(3° person POV)

(Ur): “You seriously think that this brat is a god? He looks completely normal!”

Hilda rolled her eyes.

(Hilda): “Ah, shut up, will you? I think he is a god for real! Just look at him! Didn’t dad tell you stories about the gods?! They look human!”

Ur frowned, looking again to the sleeping boy.

(Ur): “And giants look human too when they want! What if he tries to fool us?!”

She rolled her eyes again.

(Hilda): “And what he would want with us? Giants like fooling people! You and I aren’t lovers that they would want to split, and none of us have anything worth stealing!”

Ur made a bitter face as he heard her words. His eyes fell once again at the sleeping boy, his body unharmed by the fall, the axe in his hand also intact and too big for his size. The runes on the blade showing that it’s some kind of artifact.

(Ur): “I say that we just ignore him. Maybe take the axe with us, he will just be a problem.”

She frowned at him. Instead of answering, he touched the boy’s bare chest.

(Hilda): “He’s warm!”

(Hilda): “Take the herbs in the edge of the crater! I’m taking the boy with me!”

Ur frowned deeply.

(Ur): “I said we’re not taking him!”

(Hilda): “Shut up you pussy! You said YOU’RE not taking him, but I am! Now go get my basket! I need those herbs!”

She swore at him violently, grabbing the arms of the boy that didn’t even react. However, he’s still warm, and she can see that he’s breathing. With some difficulty, Hilda manages to put him on her back.

(Hilda): “Wow, he’s heavier than it seems!”

Holding his legs firmly, she stood up and looked back to the ground, looking for something.

(Hilda): “His axe, I should take that with us too. He was holding it, it seemed important…”

(Hilda): “Eh?”

The axe isn’t on the ground… it’s still on his right hand.

(Hilda): “He doesn’t let it go even while unconscious?”

She smiled lightly and started to carry him to the edge of the crater. Ur, as she asked, went back to get her basket with herbs.

(meanwhile, at the north of the village)

Hrolf stops his run, his breath slightly rough. The two boys after him stop, breathing heavily, thankful for the short pause. Ulf and Bjorn gasped for air, their faces covered with sweat. Hrolf looked up, to the faint lingering trail of the falling star.

(Hrolf): “That star… fell in the direction of the village.”

(Ulf): “What?!”

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(Bjorn): “What will happen if that falls on the village?!”

Hrolf looked back at him, his expression indecipherable.

(Hrolf): “Let’s pray for that not to happen. Keep running.”

(a few minutes later, Hrolf’s POV)

As we ran, the wall of the village came into vision. The wood logs that are tightly tied together with ropes that were hardened with tar bought from the bigger clans. We’re going straight to the gates that lead into the northern forest.

I can hear the heavy breath of the two kids behind me, but I cannot stop, for their sake and for the sake of the village. From here, the guards on top of the towers spot us and I wave. They wave back with a torch. Alright, it seems that the village is ok.

If something like that start fell down, there would be more than two guards on the towers. There isn’t any sound of commotion from here either, what leads me to believe that nothing truly concerning happened.

I sigh in relief as I reduce the pace of our run to a walk. The boys behind me groan in relief.

(Hrolf): “The village seems to be ok. Let’s go back in.”

I tell the boys, who are only able to nod as they sweat heavily from the excessive exercise. We walk to the gates that open as we approach, allowing us to enter. As soon as we pass the gates, one of the guards approach me.

(guard): “Hrolf! You came back because of that star?”

I nod.

(Hrolf): “That and the snow storm.”

I say, looking up to the sky that is starting to clear once again. I look back to the boys panting behind me, tired from the run.

(Hrolf): “The two of you can go home, I’ll have to talk with the village chi-“

(Hulda): “Hrolf!”

The voice of my wife interrupts my speech. I look surprised to my wife running in my direction. She is quite pretty, even though she’s already 32, she still looks like she is in her twenties. She has rare black eyes and black hair, something that our daughter didn’t inherit, sadly.

She seems quite alarmed, which instantly worries me. She pants as she grabs my arms, stopping in her tracks.

(Hrolf): “What happened woman?!”

(Hulda): “It’s Hilda! Come with me!”

She said, pulling my arms. With the mention my daughter’s name, my heart instantly freezes. Before even asking, I run after my wife, and the other two boys follow. They’re Hilda’s friends after all, they must be worried with her.

(Hrolf): “Hulda, what happened?! Is Hilda fine?!”

(Hulda): “Don’t worry, she’s unharmed! But she found something that you should see immediately!”

She said, guiding me through the houses with narrow roofs to avoid the snow piling up on them.

(Hulda): “She’s on Skuld’s house!”

Skuld, the healer of the village? What does that old crone have to do with my little girl?! I decide to stop the questions for now. As long Hilda and Hulda are safe I care for little more. We get to Skuld’s house in a few moments, with a few people surrounding it.

Hulda breaks the circle and we enter the house in a hurry. The smell of herbs immediately assaults my nose, almost making me suffocate. This place is a mess, filled with flasks and pouches of herbs, as well a fireplace and a cauldron with a bed in the back, now surrounded by familiar faces.

The first one that I recognize immediately is my daughter’s, Hilda, looking at the bed with big and curious eyes. The one that is bend over the bed is the old crone herself, Skuld. Contrary to her age of around two hundred years, the old witch looks like a barely twenty years old girl with fiery red hair and blue eyes.

She’s also pretty and fair skinned, and when I was younger, I even thought I had a chance in making a move on her just to get my ass handed to me. The other person is the village chief, an old man with black hair, now already greying.

As for the reason I’m here… well, he, the greying man with bulging muscles that are the sign of a true warrior, and our village chief, is my father-in-law. So a matter that involves my wife, my daughter and my father-in-law is of my concern. I also see a boy with red hair, Ur, Bjorn’s brother.

I approach the bed with my wife and ask immediately.

(Hrolf): “What happened that is so urgent?”

(Skuld): “Come and see.”

The crone says as she points to the bed. And finally I notice the fifth person in the room. A boy of black hair, dressed in minimal clothes and holding an axe. I look at him curiously.

(Hrolf): “A kid? What does he have to do with my daughter?”

I ask without understanding. Skuld smiled, looking at Hilda.

(Skuld): “Why not hear from the person that brought him here herself?”

What? At that moment, my father-in-law, the village chief, Ullr, said:

(Ullr): “I’m also surprised, Hrolf. But hear her story. I’d like to consult with you in this matter.”

He said, his already aging face full of worry. It’s rare to see him like this… I look at my daughter and she looks back at me with a face of worry.

(Hrolf): “Deary, what happened? Who is this boy?”

She hesitates for a second, looking at Skuld for answers. Skuld nods, and my daughter clenches her fists, with strong willed eyes.

(Hilda): “Dad, you saw the star falling down?”

(Hrolf): “Yeah?”

I answer, already not liking the direction this is taking.

(Hilda): “Before the snow storm, I went outside to gather some herbs…”

I twitch my eyebrow unconsciously.

(Hrolf): “You know how I feel about you going out by yourself. I bet you sneaked out on your mom, didn’t you?”

(Hilda): “Yes…”

She said, lowering her head. I rub my forehead and sigh, I’ll scold her later. Right now I’ll hear about this boy that seems important.

(Hrolf): “Continue.”

(Hilda): “Well… Ur came with me, and we were gathering herbs in the forest when the snow storm started. We decided to run back to the village as fast as possible, and I noticed that the animals and monsters ran away from the mountain.”

I nod seriously. After all, the presence of a frost dragon is enough to scare any monster and animal away for a large radius.

(Hilda): “After that, we saw the falling star when the storm stopped, and it crashed near us.”

(Hrolf): “So this boy got wounded because of the star?”

I asked, looking at the kid sleeping peacefully on the bed. The star must have crashed near him… however, contrary to my expectations, Hilda shook her head.

(Hilda): “It didn’t fall near him… he’s the fallen star.”