Ingrid cleaned her axe on the grass. The Cap slipped from the bloody edge and onto the corpse. The wolf pair had disturbed her sleep, and their punishment was just.
Stretching her arms above her head and then entering into her normal stretches. Since it had been a few days, her bones popped as she bent backward to touch the ground. It was time for her to get back into her habits.
---
"Hey, Ingrid." Albert shouted, having learned his lesson about approaching without announcing himself, "You look like you are going to break in half!" His shout brought a rare smile to her face.
The stupid boy didn't do more than the regular exercises the other kids did, which is why he would never impress her father. It was clear that he wanted to be a Warrior, and hoped to apprentice himself to Olaf.
She continued to push her body into the positions that her father had shown her. They were important to keep her flexible as she grew and would improve the growth of her Megin. When she had created her Heart it would enhance the natural abilities of her body.
The boy continued to watch, all the while taking slow steps toward her, "You know that it's not wise to ignore a superior waiting." His words almost made her laugh.
Laying on her back with her legs bringing her feet towards her head. She flexed her core and sprang to her feet in a fairly smooth motion. At the same time, she scooped up a stone from the ground and threw it at him while spinning to face his voice.
The rock made solid contact with his stomach causing him to flinch back and hold it. His eyes flashed with anger before he made to dash towards her, but Ingrid had already twirled towards a tree.
She grabbed her bag, and pulled her hand wraps up to her elbows before tightening them. Then, she ducked low and rolled back into view, all in the time it took him to make it to the tree.
Grinning, she spun low with her right leg extended. Her heel caught the back of his knee with a solid hit. The hit made him cry out while he collapsed the leg trying to crush her foot.
Making him miss the incoming left kick to his face, and his body threw him backward. Ingrid used the momentum to get her right foot out from under him while directing the force through her hands. Allowing her to spring back up to her feet.
Without pausing she re-positioned and kicked him squarely in his 'honor'. Then, proceeded to kick and beat him until several bruises stood out.
"Ragnarok be the day you are my superior." Her voice was light as she left him on the ground, not staying long enough to see him smile through the swollen lip.
"Gods, you are a Fury."
---
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Her heart seemed to twist from the unwanted memories, and she did her best to shove it back into that dark corner of her mind. It wasn't time to dwell. It wouldn't be until the last of the Bloodaxe Clan had fallen.
Giving up on the rest of the workout. She climbed up the tree had been using as a resting spot for the night, and recovered the crude pack of goods before returning to the road.
She might not need to sleep every night, but it was a habit her body hadn't started to break yet. And, so she found herself getting exhausted only a few candles after she normally slept. Her father said it might take a few weeks for her body to adjust to the changes.
Though, her biggest confusion was that new Warriors weren't initiated before 12. Since it seemed like such a dumb tradition if it was possible before that age. Perhaps it was a matter of a certain level of skill?
Shaking her head at the thought she decided it would be something she could ask in Merin. Since they would have a Warrior to keep the Beasts down, and as a fellow Warrior a certain level of hospitality was expected.
While this wasn't expected during a Challenge or War. Both were such rare situations in this part of the Veil that it wasn't considered. Ingrid just hoped that what had happened to her home hadn't happened to Merin first.
The Bloodaxe had to come ashore somewhere, and the cliffs near here weren't the sort you docked a galley at. Her head hurt the more she tried to think about it though, and the flames of her anger started to burn higher.
That damn Fae must have cursed her with more than just the Cap that consumed the precious bodies of animal and Beast alike. It wasn't worth thinking about, but it would be one more thing that she would have to deal with.
The day past easily and she made good time getting to a resting spot used by travelers. It didn't look like much, but the well cleared area of ground was a clear sign of recent encampment. Deciding that caution was still warranted she made a camp in the trees again.
Then took time to set up various noise makers with nuts, dry branches, and various patches of leaves. It wouldn't cover all the angles of approach, but she felt safer with a buffer of time.
A few candles later she found herself by a stream that wound through the woods. A few animals were drinking from the small pool that was in a large rock. Though the real prize in her mind, was the green furred deer with branch-like antlers.
This was a Eldhartur. They were one of the more common Beasts on this particular island, and a well known Beast by her father. Who spent many nights complaining about how easily they became Warriors even if they rarely reached Drang.
If they did, the antlers became stone and had bolts of lightning that passed between them. This one was pretty new as a Warrior if she believed her father's stories. The antlers only had a single point, and it needed at least five before the transformation.
She had promised herself to gain more Wyrd, but she hadn't thought the Fates would give her such an opportunity so soon. Such a creature would be aggressive and very predictable, if she followed her father's guidance.
There was still a need for traps and care even if her Heart pushed her to rush in to kill it. It seemed to beat faster in the presence of the Beast. It took a lot of willpower to stop her leg from bouncing in nervousness.
Perhaps this is what her father meant when he said a Warrior needed Will. There was no shortage of warning stories for children about Warriors who killed some Beast. Only to die from their wounds or something else.
Something that her father liked to point out in his own telling of the stories. Which he would explain how he would have approached the situation, and it usually included various traps.
Many Warriors would call such tactics a coward's way and that it lacked honor. Yet, Beasts didn't fight with honor, and so Olaf didn't feel like they deserved it in return. Though he would always treat the remains with care and respect.
For it was the Fates that gave strength and opportunity. To disrespect them was to put you on the path of misfortune and death. The same path she intended for the whole Bloodaxe Clan, a path that would be paved by many such Eldhartur.