“Kenyak’s Saga” by MikasiWolf (part 2 of 2)

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You’re listening to The Voice of Dog.

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I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,

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and Today’s story is the second of 2 parts

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of “Kenyak’s Saga” by MikasiWolf,

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a Singaporean Wolf Mercenary writer.

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“Kenyak’s Saga” have formerly appeared in the

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What the Fox anthology, published by Thurston Howl Publications.

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His works have been published by FurPlanet,

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Rabbit Valley, Goal Publications among others.

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You can find links to more of his stories

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on his FA or WikiFur page [if this is the second or third entry]

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Last time, Kenyak and friends were driven out of their village in Europe.

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Months later, they were driven out of their new home with the Greenland natives.

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This is getting to be a habit…

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“Kenyak’s Saga”

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by MikasiWolf, Part #2 of #2

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We found ourselves back on the tub we had come to this land in.

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If it wasn’t for the Ruikuk’s courtesy of giving us a head start, we might not have gotten that far.

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For people who were with cub, they ran remarkably fast.

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The boat was just where we’d left it,

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complete with rotten fishnet.

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Once we were well out of bow and thrown spear range, the four of us

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sat on the deck in silence.

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“Great plan, O Unproven One,”

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snarled Velka. “Are you happy now?

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Have your aching loins been thus far satisfied?

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Or do you need another month of them?”

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She jerked her snout towards the land we’d fled. “I don’t

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mind going back.” confirmed Rorik.

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“The Chief showed me things I didn’t know before.”

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“Listen, Velk,” I said.

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“Stop trying to blame me for everything that happened.

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If anything, you should all be thanking me instead.” “Thank you, Kenyak.” said Rorik and Greda. I gave a little bow.

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“Thank you? By the Arse of the Serpent,

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what exactly have you done for us?”

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spat Velka. “If I hadn’t rushed us out of that storehouse to the boat,

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the Picts would have gotten us,”

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I began. “They don’t play nice,

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not with the way they use their antlers to gut their foes.

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Do you deny I saved your tails then?”

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Velka frowned harder.

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“No, but—” “And when we arrived on whatever Gods-forsaken land that was,”

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Here, I jabbed a claw towards where the Ruikuk was,

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“do you deny that the Ruikuk were going to stick us?

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Do you disagree that if it weren’t for my good looks and charm,

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and perhaps that of Rorik’s,

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they would have thrown us back into the sea?

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These people thought we’d been sent to alieve their menfolk problems, and I did my best to play the part.

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The fact they hadn’t had us skinned and roasted

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meant that my performance was more than satisfactory.

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Admit it.” Velka glared back.

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“Admit that you’re nothing but a bed warrior?

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No doubt about that.”

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“Velka, Kenyak did his best.

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As did Rorik,” spoke Greda.

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“Sure, he might have ulterior motives,

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but we have to admit his actions saved us all.

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The Ruikuk have their cubs,

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while we have our lives.

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We were little more than prisoners,

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but we’re now free.”

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And she speaks! That had to be the longest sentence Greda had ever spoken.

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Not unless you counted a drawn-out moan, but that likely counted as a single word.

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The bear was never one for speaking,

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and I had always attributed it to her general witlessness.

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Why else would she be called Greda the Slow?

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Velka’s eyes wavered.

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“Right. But what do we do now?”

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she finally said.

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“Stake it out on our own.

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Live like a true Viking,” I answered with a puff of my chest.

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“There’s so much I could show you.”

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“I’ve seen it all.

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Been there, done that.”

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Velka snapped back.

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A growl built up in my throat as I stepped forward,

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and who should bar my way but Greda,

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arms crossed. “We’re far from our lands, Kenyak.

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We’ll never survive by ourselves.”

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Velka commented.

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“We need to go where other people live,

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and see if they’ll let us move in with them.

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But we’re going to have to earn our keep.”

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“Nothing simpler.”

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I put my paws on my hips.

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“No offense, Kenyak, but it’s not likely your assets are going to be of much use.

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I’m thinking more of

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helping out with their chores like Greda and I had.

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Something you and Rorik are unable to do.”

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I bristled, while Rorik whined pitifully, but again it was Greda who spoke.

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“I heard one of the villagers mentioning there were other tribes to the west of here,” said the bear.

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“I’ve taken note of where the sun set each day, so we just have to go in that direction.”

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She gestured with a claw to an area past the land mass we

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had been evicted from.

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A strip of land loomed far ahead.

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“So we’re sailing with no direction and purpose, just like our maiden voyage?” I asked.

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“Why am I not surprised?”

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“It’s worth a try.”

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“Guess we’ve got nothing better to do.” #

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Needless to say, it was exhausting trying to maneuver the boat towards the land mass which I sincerely hoped would be the end of our journeying.

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We had been evicted from two homes in the space of little more than three months,

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long enough for me to get

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less-than-comfortable over getting milked dry.

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It had all been rather enjoyable,

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and the healer fed me and Rorik copious amounts of herbal tonics to keep our strength up,

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but the fact of the matter was that I,

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like every other Viking

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needed to sheath his sword once in a while.

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As a famous warrior once said,

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“An overused sword will never hold a keen edge.”

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Rorik would likely fight on even if he was totally out of it,

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but I believe you don’t need me explaining why that was hardly a good benchmark for my actions.

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It was late evening by the time we were about 200 feet off the coast of where Greda had said people lived.

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People who hopefully wouldn’t take advantage of two young males in need of tender loving care after having others

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forced upon them with nary a choice.

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Don’t get me wrong,

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I had tried seeking out conquests of my own choosing back in the Ruikuk village,

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but either an overdomineering streak or continuous bad timing

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gave the tribesfolk cause to constantly reject me.

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I was thus satisfied with whatever tail I got,

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even if it was with someone who might have been twenty years my senior.

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The four of us brave Vikings

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huddled together in the center of the boat,

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the unfastened sail our blanket on this cold night.

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In our haste to leave,

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we were unable to bring little more than the clothes on our person,

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which for Rorik and I,

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were no more than leggings. The Ruikuk could be pretty impatient, you understand, so we usually didn’t bother with tunics.

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I made to get cosy with Velka

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—to show her I was sorry, you understand—but a growl and a quick jab down below told me it would be best proposed another night.

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Despite Rorik ripping a haunch of meat off a spit when we ran,

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we didn’t have any food with us,

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so there was little we could do except hope that we could find some berries or roots tomorrow.

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Somehow, I doubted my ability to hunt feral prey with little more than my bare paws and fangs.

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Falling asleep on a boat at night

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had taken on an almost familiar feeling.

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Strange, really, given that this was only the second time it happened. #

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I awoke not to the morning sun,

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but a strange scent that my nostrils picked up even through the fabric of the sail.

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For a moment, I thought Rorik was going at it with Greda after finally being reunited for more than a few minutes,

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but then I would recognize that tang anywhere.

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I gave a deep yawn as I lifted the sail off my head,

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my eyes creasing as Sól,

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god of the sun cast her rays upon me.

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I stopped right in mid yawn.

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Before me were several faces peering over the hull of our boat,

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their eyes bright and curious.

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Their fur was of a dark brown, with small round ears that could barely be seen on the short fur that graced their round heads.

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I gave a yell as I sprung backwards,

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waking my companions.

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When they too looked around and saw the newcomers,

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screams and yells resounded the air.

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The newcomers looked startled,

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pointing their spears uncertainly forward,

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and it was then I realized there were two boats adjacent to ours, carrying four natives each.

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These guys wouldn’t understand any Norse,

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so I switched to the only native language I understood.

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“We mean you no harm.

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We sailor men.

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You not poke us!” I blabbered in broken Native.

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This only seemed to infuriate the newcomers further,

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their fangs showing.

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Jabbering back in a language none of us understood,

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their tone started taking on a fierce edge.

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Their paws gripped the edge of our boat,

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and sooner and later,

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it was going to have to be all paws on deck.

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And by paws, I meant mine alone.

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Velka and Greda had started shaking against each other,

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and Rorik was whimpering worse than the first time he set his tail on fire.

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“Oh, Sweet Odin! Good Freki and Geri!” spluttered Rorik,

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ears flat as he too huddled against the girls.

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“Fenrir, protect us from the evil that befalls us—”

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“You speak Norse?” asked one of the newcomers,

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his spear wavering as he did.

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The four of us froze.

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I then realized I was clutching Velka to myself,

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not that she seemed to be complaining just yet.

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I took what I could get.

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“Já, so we do.” I replied after a pause.

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I didn’t wish for the newcomers to mistake our silence for rudeness,

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not when they were armed and we weren’t.

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“How’s tricks? Is the fishing any good here?”

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Velka turned to me with a snarl.

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“Is that the best you can think of? ‘How’s

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tricks’?” The newcomer who had spoken smiled.

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“Girl, you have to admit your mate’s got balls to remain cool despite spears pointed at him.

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You better hang on to this one.”

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“We’re not mates!”

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Velka seemed to realize where my hands were,

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and smacked them hard enough for me to take them away with a winch.

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“Riiiight,” The newcomer looked at her for another second before turning to me.

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“So what are the whole lot of you doing?

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Our fishermen spotted this boat of yours and our chief sent us eight to take a look.

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Granted, this is the sea,

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but the older otters would say our tribe holds the sole fishing rights to it.”

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Otters. Of course! Our sagas told of a people that were equally at home on Land or Sea.

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It was said that it was from otters that we wolves of the north learnt the ways of the sea,

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and later became the feared fighters others would know us as.

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We must look like pretty sorry Vikings right now,

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without our weapons and gear, and in the case of Rorik and I,

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without upper garments.

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“We aren’t fishing here. We were chased out of our homes,

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and thought we could find a place we would be welcome.”

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I said, neglecting to mention it was twice that it happened. The otter brightened, and with a wave of his paw, had his companions lower their spears. “Come with

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us to our chief. There is much to discuss,” said the otter

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with a twitch of his whiskers.

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“We’ll tow your boat with us.

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I’m Two-Fishes, head hunter of my tribe.

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You are?” “Kenyak, Rorik, Velka and Greda.

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Our honorifics are of no consequence.”

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“If you say so. You people have such funny names!” #

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It appeared that things were finally looking up.

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When we landed on the coast,

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I half-expected to have me and Rorik’s assets checked out,

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but that didn’t happen even as Two-Fishes led us through the village square.

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But it could be the fact that we weren’t species-compatible.

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Unlike the Ruikuk settlement,

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the village of otters were built right over the water,

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with spaces between the planking for otters to quickly surface or submerge themselves

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as a means of travel or search for prey.

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They were a lively people, with a chittering that permeated the air,

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the sound of the waves mixing with the splashes of their lithe bodies through water.

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What would be pathways in an otherwise conventional village

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were boardwalks. I noticed that here, the females were doing the same roles that the males were,

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be it building, fishing, or maintaining the boardwalks.

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I must have been staring too long,

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because one of Two-Fishes’ companions

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caught hold of my arm right before I walked into a gap on the boardwalk.

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“This way,” said Two-Fishes,

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leading us across the wooden path that led into a seaside cave.

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The cave was cavernous, by otter standards,

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meaning two wolves needed to stand on top of each otter to reach the ceiling.

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I couldn’t see any chiselmarks on the surface of the stone, however,

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so the cave had to have been formed naturally.

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Two otters sat by the light of what I would know

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as an oil lamp, running their fingers through the entrails of what could only be fish.

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Unlike the others,

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these two had paint markings of blood and crushed earth,

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and I wondered how often they had to reapply them whenever they decided to take a dip.

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Two-Fishes stepped up to the larger of the otters

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and whispered to him.

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The Chief turned to us,

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his eyes lighting up.

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There was something about otters that made you feel like prancing about in joy;

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be it in the way they walked, along with other mannerisms.

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In the Thaneships,

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and the tribe we had briefly been guests of,

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leaders tended to carry a certain stature apart from the other folk,

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almost as if behaving how others did was a crime.

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But this Chief had none of those frills.

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“Norsemen? Come here, come here!”

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The otter opened his arms in a hug,

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and embraced us in turn.

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Despite his size,

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his head barely came up to chest level.

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Velka looked sharply at him,

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but the other otter at the table, a female,

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came up and accorded Velka and Greda the same greeting,

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alieving her discomfort.

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“Well met, well met,” said the Chief.

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His Norse was impeccable,

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which made me wonder how fluently it’s spoken here.

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“I’m Chief Wallei of the Whalehunter Tribe, and this is my wife

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Chieftess Mattri.”

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A nod and a smile from the female otter.

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“I lead the men, and she leads the women.

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An arrangement that keeps everyone happy.”

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“That’s good to know,”

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I gave a glance at Velka, but she ignored me.

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“So, Norsemen. I understand that you’ve been driven from your homes?”

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Wallei’s whiskers skewed in questioning.

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Velka and Rorik made to speak,

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but I, the spokeswolf for our motley array, cut in.

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“I wouldn’t say that.

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We left because the conditions of our home suited us no longer.

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It was, for lack of a better word,

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getting rather tense.”

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“Two couples eloping after their parents discovered their love for each other!

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Of course I understand!”

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Chief Wallei beamed.

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I raised my eyebrow. “What,

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you think we haven’t heard of your sagas?

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How else do you think we can speak your tongue?”

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“Pardon me, Chief, but how did your people first get to know of it?”

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I asked, starting to get a little confused.

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Maybe the four of us had died out at sea after all,

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only to drift into some Valhalla or Fólkvangr where the natives could speak Norse.

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Somehow, I doubted that.

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“Tell me,” Chief Wallei paced about the cave, brushing off the remnants of whatever he had been handling off his paws.

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“Have you heard of a place called Vinland?”

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Vinland. Vin-land.

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Of course. I remembered one of the countless sagas my people had this habit of telling.

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Given that it was usually recounted after a bellyful of mead or wine,

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no one actually took the tales seriously.

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One of the sagas told of my people travelling to a place far to the west

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after having been blown off course.

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Through the grapes and berries they found there—all the better to make wine with

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—they named the place Vinland,

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with “Vin” being an allusion to wine.

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But the details of my people leaving the place was shrouded in mystery,

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a mystery drinkers in the mead hall

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weren’t too inclined to solve.

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“You may have to enlighten me on that.”

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I said. “And my companions too.”

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Chief Wallei gave a knowing smile,

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and led us deeper into the cave.

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Here, the roar of the sea was louder,

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such that I had to flatten my ears to keep them in working order.

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Chieftess Mattri held up a lit oil lamp

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which Wallei took.

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Here, the light illuminated the paintings on the walls.

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They had been painted in natural colors,

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such as white, brown and red.

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“About twenty summers ago, we found your people sailing off the coast of our land,”

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said Chief Wallei,

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gesturing towards a scene.

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In it, what could have been several longships

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drawn by a six-year-old cub could be seen,

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though I didn’t comment on the artistic style.

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“They were wolves,

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but not the same as the ones further inland.

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We were curious about them,

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and it was some time later that we started trading.

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“Then your people settled in an area.

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There, we continued trade, and soon learnt of their ways.

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They were skilled fighters, that was for sure,

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and many of us wished to learn the ways of war from them.

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But it was not to be so.”

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Chief Wallei looked grave

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as he moved on to the next scene.

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Here, a painting depicted eight figures

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lying stiffly upon the ground.

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“One of the People reported that the Norsemen slew eight of their number,

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and only he survived to carry on the tale.

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It was thus without question that my ancestors decided

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your people didn’t belong here.”

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I turned to the next scene,

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and bit back a whine.

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Several figures, wearing the unmistakable pattern of chainmaille

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could be seen running away from several figures

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brandishing spears, swords

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and kite shields

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abandoned as they fled.

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Their arms were thrown up in fear,

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tails curled between their legs.

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“This looks familiar.”

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confirmed Rorik.

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“I can explain—” I began, but Chief Wallei raised a paw.

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“There’s no need. It was poor judgement on our part.

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Shortly after the Norsemen fled,

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another tribe sent their warriors to seize our lands and fishing grounds.

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They were wolves,

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each stronger than any two otters,

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and it was only when our females fought alongside the males

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that our enemies were defeated,

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but not without great loss.

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We then knew that should the Norsemen have been here,

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they would have been able to counter this threat to our people.”

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Rorik looked about to inquire if the enemy tribe was the one that had so recently kicked us out,

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but I didn’t want him ruining our chances just yet.

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“You could be right, Chief.”

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I said, but Chief Wallei

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hadn’t finished. “It is said

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that prophecies are best found in prey that had travelled throughout the world, and fish is no different.

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I had read the entrails of many fish,

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and they told us that someday,

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men from the direction of the setting sun

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will come to these lands.

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The four of you have been sent to train us in the ways of war your people

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are legendary in!

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It’s not by chance you came as couples,

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in order to repopulate these lands with warriors worthy of your people!”

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“Train us, Norsemen,”

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asked Chieftess Mattri urgently.

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“Train us, and you’ll always have a place with our people.”

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I opened my mouth to deny us being warrior material,

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then realized this could be our chance to start a new life.

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After all, I did have some basic training in spears, axes, and shields,

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the first two of which the otters would be able to provide.

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Velka had been a daughter of a Thane,

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and so would have learnt some of the basics.

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As for Rorik… We’re just going to have to keep his incompetence a secret.

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“But of course, Chief and Chieftess.”

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I said with my most winning smile.

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A smile that had gotten me out of trouble,

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and into bed with many.

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Not that I was trying to bed these two;

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it would be a scandal even among the most open of peoples.

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“When do we start?” #

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Eight years later…

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I sat upon a log that overlooked the Whalehunter village,

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rubbing my hands over the fire as I took in the sight before me.

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In the years since we’d arrived,

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the otters had been more than welcoming.

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It helped that they found my basic weapon skills satisfactory enough to incorporate into their training regime.

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To my initial horror,

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they insisted that Rorik got involved as an instructor.

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As luck would have it, Rorik’s

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impression of a drunken warrior convinced the Chief

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it would be of great use

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entering a trancelike state.

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Something that could be easily achieved

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ever since I showed the otters how to make wine.

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As for Velka and I,

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we got along fine.

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She knew that for all my efforts to repopulate the Ruikuk,

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I was only trying to do what I thought best,

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and we settled down in a house we built together on a cliff that overlooked the village.

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She could never stand the smell of fish guts.

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Rorik and Greda lived nearby as well,

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and it would be remiss of me to say

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that his house would never have been complete

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were it not for the help of me and a couple of outgoing villagers.

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A builder he wasn’t, but then,

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there were few things Rorik were.

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I looked up at the sound of rustling grass,

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and right on time,

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Rorik approached.

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He had just completed a bout with several of the warriors,

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and were it not for his inherent lack of judgement,

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he would have quit a long time ago.

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Fresh bandages and salves could been seen on his brow and limbs. “What’s up, Rorik?” I greeted. “Up?” As usual,

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Rorik turned his head to the heavens.

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“Looks like a sunny day, Kenyak.” “Good. I hope

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it stays that way.”

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Excited barking came from behind me,

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and as a pack, my four cubs crowded around Rorik,

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leaping and prancing all about him.

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Rorik gave a half-smile as he patted them,

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which was much harder than it looked. “Uncle Rorik! Uncle Rorik!

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When is Greda going to have cubs?”

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asked Kayak, one of my own.

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I had named him partly off my own name,

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and it was only a year later that I discovered I had named him after a type of native boat.

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The native sensibilities must have rubbed off on me.

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“I don’t know, Kayak.

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Greda and I had been wondering for the last eight years now.”

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replied Rorik. I shook my head at this.

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Despite me and Velka’s efforts, we could never convince Rorik that wolves and bears were just not biologically compatible.

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Not that there was a lack of trying.

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“Cubs! Leave Uncle Rorik be!

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He’s still exhausted from training!

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Go play somewhere else!”

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barked Velka. The cubs growled and whined,

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and soon they were all over me, trying to see who could nip my tail and get away with it.

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“Rorik, remember to get those dressings changed tomorrow, alright?”

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“As I always have.”

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Rorik nodded, heading back to his hut.

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“Good day, husband.” said Velka, coming up to stand beside me.

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I turned quickly to her.

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The years had been kind to her, in more ways than one.

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Of all the wolves I would find myself on a boat with,

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there were few I would rather have with me.

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She had a sharp tongue,

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but was also a good wife and mother,

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which was more than anyone like me deserved.

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Within her belly was what would be my fifth cub.

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After Velka caught me in bed with one of my otter students,

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she had thundered if she wasn’t good enough for me.

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What she didn’t understand was that good students had to be rewarded accordingly.

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I made it up to her however,

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with the cub in her belly as proof of that.

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The native’s lifestyle and diet had kept me in good health.

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“Good day, Velk.” I answered.

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I turned my gaze back to what I had been gazing upon.

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“What are you thinking about, Kenyak?”

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asked Velka. “Every afternoon, I see you gazing at the

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sea. Were you thinking about your home?

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Or about how it was through it that we first arrived here?”

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I nodded. “We Vikings are always connected to the sea.

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Our lives flow upon it like the ice floes of the north.

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Just as the sea was our means of escape from the Picts and the Ruikuk,

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it was also the means which we found a new place we could call home.

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A place that my wife and family

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can grow up healthy

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and safe.” I gave her a nuzzle.

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Velka gave me a lick. “I love you, Kenyak.”

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“I love you too, sweetie.”

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Velka went back to the cubs,

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who had by now engrossed themselves in

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who could knock all the others down.

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Just like their father,

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they were warriors through and through.

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When I first started out on this odyssey,

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I had been known as Kenyak the Unproven, purveyor of uncharted lands down below.

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But so much had happened since then.

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The flight from the Picts.

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My gift of many future warriors to the Ruikuk.

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Our invitation to train the Whalehunters in the fighting arts.

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My marriage to Velka,

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with the occasional tryst to keep me sane.

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But with all my deeds and successes abound,

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I believe that I’m now deserving of my new title. Kenyak the Proven, He who Trained and Conquered.

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Down

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on the beach next to the Whalehunters’ village,

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several female otters lay sunbathing upon their backs,

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a tradition I had brought to the community.

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Whenever time permitted,

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I always made an effort to gaze upon this glorious sight;

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a sight worth travelling across the world for.

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This was the the #2 of #2 parts

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of “Kenyak’s Saga” by MikasiWolf,

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read for you by Khaki,

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your faithful fireside companion.

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As always, you can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,

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or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

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Thank you for listening

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to The Voice of Dog