xp_logs | Asgard: Jamie and the Wolves

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After the group leaves Asgard City to chase down rumors, Jamie goes to cut some firewood one evening and finds--or rather "is found by"--Rahne and Hrimhari; this may be similar to the process by which "serendipity" is defined as "when you dig for worms, and strike gold."

Jamie broke up another piece of deadwood with his hatchet--good axes were probably Perk #73 of having an in with the dwarves--and stretched tiredly. Gathering enough firewood to last the night was always a chore--although, he thought with a grin, at least they didn't have to worry about flint and tinder.

A pack of wolves howled, somewhere off in the distance, and Jamie paused for a moment, listening, before taking out his staff, on a whim, and joining in.

The howls in the distance took on a slightly puzzled note, then fell silent, and then started up again.

In the midst of the pack, Hrimhari cocked his head and spoke low to Rahne. "That sound was a good imitation -- but it was one, unless I miss my guess. Two throats together... shall we go and have a look?"

They'd had news of a fine dwarven-made staff that howled convincingly -- and more interestingly, they'd heard that the man who carried it and his companions had some unusual talents that Rahne found familiar. Her heart was pounding as the pack quieted again at Hrimhari's signal and started off.

The bulk of the pack fell back some distance off still, though, and two shadows peeled away to go closer. Hrimhari checked abruptly when they came on the nearest; Rahne sniffed and, half delighted and half disbelieving, recognized the scent as Jamie's before they could see him.

She transformed part of the way, crouching, and whispered, "Aye, it is them!" Then she swallowed hard -- finding her friends again, any of them, from the real world... or the usual world... almost seemed unreal now -- and passed the last few trees. "Jamie?"

Jamie promptly dropped the staff on his foot and sat down hard in a clatter of firewood, but not even that could dim the grin spreading across his face. ". . . Rahne? That you?"

"Aye! We heard yuir staff -- er, are ye all right?"

"What? Oh, yeah. No problem." Jamie stood up and dusted himself off, still grinning. "You in any shape for a hug?--Oh, man, wait until the others see--" He blinked. "Wait, we?"

"We... oh." Of course he didn't know that. Rahne shook her head sheepishly. "I met Hrimhari... he's the prince of the wolves..." and that sounded really strange now that she said it to someone she knew. "I've been with his pack, all this time." She grinned back. "And aye, I'm in shape for a hug if ye are."

"So that was you guys I heard howling? Small Viking-afterlife-dimension." Jamie went over for the hug, still grinning. "Man, I am never going to get sick of running back into people by accident--I'm just out here getting some firewood, I'm with Doug, Angie, Shiro and Miles and we're chasing down some rumors--and sorry, I should've warned you about the beard, it looks dumb, I know, but no razors--and hey, come on, wait till we show the others. Your friends're welcome too, although I dunno if dinner'll stretch that far."

"'Tisn't a problem; we've been hunting well. And I'm used to fur at the moment!" Rahne laughed, hugging him back happily and then leaning back to eye the beard. Which did look rather odd on him after all. "The five of ye then? And what kind of rumors?"

"Grey-skinned berserker with the Light Elves, and something about a brand-new really stupid dragon that I dunno what it's about, but anything weird, really. Angie managed to get a loaner on one of Odin's birds, who mostly craps on inconvenient things and flies off to eat stuff I don't want to think about, but occasionally points us in the right direction."

A peculiar expression crossed Rahne's face. "Hrimhari did say he thought being brought here with fire out of nowhere sounded like Loki. But how did she end up with... one of Odin's birds?"

"That's who I was thinking too--there's about three different songs circulating the dwarf kingdoms about how Loki got his nose tweaked by some Midgarders, and I'm thinking it was that thing in Iceland." Jamie frowned slightly. "She doesn't really like talking about it, but I guess she ended up in Asgard proper, and got kicked around by Sif on a regular basis. The bird's supposed to help us get home, apparently." He shook his head, and continued dryly "I can't help remembering I read somewhere that Loki and Odin were blood brothers, though. They definitely sound like two of a kind."

"That sounds alarming...."

"Well, we're going home anyway." Jamie's voice was determined. "All we have to do is track everybody down and figure out how."

"Do we know who everybody is? I mean, I didna know who all else might have been... brought...."

"I got a pretty good look, when we got snatched. That fire ring thing didn't go as far as the house, so I figure maximum we're looking for everybody who was at the baseball game. Maybe a dozen people total, so you make halfway there." He grinned. "Piece of cake. Loki, or whoever, picked on the wrong mutants."

Rahne shook her head, but it was dazedness, not denial. "I'll agree with that. ....And I'll ask Hrimhari to come and meet everyone." She laughed and looked that direction. "Well, he'll have heard us...."

Jamie grinned. "And could probably tell me what I had for breakfast yesterday, by now? He's welcome." He raised an eyebrow at Rahne. "Good friend, this guy?"

"Aye, very...."

"So I try to be," the wolf-prince said, coming out of the shadows to Rahne's side in his part-human form. "And so she calls you, so I thank you for your welcome."

"Any friend of Rahne's," Jamie said, and nodded respectfully. "Glad to meet you, Prince Hrimhari." He quirked a smile. "And I hope the staff wasn't saying anything rude--I'm half-convinced it has a sense of humor."

"It said 'here I am,' very plainly -- and very well for not being alive itself. Dwarves'-work? I cannot imagine it's any other."

"It is." Jamie smiled and held it out for inspection, the dwarven formalities coming naturally. "Forged by King Gunnar of the clan and line of Eitri, the worker of metal, maker of hammer and spear. Before he was king, anyway." The smile went impish. "He said he was inspired by a trip he took once near where Fenris had been chained."

Hrimhari laughed. "In that case, I am astounded that it was not saying anything rude."

Jamie snickered. "Hey, I said 'inspired.' But what about you guys--what've you been up to?"

"Living," Hrimhari said, "and the usual business of it... and the pleasure of teaching Rahne the ways of the pack."

Rahne laughed a little wryly, looking up at him. "Hrimhari -- and our pack, but mostly Hrimhari --has been teaching me to hunt, and move quietly, and talk without talking, and so forth. 'Twas very confusing at first. But he was very patient."

"Sounds fun, if you've got the chops for it. I got a spear through the leg, but I ended up in a good place to heal up. And I wouldn't've found Miles right off if I hadn't, so no complaints."

"Who speared ye?" Rahne was startled, despite knowing perfectly well by now that Asgard was dangerous. It was hard to miss when you got picked up by a giant right off. "'Tis good ye found Miles, though...."

"Mountain troll." Jamie looked slightly embarrassed. "I got dumped right in the middle of this battle, and these three trolls were ganging up on this one dwarf, and I kind of charged one. With a stick. Which in retrospect was not one of my all-time brightest ideas."

Hrimhari chuckled. "Perhaps not, depending on how well you could use the stick -- but it sounds a difficult situation in which to avoid taking sides, and I should respect you less if you'd chosen the trolls."

Jamie shrugged. "They were three on one, and all of them were bigger. Wasn't a tough decision to make. And it turned out to be the right one--Gunnar's clan are good people." He smiled ruefully. "Probably should've stood back and thrown some more rocks first, though. I dunno what Kitty's gonna say about the scar."

"Kitty?" Hrimhari's eyes dropped briefly to Jamie's chest. "Should I take it the device on your surcoat refers to your lady, then?"

Jamie brushed his fingers across the embroidered cat a little self-consciously. "Yeah. Just another reminder. She's waiting for me to come home, and I don't intend to disappoint her."

Both wolves were silent for a moment before Hrimhari said, with his eyes on Rahne, "Yes... I suppose you will all be returning to Midgard before long."

Rahne bit her lip and nodded.

Jamie blinked, looking back and forth between them. ". . . Something wrong?"

"There are things... and people... here I'll be missing," Rahne said softly.

Hrimhari was more straightforward. "I should have been glad to have Rahne make her home here with me, though sorry for her losing the one she had before, if things had been otherwise. But she has given me to understand that she has things yet to do there, if she can return."

Jamie considered that for a moment, then winced. "I don't envy either of you the choice." The grin made a brief reappearance. "Somehow I get the feeling we can skip the 'treat her right or else' talk, though. And it'll be a while before anything . . . permanent . . . happens; you're welcome to come with us, if you'd like."

Hrimhari smiled briefly back. "I will accept that invitation gladly. And I think it will do you no harm to have our pack around you, either."

Jamie went wide-eyed with mock-surprise. "Wow, I didn't even think of that. Three shifts on watch every night is so much fun, after all. Nah, I think we can fit you in." He grinned at Rahne. "Wanna come back to the campsite and give everybody the good news, and you can introduce your boyfriend around?"

If it had been even remotely possible, the blush would have been visible through a layer of fur and in the moonlight... but the flash of her teeth when she smiled definitely was. "....Aye, let's go."