoll, when Hati said he understood his intention now, followed by somewhat of a chuckle at his brothers words,
“You know the herd, Hati, no matter what I say, there will always be ones, who will twist and turn my words around.” he rolled his eyes somewhat, “But having you on my side, dear brother, already is a great relief to me.” he nodded honestly.

“Yes, I will probably speak to them again, the Queen has been very elusive so far, I hardly had a chance to speak to her, I keep having the feeling she is following her own goals more than those of the herd, but I shall wait until this rut is over and see how things progress, before speaking up to the herd again, one has to give his people a chance first after all, don’t you think?” he said, accompanied by a little nod. He no longer held any hard feelings towards their former king, he had realized this past year, it was far easier to speak about being king, than actually being king. Yet, he was willing to keep trying his best for the herd and bring them nearer to fulfill their promise to Ùir.

A smile then reapeared on his face at Hati’s next words,
“That is true.” he snorted, “Come on then, I shall lead you to my den and there we also will take care of your wounds.” he nodded, before motioning for his brother to follow.