Outcast

The Wolf's wood, 7 years ago

The devils were in these woods, He knew this well, the pines were so tall and so thick that they blocked out the moonlight, and the ground was Icy and hard with nothing but small stone caves that let horrible breezes in that shook him to his core.

He didn't think that He'd ever get used to the Cold of Norne, it wasn't like that of The Snowlands back of his homeland, He had thought that the Northmen of Britannia were tough, but they seemed like sissies to him now that He had seen the Uld, they barely wore any clothes! and this was a vicious cold, one that bit into the skin and slithered into his bones, making warmth a distant dream already forgotten.

But the blood warmed him, the blood rushing in his veins and the Blood of his prey... and He would have Blood before the sunrise.

Aetri... He still wasn't used to thinking of himself as Aetri, using a name that wasn't his was strange, but He supposed that He'd just have to get used to it, He didn't want to break his and Lee's Covenant after only a year.

Aetri sat amongst the twisted roots of the Dark pines, his body itchy from the foliage that stuck out of his dirty tunic and furs that He used to blend into the foliage, He gripped the handle of his Bow tightly, his frozen fingers aching painfully as He readied his arrow.

The Last had come... the last of the Pack. This was his task, this is what that crazy Easterling woman, lee had tasked him with "You will hunt the pack of wolves that plagues the West most part of the Wolf's wood." She had told him "You may use your bow, but You will have to make the arrows Yourself, find safe places to sleep, make your own fires... You have one-week" Aetri's hatred for the drunkard was unparalleled, she had barely gone over some of the survival training he needed to survive out here before tossing him out of the Lodge with his Bow and a crippling fear, not even Miss Black-Crow would help him, what was she suicidal or something!?

but... He supposed He had made it this far, One by one He had killed all 12 members of the pack, systematically hunting, trapping and killing them until on the shaggy black alpha remained, his huge body moving on quietly padded feet as He stalked towards the Stag... the stag made of twigs and smothered in Goat innards that is.

He watched it weave silently through the trees, it's yellow teeth bared in a silent growl as it flowed along the snowy grass like a shadow. Aetri was always good with a bow, though he tended to avoid it, but on this night, He drew back his wood arrow, holding in an icy breath as He narrowed his eyes...

"That's right, focus, see where the arrow will fly, see where it will bite, that's it... now just, exhale and release..." He missed that voice... He missed his mother more than anything, after losing his father, Aetri felt like a part of him was missing... but that wouldn't be the last death that left him feeling angry and Hollow.

Fire enraptured his mind, screams, the smell of burning, blood and bodies everywhere, creeping back into his mind at just the worst time... He let the arrow fly.

He was but a hair off the mark, but that was all it took, the Arrow embedded itself in the Wolf's thick shoulder, and it yelped only for a moment, before sniffing and fixing it's bright Yellow eyes on him, that shone with wrath.

Fear shot through Aetri as their eyes met, the Boy scrambling to run, but the Beast was already sprinting towards him, it's limping from paw from the arrow in its shoulder doing nothing to stop it's bounding.

Aetri ran, sprinted and ducked through the Icy snow and black trees, In pitch black and coming death as the Huge Alpha drew nearer and nearer, weaving silently through trees, like a shadow on the snow.

He would never outrun it, He was only a boy, his thirteen years couldn't grant him strength enough to fend off a 200 pound Wolf, but hell, if he was going to die in this Goddess forsaken forest, He wouldn't go out without a fight.

Drawing an arrow as He ran Aetri's eyes looked up to the above pines, covered in blankets of snow, He wouldn't get distracted this time, But it would still be a difficult shot will sprinting.

Still, he pulled back his string and loosed two charging arrows into the trees, making the Snowfall. Aetri almost smiled, if He couldn't use force... then He would take a note from the Wolf and the Crow, and use shadow instead.

Thick blankets of snow smashed into the Wolf's muzzled, splashing over its eyes and making it pause as it tried to shake them away. the Beast sniffed and panted, growling as it tried to sniff out the tasty meat that it was just chasing, but like the sun in the dusk, it had vanished, it stalked around the trees, stood up on the trunk of pine to see if the Tasty thing had scrambled up one, but no, it was gone...

Aetri burst from the snow like a mad beast, his eyes wide as He thrust the two sharpened points of his arrows into the furry hide of the Wolf's stomach and chest, He felt the wood snap-through cartilage, crack against bone as the Beast Howled and growled in pain... "I'm going to die here." That was all He could think about, as those rapid yellow looked at him, He had missed the mark again, just a few inches off of the heart and the Wolf's sharp teeth seemed like daggers with close.

He heard a Squelch and the wolf froze, it looked at Aetri with a yellow eye... the other was now Grey, the Iron grey of a polished arrowhead with a long look of woodish brown, tears of red falling down it's furred cheek before collapsing in the ivory snow.

Turning in shock... Aetri saw... a figure, a Girl. dressed in tightly bound Black bear Fur, her large circular blue eyes and ratty face looking at him, her short dirty Red hair covered partially by a dark hood. She kept her bow at the ready, she already had an arrow ready to draw

"H-Hello..." He said, getting shakily to his feet. The Girl flinched, drew at him immediately "Wait, wait! I mean you no harm... I-"

"I am the One pointing the arrow at you, I know you m-mean me no harm." She stammered a voice that was mouse-like and afraid, He saw how she shook, saw the fear in her eyes

"Right... well, I didn't think that there was anyone in these woods?" He wondered aloud, having an arrow potentially shot into his face made him a tad nervous.

The Girl looked him over "T-There isn't... Are you... Are you Uld? You're wearing raven's feathers, and wolf furs?."

He touched the Black feathers woven into his braid; looked at his coat, wolf-skin mostly blood-soaked, He grinned nervously "Well... n-no... yes? I don't know what to say."

"You shouldn't be saying anything to me." The Girl relaxed her arm, brushing back her hair before giving him a weak smile "You should move on."

Aetri grabbed Blackbolt, slinging the bow over his shoulder as He ran after the girl "Hey, don't just leave!" The Girl marched through the snow, ignoring his calls as He strode up beside her "what are you doing out here? it's dangerous."

"Pft, says you, wolf food." She smirked, Aetri raised an eyebrow

"I could have handled it myself!" Aetri growled, she halted a very irritated look on her ratty face

"That was Old Wulfe... his pack are the most dangerous in these woods, the fact that You killed the others is impressive, but Old Wulfe... going after him was stupid, He's killed bears twice his size, I did you a favour. Now go, you aren't supposed to talk to me." and just like that, she huffed off... leaving Aetri very confused and with a thousand questions, but he didn't chase her, a Shadow doesn't chase, it sticks just behind.

The Girl walked for about an hour through the woods, ducking and sneaking from any large animals or hazardous terrain, He didn't know how she tracked him without notice, he always was too easily distracted, but she certainly knew her way around the woods, hell she didn't even encounter any trouble even as she approached a wide-mouthed cave just off the trail.

She rubbed her large eyes, walking over to a large bundle of tied sticks in the corner and leaning down to grasp at them "Where in Dragon's shit did you find dry wood!?" The Girl jolted up, wood flying everywhere as Aetri felt his chest constrict, He darted around in a spiral catching each piece in his hands with a finely tuned grace.

"Woah..." He said, nearly slipping on one of his feet as He clutched the bundle in his arms. The Girl looked at him wide-eyed, He couldn't tell if she was impressed or in shock, maybe a little bit of both

"H-How... when?" She stammered, Aetri smiled taking in a breath as He saw the Mouth of the cave

"By the Saints, is that a closed mouth-cave! That's gotta be the only one that doesn't fill with cold air around here! You live here!?" The Girl nodded slowly, her face still frozen with surprise... before a strange kind of recognition swept over her face

"Are you, Britannian?"

Aetri rolled his eyes "We are technically called: Britons, but yeah, look I haven't slept properly in 49 hours can we talk in there?"

She looked him up and down again, with a strange kind of look on her face "O-Okay..."

Aetri grinned as He sat a little bit away from the Fire, gratefully rubbing warmth into his fingers at the comfortable distance.

The Cave was huge compared to the other shitty little ones he'd stayed in, the closing entrance trapped more heat in too. but as nice as this derelict cave in the woods, Aetri couldn't help but feel a little unnerved by the Girl's strange stare

"Are you... alright?" This girl was giving him the heebee jeebees

"What is your name?" She asked a little shakily, Aetri massaged heat into his biceps

"Aetri."

"Pft, seriously? Your name is Nameless?" she raised a red eyebrow, He merely continued to warm himself "That's a fake name, what's your real name?"

Aetri's eyes darkened "I can't tell you."

"What, why not?" She was clearly quite confused, but Aetri did not falter

"Can't tell you that either." The Two sat quietly after that, to say that it was awkward would be an understatement, but eventually, she got up pacing for a moment with that same weird look on her face...

"If you're cold, then You should get a little closer to the fire, warm up properly?" She said off-handedly, Aetri looked into the orange flame, and felt a horrible slither creep up his spine, the memory of Screams echoing shortly in his ears

"N-no... this is close enough, thank you."

Silence again, The Boy pressed his lips together as she stared.

"What's with that look? I didn't do something rude again did I?" It wouldn't have been the first time that He had accidentally broken an unspoken rule of the Nornes that He hadn't picked up

"Hey... I can leave, if you like, I didn't mean to just barge into..." He looked around at the frosty cave, the large stalagmites of brown and crystal white, first perspiring along each crevice "...Your home."

The Girl turned her eyes away, but moved over to the corner, where a pair of bedrolls lay... She paused at it, stared for a moment, before rubbing her blue eyes and crouching to pick something up.

"I-I'm sorry..." She muttered, wiping her eyes as she stood, a Dark coloured drinking skin clutched in her hands "I haven't actually spoken to anyone for... well since my father died. Here, you must be thirsty." She looked at him now, though her eyes were red and welled with tears, she was smiling warmly, extending the skin to him.

Aetri felt himself soften slightly, reaching out to take it "No, it's alright, and I am thirsty, thank you." He took a long drink of the refreshing spring water, just drinking water instead of having to filter and boil it was comforting, the Red-Haired girl plopping down by the fire and whipping her eyes.

"I'm... Kara." She said, reaching over a hand which He shook gratefully.

"So, what are you doing out here? My aunt told me this place was dangerous but that was an understatement, I can't believe living out in these woods is very safe."

Kara raised her eyebrow at him, but seemed oddly hopeful "You... don't know about me?"

"Ummm, I don't think so." He chuckled "I only know what My Aunts tell me, I haven't been here for very long." He admitted

"Well. I'm an Outcast." Her lips curled, like the taste of the words were sour on her tongue. Aetri could not help but tilt his head, He knew about Outcasts, Uncle Lok had told him plenty about those who were shunned by the Clans, forced out for their crimes and forbidden to be acknowledged by the people "That would be why she hasn't spoken to anyone..." But this was ridiculous, she couldn't have been much older than he was?

"How old are You?" He asked, her face wrinkled, but she answered

"Don't you know that it is rude to ask a girls age!?" She said a little sassy, Aetri grimaced waving his hands at her in panic

"I-I'm sorry..."

She patted him on his shoulder, smiling at him "It's okay, I'm Thirteen how old are you?"

"I'm Thirteen too!" He was hoping to meet more kids his age, Frigg just went red and ran away whenever he tried to talk to her and Tyrg just scowled at him.

"jinx," She said that in Nornish, but Aetri didn't know what it meant. She spotted the confusion on his face "You don't speak Nornish?" She asked

Aetri shrugged "Not a lot, just what I was taught back at home..."

Kara brushed back her red hair behind her ears, leaning in with a fascinated gate "Britannia, right? My dad has... had, loads of books about Britannia, about Henie the Hysterical and Gorage the Dragonslayer!"

Aetri cringed a little "You mean: Henry the Hyretical And Saint George the Dragon's bane?" He corrected, Kara's eyes widened, shuffling towards him and grasping his arms tightly as she stared hungrily

"YOU CAN TELL ME STORIES!" She cried, shaking him harshly as she laughed "This is great!!!!" She chuckled, Aetri blinked as she let him go, rubbing his neck, that was one hell of a shaking "Ow..."

"Stories?"

"Yes! Stories, My dad and the books were really old, but you are a Briton! You can tell me the actual stories!" She said happily, Aetri held himself close... He wasn't sure that Aunt Lee would like Him spending time with this girl... but then again, Aunt Lee didn't like anything "Accept booze" He thought.

His training regiment, it was torturous, it was for a reason, of course, he himself had made Miss Crow and Aunt Lee promise, but He deserved to have a friend at least, right?

"Why should I?" Aetri asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

Kara folded her arms, but her eyes were still wide and innocent "Oh, so we are playing that way..."

"Nothing is free." and that was straight out of Lee's Iron code.

Kara drummed her fingers along her knees, a thoughtful look crossing her for only a moment before a light lit up in her eyes "How about this, I teach you Nornish and You tell me stories about your Homeland, just like my Father used too?"

Aetri considered her for a moment, looking on with hesitation "Aunt Lee really wouldn't approve" But that alone seemed to spark something inside of him, it was rare that He got to be defiant, on the risk of having to cut down more trees again, this might be a bit for freedom for him... Aetri smiled, clumsily moving to kneel by the Red-haired girl.

"I, Aetri of the Lodge, Solemnly swear our exchange on the goddess, that of my stories in exchange for your teachings." He said, bowing his head honourably, just like He was taught.

The Girl beamed at him, her eyes sparkling at his knightly display "G-Great... well, just try not to get eaten by any wolves on the way here, Aetri."

That was the first time that she had called him that, He liked the way that she said it... Ugh, not in that way anyway, girls were gross!

"Oh shut up, Kara." He said with a grin, the two sharing a laugh which echoed in the cave of stalagmites, brown and crystal white.

Uld Village, Lee's Lodge, 4 years ago

Parry the Enemy blade and then counter-attack with a flurry of blows to the upper-body, Aetri ran the blade of the sword up and down the body where the steel sliced at the wood of the ageing dummy

"Move your ass!" Cried Lee as she drilled him on the assault course, "Next enemy Go!" She said following him as he moved to the next old dummy, "Come on let's go get on with it, boy!" she shouted as he pushed to curve up the dummy in the cold barn. He paused, wiping his brow as sweat dripped down his chest and neck. Lee stared at him impatiently, sat in her wicker chair... Aetri tried to keep his eyes away from her breasts, they were ever so exposed in that vest, barely covered by the Blonde fur coat that she always wore

"Is there a problem?" Lee said, her voice filled with venom, Aetri did his best to push his lustful thoughts out of his head, shaking them away as the split ends of his long hair whipped his cheeks

"I have been doing this for six hours." Aetri's voice had started breaking a while ago, but it still crept him to hear the deepness that the cracking of his vocal tones promised.

Lee cared not for tone, however, her ageless face and burning emerald eyes considering him for a moment "You made me promise." She growled

"I made you promise to train me, not kill me with exhaustion." He spat back. Lee swigged her large bottle of mead, her eyes were overcast with drunkenness "I thought we agreed that You would cut down on the drinking?"

Lee blasted from her chair, charging towards him so that she was face to face with him. He was nearly her height now and was less afraid of her than before, even as she snarled at him "I thought that we agreed that You were a boy, and me a General and that You don't tell me what to do."

"Former general, Aunt Lee." He reminded her, irritation filling him like a cup overfilled with beer "I won't see you drink yourself to death, I know that the withdrawal is difficult but-" Aetri was interrupted by a smack to the face that clapped through the barn and send a warning, not a bad but warning pain through his cheek

"You don't know anything about anything you horrible little vermin. I do what I do to make you strong, to make you hard, that was your wish all those years ago and I'll be damned if I let that resolve fade now!"

She really had too much to drink... she never got violent unless she was drunk or he deserved it... and Aetri had been defying her left and right these days. He had to keep on track, He couldn't help Lee unless he played her game, that is what Crow had told him, and so He played the Game.

"Horrible Vermin am I? well at least I'm not a dried up has-been hiding in the frost like a coward!?" Aetri cried, meeting her face to face again.

Lee looked at him for a moment, She always encouraged him to insult her back, He wasn't sure why, but it depended on how her mood was on how successful that was... of course He knew that she would never hurt him for real... He was pretty sure that at this point, the two were bound through time and pain, but she was The Black Iron Bitch, and boundaries were tested with her every moment that he spent with her.

Lee eventually smiled, getting out of his face and pulling her chair off of the floor "At least I'm not raising a pussy." She chuckled, gulping down her bottle, Aetri found himself snatching it from her hands, which warranted the feireced of looks from his mentor

"I'm-heading-off-to-train-with-crow-mentor-bye!" He muttered at light speed, vanishing out of the barn as Lee cried after him

"BRING THAT BACK YOU LITTLE SHIT, GAH!"

Black-Crow watched Aetri train by her cabin today, she was unwell this week and so decided to have him work on melee combat while she rested and read an old tome on nornish runes "Have you met with Kara today?" Black-Crow asked, never looking away from her book as Aetri plunged his fist into the make-shift punching back in her lounge

"Not today... yet?" Aetri stopped to look at Black-Crow, the Black haired beauty lifted her head from her book

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked, watching Aetri stare.

"That's probably the first time that you have asked about anything other than training in about a month, everything alright there Miss Crow?"

Crow shrugged "Lee was worried that your little outings with her would affect your training."

Aetri huffed, his breath splaying across the inside of the freezing cold cabin "Well, I have to unwind somehow, otherwise it would just be work, then training then work some more right?"

Crow did not react, she did not react much, mostly she just nodded or answered question bluntly, it was frustrating. Aetri rolled his eyes

"I don't know why I'm talking to you about this, it's like talking to the washing basket." Black-Crow stared, unresponsive to his comment, but he still felt bad "Look... I'm sorry Miss Crow, I just... Aunt Lee has been harsh recently, I shouldn't take it out on you."

Crow, simply looked back to her book, silent as ever.

Aetri lay in his bed that night, he had been making a point to keep it clean recently, especially since Lee had been bursting in... but He kept thoughts like that out of his head, instead thoughts of a red-haired girl came across his mind, the talks that they had about the stories of his homeland and the glint in her eyes as He told her of George the Dragonslayer, the king of bones and the Dragons of old... of course she didn't always believe it all, which annoyed him to no end, n-not that he cared what she thought, she was just a stupid girl.

The next evening, Aetri was In that cave with Kara.

He threw a knife at the Stone, his face bright red, he was so angry that steam was practically flying out of his ears "That Salty Bitch!" he growled throwing another of his shiny blades at one of the walls, landing it perfectly next to the last one,

"oh Calm down, I know that she's the Black Iron bitch and all... but I'm sure she only means well" Kara said playing with her thumbs as she hung upside down from the ceiling, her strong legs wrapped around one of the thick stalagmites.

Anger still flushed through Aetri's face "Extend my training regime further, is she out of her god-damn mind, Is what I do now not good enough!?" he threw two this time the blades pinged off of one of the near-glass stalagmites and into the walls of soft rock, but the second hit perfectly through the Blades rounded pommel.

Kara got down from the beam, staring in awe at the Knives all perfectly thrown in place "Well I'll tell you this, you certainly aren't behind on practice... Hey, how about we try and sneak into the village today, maybe Lok will bring us some ale!"

Will shook his head "No, I need to talk to Black-Crow, she hasn't been well today."

Kara frowned "Again, well I hope that she is okay."

Uld Village Outskirts, Black-Crow's Cabin, 3 years ago

Aetri spent most of his evenings with Black-Crow that year, she had gotten sick again

"Why... are you still here?" She asked, laying in her bed, which he had padded out with extra Hey for her, shivering and hot as the gates of hel

"I am making sure that you don't boil in your sheets." he said laying a cold towel on her head,

"Y-You s-s-s-should be t-t-training."

Aetri ignored her, tossing a penny in the air, flicking them as he did, juggling the coppers with one hand "I think that I will be okay to skip it today, not like you can teach me much more you old coot."

Crow pushed out a subtly defiant exhale"I'm... not that old." she said the dregs of a smile reaching across her face, Black-Crow gave him a serious look "Have you spoken to Lee?"

Aetri grimaced "Do I have to?"

As if it were anymore possible, Black-Crow gave him an even more serious look "I swore that I would prepare you, your task is nearly nigh, and I will not fail you.."

Aetri paused, this was the first time in a long time that he had considered leaving the Village, he had been there for a long time now... and reminding himself of the calamity of times past hurt him

"I will speak to her in the morning..."

Black-Crow nodded "Good. Now get out I want to masturbate."

The teenager cringed "Gods, I did not need to hear that."

Uld Village, Lee's Lodge, 2 years ago

Aetri looked down at Lee, she was out cold after one of her large (although much less significant) drunk stupors the night prior. It still gave him the creeps how the Black haired beauty had seemed to not age over the years, Her perfectly girlish face seeming at peace in sleep "I wonder what she dreams about..." But as much as He wondered, Aetri didn't like to waste time, He had gotten that from his mentor, who he caressed of her Black hair to wake her from her deep sleep.

"Hey." Aetri had brought Lee her breakfast, it really was amazing how great both her and Black-Crow looked in spite of their age...

Lee arose almost immediately, although a little groggily, looking at Aetri and the tray of food he had brought her "You... being a Kiss ass now?" she mumbled as she pulled herself from her bed, she wore a darkly coloured nightgown

"I suppose."

Aetri passed her the tray of food, he had boiled some chicken eggs and made her some seasoned beef from the slaughtered Oxen, not a moon before, her favourite.

Lee smiled when she saw it, there was nothing that she loved more than fried food in the morning, it was relatively new to the Uld, new since Aetri had come by, Lok especially loved the fried hog shoulder he made on occasion.

But the minute Lee tried it, she was hooked for life, a subtle reminder of sweet Britannia "I am guessing that this is a peace treaty for our arguments?"

Aetri sat on the end of her bed "Maybe, that depends on how reasonable you are feeling today."

His mentor chuckled "Well... Now that I have Beef, I think that in hindsight, maybe extending your regime had been... a little harsh."

Aetri smiled at her as she, stuffed more food between her full red lips... she was wearing little, of course, she was only in her nightgown "no... stop it." Aetri dragged those thoughts away, He was her student, she was the mentor, it was as simple as that, He had to stop having those thoughts.

"I... I was just worried I suppose" she mumbled stuffing another slice in her mouth.

"Worried, About what?"

Lee hesitated, refusing to meet eyes with him shot him "You will wish to leave soon?"

Aetri went quiet, playing with his fingers "It hasn't really come to mind."

Lee rubbed her knuckles gently, flickering her eyes to him furtively "Well you shouldn't tarry, being stuck here all your life is fucking shitty, trust me I know from experience."

They shared a laugh before she rested a hand on his "I... I have raised you the best I could, in-spite of Black-Crow." He chuckled but listened "But you cannot... just abandon your home, You deserve your vengeance, it's why I trained you in the first place.. and you have responsibilities..."

Aetri's face became grim "Maybe you're right, but... I need to be the best right, so..."

Lee smiled at him, nodding "Of course, You still have much to learn..."

"Great... I mean, yes mentor." He saluted mockingly, Lee punched him in the arm, hard enough that it rocked him as usual.

"Now get out of here, You useless wretch." She grinned, Aetri grinned back

"Of course, You wrinkled Witch."