Dragoncrest Cliffs this is a modern fairy tale

After bumping into Val, Meerkat returned to the roja den to check on the patients. Apparently Quennell had woken and even moved around a bit, which was progress. Things were already quiet again by the time she parked in her usual spot nearby, doing her best to quiet her fidgeting muscles and racing thoughts.

At some point, she must have fallen asleep. She woke at daybreak and immediately knew she was in a sour mood. There was a certain clarity to it too. Meerkat checked on the boys, then quickly hastened to find her husband’s trail. She had been solely focused on Swordfish’s recovery the past few days but now it was time for a reckoning.

@Njord Sveijarn-Corten, Meerkat snapped when she finally caught up with him, what happened to ‘you and I will never be apart again’? ‘Then it will be so,’ you said to me! And then you left and I only found out secondhand! she seethed, whisky eyes ablaze with fury and hurt. How could you!

Njord had returned to Sapphique two days after Swordfish and Quennell. He had found their bloodied shelter and the crisscrossing trails of the brown bear in pursuit, but the absence of his son had put the fear of God - Atlan – into the seafarer.

Despite his fatigue, Njord was flooded with relief when he found the pair had made it home alive. A wave of sickness washed over him. Adrenaline had masked the anxiety, stress, and panic. Now, it threatened to reduce him to a crumpled heap. How close they had come to losing their son!

He head in the direction of the Roja den but abruptly veered off-path, certain he was going to throw up whatever was left in his stomach, only to find Meerkat marching towards him, steam practically coming out the ears.

Her accusatory tone put him on the defense and Njord, rope already frayed, snapped back. “There wasnae time,” he argued pointedly, a growl in the baritone of his voice. The man did his best to curb his temper by looking away, but inside his pot boiled over.

Nearly the instant her little tirade ended, Meerkat regretted her outburst. Her feelings were valid, though she should not be losing her temper. It was so unlike her, though nothing put her at more odds and ends than Njord’s equally aberrant retort.

Her mouth fell open. She felt a flare of indignant anger. How dare he speak to her that way. But then she felt a jolt of burning shame. She’d raised her voice first. And then the hurt swept through her like a storm. He’d upset her and rather than apologize, he’d growled at her.

Meerkat wanted to shrink away from him, though she stiffened her legs against the impulse. Her eyes were at once full of fire and water as they bored into her husband’s scarred face. She took a breath, then another, reminding herself they were both under great duress on account of their son.

Fish was missing and suddenly you were gone again too, she said, tearing her eyes away to blink away tears. Do you know… she whispered, then shook her head, paused and said quietly, But I should not have yelled at you. I’m sorry.

There wasnae time.

The sentence echoed in Njord’s mind and sent it running like a wild mustang. It was easy to imagine how differently Swordfish’s fate could have been. The thought rippled through him like a bomb’s aftershock – heart drumming so loud Njord could feel it in the tips of his ears.

Disdain. Hurt. Something in Meerkat’s scorned expression set Njord over the edge. He paced in a circle, huffing air furiously, as he teetered somewhere between punching a tree and having a full-blown panic attack.

Needless to say, he was beyond calculating why or how he ended up in this state. He heard Meerkat’s apology, but it didn’t land.

“Do YOU know?!” Njord shot back, incensed. Like a gun filled with birdshot, his anger cast a wide target. The bear. Himself. The situation. Meerkat.

He turned in another little circle.

“Do ye ken why we ‘av graves on our cliffs?” his voice became loud.

“‘Av ye seen how a bear kills a wolf?!” he couldn’t stop himself from shouting the words, the picture of Raleska’s practically severed head in his mind’s eye.

She bowed her head, though it snapped upward when rather than accept her apology, her husband rumbled at her again. Meerkat blinked dumbly as he shouted about graves, that word immediately transporting her back in time. Her heart sank like a stone when Njord moved in an agitated fashion very reminiscent of Atlas.

Meerkat remembered going shaky that night as the same thing happened now. Her limbs felt jellylike as she tried to think of how she was meant to react. Njord sounded so much angrier than Atlas, though there was that edge of panic. And Meerkat knew Njord in a way she had never had the chance to know her first husband.

Yes, she answered, not entirely sure he wanted her honest answer. I held my dear friend Toad’s hand as she passed after being mauled by a bear, Meerkat whispered. It killed many of my other pack mates. I know the same happened here. I know, mo chride.

They were both upset about the bear attack, she told herself. Njord wasn’t really angry with her. He was beside himself, worried about their son. She closed her leaking eyes, trembling in earnest, and held her breath. She just hoped his invective would soon run its course.

Njord listened.

It was as if Meerkat took a whistling kettle off the burner.

One could watch the change in Njord’s wild demeanor. His movements became less erratic. The white of his eyes shrunk. The tempo of his breathing steadied as the vice-like clench of his jaw relaxed.

The final words, mo chride, disarmed him completely. Njord suddenly felt very naked and vulnerable.

At the same time, understood.

She knew. And now he knew that his wife had walked the same path.

Njord did not hesitate. He took a step toward her and wrapped his broad neck around hers in a tight embrace, head resting on her shoulder.  Would she pull away? After he had berated her so?

“Mo ghràidh,” he mumbled. Njord’s breath made the hair on her whithers sway like a wheat field in the wind. “When I found their blood trail… I was so scairt,” he admitted. “I thought… we’d have tae…” Njord suddenly became agitated again, the hair along his spine rising. “I willnae bury any of our children!” he choked the statement – maybe as a proclamation to whatever god or spirit listened.

Her eyes remained tightly shut, tears oozing from between the lids and clinging to her lashes before sliding slowly down her pale cheeks. She counted her breaths, oblivious to the transformation taking place in Njord’s demeanor as she tried to collect herself.

She jumped and let out a small cry when he embraced her, though as soon as Meerkat registered what was happening, she threw herself into the hug. The familiar weight of his head slipping into its notch on her shoulder caused a great hiccuping sob to break free before she could stop it. Still she clutched at him.

He talked of tracking the boys, discovering their blood, and her grip on him grew tighter and tighter. Meerkat felt the vibrato of his declaration thrumming through her own ribs, spearing straight into her heart. Her eyes squeezed shut again as she buried her face into the nearest patch of fur.

They held each other for a few moments and then Meerkat mumbled, Fish is going to be alright, Njord. He’ll have scars, she observed, voice thick with feeling, just like his da. But he’ll be okay, unlike all their pack mates of yore.

As she spoke, she drew back just far enough to look into his face, one foreleg loosing its grasp to reach up and brush over the furrowed half of Njord’s face. She leaned forward, exhaling, and touched noses with him as her eyes closed. Her arm resumed its previous grip, pulling him back into a hug.

I know, darling, she murmured against his neck. I know.

Like a lightning strike, their tiff was fierce but short-lived. Meerkat accepted her husband’s touch and the pair turned towards each other to share the fear they both felt in their marrow.

She cried and Njord held his wife fast. Dread dammed any tears from falling, but a painful stinging made his eyes bloodshot and red. It was horrible to imagine Swordfish being scarred for life, physically and emotionally, by this one nightmarish encounter.

The lad’s too young for it, Njord thought to himself as he hoped and prayed for their son’s recovery. Meerkat reassurance meant everything to her husband, who would dwell for far too long on the many things he could have done to prevent this scenario from happening in the first place.

Yet at the end of the day, their son had come home alive.

Alive.

A father had to be grateful for that.

Meerkat took a brief moment to regard one another. Maybe it was her gentle nature or the way she held him… but in the many strands of whisky, pumpkin, and copper of her irises Njord could have sworn he saw faint images of her life before they had ever met. A deepness in her gaze.

His posture softened – relaxed. When all the anger and panic drained away he could look upon his actions with clarity.

“I’m sorry I went out alone and left ye,” Njord apologized from the heart. He pressed his forehead against hers. “An’ for raisin’ my voice.” 

Fear could make a man do ugly things.

She could feel the tension evaporating before Njord even offered his apology. He made a distinction between his two trespasses that did not escape Meerkat’s notice. She kissed his neck and gave him a tighter squeeze by way of acceptance.

Although she’d already acknowledged her own behavior, she eventually withdrew to say, I’d say I don’t know what’s gotten into me but… we very nearly lost a child. I think we should show ourselves and one another some grace.

She reached up to place a paw on his chest, where she could feel Njord’s heartbeat. He was a good da, she knew. He had only hurt her because he was thinking only of their son. Meerkat realized she could absolutely accept coming in second place after their children.

Without being aware of what she was doing, Meerkat started rubbing at his chest, a gentle up and down motion meant to comfort. She caught herself and realized she could feel another sort of tension building. It seemed a little untoward, given the circumstances, but the instant she acknowledged the small spark of lust deep in her belly, it seemed to grow into an intense ball of fire.

We need to go be with our son, she murmured to him, eyes suddenly hot, a heaviness to her voice even as she flirted, but before we do that, I think you and I should kiss and make up properly. I think we both need to work out some tension.

She smoothed her paw down his ribs and then dropped it. Meerkat took to her feet. She wanted to erase any memory of this argument and remind themselves how much they loved one another. But there was more to it too. She felt like her body was catching on fire with her need.

Njord felt Meerkat possessed many years of wisdom beyond her age. Could he ever have that? The clarity? The self-awareness? It was part of what made her so precious to Njord. He knew the rarity of these traits and cherished them.

Meerkat touched him. Njord perceived her subtle shift. Welcomed it.

Fear and panic were such foreign mindsets that it was easy to lean into the familiar feeling of closeness and intimacy. To be one with her again. To shut out the world and build a bubble for a moment of respite.

Words were put to emotions. Njord managed a rumble of agreement in response. He nibbled the hair on his wife’s cheek as she ran her paws across his winter fur. She stood and he would follow – to give his paramour whatever she desired.