[NorthWorld] Thorgaut Kabbisson: Chapter 2 – NightFall!

The first wolf came in low. Thorgaut caught it with a backhanded blow from his bow just behind the ear. The wolf reeled back and fell over. Thorgaut hoped it wasn’t dead, but didn’t have time to check it now.

The last wolf took a flying leap into the air, reaching for his throat with its open jaws. Thorgaut grabbed it by the neck with both hands. These were normal sized wolves that would have been a threat to any average-sized man. But to Thorgaut’s massive hands and bodies, they seemed like normal-sized playthings.

He squeezed hard enough to choke the wolf’s breathing until it stopped moving. Then he laid it on the ground.

Thorgaut cut the deer up so it would be easier to carry. He worked quickly to leave the scene before either of the creatures came to. Thorgaut left the head and intestines for the wolves. He felt bad for them, and under normal circumstances would have left the deer for them. But he needed this food for his family and the people of his village. Thorgaut sighed at the memory.

He had been a hunter and killed all his life. He had fought battles and killed other men. But those wolves that he had killed that day haunted his dreams for a long time afterward.

He dreamed of them often. Generally, the leader of the pack would bring him messages and warnings. But in the end, it always ended the same way. Thorgaut would apologize to the wolves and stand there with his neck bared. And then he would awake when they attacked.

The wind had picked up and the chill reminded Thorgaut that night would soon be falling fast. He looked back at the sun. It was setting quickly and the shadows were growing longer.

Thorgaut quickened his pace. He wasn’t afraid, but the eerieness of the place had started to get on his nerves. He should have come across the camp by now and found his friends.

They had left their ships three days back and explored inland towards the mountains. They had set up camp last evening at the edge of the woods.

It was a nice spot. The woods on one side with plenty of game. A nice view of the mountains spread out before them. Thorgaut had laid awake most of the night under the light of the moon and stars dreaming of the future.

He had left the camp earlier that morning to hunt game and explore the area. Thorgaut had slipped away before anyone could follow him. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

He had walked West and deeper into the woods. He had seen a lot of game but didn’t try killing anything right away. There would be plenty of time for that later. Otherwise, he’d have to turn around and lug it back to camp.

Thorgaut didn’t plan on being gone that long, but the scenery was stunning in every way. The forest. The hills. The animals. Everything amazed him.

Thorgaut pressed on deeper and farther. He wanted to explore everything. He could imagine himself living here someday when he had expanded his kingdom out this way.

He imagined building a huge longhouse made of stones. A massive fortress, like the ones he heard sailors talking about in their tales of faraway lands.

A strong, safe home surrounded by a large stone wall. A wall to protect himself and his people from any enemies between their raids. He knew Runa would love it. He would marry her, and she would make a beautiful queen by his side.

He kept walking and exploring until the sun was high in the sky. He had finally turned around and headed back towards the mountains. Thorgaut had finally reached the edge of the woods. He came out into the plain that spread out toward the mountains. Now, all he had to do was follow the edge of the woods until he got back to camp.

He had been walking most of the afternoon since reaching the plains. But for some reason, he still hadn’t come across any of his friends. Thorgaut felt confused. It seemed that he had walked back towards the East along the edge of the woods, even farther than he had gone West. He should have come across the camp by now. It was mostly out in the open, so it wasn’t like he could have missed it.

Thorgaut kept an eye on the setting sun. Darkness would be falling fast. If he didn’t find his friends soon, he would need to find a place to set up camp for himself. And he would have to do it while there was still light.

There would be a full moon later on that night, but it wouldn’t rise until midnight. There were also some clouds in the sky that concerned him. They would block any light he could use to see by. He would be unable to continue looking for his friends until morning.

Thorgaut was about to turn off into the woods to find a suitable spot to sleep when he saw movement up ahead. He smiled to himself. He was getting old. Here he thought he had gone too far past the camp already. But fortunately, it was over. He was back, and this strange day would be over.

Thorgaut shook his head and chided himself. He was generally pretty good with directions and locations. He had remained alert and aware of his surroundings at all times. It was rare that Thorgaut found himself in a place where he could consider himself lost.

Thorgaut chuckled at the thought of telling his friends what had happened. “I thought was wrong and had gone too far. Yet it turns out I was right the whole time. So, it turns out that I have never been wrong. Only once when I thought I was wrong and yet had been right the whole time.”

It was an old joke that he liked to tell. People knew he was generally right about everything. It was rare that anyone could outargue or debate Thorgaut. And once he made up his mind about something, it was rare anyone could persuade him to change it.

Thorgaut picked up his pace and soon came to the place where he thought he had seen the camp. There was no one there.

He did find a long cloth draped over a low-hanging branch swaying in the soft wind. That must have been what caught his attention earlier. It looked new and clean. Not like something that had been out in the open elements for very long. Nothing else indicated that anyone had been in the area recently though.

Thorgaut caught glimpse of what appeared to be a trail leading into the woods. If you could call it a trail. He tried to see where it led, but couldn’t see much between the dusky twilight and shadowy darkness of the forest.

This looked about as good a place as any to set up camp. A dead tree had fallen to the side of the trail and would provide plenty of firewood for the night. He wouldn’t have to do much for the night, and there would still be light for a little while.

Thorgaut decided to head down the trail a little way. Perhaps he would find the person who had left the cloth. Maybe it was left there purposefully to mark the trail. He hoped he could find someone to point him in the right direction to his camp first thing in the morning.

[NorthWorld] Thorgaut Kabbisson: Chapter 1 – Lost!

Thorgaut Kabbisson walked along the edge of woods trying to get his bearings. He was lost and he knew it. Something was wrong. He should have been back at their little camp. It wasn’t very big, but there is no way that he could have missed it and walked past it.

The sun hung low on the horizon. Darkness would soon be upon him. He wanted to stop and build a fire to warm up, but he needed to keep moving. If Thorgaut didn’t find his friends before the sun set, he would be alone in the woods at night. He tried to shake the thought from his head and focus on something a little more pleasant.

The nights were growing longer and he didn’t want to spend it by himself here at the edge of the woods. Not that there was much that scared Thorgaut. He was the firstborn son of a feisty little Earl in a small village. Thorgaut was the oldest of 12 brothers. His brothers were all small like their father.

But Thorgaut was taller than his father. Taller than all his brothers. Taller than anyone else in his village. Head and shoulders above the next tallest man. His body was wider and broader. Thorgaut was built like a bull. He didn’t have the lanky build his father and brother’s possessed. He was also the only member of the family with red hair.

People talked of course. Rumors ran rampant. Some suggested he was special. A gift from the gods. Others whispered behind his back though and suggested otherwise.

Either way, Thorgaut knew what they said about him not being the rightful heir to his father’s throne. He knew his brothers would try to keep him from sitting on it after his father’s passing.

What the people said, didn’t bother him. Neither did his brothers plans to keep him off of the throne. He planned on sitting on it and ruling the people well.

A partridge burst out of a bush in front of him. His steps must have spooked it. The loud beating of it’s wings spooked him at first. He jumped back, but managed to keep his wits around him fast enough to pull up his bow and notch an arrow. He shot straight and true. The partridge fell behind a small mound of snow, and he veered off the path to collect his supper.

Thorgaut relished the thought of sitting on the throne. He smiled as he continued walking. He had been born to rule. He felt it in his bones. The desire to reign flowed through every fiber of his being. Everyone else knew it too. Or rather they could sense it.

He was a natural leader and easily influenced those around him. He didn’t even put much effort into trying to be persuasive. He seemed to have a hypnotic hold over people that made them want to follow him. The intensity of his focus had a magnetizing effect on those around him.

He knew that ultimately his father’s throne would become too small for him. That was one of the reasons he led these yearly raids farther and farther away. He wanted to explore everything and see how other people lived and fought. The entire time, he was planning and scheming how he would expand his empire.

But it wasn’t just about conquering new lands. Thorgaut knew that ultimately, he wouldn’t be content to sit around. He didn’t want to resolve daily squabbles and petty arguments among the villagers. He would soon grow tired of trying to get them to hunt and store up food for the winter. Thinking about those things bored him.

No. Thorgaut was ambitious. Much more ambitious than anyone imagined. He was a mighty warrior. He would become a mighty king. He would lead a mighty army. He would sail hordes of ships. He would conquer many villages. And he would rule them all.

He would eventually leave his brothers behind to squabble over his throne. That way he would know who was the strongest among them. Then he would allow the strongest of them to rule over other lands he conquered. He planned to keep his family united. And keeping his brothers under control would be easy by tossing them crumbs from his table.

Thorgaut knew that the great king already feared him. He could see the fear his eyes. Thorgaut knew that he could already challenge the king to a duel, kill him, and take his throne. He didn’t even have to wait for his father to die and suffer through a family feud. But Thorgaut wasn’t in any rush. He enjoyed his freedom to roam, hunt, and explore the land with his friends. He didn’t want to tie himself down to the duties of a king yet.

He would bide his time and slowly climb his way to the top. He knew that these raids allowed him to gain invaluable experience. Thorgaut enjoyed leading small bands of ships and warriors on these exploratory raids. He planned to start implementing his conquering strategy soon, but he wasn’t in any hurry. He was young and had plenty of time.

Thorgaut heard the howl of wolves off in the distance as he continued walking. A pack of wolves preparing for their nightly hunt. He smiled. He loved wolves. All wolves. They were majestic creatures.

He wasn’t afraid because knew they wouldn’t attack him. He had seen plenty of game in the woods throughout the day. There was easier prey to be had in the woods. They wouldn’t attack him unless he posed a threat to them. But Thorgaut knew he could handle them even if they did attack.

Wolves were no match for him. He had faced down a pack of them three summers ago during the time of the great famine. Everyone was hungry and his sister extremely ill.

Thorgaut had shot a deer, and a pack of six white forest wolves wanted to fight him for it. He knew they had been waiting jump the deer. But Thorgaut killed it first.

He needed it for his family. He felt bad and would have left it for them if it hadn’t been for the famine in the land. His sister needed the nourishment.

He tried to shoo them off, but they wouldn’t leave. They moved between him and the freshly killed deer. Then they attacked. The leader of the pack rushed him first.

Thorgaut had already prepared his bow. He had made it himself. It was long and powerful. None of the other men in his village could fire it. It had taken him a long time to build up the strength and stamina to bring it under his control. But after that he had shot farther and better than any of the other warriors in his village.

Thorgaut let the arrow fly and his shot rang true. He bowled the wolf over with a massive arrow straight to the chest.

A second wolf followed close behind, but fell when he sank his ax through its skull. “It was almost too easy,” he thought to himself.

Two other wolves attacked in unison. He ran one through with his sword. Then he kicked the other back as it snapped at the legging of his thick fur pants.

Thorgaut attempted to shake it off and swat it away with the broad edge of his sword. It pulled back from the blow, but then dove back in for a second attack. This time Thorgaut felt the pressure and its teeth on his leg. He drove the sword down through its neck above the shoulder blades.

The other two wolves had ignored the fight and started tearing into the deer’s underbelly. He yelled at them and they paused trying to decide what to do. Thorgaut picked up his bow and pulled the ax out from the wolve’s head before it froze in the blood and brains.

The wolves looked at the meal before them trying to decide if it was worth the fight. They looked at each other and then lowered their heads to growl in unison as they turned to face him.

“Okay, boys. So, you wanna fight, do you? Let’s go!”

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