Sleeping Dragon by means which have never yet been tried

It seems that Drageda is filled with change. From the moment he embarked a new journey in Sleeping Dragon, it is one thing after the other, and while he doesn’t seem to mind, he isn’t sure how much he really likes it. Gyda has been spending more time around the borders and keeping herself busy now that the puppies don’t need her constantly. Freyja has been spending time with Wildfire or Thuringwethil or making use of herself. The other puppies don’t have a defined planned yet but they are young still though he has grown a little concerned that they might not by the time they come of age.

A sigh escapes him around the long deer leg he carries toward the rendezvous site. Most days, there is no one near the den until the sun has settled, but with a growl in his stomach already, he brings it early for a small dinner. With something in mind, however, he drops the limb on the ground before he delivers a short call for any of his own that may be nearby.

Out of his siblings, Hvit probably spent the most time at the den still. It was a recent development, however, having followed after his short trip beyond the borders. Though he was pretty sure that no one had seen him leave or return, he’d felt it best to stick nearer to the densite so that no suspicions arose. After all, he was the good boy, and children of such titles didn’t just blatantly disobey everything that they’d been told whilst growing up in order to help a raccoon—which was exactly what he had done, not that anybody needed to know that. So when the call was heard he hadn’t been too far off, and so it hadn’t been long before he’d arrived.

A quick glance around revealed to him that he was the only one there, which seemed strange. No matter, the viking continued forward until he could butt his head against the older male’s forelimbs. “K—” stop, wrong language. “Hei.”

Hvitserk is the first—and only—one to arrive. It doesn’t necessarily surprise him but he smiles anyway and lowers his head to nudge to the top of his skull. The greeting is quiet but the head bump is strong, which only gets stronger as the boy gets bigger. He stands taller than his sister, so far, as they all begin to fill out and show their potential. “Enti?” he asks, pointing out the meal he’d brought before he licks the stray blood from his lips.

The headbutt was responded to with a nudge, but he didn’t lean into it like he usually did with Freyja. He’d kept himself still instead, and then took a few steps back so that he wouldn’t hurt his neck by having to look straight up. As of late, he’d spent little of his time around Gavriel, though he’d wanted to seek him out at one point. With their current meeting, it seemed as if he wouldn’t have to do so, he’d just need to figure out how to say what it was that he wanted to—which would have to happen later.

Hvitserk eyed the leg for a moment, but made no move towards it. Rather, he had looked back towards his father and shook his head. He wasn’t hungry at the moment, having eaten recently enough.

Hvitserk announces he isn’t hungry and Gavriel frowns, looking down at the leg. He’d hoped for a little friendly competition over the kill but if his son isn’t interested, he can’t make him. Gavriel looks past him for a moment, wondering if the others were in the den and simply hadn’t come out. He takes a step forward and over the meal and his son to see if anyone else is around the corner and tucked away that hadn’t come out.

His investigation is cut short when he discovers the den empty, turning back as he finds himself unsure what to do with what he’d brought. Storing it in a cache will dirty it up and leaving it out poses a risk, even a small one, and so he moves back a few steps in order to pick it up and carry it toward the cave. Once more, he sits it down, followed by his own rump as he waits for someone that may be hungry.

The moment he’d shared how he wasn’t interested in the meal seemed to be the exact same moment when his father lost interest in him. Hvit was quiet as he was looked passed and then walked away from, frowning at the sight. Was he supposed to eat even when he didn’t need it? No, of course not. That would only make him feel sick, which he definitely didn’t need; he’d experienced enough of ailments in his life thus far, he didn’t need to add another to that list. He also didn’t want to be disregarded simply because he wasn’t willing to force food down his own throat, especially since he had an important matter to discuss. The silent reminder had him trailing after Gavriel, his frown remaining intact.

“Hod op,” the child urged, slowing to a stop in front of the warrior. “Ai gaf chich yu.” Both his tone and the fact that he was speaking more than usual pointed to the fact that the matter was an important one—well, it was important to him, anyways.

Hvitserk doesn’t appear to be done as he follows behind him and it’s not until he’s seated and comfortable that he realizes the boy has followed him. Gavriel’s smile reappears and he lowers his head once to lick upon his head, wondering if he will keep him company so the meal does not go to waste nor get dirty by setting it in a cache. As his son speaks, however, he realizes he missed an entire set of clues and frowns at himself for not being observant enough.

Gavriel wrinkles his nose a little but brushes it off to put his attention on Hvitserk to speak.

It was realized that he’d acquired the attention that he wanted when his father’s tongue slid across his head, making him then understand that he’d not been disregarded entirely. He was silent, waiting to see if the man might have anything to say, but there came not a single word. The lack of conversation told him that he would be permitted to speak, which he was somewhat reluctant to do. It’d taken him a second—as well as a reminder of why he needed to speak—to find his voice and the words that he wanted to say. The second he’d figured everything out, however, he was direct.

“Hef laksen Freyja op,” he began. Though it had not been a physical assault, Hvitserk still felt as if his sister had been attacked given that all of her hard work was torn to pieces. It wasn’t right, and so the culprit would be forced to pay for what he had done. “Ai gaf em wan op.” Not so much for having destroyed a cache, but for having threatened his sister in a way that had made her warn the boy of him. Due to that, he wanted him to be permanently removed.

It takes a second or two for Hvitserk to actually speak but when he does, Gavriel’s attention immediately changes. His brows knit together and his fur bristles, feeling himself completely stand and forget the leg he’d brought for dinner. His mouth opens to speak but his son says something else.

I want him to die.

His ears fall back upon his head and he takes a step back into the clearing, shifting so that he is better facing the boy. He’s grown significantly and he doesn’t have to struggle with a low gaze. “Who hurt Freyja?” he demands then with a low growl, wanting to press for more information all at once but he doesn’t want to scare his quiet child.

Hvit moved back as his father stood, watching the movement closely as his final statement had been uttered. The boy’s desire had inspired a whole new reaction, which he’d not known how to react towards. A step was taken, and then there came a question. With it he’d heard a growl, the sound having been enough to push his own ears to lay flat. He knew the anger was not being directed towards him, but it’d still take him by surprise at first. As soon as he’d settled down, however, his ears had perked back up and he’d said, “Goliath,” believing that he would not be understood if all he’d said was the giant.

Given Gavriel’s reaction, the viking was sure that he’d have help with getting rid of the enemy. He had told Freyja that he’d take care of it, and he planned to keep his promise.

Gavriel can’t begin to imagine who may have hurt Freyja, least of all another dragon wolf, and it had to have been… recently? Where is she now? Hurt? Everything runs through him all at once that he can’t settle and so when his son speaks the name, Goliath, he feels a snarl ripple through his chest. The need to protect his own has never been stronger and if he knew where the giant was, he’d storm there in that moment, but he keeps his feet firmly planted to the ground. 

“What happened? Where is Freyja?”

Each reaction witnessed sent another burst of fire through his body, encouraging him to take action. He held back, though, trusting his mind as it told him how he couldn’t simply rush into things. He was too young and far too small—nearly a dwarf in comparison to Goliath—leaving him with extremely limited options. He could not locate the man and launch an attack on his own, nor could he insist that Freyja stand by him whilst doing so. No, he needed an adult on his side, someone that knew exactly what they were doing. As he stood there, seeing the anger his father felt at the idea of his daughter being hurt, Hvitserk knew that there could be no one else as qualified to assist the boy as he was.

Questions were asked and his face scrunched up, having wanted to hear that they’d be leaving right then and there to hunt down the giant. Correcting himself, his expression smoothed over and then grew serious once again, knowing that it was necessary for Gavriel to have as many details as could be provided to him. “H’attacked her cache,” the boy said, revealing at last that no physical harm had been inflicted upon his sister. Still, it had hurt her in another way, and so the punishment delivered should be the same. “Don’t know where she is.” Out hunting, he was sure.

Gavriel doesn't notice the shift in Hvitserk while he's wrapped up in concern of Freyja but the answers he's given causes an abrupt stop. His eyes narrow but the growling ceases as he tries to put two and two together. When it turns out that Freyja isn't physically harmed, he takes a second and shakes a breath he's been harboring. "So she is not hurt right now?" he asks for clarification, already setting aside the need for Portia.

He's already announced he doesn't know where his sister is but he has the urge to locate her anyway, just to make sure. "Not all crimes lead to death," he explains even though he doesn't have all the information. Should Goliath have harmed the entire pack from destroying the cache, perhaps death would be warranted and he doesn't wanna question Hvitserk's imagination. Instead, he moves to deer leg into the cave and returns a second later. "Let's go talk to @Freyja."

With the revelation there came a shift in his father, an apparent loss of the fury previously noticed. It was disappointing to the boy, who had so strongly wished for corrective measures to be taken against the giant; the brute’s death had been preferred, but he would have settled for being allowed to participate in chasing him out. He worried that, by speaking the truth, he would not get his way. That, despite what had occurred, Goliath would be allowed to carry on as if everything was still perfectly fine—which it most definitely was not. For that reason, he’d considered lying in response to the next question, but quickly found that he couldn’t. Always would he protect his sisters, but he couldn’t lie in order to do so. Shaking his head, he said, “Shouldn’t be.” Freyja had been fine—regarding her physical health—the last time they’d met, so he didn’t think she was currently hurt.

Hvitserk knew that not all crimes led to death. There were some criminal acts where the only punishment necessary was a simple slap on the wrist, but he didn’t feel as if Goliath qualified for that. He’d affected the boy’s sister in what he knew to be a negative way, which was all that mattered. That alone was reason enough to get rid of him, as far as the boy was concerned. He had not protested against his father’s words, though, but nodded instead despite being in disagreement with the man. “Okay,” was all he said, and likely all he would say until they were able to speak with Freyja there. Whenever Gavriel would begin looking for his eldest, Hvit would follow after, hoping that she still wanted Goliath gone just as much as the viking child did.

It was in a pool of sunlight where Freyja currently lingered just beyond the family den. Despite how pleasant it was outside, the child found herself merely existing in the wake of the Goliath situation. Though she had told Hvitserk of what had happened, the child wasn’t sure how much more she could disclose before getting into some serious trouble. She sighed heavily, not know what the right thing to do.

It was in this train of thought that the grey-scaled child saw both her father and brother in the distance and she perked, hiding away her worry for the momentary bout of curiosity that suddenly overcame her.

When Hvitserk—seemingly reluctant—begins to follow, Gavriel begins the trek from the cave. The deer leg is temporarily forgotten, sure that no one will really mess it if it has been claimed by their own den. He can’t help but think something is a little wrong with his only son’s desire for someone to die but the protectiveness of his sister makes him wonder if he’s experiencing something he only has so much room to translate into individual emotion. Once in a while he will glance to the boy as he moves with as much determination to find his sister as Gavriel has.

It is not long before they find her lounging, perked up by their approach, and he offers a comforting smile and a quick wag of his tail. His pace picks up into a trot as he closes the distance and lowers his head, licking the side of her face while his eyes scan the rest of her for something wrong. Once his investigation comes back clear, he takes a step back. “We were looking for you,” he tells her with an encouraging smile.

When it came to protecting his sister, boundaries didn’t exist. Hvit couldn’t see the difference between killing someone over harming her and killing someone that had disrespected the pack in some way. To him, hurting Freyja was a form of disrespect, and he felt as if no one should be spared from the consequences that came along with doing so; the giant’s status as a member of the pack didn’t matter to him at all. His father’s lack of interest in taking the beast down confused him because of this, but the child said nothing in regards to it. He’d simply trailed after the man as they sought out his sister.

As Freyja had been spotted, the boy offered a wag of his tail and closed the distance between them as quickly as he could. For a moment, whilst he focused on her, his earlier anger had been forgotten. He’d gone up to and nudged her cheek, then sat beside her just as Gavriel had taken a step back. Hvitserk kept quiet, of course, but continued to look between the two of them expectantly.

Freyja watched both of their approaches carefully as she forced a smile to resurface. Though she did not feel like smiling, given the state of Freyja’s mentality, she managed to plaster a look that was both somewhat happy yet uncomfortable. As the two men settled, Freyja eyes danced between them, looking curiously as she remained silent. The only time that she did go to move was to return Hvitserk’s greeting with a nudge of her own.

“What’s up?” she asked in turn of Gavriel’s words, her head tilting slightly as her heart began to race.

Upon finding his daughter, he lowers his head and nudges her cheek. Hvitserk greets her similarly and he wags his tail. He gives them a second to adjust and considers how to approach the topic. It had angered Hvitserk to wish death upon someone and he couldn’t help but feel there is more to it. After a moment, and getting himself comfortable, he begins to ask about what had happened and how Goliath had hurt her to try and sort it. He gives the girl encouragement to hear her story and advise their next course of action against the giant.