Ujurak is welcome to join as well if he decides to follow! It is implied that Skáld bolted and ran as fast as he could but all are welcome <3
Skáld couldn't pace himself. By the time he reached the edge of the forest where he knew the clan would be, he was already out of breath, having saved very little energy for the return trip. His howl was a piercing cry, a pleading call for help, sharp and brittle. It cut off suddenly, as he had to stop and gasp for air. Through breaths, he uttered a jilted, desperate plea.
"Kvarsheim needs help. Gunnar needs medicine. Please- please- please- he might be-"
He was hit with a headrush, and slumped to the ground, where he could finally lounge and catch his breath. He could do nothing but wait, and hope that someone answered his cry. He would wait on the borders, battling for air while he hoped desperately that in running so fast, he'd bought Gunnar at least a little bit of time.
Ujurak will have followed! Will borrow the italicized text for Icelandic, for clarity.
Skáld set a viscous pace for the younger boy to follow. Ujurak relied more on the pawprints scored into the earth where the elder boy ran and the fleeting glimpse of him in the distance. Ujurak followed him faithfully into unfamiliar territory.
Who would have thought that his first trek outside of his home would be for this?
Ujurak only finally reached Skáld after he had split the air with a desperate plea. He collapsed next to him. Gasping for air. It took Ujurak many breaths before he could inquire, slipping into he tongue he knew Skáld used,
Will someone come help?
When he realized that he'd outrun the boy, he felt a pang of guilt- but Ujurak had come the distance regardless, and now lay beside him, panting but safe. Skáld reached over to smoothe the fur atop Ujurak's head, hoping to reassure the both of them that everything would be alright. He nodded, still panting. Someone would come, he felt sure of it.
"We wait," he breathed. "Hopefully, someone will just go. Maybe already on their way." He tried to be optimistic, for the both of them.
Ujurak's accepted the gesture without a complaint. Breathless, he pressed one of his forepaws atop of the other. To steady the tremors that began to rack his body now that he was no longer in motion. The lingering adrenaline that coursed through his muscles, that fueled his racing heart, greedily sapped away the little strength he had remaining. He nearly wilted once he hit the ground.
I hope so.,
his eyes gathered another wave of tears, he was so still.
His gaze slowly drifted to the trees, waiting for a shape to break the shadows.
I'm assuming that
Crowfeather's reply in that thread basically sums this one up nicely; I think with one reply from each of us here, we can then teleport these two back to Kvarsheim with Crowfeather in tow. Thank you for participating and I'd love a Skáld/Ujurak thread soon if you're free for one :)
The young boys nestled together, and Skáld did his best to comfort his younger brother, in spite of the growing ache of dread in his chest. In spite of his best intentions, he panned through his memories, picking out the little places that had blatantly shown how age had begun to cause Gunnar's decline. The popping of joints, the way he slid carefully to the ground when he lay down, the faint wobble to his hips. He tried to imagine only the good but at a time like this, he couldn't help but play a morbid game of connect-the-dots that made sense of what was happening.
Still, it seemed too soon. Gunnar had never lost the sparkle in his eye, the love in his voice, and the warmth in his embrace whenever he reached for his children. He cared so deeply for his family, for his pack, that it seemed impossible that that great heart could ever stop beating.
A wolf arrived, a dark fellow with three legs and a sombre gaze. Skáld sensed some reluctance, but the man agreed to come to Kvarsheim with the boys, to help with Gunnar's care. Together, the three of them would continue the journey back, hoping that Gunnar had managed to hang on until they returned.
That sounds like a solid plan! This will be the last from Ujurak, here. I would love some more time with these two, soon!
Ujurak was unable to determine the passage of time. It seems that each second lasted an eternity. With each passing beat of his heart, the boy wondered if his father would still be alive when he returned. Accompanying his anxiety, a seed of doubt grew a swirling storm of thought.
Was he really helpful in joining Skáld as messenger? He only did what Tauris asked of him, but he was easily left behind. Surely Skáld could have made this trip without him? Was it to keep him out of the way? To keep Astrid out of the way?
Astrid.
A lump formed in his throat as he thought to Astrid. To how fiercely she held onto Gunnar, as though he was about to fall off the edge of the world. What if they were too late? Would he be a bad brother — a bad son — for leaving them? Even for help?
Physically and emotionally exhausted, he leaned into Skáld until the shadows between the trees manifested a wolf. Ujurak haphazardly rose to his paws as the Riverclan wolf approached them. To help them. To help his father.
A small glimmer of hope carved a space for itself in his mind as they began the journey back to Kvarsheim.