Stone Circle wolf talon

this is her formal joining thread <3

the ravens come to roost among the stone circle. i will offer myself to count among them now.

at the borders, eivor gave a formal call, chest stained with the blood of three foxes she had taken in the nearby glen; red, brown, and grey, emblematic gifts for the young rulers of kvarsheim and their newly grown settlement.

A stranger at the borders. Curiosity brought Foxglove hovering like a shy moth over the first flame it'd ever seen. She halted a distance away, head tilted in wonder. No one had ever come calling for Mama or Dusty Rose like this.

What do you want? Fox blurted, realizing only a second later how rude her question might sound.

a small girl she had not before seen in kvarsheim came to find eivor.

"heil og sæl, little skjaldmaer." her greeting was polite. "i am known to sven and ujurak lodbruk. i am known to raventhorpe. i would like to come and join the stones."

her grey eyes shone.

"will you look over my offerings and see they are good?"

Apologies for the small novel lol

Since Raventhorpe's arrival to the Stones, Arrax had made himself scarce, avoiding company and offering very little in the way of words to those who came across him. He was upset, but did not find any solace in running to his parents for comfort. They were the ones who agreed to the merge, after all; they had been the ones to drag them what felt like halfway across the world to settle in a flat, open plain filled with strangers.

Strangers who now ruled over them.

A sudden call from the borders had the boy scramble to his feet after spending most of the day laying in the shadows, all too eager to see a familiar face despite his sulking.

"Eivor!" he called as he raced to the borders, tail flying high in the air as he spotted another, smaller child speaking to the warrior woman. He rushed past her, not even sparing a single glance. She did not deserve the title Eivor addressed her by.

The smell of fox blood drew his gaze to her offerings, and the young Cairn gave a pleased nod. "You bring fine gifts." Though they were unnecessary. In his eyes, she did not need to make a case for herself; any pack would be lucky to have Eivor.

"You are always welcome here," he added, taking it upon himself to accept her into the fold. The supposed leaders of Kvarsheim were unneeded here.

Eivor's voice is familiar and Ujurak makes way to greet her. He finds the shieldmaiden intercepted by one of the girls Sven greeted at the borders and Arrax. The crimson stained upon the woman's chest first caused alarm. It was then he saw the foxes at her feet.

The stone prince had caught only the last of Arrax's words on his arrival. He gave a nod to both youths, acknowledging their prescence.

Eivor, it is a pleasure to see you return. Ujurak beamed to the woman. Did I hear correctly? You wish to stay for good?

Sorry Foxglove is a brat!!

The woman was kind, in spite of Foxglove's rudeness. Sure! I'm Foxglove, by the way! She smiled brightly as she stepped forward to inspect the gifts. The pelts were beautiful — but Foxglove's enjoyment of them was short-lived.

All at once there were others: a pale boy, close to her own age but much larger, and a young man she'd never met. He seemed much older than Foxglove felt in this moment. She might have thought then of the brother Sven had mentioned, but instead her ears were flushing hot with shame to have been ignored so rudely by the pale-furred boy. Abruptly she felt rather out of place here. All of the others seemed familiar, greeting Eivor by name and existing easily alongside one another.

Foxglove was nothing but a stranger here. Her eyes grew as hot as her ears, and for a moment she only looked between the others. Then, before she could even think about it, she snatched one of the pelts — the grey one — and bolted off into Kvarsheim's territory. She'd gotten there first. It was hers.

She didn't care if the others thought she deserved it or not.

no I love it!

it seemed all would be well. eivor was about to describe for the girl how she had hunted the foxes when arrax arrived.

her smile for him was quick and bright. "young drengr! it is good to see that you have arrived safely here in kvarsheim."

ujurak came then; eivor dipped her head to the youthful jarl. "indeed i wish to stay." but before more could be said, the first child had taken one of the hides and run away.

eivor chuckled, perplexed, but turned back to ujurak. "these furs, take them as a gift for you and your brother. perhaps i can help with training. the snows will come. i will teach my hunting and my warriorship to those who want it."

Arrax felt a burst of pride swell within his chest at Eivor's greeting, revelling in the title drengr. He had yet to formally prove himself as such, but believed in his heart of hearts that it was his duty to become one. Yet his satisfaction quickly fizzled out as one of the stone brothers arrived. His greeting was polite and cheerful as ever, grating against the Cairn's contempt for the other boy.

His ears swivelled sideways, unwilling to look in the direction of Ujurak but delighted at Eivor's choice to stay, before a sudden flash of blonde fur darted in front of them. It took him a moment to even register what had happened, before he looked to the gifts and noticed now only two remained. A surprised growl escaped him as he whipped his head over his shoulder to see the quickly retreating form of the thieving girl.

Gifts though they were, surely she was old enough to not act like an impulsive whelp. Were these the sort of wolves who made up Kvarsheim?

Unimpressed, Arrax turned back to Eivor, the only wolf whom he currently held any real respect for. "The furs are appreciated," he responded for Ujurak, before adding quickly, "as is any training."

Not that he thought anyone but his own family deserved the offer.

The stone prince's smile was warm for the shieldmaiden. Eivor's ambassadorship was sometime to be admired... As was her grace.

The theft of the pelt took Ujurak by surprise. His head whipped around to follow Reverie's girl as she stole away into the territory. The girl disappeared before a word could leave his mouth.

Arrax was far from the only one unimpressed. This was evident by the storm that collected in his eyes. His smile fell from his face, his expression hardened to stone.

Eivor rebounds from the event gracefully, both revealing that the pelts were gifts and offering herself as a tutor. In that moment Arrax speaks first, overstepping.

Ujurak's tone remains cordial, his head turned slightly to address the younger boy. You're enthusiasm is admirable Arrax, but there is a matter to address with Eivor first before any training can be arranged. Ujurak held his gaze upon the boy for a few seconds longer before addressing Eivor, his head dipping to her.

That of course first being an apology. First from myself on the girl's behalf. She and her sisters have recently sought refuge here with the absence of their mother. It is no excuse for the theft, but your patience is appreciated as we settle them in and learn more about them. She will be found and corrected. After, she will be brought to you to apologize directly.

When his head lifted once more, his eyes promised it.

eivor wished to say that there was no need for an apology, but she did not desire to undermine ujurak's sense of justice. it was fair that the girl be made to account for her unreasonable theft; eivor had seen in it the action of a child needing attention, and the leader's statement shed more light upon such.

arrax was not ignored; she glanced to him with an appreciative smile, but kept her attentions on the jarl between which they would both now serve.

"this i appreciate, ujurak, and your apology," she said with bowed head. "to lose a mother, it can inspire actions that are less than friendly." a tailwave offered, she added, "but politeness can do much to mend such wounds."

intrigue filled eivor; what sorts of things might kvarsheim hold as fall became winter?

The gentle correction from Ujurak earns the man nothing but a stiff lash of Arrax's tail and a soft growl that quickly dies in his throat; he did not want to outwardly show his frustration at being reprimanded like a small child, not in front of Eivor – and definitely not so quickly after the display of immaturity from the other girl.

He does not meet the leader's gaze but feels it upon him before Ujurak addresses Eivor once more. So that girl was among another group of newcomers as well? His interest is slightly piqued. The warrior woman takes the slight against her generosity in stride, but her words of wisdom afterwards fall on deaf ears. All Arrax hears is that the girl's behaviour needs to be corrected – a task he was all too willing to do.

He remains silent while his mind whirrs, ambition ever-growing.