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The moon and the mountain

Chapter 2: Gætir

End of long light, Time of plenty, just a few names the valleys villagers Have for the time of harvest, Culminating in the harvest fest celebrated during the harvest moon,

villagers sharing the bounty of the land and the local waters with each other while the moon is the only source of light apart from the cooking fires.

Among the villagers an odd pair of friends are enjoying each others company,

a one armed man with dark hair and a disfigured face

who is enjoying a bowl of rabbit stew,

and a young lightly tanned tall expecting maiden wearing a maternal dress and a shield on her back with a sword tucked under the shield,

who is enjoying some buffalo meat baked inside a coarse loaf of rye,

the pair laughing and bumping into each other as they share their stories.

"So i heard the shrine has a guardian now?"

The shield maiden asks while enjoying some gooseberry juice.

"Shhh... Keep it down Heidi, Who told You? Donna?,

we dont need to publicly announce it to every hunter within ear shot,

Only three people know of her,

I dont want A repeat of the incident from nine harvests ago"

Heidi slowly raises her mug contemplating with a serious face while staring at the mug remembering how hunters had torn into the prewious guardian due to her mistaken intentions,

they both stay still in silence to remember the black fox guardian of loyalty, Esther.

"I should have been there to help her" She slams the mug on the table

"And what, sprain Your ankle? You were 12" Seidr takes a slow sip of the juniper brännvinn

Heidi looks at the one armed man who is trying to drown his sorrow, slaps him on the back, causing him to nearly choke on his drink and she bursts laughing

Seidr looking at Heidi in shock

"Wha..."

Heidi stuffs his mouth with a piece of the meat filled bread

"Cheer up, remember what You told me when my father died" -

"There is a time to mourn, but after that celebrate the moments You had"

Seidr stupefied by the maiden and munches down on the meat roll

"Your right"- he continues under his breath barely audible

"If only i could follow my own advise, maybe she would not be so lonely"

Heidi seeing the pained expression on Seidrs face places her hand on his shoulder, sensing a deeper wound She figures, something recent pried it open "What happened?"

Seidr stands up and gestures Heidi to follow him

"not here, too many ears around"

The pair start walking towards Seidrs hut,

as they reach the hut, ever the gentleman he gestures for Heidi to step inside the dimly lit hut "Ladies first"

Heidi getting comfortable in a rocking chair asks Seidr

"I can see from Your face and missing arm it was bad" - " but how bad?"

"About as bad it gets, You mentioned the guardian. Yes its true, but she is still Young and in a fragile state"

Seidr takes a look out of the window seeing a thin beam of light coming out of Linas den. He grits his teeth as he closes the window, wishing he had more time back then.

Now recounting the events of the evening and night and how it went down, purposely leaving some blanks making sure he does not reveal details about Lina or what he really did and why he is disfigured,incase there were interested Ears listening,

Telling how the desert folks hunting parties had started using the same mindless hunting tactics used by the court royalty, leading him to believe they were hired by the court or some duke looking for new trophies, ending the painfull recal by telling her how the mountain lion mother was cornered before her daughters or seidr were able to help, and eventually killed.

Leaving out the parts about the dying stones and how he talked down a goddess

The disfigured man holding his right hand where a left arm should be. "I think You understand why she needs her privacy now, i would not want to imagine what she might do if she were to spot someone she could mistake for a hunter, close to the hill" Seidr with closed eyes as he opens the window again to let in a fresh autumn breeze.

Heidi visibly angered and silently rocking the chair

"There will be less hunters around when i visit the desert next time"

barely containing her anger as she feels a jolt in her stomach, her face going flush white, her water breaking nearly two months early making a sloshing sound.

Seidr making a snide remark "Dont spill the juice on my rugs" before turning to face Heidi who is panting and breathing heavily as the contractions start, seidr now drops his flask realizing it was not spilled juice.

"Get the mid wife! Heidi shouts, "his coming out early" -"Nnngg, Seidr. NOW!

Seidr snaps out of the stupor "Y.-Yes" rushing out the door and 6 doors down to Bang on the mid wifes cabin door

"Sarah! SARAH!" he continues to bang on the door as the mid wife opens a window and voices her grievance to Seidr while yawning

" Its close to midnight i was just about to fall asleep, what is it? more herbs for pain"

He looks at the mid wife with a blank stare replying "It started early"

the muddled mid wife needing a moment to process what he said as her eyes widen suddenly, she slams the window shut and runs out the door "Goddes say so earlier" She scofs at Seidr "i just did!" they continue to argue as they head back to his hut to move Heidi to the mid wifes cabin.

The mid wife carefully easing the screaming and huffing Heidi on to the bed, shouts at the now dazed Seidr "ARE You just going to stand there or help!" She gestures him towards a copper bucket filled with water "That needs to be piping hot, I trust You can do that much?"

Seidr just nods and runs out to the embers of the closest cooking fire, nurturing the ember until he can evoke flames and create an orbiting bright blue flame orb,

Hearing Heidis pained screams he runs back to the cabin, the orb orbiting him, Having noticed it the mid wife now screaming louder than Heidi " ARE YOU TRYING TO BURN MY CABIN DOWN!" - "DO IT OUTSIDE API!"

Seidr rushing outside with the bucket, hastily makes a pile of rocks as quickly as You would assume a one armed man could do it,

and places the bucket on top and directs the orb underneath it,

anxiously waiting for the first bubles to appear all the while Heidis screams are becoming more frequent, running back inside the mid wifes cabin with the bucket now filled with scalding hot water

"Its Hot N..." Seidr places down the bucket as sarah gives him a snide remark "Took Your sweet time" Heidi crying as she holds her baby boy in her arms who is not Breathing "Such a strong will, Wanting to see the moon so badly" the baby finally gasps for breath and cries out

"Hello there my dear son, My Aran"

right before the baby gasps for more air and stops breathing again, sarah starting to cry as well as Heidi who begins to pray for all the gods she can think of, as sarah notices the pool of blood still growing under Heidi "Heidi!" she shouts

Seidrs thoughts racing realizing he is facing an impossible decision,

knowing he cant save both, says with a shivering voice "Heidi"

Hearing the hesitation in his voice she smiles "Thank You for everything, but I choose him, Your eyes tell me You can save him, whatever it takes, Do it"

"He will be an Outc..." Not able to finish what he was about to say "DO IT! Or I WILL make the choice for You" she shouted with her eyes filled with rage and despair directed at Seidr, who now stopped hesitating as the maiden begun to reach for her sword.

following the wish of the dying maiden he begins the chant in twisted light and rock shaper tongue as he drew a menders cube on the baby boys chest, thinking 'was this just a coincidence? Harvest moon, Child born to strife, and one of only a handfull of people in the mountain regions who knew of the enchantment of Gætir, happens to be there' he shakes the tought away, remembering it is also the last night of guidance.

closing completition on the enchantment Seidr remembers the past mistakes he made, the grief, and feeling broken when he could not save Linas mother, The times he spent with klaes and other ghosts from his past haunted his mind, now remembering what he had been saving for so long he had forgotten

'Maybe, i was never meant to have it, but this boy I can already sense his strong will and gentle heart, perhaps, if he finds a true bond mate'

Seidr quickly finishes the chant, the menders cube vanishing like stardust and the infants eyes slowly turning to vibrant silver blue that looks like saphire blue when the moon light touches them.

Seidrs right eye flashes red and white "Sarah, my herbs, now please" Sarah seeing the pain he was in reaches to hand over a vial of herbal extract tincture, seidr wastes no time downing the bitter foul tasting liquid, hoping it is potent enough to prevent something worse.

Heidi barely holding on to her life, takes a look at her new born that is now calmly breathing, as if nothing happened. "please Sarah, take him, i dont think I..." Heidi slumps and her eyes close as she draws her last breath her final words leave her mouth "Aran.-Hope...My S..."

Seidr and Sarah stand still for a while, unable to talk, simply mourning silence.

Slowly Seidr turns towards the door and as he takes a step the mid wife had the misfortune of extremely poorly chosen words to say to the grieving man,

"You are just going to AB..." unable to complete her sentence, the air begins to escape from her lungs as winds begin to howl around seidr, who now turns back to face her with teary eyes turned completely black and what only can be described as a smile of a tormented soul.

"I WILL NEVER!...DO NOT EVEN THINK I W..." - "He will...be...My son! " Seidr saying with a breaking and howling voice in a way that can drive lesser men mad with Fear,

releasing the winds, Seidr lets the mid wife take a breath, as she gasps for air, Seidrs eyes darken still, almost like they are slowly collecting any and all threads of light around them and sucking them into a bottomless pit, while purple and orange Hue starts emanating from his right arm

.

"I am going to go for a talk with someone. Aran, no... My son better be well when I return" - "There is a wicker crib in my hut, please carry him there, Gently!"

The mid wife, shaking from the terror she felt deep to her bones, unable to or simply unwilling to talk, just nods her head.

Seidr now tilting his head

"He might be an outcast, might never get along, But consider this, what i felt from him, The offspring of the ONLY person in this village whose company i enjoyed, have You seen what it would do to a man if you snuff that away from him?"

Sarah just standing there barely utters the word "No"

Seidr now with an unhinged smile "Me neither, I am usually just a passenger when something like that happens" his teeth gleaming in the moon light as he grins while escorting the mid wife to his hut.

The infant now nestled in the crib, the mid wife now turning to face Seidr asks "may i go now" still shaking like a leaf.

"Well my dear, i have taken a shine to you somewhat, I am quite impressed that You have seen this side of me i am not proud of, and have not ran away screaming yet, So i have an important task for You"

He reaches out to the bookshelf to take out a small Ritual rune from inside a book and hands it to sarah,

"Whatever You were about to say, about me leaving him alone, never again!" she nods

"Good, Good" seidr begins to explain the purpose of the rune

"I need you to accompany me to the shrine, Your task is an easy one, when i ask for the runestone, drop it in front of me"

As they aproach the hill, Seidr asks the mid wife to wait at the beginning of the footpath while he said "Need to make sure its safe" - 'Yes, safe, who am I kidding'."i know klaes, look on the bright side if this is it, i get to spend my last moments with a friend"

Reaching the top seidr is now eminating a hue of blue and white, sees Lina and donna disgussin on top of a viewing stone sending a small orb of fire to guide Sarah up the path, as he aproaches them, he could hear donna just starting to talk about the bonding.

"Sorry to interupt ladies, Could i perhaps ask help with putting out my fire" Donna thinking it was just some ramblings of Seidr, intoxicated by the herbs she could smell he had been taking,

while donna and Lina turn around to see his eyes no longer dark but pulsing white and bright red while his body is giving off a bright blue white hue.

"I brought someone with me, she will be up here soon, You should hide or transform now Lina"

Lina visibly disturbed by the sight runs behind a support slab of one of the viewing stones and gestures for an Ouroboros emblem,

keeping herself hidden as sarah aproaches the goddes and Seidr, not minding the mountain lion who ran to cover,

while Donna pesters Seidr for an explanation.

"What happened, What did You do! And who is she!" taking a glance at the mid wife.

Lina noticing the agony he is experiencing, steels her resolve and starts to concentrate her thoughts, hoping to reach the goddess with out words 'Help him, Please Donna, I know he has done terrible things, but were any of them innocent?'

Starting to lose control over the pulsing flames seidr groans at donna

"Do You want to watch as i turn to ash and ember, or worse..." - "Or will You help me weather this maelstrom?" - "I Usually dont mind a lady making me wait" He groans "but could You hurry up, please"

Seidr momentarily losing the control of his voice as mudled memories try to rush in to interupt Donnas thoughts 'Why do i feel joy hearing those words'

the stunned expression on her face fades as Seidr falls to his knees and looks at the mid wife

"Sarah, drop the Rune, Run and take him as far away from the village You can, Please do not judge him yet, he has a strong but gentle soul" - Sarah drops the rune in front of Seidr as the man says under his breath "Sorry for what happened back there" - "NOW Hurry! Do not return to the village before dawn" he shouts as sarah runs towards the village.

Donna regaining her faculties, begins forming a glowing circle of bright red light around seidr who was now holding his finger on top of the Rune, Lina oblivious to what it was, but donna felt the lack of everything natural in the stone, something formed by force and twisted by the crafts of the weilder, an immense dark void just waiting ravenously to consume a soul.

"Do You really value Your life that little" Donna asks quietly, this time seidr losing his composure in turn feeling a familiarity in her words,

his eyes cycling various colors,

one among them very familiar to donna who almost loses concentration.

Donnas circle now pulsing in tandem with seidrs jets of flames, slowly begins to absorb the flames "Dont You dare!"

Donna shouts. Seidr now moves his finger away from the rune, realizing her solution is working.

The flames starting to die out as the ring absorbs them, Donna continues

"You owe me answers, And You owe Lina" Lina watching the spectacle from outside the shrine unable to hear what is going on only observing and perks up as she notices Seidr standing up.

The goddes now motioning to Lina, the Young feline aproached them, "Sorry my dear, this was to be our last night of guidance before Your independence, but i need to hear him out" as she gives Lina a gentle touch on her cheek while smiling she reassures the guardian

"Even if You do not hear me, I will still be with You, and Your words do reach me dear child"

now directing her attention to Seidr who carefully places the rune into a leather pouch.

"Seidr here will orient You with the bonding instead of me" -"Wont You...seidr?"

Giving her his full attention "Ofcourse, we are buddies after all" he laughs, as Lina feels relieved seeing Seidr was back to himself.

"Lina, Can you give us the rest of the night. I will allways watch over You, remember that" Lina, hesitatingly turns on her heels and returns to her den, but not before expressing her relief out loud "Glad Your alright buddy".

After Linas departure Donna now expecting answers in return from the man who in the past was allways placing demands on Her.

Seidr still struck with grief, begins to walk Donna through the events of the night,

how one fire faded and one was kindled under the harvest moon,

the goddess pained by the loss of Heidi,

is still hopefull, there is a Gætir now in the realm.

After giving Heidi a proper send off with help from Sarah, Seasons roll by as Seidr watches the boy grow and Donna now only seldomly appears for Seidr and Lina who is now more independent,

guarding the shrine from vandalism and roaming the lands where she could.

Aran, now 14 years old, still unaware of her mothers fate and has only scratched the surface of his abilities not yet aware why he looks different than rest of the people in the village,

a gentle hearted boy who gets into trouble with the village folk often,

who treat him as an outcast due to how he looks and his propensity to break traps and scare away animals from potential ambushes,

mostly trekking the mountains and staying hidden when he is out and about. Becoming more independent, watching over the valley and befriending some of the fauna.

On a night of the last spring thaw while Aran is still making his way back to seidrs hut,

Seidr pays Lina a visit to ask her a simple yet complicated question.

"Hows my buddy doing!" He said as he noticed her silver grey tail tip was already lightly swinging before he said anything 'Ofcourse she new it was me' and scratched his head while Lina turned around to greet him

"Seidr!" - she happily jumps up with her eyes beaming, not having seen him for nearly two months "

Where have You been, Donna will not be here tonight, but she can hear You, and talk with You in a W..." Seidr interupts the exited guardian "I came for advice i need, From You"

"from Me?" Lina asks confused

"Yeah sorry, it will be a short visit, but i need to ask this from someone who has experienced it" Seidr now with an embarassed look continues while Linas confusion deepens.

"We...Were You happy as a cub, when You were up in the mountains, With Your mother and sisters?"

Lina completely surprised by his question needs a moment to gather her faculties and answers

"I was, I allways felt happy, even though i spent alot of time alone, but simply her being there, Gave me comfort" Lina looking at the point where Seidr has seen a beam of light projected to for many a night

Seidr thanks Lina for the honest answer and gives the young mountain lioness a good chin scratch as he now thinks what hardships may lay ahead for her and Aran as well.

Seidr now closing his eyes and muttering his thoughts aloud

"Some days i am barely able to help myself, how am I supposed to help someone else too"

Lina sees his puzzled look, not knowing what was going on she gives him a continuation to her answer that gave Seidr hope "Be Yourself, the unyielding strong willed Seidr i know never backed away from a challenge"

Seidr jumps up after giving linas head a few pets, "Thanks buddy" - "I think i know what to do now" He quietly says his farewells "Good bye for now, thank You for reminding me of all the beautifull things this world can offer"

Starting to make his way back to the hut he thinks 'Its about time for me to tell him about his mother, and teach him more crafts so he can start being a Gætir, and maybe keep himself, and her safe'

In the night lit by the stars peaking through the clouds, A boy with vibrantly colored hair is walking on a footpath in darkness, made by animals, following it in the hopes of finding a place to sleep. stumbles upon a den on the mountain side, he could feel the warmth from the sun still radiating from the stones on top of the entrance and places his bedroll on top of the rocky patch, letting out a sigh of comfort as he curls under a felt blanket.

"What a lovely night, I wonder if there will be fog in the valley at dawn" he says after closing his eyes.

not having heard someone had followed him for a while now, a voice next to him says "The air does smell damp" followed by a quiet rumbling sound of hunger

"Aaah" he jumps up in surprise and with a scared and dazeled look on his face, starting to gather things quickly while the voice in the darkness starts to gigle "Do not worry I mean You no harm"

Aran stops to turn around to see a pair of eyes gleaming in the dark, "A mountain lion, havent seen Your kind before, though this is ways off from where I usually travel" - "I heard mountain lions prefer the other side of the mountain" He drops his bed roll back to the ground.

The feline steps a bit closer to sniff Arans hand "We have called this den our home ever since our birth" *she takes another sniff* "But where do You come from? You have a familiar scent, but a strong scent of the forest and mountains also"

Aran notices three more pairs of eyes now looking at him, while another grumbling stomach sound emanates from the feline.

Realizing his not a threat either, two cubs emerge from the darkness followed by their mother.

Aran now realizing they must have not had good luck hunting, feels sorry for the felines, looks at his food bag, he has plenty of food left for his four day trek back to the village.

"What was it about the air You said earlier?" he decides to try and make it a bargain, to try and make it look like his not giving away food for free.

"It smells damp" the mountain lioness tilts her head and smells the food from Arans bag,

before she even gets a chance to open her mouth,

Aran speaks up

"How about i tell You a little about where I come from while we gather around a fire and enjoy some rabbit and bass?"

Confused and surprised at the generous offer from the boy, She opens her mouth and barely utters the words "Then...We can share the warmth of our den"

"Thats setled then!" - " even if the night is beautifull. Sleeping in dry warm place is better, than waking up in rain" Both of the sisters now respond in Unison as they tilt their heads and smile while purring "Indeed it is"

After starting the fire with some flint and a rod of rough steel, Aran remembers back to the basic forming crafts seidr thought him.

Placing his hand close to fire and drawing a small menders cube, he chants in the rock shapers tongue and the cube disappers in a flash of yellow light as a ring of stone appears around the fire.

Aran now Scratching his head as he notices the cubs ran inside the den scared by the flash "Sorry about that"

He smiles and continues "Need to make sure we do not burn down the few trees here"

"Very considerate of You, You are not like most humans, are You" the mother of the cubs points out Arans hair and eyes, which can now be seen in the light of the crackling bon fire.

Aran starts placing some of the rabbit meat on the stone ring and sees the two anxious cubs slowly aproaching,

slowly takes out a leather satchel out of his bag and loosens the strings to take out a couple of pieces of winter dried bass

"Here, have You tasted bass before? nibble on it slowly" the cubs eyes gleam and their mouths salivate a bit in anticipation,

snatching the pieces from Arans hand nearly biting his Finger, after which he thinks to himself 'there should be more fauna here, what is going on in here'

Both of the sisters now sitting next to Aran enjoying the warmth of the fire and the waft of rabbit meat cooking on the stone. Lean on each other as they ask "So what brings You here?"

Aran looks at the stars and then back at the fire "I...I dont know, I am searching for something, I just dont know what yet, And I dont feel like the village life is for me. either, i feel like... I am missing something"

He lets out a deep sigh before continuing "I have traveled parts of the valley and mountains where few people dare, climbed even the highest peak of the eastern range, but whatever I am missing, I have not found it yet"

The sisters gazing at him with disbelief "How old are You?"

"I will be fifteen this harvest moon" Aran replies while placing his hands towards the fire to warm them up

The sisters now look at each other "A child of the moon, lost in the mountains" they quip in unison and Aran blushes, "Yeah, thats what Sarah called me too" - "but what do you mean lost in the mountains?" The sisters just smile gently at Aran.

Aran turns the rabbit meats on the hot stone which sends an inviting scent into the air, enticing the cubs to come sit next to fire.

Arans thoughts returning to the surroundings still sensing something is off asks the mountain lions

"Where are the other animals, apart from moles and shrews there should also be deer, foxes and mountain goats in these parts from what i heard"

The sisters both turn to Aran "Humans, Humans with spears and black golden emblems on their capes hunted all the stags, foxes and goats from these parts last autumn" Looking at the cubs, their mother continues "We were lucky, we were in the valley when it happened, we only saw what they left behind, Pelts and antlers removed and only few cuts of meat removed"

the other of the sisters with a pained expression and a tear drop at the end of her muzzle continues"It has been hard since then...I.-My litter, i lost them, there was not enough food, all i can do now is try to get food for my sisters Litter"

Both felines again leaning on each other as they shed a few tears remembering the lost "I... I.-Am so sorry, I cant imag..." Aran tries to mutter the words but the sisters interupt him and swing their tails in front of his mouth "You have nothing to be sorry about, You have shown kindness to us, and possibly saved the Young ones that still are with us"

Aran now shedding a tear surprising the sisters, now takes the cooked meats off the stone "let them cool down before eating" he places three pieces in front of the cubs and a hands a piece for both of the adult mountain lions causing the sisters to take on a worried look as they question Arans decision on the distribution of food "Where is Your share?"

he places his head between his knees while sitting and shakes his head "You should have it, i lost my appetite"

After a quart the meat had cooled down enough, Moved to tears by the compassion shown by him, the felines eat properly for a first time in days

"Please Join us in the den tonight to share our warmth...You never told Us Your name" the sisters direct him to follow the cubs into the den while following them.

"Aran" He replies.

As the felines and Aran are fast asleep, Aran wakes up to stretch his legs in the middle of the night, but as he looks outside the den, he sees four men walking up the mountain side,

one with a spear not sure about the other three, he quietly goes back to the den, the sisters now woken up but the cubs still asleep. "What is wrong?" -

"Hunters, i think" Aran replies and the sisters begin to snarl

"Shhh..." Aran hushes them "they dont know about us yet" he whispers as he takes his coat and wool garment off handing them behind him for the sisters "Put those on top of the young ones for warmth, and be ready incase i am not swift enough"

Aran starts to quietly chant with rock shapers tongue all the while drawing runes to the dens wall, silently the mouth of the den closes up almost completely, leaving just a couple of air gaps.

Silently they wait, wait and sit still, hearing foot steps outside coming closer and eventually walk past them.

Aran breaths out in relief "They did not notice" the sisters now relaxed that the danger is over "Thank You, Again, for everything"

As he turns to the sisters to head to the back of the den, his chest now revealed, as well as the dim white glow of the moon emblem one of the sisters suddenly realizes it is similar to their sisters symbol "Li..." the other quickly shuts her sister and shakes her head, instead says "Listen Aran, could You make sure Your kin are gone in the morning just relax and sleep for now" She starts purring.

"Ok, the rock shaping runes should last for long enough without me redrawing the runic seal" he lays his head down next to the mother and her cubs, falling asleep from the hypnotic purring. The sisters still awake, continue from where they left off "That emblem, its the same Lina has, Could he be searching for her, drawn to her somehow eventually? we should t..." - the other sister interupts her sibling "I think it is better they experience the discovery without our influence, on that note, do not tell Lina about him yet either, i have a feeling they will be drawn together soon enough"

The sisters nod at each other "Children of the moon, born to strife, drawn together, united under the moon as the two become one"

they gigle a bit, as Aran turns in his sleep and lets out a few muddled words in his sleep "I'll be carefull, Dont worry Seidr"

and continues with some incoherent mumbling before turning silent again, The sisters shocked look at each other "Seidr?" and agree to inquire Aran about it in the morning.

Waking up well rested, Aran begins the process of slowly removing the stone barrier which kept them hidden during their sleep, the cubs unaware of what had transpired during the night, start waking up slowly,

one of the sisters brings him his coat and woollen undergarment

"Thank You, I'll scout the surroundings first to make sure it is clear" As he exits the den and draws in the fresh morning air which smells just like after it had rained.

he cheks his rations and looks at the cubs. "Here, for the Young ones"

he gives away the last pieces of bass "it is not much, but I c..." The mother of the cubs interrupts him and accepts the pieces with her face beaming from gratitude while the other sister thanks him "Thank You, please be carefull, the rocks are slippery after the rain, and come back soon, we wish to talk to You about something"

Aran nods as confirmation and lifts his backbag "I will be back soon, make sure the litle ones stay inside untill then"

It does not take long for Aran to find the camp site of the men who were ascending the mountain at night further up from the den at the edge of the tree line,

one of them had left a broken spear shaft behind, adorned with two emblems he had not seen before, thinking it might be best to ask Seidr about the symbols he takes the shaft along to use it as a travelers walking stick for now

Searching the area he finds no tell tale signs of them thinking they must have only stopped for a while as they did not make a camp fire.

Making his way back down to the den, the sisters had stayed to keep a watch

" no sign of them, apart from some broken ground and this shaft." - " they must have moved on before first light"

Sitting now close to the dens mouth, watching the cubs play at the back of the den "What did You wish to talk about"

The sisters nod at each other "We heard You say a name in Your sleep" - "Seidr"

They continue as Aran is wondering where this is going "How do You know him?"

Surprised at their inquiry he replies with eyes wide having his interest piqued "Seidr? His my Father, well not the real one but he has raised me, and taught me most of the things I know about crafts and the lands beyond the valley" - "How do You know him?"

The mother of the cubs goes back inside the den to make sure they do not venture outside, thinking it is best not to let them hear what was about to be said, not yet atleast, the other sister now gesturing Aran to follow him a bit further down from the den to a clearing, devoid of old trees, apart from some trunks that had fallen years ago to some strong winds and deep dark holes in the ground, as if the stars had been shot at the earth

.

"It was almost 15 Years ago, this is where we first met Seidr" the memories still ewoking gut wrenching pain on her

She presses on, recounting the events of the night they lost their mother, and saw a gentle but tormented figure come to their aid, leaving out minute details that would refer to lina, as per the agreement with her sibling.

"This is the place we saw him collapse, we never witnessed what he exactly did, but we did not see any hunting parties here, until last autumn" -

now crying for the fate of the gentle man, she remembers witnessing the first sight of his disfigured face, feeling grief she thought she could not feel, grief towards a human

"He disregarded his own safety to protect us, and he paid a price for exceeding the limits of his body" - "He never hesitated"

Touched by the recount of the events Aran could not hold back his tears after hearing out the mountain lion.

"The old man...He did All that?" the feline nods

Aran clenching his fists as he runs them through the soil, closing his eyes "Everyone in the village just thinks of him as a drunk api who knows a few chants and rituals.- Why did he never tell me...Why...Father Do you not trust me because I am not really Yours" -

The Feline swiftly swipes her paw on his face giving him a shallow scratch on the cheek while showing now an angered teared up expression

"You have a gentle heart, Never Ever think he does not worry about You, HE Spared You from this pain You are now feeling, that means he knows You and ... cares For You.- Like a father should" she stops and sobs "Like a loving parent should" and hiccups as more tears roll down her cheek.

Aran hugs the feline "Sorry, Sorry for what I said, looks like he means alot for both of us" - "despite his love for brännvinn" He chuckles as he gently hugs the feline while tears roll down their cheeks.

after calming down, and the dried tears still burning the scratch on his cheek, they make their way back to the den,

Aran getting ready to leave now.

"He knows now?" the mother of the cubs asked her sibling, who simply nods. "He is his Fathers Son, truly"

The sisters both turn towards Aran "Please tell Seidr, that We wish the broken gentle man who protected the mountains, would visit some day again"

"I will" Aran replied as he begun his trek down towards the village,

the sisters shout after him "You too, visit us some time again"

Aran stops and looks over his shoulder and gives them a similar wink he has seen Seidr give, in moments when words were not needed, and continues his lonely trek down to the valley.

"He really is his Fathers son" one of the sisters said while the other continued "Some bonds truly are stronger than blood"

They lean on each other, hopefull, there is someone else now, protecting the mountains and valley "Stay safe, Son of Seidr" - "child of the moon" they whisper as they return to the den.

The trek to the village was a silent one, Aran completely missing the sight of the guardian sitting on a viewing stone gazing at the moon alone in silence.

At Seidrs hut, He is welcomed with open arms but a heavy weight is on his shoulders, he tosses the cane into a corner of the hut and says with a broken voice "The.- " - "The mountain lions wish You paid them a visit some day"

Seidr, now speechless drops to his knees to hold Aran "They told You what happened?" Aran nods, Seidr for the first time openly shows regret on his face to Aran " I am sorry son, I should have been the one to tell You earlier, to tell You of the cruelty our kind are capable towards themselves and others" - "But i was afraid that it would drive You away"

Aran with a begging look and desperation pleads Seidr "Please father, I want to know YOU! I want to know of myself too..."

The one armed man contemplating his choices suddenly remembers the advise given by Lina "I wished to have a talk with You also"

Seidr closes the door and window panels while asking aran to add more wood to the fire and fan it "First, I believe i should start with this, only Your mother knew about this, and a friend of mine called Klaes"

Seidr calls forth flames where his left arm used to be and turns them solid forming a hand and draws a menders cube on his neck and taps it making the cube dissipate revealing a phase morph rune symbol inside a glowing cats eye emblem.

"This is a phase morph craft i used on myself years ago, It is inspired by the guardians abilities to enter various forms of transformation"

Aran focused and silently listening to his adoptive father, watches the runes glow disappear

"I can not show You what i look like yet, nor can i say my true name, i am waiting for someone to awaken first, it might forever ruin the possibility if i were to do it too early, unlike with guardians transformation, this is a one way ticket, when deactivated, never again, Your body will reject the transformation" - "But anything else i can tell"

Aran walks up to Seidr and hugs him"Just tell me about You, Mother and Me"

Seidr finally realizing what she meant with her first part of the answer 'I need to stop distancing myself'

"Alright" - "Ask away son" he smiles gently removing his faux arm as Aran hugs him tighter.

Aran takes a seat in the very same rocking chair her mother enjoyed, while seidr picks up a stool to sit closer to Aran.

Answering all of his questions about the various materials, stones and books in the hut, about his mothers past and how Seidr knew her, about Seidrs past in the volunteer ranger corps, the war and skirmishes, they laughed, cried and relived the past together that night.

Untill Aran raised the subject of himself, Seidr hesitates for a moment but snaps out of it and recounts the events of his birth night.

"You are a Gætir, that is why You look different, that is why You feel attuned out there, Your senses eventually becoming sharper as you grow"

Aran tells Seidr about how he feels his searching for something but does not seem to find it, to which Seidr says

"You will find it eventually, I need to teach You alot of things" Seidr putting on a serious face and sinks to his thoughts 'Lina and Aran... They have not bonded yet, i wonder...' and continues to tell him about past Gætirs, carefully leaving out the details of the relationships between guardians and Gætirs, but revealing that some Gætirs were travelers, while all of them were protectors in a way or another.

"Aran, can You do me a favor in the morning. I want You to gather me some things" - "We will need them soon"

Aran starts packing his bag but Seidr lets out a belly laugh "Son, i am not about to let you go far for a while, stay with me for a moon and lets see what i can teach You" - "The things i need you to gather are close to the creek and in the forest between the hill and the village"

Aran puts his backbag down "What are they?"

Seidr smiles and places his forehead on Arans"White river stone, a half a fist sized rounded one if possible, some oak bark, and lilacs...and lastly"

Aran anxiously waiting as seidr says "Accompany this old fool to visit Your mothers grave"

"Thank You father...I will"

At first light Aran collects the materials Seidr asked, and they travel to Heidis grave site, still marked by the shield she carried everywhere.

Seidr takes the materials from Aran, Resting the piece of bark against Heidis shield, placing the lilacs carefully into the cracks of the bark and places the stone as a supporting wedge to prevent the wind from blowing it away.

"they were her favourite...Lilacs, she loved the scent of blooming lilacs"

Aran on his knees now asks Seidr"Why"

"Sorry Son, this is the only way to make up for lost time, You need to be close to a grave belonging to Your lineage for this to work, and You need help with it, It is the only way I am so s..."

Aran stands up and shakes his head before Seidr finishes "You were doing it for my sake, I know now mother was a close friend of Yours"

Seidr nods and says "this needs to be done in order to find out Your other affinities instead of the slow trial and error" - "We know You have an affinity with Stone, but lets see what else"

Seidr gestures Aran to sit close to the grave as he sits next to him to help and guide him through the process

"Close Your eyes, concentrate on the stories i told You about her" - "Now start looking past the people of the stories, what features begin to draw You in"

"I feel like, i am flying towards the mountains" Aran says with surprised expression while his eyes are still closed

"Good, that one we know, now let Yourself glide past them, what else draws You in" Seidr questions

"I see an orb changing form, not stopping. Wait i am gliding into the orb, its dark yet bright inside"

Seidr now a bit surprised and shocked "Transmutation orb suggest You have affinity to phase morphing, changing the matters from solids to something else and vise versa"

"I keep gliding away again" Aran said, seidr now speechless 'A third one?' "They, They are so bright, but i cant help but look at them" Seidr curious now asks Aran "What are?"

"The moon...Bright green eyes on the moon" 'Bond affinity! so it really was it, they can be more than... So it seems i really was holding on to it for some one else' Seidr laughs interupting Arans meditation, "What is it? what does it mean?" Aran asks confused.

"Well two things son." - "one, i cant help You with that particular affinity"

"Aaand?" Aran looks at seidr who chuckles again

"Second, There is someone else who can help You with it, You need to find them Yourself though" 'hope it works Out' seidr thought as he took a swig of brännvinn 'Heidi, You think his gonna be a lady killer like his old man and sweep her legs from under her?'

he thought and poured Some brännvinn on Heidis grave.

"Lets head back Aran, I have a variety of interesting things to teach You" - "You would be surprised what possibilities open up when rock shaping is combined with phase morphing"

As they walk back to the hut seidr tells Aran about his mothers years in the village before she begun her shield maiden training and eventually tells him the finer details about his own exploits in the war to defend the valley from the armies of the red desert, Aran remembers the broken spear shaft and asks him about it

"I found a broken spear shaft up in the mountains, a group of four men left it behind, it has symbols I have not seen before" Seidr looking a bit surprised, "can You describe the symbols?"

Aran nods

"One was a symbol of a man with a head ornament the had three points on it and two swords crossed underneath it, the other had a hand placed on an open book that had an aura around it" - "what do they mean?"

Seidr now in his thoughts making every effort not to show worried 'Weapons from royal armory commissioned for the combat crafts academy, Mercenaries?'

Faces aran

"I dont think it is nothing to worry about, but we should get rid of it, we do not need distractions in the following months"

'Are they looking for Klaes, or me? Or...No, only four people knew of Lina and two of them are gone, I need to make sure it stays that way for now'

Aran seeing Seidr in his thoughts again asks him what is bothering him."Lost in Your thoughts again old man" trying to cheer him up a bit as well.

"Hey I dont even have a grey hair on me yet!" seidrs reply evokes a laughter from Aran

"So what next?" he asks full of enthusiasm as seidr thinks about their next steps. "Say, Aran, when You shape the stone with Your craft, Do you ever hear or feel the rock taking the form You want, besides visually observing it?"

"I.-I dont think so?" he replies and Seidr begins to smile "Then that will be where we start, perfecting your rock shaping, that will help You eventually master phase morphing, and help You build up the necessary understanding to eventually master nature touch as well"

As they continue their walk they jovially talk about the possibilities of sabotating traps with the skills he will be learning,

as they reach the village Seidr instructs Aran not to talk about using his skills in the village,

telling him there has not been a Gætir in the village since the war started years before his birth "

You can see why son, take a look around You" Aran looks at the villagers and realizes what Seidr was talking about,

the oldest men look to be in their mid 30's to late 30's. Most are younger, and only a few women past their 50's

Seidr looking back towards the forest they came from and continues "That forests edge is where he was last seen alive, the Gætir before You, it was about Sixteen years before Your birth" Seidr takes on a pained expression as he clenches hand "five years we held them at bay, and he was one of the first ones we lost, and klaes one of the last"

Looking at the dimming sky he slowly closes his eyes "the last one to be lost, was Esther. Two years after the sensless war, she held on for seven years despite her grief, and eventually died at the hands of the misguided"

Not realizing who or what Klaes and Esther were, Aran opens his mouth and looks at his adoptive father who stands still with his hand on the village fence now and a tormented look on him.

Realizing he might open old wounds, closes his mouth and just hugs him and says

"But You are here, and I can live, laugh, cry and grow. Because of You!" After hearing those words Seidrs survivors guilt is washed away and tears of joy roll down his cheek, remembering his own advice he had given to Arans mother 'There is a time to mourn, but after that celebrate the moments You had'

"Yes Iam son, Yes I am!" reciporating Arans hug.

Reaching the hut Aran yawns as he steps in "the sun has almost set, I need to give You a list of things to keep an eye out for" - "But first Sleep now, i will go and get rid of the shaft"

Seidr giving a white lie, having seen a faint beam of light from the guardians den, he hopes he will be able to speak to the goddess without Lina prying on them 'Sorry buddy, these are things i must make sure to shield You two from' Aran seeing seidr leaving, now turns in for the night. After closing the door behind him, squeezing the shaft in his hand seidr quitly whispers to himself

"Better for me to bathe myself in blood again, rather than a drop of it falling on my dear friend...Or You son" - "Hold onto to Her, I will make sure nothing comes between You two when the time comes, not even the gods, they took their pound of flesh from me, I will gladly forfeit the rest"

Walking up the peble path up to the shrine Seidr sighs in relief, the moon is shining brightly 'lets see if shes in a mood for chat'

he thinks and smirks before walking up to the concave pedestal and shouting

"Honey! I am home, Is the mead warm!"

and bursts out laughing.

barely a moment later in a bright flash donna appears at the shrine, clearly irked by the antics and disregard for etiquette shown by Seidr.

"Your quite obnoxious, dipping to the herbs again" she stares at the man in front of her and sniffs but does not smell the herbs on him.

"Or are You here just to torment me?" Seidr laughs and places the spear shaft on the pedestal now reaching for his flask

"No dear, I am here to seek answers, and some help perhaps" He takes a swig of his brännvinn "Do you want some? I have a feeling You will want some, this will be a long night"

Donna reaching out for the flask, as Seidr says "goose berries, her favourite" she pauses for a moment and takes the flask "Just stop calling me Dear and Honey, call me by my name" 'Feeling a sense of deja vu again that she cant shake away' and takes a swig.

"So what did You wish to discuss?"

Seidr now grabbing the spear shaft "Recognize the marks?" He holds out the broken shaft pointing out the two emblems "Heidis son found this, left behind by a small group traveling the mountains"

Donna looks at the marks and her face contorts in anger "Academy mercenaries, in the valley again"

"Seems so" Seidr now placing the shaft back on the pedestal and blinks and cups his hand setting the shaft on fire "Dont worry, I will clean up after myself"

Donna looking now more worried "Do you know what they were looking, has word gotten out about Lina?"

Seidr shakes his head "I dont think so, only four who know about Lina, Are You, Me, Sarah who is no longer with us, And Heidi, and the villagers no longer recognize a Gætir when they see one, so they should be both safe"

"Then what?" Donna now more worried than before because there were now more questions than answers on the subject "Why show up now?"

Seidr gesturing for the flask now and takes a swig after Donna hands it to him "I gues..." - Seidr pauses "You gues what?" Donna persists

Letting out a sigh Seidr looks Donna in the eyes and replies "I gues the ghosts of my past are catching up to me, i cant wait to see which one gets me first, the one still in blisfull slumber, or the one raging like a stormy sea"

A shiver goes down Donnas back, as she feels that she should know what the one armed broken mans words meant, yet she does not.

"What do You mean?" she asked for clarification.

"Eeh? still nothing?" - "Well dont You worry De.- Donna" - "In any case, i want You to rebolster the barrier around the hill" he watches at the faint folds of the barrier glint in the moon light before looking back at Donna.

"Enough about my past" - "I want to ask about Lina"

Donna looking at the direction of the guardians Den "What of her?

Seidr scratches his head and smiles awkwardly "Welll...How much were You able to tell her about Gætirs and guardians in general and the bonding?"

"Regrettably, Very little, I told her about Gætirs as protectors and that a bond may be formed between the two, she is unaware of Aran, Gætirs distinct features and the extent and effects of the bond, as well as the ceremony and ritual" She snarls a bit as she says the last part.

Seidr sighs in relief "Good, I think it is best for both of them, that we do not burden them with the knowledge, especially based on what the ancestral meditation revealed"

Donnas face now showing a face filled with confusion and disbelief,

seidr continues "He is just now grasping what it means to weild the crafts, and his connection to his surroundings as a Gætir" -

"I would prefer to guide Lina and Aran separately on the bonding, a moon or two before"

"And why is that?" Donna asks slightly annoyed

Seidr hands out the flask to Donna as he tells about the first two affinities revealed to them and continues "But there was a third thing pulling him" -

"He said he could not look away either...Emerald green eyes glowing brilliantly and watching him back from the moon as he watched them"

Donna now nearly choking on the brännvinn attempts to hide her surprise as Seidr continues "I dont think he is mentally strong enough yet to prepare for the bond, let alone hear what the bond requires, he might be traumatized from the thought alone"

"I concur with Your judgement" Donna said as she coughed, catching Seidr off guard "You knew about this?

"I know of the affinity You mentioned, but i was unaware Aran had it" she catches her breath before continuing

"But do You know the significance of seeing the guardians eyes watching him, from the moon?"

Seidr thinking back to past experiences and all the texts he had read

"No, there are mentions of it but no clarifications on the meaning"

Donna gigles like a girl as he looks at her dumbfounded, Donna just shakes her head and smiles before giving Seidr the flask

"It remains to be seen" she gigles as she thinks 'Poor man is in for a shock' as she closes her eyes and smiles at seidr

"Thank You for mostly being civil, but unfortunately, I have something to share about Lina which will increase Your burden ten fold"

Seidr starts to feel like there is a rock in his throat sensing she is not joking "What?" he is barely able to ask.

Donna gently smiles and gets closer to seidr and whispers to him "She has been dreaming of roaming the lands of not just the valley,freely at night, as silver blue eyes watch over her,

she told me she did not feel alone those nights"

Taking a moment to process the meaning of what she just told him seidr takes a swig from the flask again and his jaw drops as he stares at the moon.

"Yo..Your telling me that she.-She has th...The" Seidr barely able to speak from the shock, Donna stops him and confirms "Yes, they both have the affinity, and a strong one too"

He drops the flask now and drops on his knees as he scratches his head and says with a defeated voice "I survived the war, I survived when my crafts were in an inbetween state when i was broken... But Lina and Aran... Are they the ones driving me to my grave with worry?" -

"Are You absolutely sure that is what she said?"

Donna nods and gives a sarcastic smile "Prepare, and Prepare well" as she begins to fade away

"Farewell for now,

do come visit again if You can act civil"

She gigles again with a blush on her face and fades away.

Seidr still feeling crushed over the revelation mutters

"not funny..." and now shouts "NOT FUNNY!"

"Klaes buddy, help me..." - "Yeah, she got the last laugh tonight, she got it allright"

Seidr picks up his flask and notices his hand trembling 'Is this fear?' he thinks, as he gathers his resolve, 'i gues of the two, Lina should learn first, she is like a leaf in the wind some times, but if she can hadle it, maybe he too'

He starts his journey back to the village to get some rest and make sure Aran has not wondered off into the night.

After returning to the village, seidr gently spreads a blanket on Aran, They spent the next days to formulate a training regime for Aran to build up his mental and physical fortitude,

as the seasons pass following the list given to him by Seidr,

Aran is able to find most materials needed to test and practise his skills on. Becoming somewhat proficient in phase morphing after mastering the rock shaping craft while absorbing knowledge of the language from Seidrs books.

The months roll by as a the last summer of Youth dawns on the young Gætir.

Still unaware of each others existence the Guardian and Gætir both gaze at the moon at nights, wanting to share those moments with someone, to spend a night of serenity while watching the celestial dance of the stars and the moon between the two mountain ranges.

--------------End of chapter 2------------------