if i had a heart

Ragnar is such an interesting character. I like reading his thoughts, particularly as they pertain to Nordic mythology and beliefs. :)

At Ragnar's praise, Verrine felt a thrill of pride and delight on the inside. It felt good to know that his efforts were noticed and appreciated, and it felt even better to know that the big, grizzled leader considered him and Julooke a part of his family. Within, he was leaping for joy and shouting with elation, but outwardly his response was much more controlled. He grinned at Ragnar, his thanks and appreciation clear in his face.

As each day passed, he regarded Ragnar more and more highly as a leader and as a man. Verrine had always felt that true leadership was not about scaring others into following you, but making them want to follow you. It was about igniting a passion in them for a common cause, and it was about sowing and nurturing loyalty and affection in them as well. From what he could tell so far, Ragnar had a lot of these more positive qualities. He knew without a doubt that the savage northman wouldn't hesitate to paint the beach red with the lifeblood of one who dared to cross him. At the very least, he knew Ragnar was not averse to using his teeth to make a point (harhar see what i did there). But these seemed more like last resorts to him. If the way he led Julooke and Verrine was anything like the way he led the rest of the pack, then Verrine knew they'd chosen a very good pack indeed.

Another thought occurred to him after a moment, and he thought it pertinent to bring it up. "You know, we've been so worried about this pack at the island…there's a pack at Silvertip Mountain too. What are your thoughts about them?" He knew very little of that pack at all, only that it was a younger pack than Horizon Ridge and it was said that they were fairly aggressive compared to some of the other packs in the area. If he was going to be a patrolling Warden of the Ridge, Verrine thought it might be a good idea to be aware of all surrounding rivals, not just one.