What Damage Does a Splinter Do? [Astrid]

[Snotlout]

(ooc: June 12. Open only to Astrid and Snotlout.)

Fur bristled along Snotlout's back as he crouched down, blue gaze focusing intently on the slender deer no more than a few feet away from him. Was he aware of the fact that he was in someone else's territory? Probably not. The headstrong werewolf was hungry, and he'd be damned if he would be chased out of someone's territory without getting something to eat first. He wouldn't have been in that situation at all if it weren't for Hiccup. Stupid, twiggy, worthless Hiccup and his oddities. Tainting the perfectly good tribe of Berk with his weirdness. Snotlout hated it. Why did it have to happen, anyway?

One scruffy black ear twitched and Snotlout found himself stiffening. He could have sworn he heard something. It seemed the deer heard something, too, as it lifted its dainty head from where it had been grazing and looked around. Snotlout held his breath, hoping he wouldn't be seen, and cursed aloud as the deer sprang away. "Come back!" Snotlout shouted. And so, the chase began. The scruffy black wolf was in hot pursuit of the deer, all the while being no more aware of the fact that he was entering territory that belonged to another werewolf entirely.

His paws scrabbled against the ground, bringing up clods of dirt as his claws hit the ground, and he swerved to the side in a vain attempt to catch up with his prey. Ultimately, though, it seemed as though Snotlout was doomed to fail this hunt. He'd lost sight of the deer. Once he realized it, a frustrated growl escaped him.

"Great. Just great. What else could possibly go wrong?"

[Astrid]

Astrid had heard something, and the wind had brought something to her sensitive nose. The blonde wolves whiskers twitched, her fur lay on edge. Had she not made it clear that this was her territory? It better not be one of the pack wolves. Her mind growled as Astrid sank into a crouch, her belly fur brushing the dirt under her. A scream rang out in the air, and Astrid darted forward, her ears pinned tightly against her skull. Much to her misfortune, or fortune a wild deer appeared, coming at her from the side. Hunger and prey instinct took over, and Astrid gave mild chase to the scared creature, ending it's life swiftly. The element of surprise and the advantage that had given the deer up had been Astrid's and now an easy kill lay at her feet. Astrid licked her maw, and bent down to eat, almost entirely forgetting the sound she'd heard prior to the short hunt. She must have surprised the deer with her sudden running, she'd been careless and ignorant to the scent of prey. But now, the scent grew of a stranger grew stronger and Astrid bristled. Greeaat Astrid sighed internally, leaving her fresh kill and went to stalk through the sparse foliage. Bright blue eyes peered through a bush, muscles coiled to spring.

A low snarl answered, the frustrated growl of the big brownish wolf before her. "Great. Just great. What else could possibly go wrong?" Plenty. Plenty could go wrong. Astrid sprang from the bush, aiming to barrel into the male's side or land on top of him, forcing him to the ground and catching him by surprise. The blonde though there was something... different about this one. Maybe it'd been one she ran into while circling her territory? Naww he didn't look familiar... did he?

The blonde snarled once more before hopping away from her target and swerving to face him. Blue eyes, blackish brown. Heavy set, scruffy looking... He looked so... familiar? "Who in the name of Odin's Ghost are you?" The blonde bristled, half snarling half barking at the male.

[Snotlout]

A surprised yelp escaped Snotlout as something, or someone, barreled into him. He found himself pinned to the ground with the unknown wolf on his back. Snotlout's ears dropped back fearfully and he stiffened, trying to appear smaller than he really was, as a little whimper passed his lips. He couldn't see his assailant, but he could hear her. Then again, all the stubborn idiot had to do was lift his head back ever so slightly to see who it was. That thought didn't occur to Snotlout, though. Headstrong though he was, he at least knew better than to move too suddenly.

Then, the familiar voice filled the air. Blue eyes softened just a little and his ears rose as a dumbfounded sort of look formed on his face. That voice... so feminine yet so firm...

Hey, stupid! She asked your name! Say it before she gets any ideas!

"S-Snotlout! My name's Snotlout!" Snotlout replied quickly. Just as he finished speaking, he cast a quick glance back to see what kind of wolf he had stumbled upon. What he saw surprised him. Blonde fur, cold blue eyes... a part of him wanted to believe this was the one he had been looking for, but at the same time he was hesitant to ask who she was. He didn't want to freak her out by asking if she was who he thought she was. Besides, what were the chances that he would just have Astrid literally drop down on him from out of nowhere?

[Astrid]

Snotlout. Snotlout? SNOTLOUT?! What the hell was going on in Berk? Were teenagers popping out of their skins to join the werewolf and wizard ranks? Jeez. Instead of acting excited or revealing herself as being Astrid, the wolf snarled and went to shoulder the brown male, before sliding back before him. An amused smirk lighted her drawn back lips. Snotlout had whimpered, and cowered in fear. No way in hell was that getting past her. "The brave, arrogant Snotlout, cowering in fear. And lo-behold, whimpering!" Astrid gave a sort of doggy laugh, her fur bristling fur was now flat. For a moment, the blonde forgot the irritating, semi-sexist, burly, dull, personality of Snotlout. It had been sooo long since seeing the viking teen. She'd only talked to Hiccup a few days ago, and after that social interaction wasn't the easiest thing to do. Especially when one had the tendency to burst into a wolf when extremely pissed or during a full moon. Astrid's body language was clear- no threat. At least for now. She'd relaxed visibly since attacking the scruffy canine. Through the brief glimpse of happiness, Astrid finally realized something. Snotlout wasn't in Berk.

"Wait... what in Odin's name happened? Is everyone like us now or something?" The blonde looked around as if Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs would magically appear out of thin air behind him. But no. Than a snarl. "And what in Odin's Ghost are you doing on my territory?" The she-wolf barked, taking a step forward, ears facing back. Snotlout had unfortunately brought Astrid into straight into Astrid. So not only was she pleased to see another living being and familiar face, but having adjusted pretty quickly, was still very territorial. That's why the deer ran right at her. The fae licked her lips again, remembering the nice meal waiting for her. Now, if only to determine what Snotlout was up to. "When'd you get here? And if you haven't guessed, yes. I'm Astrid."

Declaring her name, Astrid's tail raised a bit higher, priding herself with the power her own territory gave her. Sure she didn't have the grand protection of numerous other werewolves in a pack, but the blonde didn't think she'd need any. Not like any werewolf pack would be big... Hunting would be easier- Astrid caught her train of thought and yanked it back to the station. Cocking her blonde, furry head, Astrid raised an invisible brow, waiting for an answer.

((ooc: I love Snotlout ))

[Snotlout]

"Jeez, Astrid, let a guy have his... Astrid?!"

Snotlout could hardly believe it. The one he'd been looking for had just shown up! Just like that! On top of that, she'd caught him off guard and vulnerable. How embarrassing. He rose to his paws and shook himself out, looking to his paws for a brief moment as he tried to think of a logical excuse as to why she had caught him in a brief moment of fear. "I wasn't scared. I was just playing like it, that's all. It takes more than a sneak attack to surprise Snotlout." he said boldly, puffing his chest out pridefully and grinning cheekily as if to prove his point. Her question, though, caused him to frown a bit.

"I don't know. First that wimp Hiccup was banished, then you left. A few nights after that... this happened. Gobber saw me and I got chased out. I don't know what happened to Ruff, Tuff, and Fishlegs." Snotlout said. He was almost expecting the remaining trio of Viking teens to magically appear, but he knew that was impossible. They were back in Berk, safe and sound for the most part and learning how to defend themselves against dragons. Astrid's question regarding what he was doing in her territory caused him to shrug a little. "As for what I'm doing here, that's easy. I came looking for prey. It got away from me before I could catch it." he explained.

What about her? Snotlout had to wonder how long she had been in that forest. He'd caught a brief glimpse of happiness on her face, which made him happy in turn, but a part of him wondered about it. Had she been all by herself up until then? He pushed aside that question in his mind, though, as the usual Snotlout sort of grin caressed his features. "I actually was hoping I'd run into you. I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you after you disappeared that night." Snotlout said.

[Astrid]

"Than your a great actor, whimpering and cowering like a puppy." Astrid egged on and rolled her eyes. Of course Snotlout wouldn't admit to being scared. No viking besides maybe Hiccup would. Astrid waited and listened through Snotlout's short explanation. It sure sounded like him. So he'd run off too? Seemed common for the werewolf teens of Berk. It made two already. And Tuff, Ruff, and Fishlegs were still normal as of the last time they were with Snotlout. Astrid couldn't decide if that was good or bad news. Sure she didn't want any of her 'friends' to suffer or be damned to the life of an outcast... But it'd be nice to see them again and now that she still wasn't the only oddity Berk had to offer. Astrid was brought from her thoughts again... wait, wimp? Well physically by all standards, Hiccup was a wimp. Not even that much of a strong wimp (though it was amazing how he was a one of the greater blacksmiths Berk had to offer).

"If you survive outside of Berk, I really don't think you can be that much of a wimp." The girl offered. It seemed wrong to not defend the red head after having talked with him a few days prior... "And I shoot bite out you throat for trying to take my prey. The stuff here is scrawny, skin and bones, and scarce." The blonde also put out, blue eyes giving a cold glare directed at the burly wolf. "At least I'll have a nice meal later though." Astrid smirked towards Snotlout, implying she'd made the catch on his failed (somewhat sad) attempt at hunting.

The next thing Snotlout said caught her entirely off guard. He was looking for her? What? Astrid wasn't entirely sure what to feel. Flattered? He'd actually remembered she'd run off in a similar direction and that she was gone at all. An amazing feat for the not so smart viking. Or he could have chanced upon some luck fleeing in the same direction out of Berk. "Well, I found you I guess. And I've just been out here, there's a lot of messed up crap y'know. Vampires, werewolves, wizards and witches... the list goes on."Astrid decided to sit down, rolling her shoulders, settling comfortably in the dirt.

[Snotlout]

Snotlout offered a little pouty sort of look at Astrid's jab at her catching his failed attempt at lunch. Dinner. Whatever it would have been. Served him right, it seemed, for barging in on her territory. He'd have to find territory of his own. Assuming there was any available territory left. Snotlout vaguely recalled coming across a few scents elsewhere that smelled vaguely like wolves. There must have been a pack somewhere, and he doubted they'd want a rogue like him to barge in on their territory.

The pouty look vanished, though, when he registered that Astrid had acknowledged he had found her. Or rather, she found him. It seemed like they both had found each other. Somehow, though, Snotlout didn't readily believe she would have instantly become interested in him just because he was the only suitable Viking around for miles. His many attempts at impressing her and Ruffnut had never worked before. Why would they now? "Sounds like there's lots to deal with out here." he observed, nodding a little as she finished speaking about the different classes.

One invisible eyebrow rose slightly when he realized one thing, though. Astrid had defended Hiccup. That had to mean she'd seen him. The skinny redhead was actually alive? Surviving on his own? Hiccup? "Wait... you mean Hiccup's actually alive? How in the name of the gods did he manage to survive?" Snotlout asked. Not that he was concerned about his cousin. Snotlout wouldn't have cared if Hiccup had died or not. It just surprised him that he was alive at all. It wasn't like surviving banishment was a normal thing. Especially not for scrawny Vikings like Hiccup. He shouldn't have lasted even an hour outside of Berk!

[Astrid]

"You don't know the half of it." Astrid added bitterly. It seemed that for one moment, Snotlout wasn't as stupid as he normally was. Granted he could be faking understanding in order to use a cheesy pickup line or whatever impressing Snotlout had in mind. But Astrid ignored that for the time being. Astrid raised a curious invisible brow at Snotlout. He'd reacted to Hiccup's life more-so than Astrid would think he would. Astrid couldn't really tell if Snotlout was happy his cousin had survived or angry. When the teen was happy or angry, he was loud. Without any characteristic nose scrunching of his human face to tell which, Astrid was unsure. "Well, yeah. He found a group of other witches and wizards. What do you care? I thought you... didn't like your cousin."

Astrid had her head cocked to the side, quizzically. Astrid stood up than and walked a few steps away, beckoning Snotlout to follow with a wave from her fluffy tail. "I'm going to go eat before the meat's cold. I don't trust you by yourself in my territory." Her territory. Her chest fluffed out slightly at the words. It was granted, a small piece of land that was hers, but it was hers nonetheless. In a way, it made her feel like a village chief, the only problem or difference was, she had no villagers. A clan of one, if a clan at all. Or pack. Whatever it technically was. Astrid continued to walk on, coming to her kill, she scared off a few scavengers who had thought she'd left. Astrid stepped over her kill, sitting on the opposite side, so to face Snotlout. The deer being the table and the meal.

"How long have you been out on your own? And last eaten?" Astrid cocked her head once more, curling her tail by her paws, ears up and alert towards the brownish black male.

[Snotlout]

"You kidding? I don't care what happens to that little wimp." Snotlout snorted. His ears flattened back against his skull and his fur bristled a bit at the mere thought of Hiccup. As far as the black-brown wolf was concerned, it was all Hiccup's fault they had ended up like they had. Whatever the redheaded Viking had done, he must have been involved in their being werewolves somehow. It was the only logical reason Snotlout could come up with. ...Okay, to others that would have been a stupid reason. A very stupid reason. But this was Snotlout. He wasn't the brightest bulb in the box.

"After all, he's a weakling. I didn't even think he'd last five minutes of being banished. You know. With all those vicious dragons around and stuff." he said. Snotlout would never admit it out loud, but he was just the slightest bit impressed that Hiccup had managed to survive somehow. And he had found people like him. Not even Snotlout had thought that was possible. "Musta just gotten lucky." Snotlout said dismissively. Silently, though, he hoped something rotten would happen to Hiccup in the future. Just for the sake of it.

Pushing aside those thoughts, Snotlout relaxed a bit when the topic was directed to food and how long he had been a werewolf. "So nice to know you can trust your old friend." he muttered sarcastically. Back to the topic at hand, though, Snotlout had to think for a minute. According to Snotlout time, it had felt like ages. According to real time...

"It's been a couple of days since I got chased out by Gobber, so... not too long I don't think. Not as long as you and Hiccup have been gone, anyway. As for the last time I ate..." Snotlout paused again. Hunting was harder than he had anticipated, especially when he was a bit of a blundering doofus with more desire to impress than actual skill. So, according to that and his empty stomach... it felt like it had been ages. He offered a sort of sheepish grin, almost as if he was embarrassed to admit his own failures at hunting, before speaking again. "Hunting's not really my specialty at the moment. I think the last time I ate was last night. It... wasn't even that big a meal. Jut a couple of mice." Snotlout admitted. Failure hunter was a failure.

[Astrid]

"Lucky. Sure, I guess you needed some luck. Seeing as you don't have a roof over your head, or a meal." Astrid raised an invisible brow before bending down and beginning her meal. "You'll either have to get used to being hungry, or learn how to hunt, because I'm not feeding you all the time. I'm not your mom or your wife." Astrid spoke between mouthfuls (vikings weren't known for their dining manners). "Help yourself, just not to much." Astrid beckoned to the meal, eying it mournfully. With Snotlout eating, it would be a mere amount of time before the deer was less than bone, picked clean and white by the scruffy male. It seemed almost nothing could fill a teenage boy's appetite. That, doubled by viking standards, well if the human body could eat and use metal and rocks as food, there'd be nothing left on the face of the earth.

"You must have scared the heck outta Gobber. There aren't much wolves at Berk." Astrid continued looking at Snotlout. The teen was one massive wolf. "And your not exactly puppy sized." Astrid felt somewhat homesick, but not enough to mention. For a while she'd pushed all feelings aside kept them buried inn a deep, deep hole. They'd been let out once- when talking with Hiccup, and were digging themselves out now. She wanted to know how her parents were, how the vikings were taking the loss of two teenagers... many many questions. To bad Snotlout didn't seem like the one to notice the answers.

(ooc: short crappy post is short and crappy )

[Snotlout]

"I meant he got lucky, not me." Snotlout grumbled. Stupid Hiccup. But that wasn't what the conversation was about, now was it? Obviously not. Snotlout was glad for that much, at the very least. He couldn't really complain about what Astrid had said regarding needing to learn to hunt better. Inwardly he knew he was a crap hunter at best. The best he had managed to catch without scaring them away was mice. Deer were more difficult. Of course, the cocky teen couldn't help but smirk a little. He wasn't going to let on that he was a failure of a hunter.

"I would have caught that deer if the wind hadn't shifted. It caught my scent, that's all. If that hadn't happened I would have caught it with no problem." Snotlout boasted. ...Not entirely true, of course. Snotlout didn't even know how good a deer's sense of smell was. For all he knew it was horrible and he was making things up. It was either that, or the deer had picked up on his presence. Given his size, it wasn't hard to guess what would have given him away.

It didn't really matter, though. Astrid had invited him to share her meal (which, really, should have been his in the first place) and he wasn't going to be rude and decline such an offer. Especially not while he was hungry. He knew his place, though, and stepped to the side of Astrid so that he didn't take up too much room. It was clear that he wasn't as much of an alpha as he made himself out to be. He was more boastful than anything. Regardless, he was hungry. So he began to eat a bit of the deer before them. He stopped after a while, though, mainly so he wouldn't have to worry about talking with his mouth full and so there would be some left for Astrid if she still wanted any, and took a step back again as he licked deer remains from his chops. He would have eaten more if it had been his own kill, but Snotlout was sensible enough to know that since Astrid had killed it, it rightfully was hers. So she got the majority. This time.

When the subject shifted to how he must have freaked Gobber out, Snotlout offered a little shrug. He hadn't thought about it much before then. "All I know is I was trying to get these Terrible Terrors out of the village... don't laugh!" Snotlout said quickly, almost presuming the blonde wolf would laugh at the very idea that he, Snotlout, would stoop to chasing around Terrible Terrors. "I hadn't changed before I spotted them. They were sneaking into the village and I wanted to try and kill them. That's when this happened, and Gobber just happened to find me. That's all." he explained. Now that he thought about it, a blackish-brown wolf appearing from out of nowhere would have been freaky. He probably would have reacted the same way if he'd seen it happen.

With thoughts turning back to home, Snotlout realized just how lonely things had been before Astrid found him. He'd missed paling around with Tuffnut and Ruffnut. He missed picking on Hiccup. He missed having Fishlegs drone on about his strange fascination with dragon statistics in the background. ...On top of that, he missed home in general. But the tough boy wasn't going to give in to that so readily. Whether Astrid had picked up on his own homesickness had yet to be determined. But if she was feeling homesick herself, something Snotlout doubted very much, he might as well say something. "Uh... if it makes any difference, Astrid, things weren't the same without you around Berk. I probably would have come looking for you even if this hadn't happened." Snotlout said. A rare flicker of sincerity was seen in his blue eyes, but it didn't linger. He was being truthful regardless. Snotlout probably would have dragged Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs out of Berk to go looking for Astrid with him at some point. Hiccup? Not so much. As he had stated, he didn't care what happened to his cousin.

(ooc: l-lol... I think I got a bit carried away. I had no intention of this being so long. )

[Astrid]

When Snotlout backed away from her kill, Astrid hastily finished what was left, just in case the viking got a change of heart and his stomach mysteriously emptied into a bottomless pit once more. Or before he threatened vengeance with his face. "Sure Snotlout. I swear I thought I heard a shout. That's partially the reason I ran into the deer, running from where it came from." Astrid smirked ears relaxing back with the doggy grin. "Y'know it's so funny how a blonde wolf, sticking out like a sore thumb caught a deer. Unlike..." Astrid nodded towards Snotlout, who fit the picture of camouflage. Though that wasn't entirely fair, Snotlout was huge. As a wolf and a teenager, he was a hulk and it wouldn't have been to hard to spot his large figure amongst the trees. Everything was small and stunted in the forest and Snotlout was built like a small boulder or a large rock.

Astrid could help but laugh at the mention of terrible terrors. Though she was sensible enough to turn the hard laughter, into a not so well concealed cough. "I mean, manly, tough. Astrid smirked once more, her lips drawn up in the half human/dog smile. Than the blonde wolf cocked her head, and licked her maw once more, getting off the remaining deer meet. "Did Gobber know it was you? Do you think he could tell?" The teen asked, truly curious. Astrid wondered silently to herself, she'd become a wolf in a fit of range and desperation in order to save her fellow viking teenagers. Snotlout had turned into a wolf unconsciously, tracking the terrible terrors. Did it have a meaning or was it pure coincidence? Maybe Snotlout had slipped into a more comfortable, suitable form for stalking his 'prey' of sorts? A hunter instinct? Whatever it was, it had happened and he had changed.

Astrid wondered if canines could blush for a second. When Snotlout had said he would have gone looking for her, she'd whipped her head around to snarl in his face about 'that not being funny' and a nip to the shoulder for not being funny. Astrid had thought it was an attempt at flirting at first, but she'd since the flicker of sincerity. He really would have? Was Berk really that much different? Was her disappearance noticed enough for the teen to actually come after her? It seemed Snotlout's appearance had caused Astrid's mind to mass produce questions, popping them out like leaves falling in winter. "Thanks I guess. I think I would've done the same." The teen felt more sure of herself though. She would have done the same if any one had disappeared from Berk. Disappeared, onyl disappeared. Kidnapped, she'd assume dragons had taken them and they were in a watery grave, dropped off a cliff.

The logical part of her brain new that when one disappeared in Berk, not many good things could happen to them. The other more family burdened part, fought for the slight hope that she'd be able to save them in time. "But you found me. Why?" Astrid regarded the other teen cautiously. Lonesome? He'd seen her transform, maybe he had harbored the hope that she could help him better explain it? The teen really had no answer to that subject though. She barely had it figured out herself.

(ooc: I wondered how you got that out of my short crappy post xD ))

[Snotlout]

In all actuality, Snotlout hadn't been able to tell if Gobber knew it was him or not. If he'd been thinking when it had happened, which he really hadn't since it had seemed like instincts had taken over as he pursued the Terrors, he probably would have tried to identify himself. As it was, though, even if Gobber had recognized him then he probably would have ended up kicked out of Berk anyway. Stoick... well, the whole of Berk seemed against such strange happenings since Hiccup had been banished and since Astrid had changed. Though he thought he was the only one to see the latter actually happen.

"I don't think he recognized me. It was dark and I'd lost my helmet somewhere after I changed. Even if he had recognized me, it wouldn't have done any good on my part." Snotlout said. Fleeing had been the better option. They both knew that. Better to flee than to lose all potential rights to being the next chief by being banished officially. He'd almost wished Tuffnut and Ruffnut had been present to try and help him out. But that hadn't been the case.

Back to the subject at hand, namely how he would have gone looking for her anyway, that dopey grin of Snotlout's had returned. He really would have dragged the remaining teens off into the wilderness to look for her. Being one competent teen short had made raids a bit more difficult on their end. But the subject shifted to why he had found her. Again, Snotlout shrugged. "Dunno. I mostly just came here because it was a better option than trying to get into this one castle I saw on the way here." he said. Stupid creepy castle. Stupid dark-haired woman he had briefly seen. It just didn't look like the sort of place a werewolf would want to be. It had also had a vaguely familiar scent about it, like someone he knew was there, that had made him want to steer clear of it.

Still, he had seen Astrid transform in the first place. Maybe a part of him really had thought she could help him out with the whole werewolf thing. "...Okay, so I guess part of me wanted to find someone to help with this wolf thing. I just... didn't feel like joining a pack, I guess." he said with a shrug. He had briefly considered being a pack wolf, but decided against it when he realized he really wasn't all that great of a team player. He could help out Tuffnut, Ruffnut, and Fishlegs all right but that was because he worked all right with them. Otherwise... well, it just wasn't going to happen.

"I never did get to thank you. You know, for saving our butts from that Nadder. Even if it did mean you had to end up like this." Snotlout said. Okay, so we had to end up like this. Better than being stuck with Hiccup. he thought. "How... how you been holding up? You know, since you left and all." Snotlout said at length. He had been rather curious how Astrid had been doing since she'd fled. She appeared to be doing well, better than him at least, so she couldn't be too bad off.

(ooc: FFFFFF. IT KEEPS HAPPENING! D: )

[Astrid]

"You know how I feel than. A pack doesn't feel right, right know, y'know? And I don't know how much I can help... but the first transformation's always the easiest it seems. But when you get used to the pain, it doesn't bother as much." Astrid shrugged. Licking her maw once again and ridding it of the blood before it stained. The canine than got up and stretched in the funny, cutesy fashion of dogs. She than stood up straight and started trotting away. Her tail flashed briefly, inviting Snotlout to join her. She just didn't feel like sitting still, especially after her kill was finished. Maybe just a trot through the forest? There really wasn't much to do besides survive.

At the thank you Astrid shrugged. "Your welcome, couldn't let you guys die now could I?" Astrid gave a small laugh. She would've ended up like a wolf any way wouldn't she? Or some other dragon raid in front of everyone. It was better only the teens had seen her, if they even had. If any of the adults had seen her, she didn't know what would happen. Would they have attacked her or banished her? She couldn't decide which would've been worse. "And I've been... holding up. It's easier feeding one mouth and not having to fight dragons... But there's more to do and being down by numbers, well life is either boring or very exciting." Astrid said carefully and slowly. There were other wolves, vampires, humans, and so much more lurking the woods. She couldn't defend everything from everyone. She also couldn't be stupid and fight a battle she knew she'd never be able to win.

It was hard backing down. It wasn't a natural instinct for Astrid, she always charged into a battle. It was the viking way. An occupational hazard. That's just how it was, from a little kid she'd always known how to hold an axe. Or use a sword, or defend herself with a shield. Her play had been practice for the future. The little kid phase of fighting with medieval weaponry and shields, well that never died in a viking. When someone would normally make fun of someone who never grew out of the fad, vikings built upon it. You can poke your friend with this stick? Good, now whack them with it. It was how she'd grown up. And she sincerely hoped the others had, or her parents were extremely enthusiastic about learning to kill.

"So what've you been up to around here?"