Vidarr had dragged him out of his bed early that morning. For the most part, the Old Demon had left him to his own devices. But he had told Strai he was a Thrall of the pack, so it was no surprise to him that the leader would make use of him. Scrubbing sleep from his eyes, he followed after the larger, darker wolf. Feeling an odd sense of dejavu, of his mother dragging him out early for tasks or hunting. She, too, had been a wolf of few wolves.

So he didn’t ask any questions as he was led to an area with poles and a boundary already marked out. He was told to dig holes for the posts. An odd sort of job for the Viking, but he did as he was told. Scowling only once at the dark wolf's back, before he got to work. Digging into the packed earth, and occasionally using a cheek spur for leverage to break up an especially tough clump. His white coat was quickly covered in dirt, and his face was smeared with it.

"Speech"

Viðarr had really taken to pack life. Setting things up, getting everything straightened up and sorted out. For now, the sheep were in temporary housing. They would need something sturdier, something they wouldn't be able to escape or knock over. After that, he'd need to think about getting some sort of livestock guardian animal. Perhaps they'd be able to catch a donkey or a llama, or trade with another pack for some sort of livestock guardian dog. For now, Viðarr's bear dogs were doing the job, though they made their distaste for the work known. They were hunting dogs, after all.

They'd begun work early, Viðarr dragging Astraios out of bed to get work done before the day really had a chance to fully break. They set to digging post holes in relative silence, a stray bird chirping to break the stillness of the morning. If nothing else, at least the boy was a decent worker. Viðarr sighed heavily, taking a step back from his latest hole in the ground. They still had a ways to go, but it was decent enough progress. About half of the post holes had been dug, progress that was perhaps better than he expected. Thinking it was about time they check to make sure everything was coming together correctly.

"Help with this." The instruction was direct and clear, though his tone wasn't unkind. Viðarr stood beside the stack of posts, waiting expectantly for Strai. It's a laborious task, but work did the body good. They were cumbersome, but they needed to be sturdy to keep the sheep in and predators out.

"Viðarr"

He turned to the black demon when he spoke, shaking his head as he came out of an almost doze-like state. He switched off his mind when he did manual labour such as this. It helped the time pass a little faster. He moved over to Vidarr, and saw that he wanted to pull up a post and stick one in the ground. Perhaps to check the size of the holes and the distance?

Whatever the reason, he didn’t argue. He grabbed a side of the stake, and got to work with a soft grunt. As he did so, he found himself asking a question almost against his will. When it came down to it, lately everything revolved around Delphi. “Toxi--Delphi is your granddaughter, I believe?” He asked, wondering what the older wolf might say about the girl.

"Speech"

Strai was a worker. Good, his help would be very, very necessary over the course of the next seasons. Viðarr gives an appreciative grumble as the boy helps maneuver the post. It's an awkward length, but once set in the hole, it was easy enough to drive in. "Hold it steady." He gives the instruction, using a large, relatively flat rock to begin driving the post into place. Thumping away until it's at a reasonable depth. Finally, leaning into it, weight up against the post. Though it gave a bit, it wasn't much. Viðarr stepped back to scowl at the now upright beam, deciding it will do the job. One down... so many more to go.

But it was a moment before he answered the boy's question. Viðarr bristled minutely, protectively. "She is." If he wanted more, he'd have to ask more. The viking king looks at the boy for a moment, and then back to his work. Moving to drag the middle slats for the fence into place beside the post, marking the distance carefully. "Why?" Why was Strai asking after his granddaughter? Though he's deathly protective of the girl, he's also curious. What was the boy getting at?

"Viðarr"

Doing as he was told, Strai held the post steady. He almost hated to admit it, but something about Vidarr reminded him of his father. Not his mother, who didn’t have an ounce of patience in her body. But while she had been the domineering presence in his life, he did have memories of quieter moments, of working with his father. Perhaps that was why his commands stung a little less than most.

That didn’t mean he liked the black wolf. This man had stolen his freedom away, had taken his knife, and set him as a slave in the pack. So why did he want to please Vidarr with his work ethic? Maybe Strai was just as stupid as Delphi.

Vidarr confirmed his relationship to Delphi, and he was prepared for the next question. “She’s offered to speak for me at the Thing. If she tries to, will there be any consequences for her?” he needed to know. Before that idiot could go and get herself into trouble. He didn’t know enough about how this pack worked.

"Speech"

Satisfied with the way the post sits in the hole, Viðarr takes a step back. A deep sigh, relaxing his posture for a moment. It felt good to make progress, it felt good to get shit done. The viking king knew that the rewards would be great, in time. For now it would be a lot of hard work, a lot of effort. He stretches deeply, first backwards over his haunches, then forwards over his shoulders. The hard, physical work felt damn good. Really, Viðarr thrives on it.

His brows lift at the boy's question. "Pups are not called on to speak during the Thing. They are there to observe and learn the order of things." Viðarr's tone is stone serious, though he trails off at the end. From the corner of his eye, he sees... movement. More movement then there should be. His head snaps around, a deep, perturbed grumble in his throat.

"Jävla fitta," Viðarr swears. "Come now." He gives the order, but takes off after the wayward sheep without looking over his shoulder to see if the boy is following. It seemed to be one rogue individual, a crafty beast that's slipped through the fence. Viðarr goes wide, taking off after the thing.

"Viðarr"

Vidarr’s response was interesting, and he wondered if Delphi would get into trouble for speaking up when she wasn’t supposed to. He would keep it in mind, and deter her if he could. While he had no wish to remain a slave any longer he wasn’t sure he would trade his place for a piece of Delphi’s wellbeing. Annoying, frustrating as she might be. She was… his friend.

He didn’t get a chance to ask any follow up questions, as Vidarr reacted to something behind him. Strai turned, losing his grip on the post which toppled to the ground, cracking. wincing , he glanced at Vidarr to see how much trouble he was in - expecting to be smacked for his mistake. Instead, the older wolf was distracted, and moving away in the direction of… an escaping sheep. Leaving behind the broken post, Strai trotted after Vidarr, moving to the side to see if he would get a chance to herd the wayward beast.

"Speech"

Would she get in trouble? Well, that would depend on how exactly things went down. What Viðarr wouldn't admit? Well, Delphi did end up with certain additional privileges. While Viðarr doesn't have favorite grandchildren, if he did, it would be Delphi. Though the girl gave him grey hairs, he saw pieces of himself in her. Pieces that were hard to deny. Though the crack of the post doesn't go entirely unnoticed, Viðarr has more important things to deal with at the moment. Another layer to the annoyance.

He's thankful sheep aren't that bright, even if this one was crafty. The viking king took off at a gallop, cutting wide around the animal. "We guide it back," he instructed, hoping it was enough direction. He's able to cut the sheep off, the wooly creature beginning to scurry back towards Strai, back towards its peers. At least none of the others had sorted out an escape route yet, though Viðarr was pretty sure they'd have to put this one on a rope for the night. Shit. His hackles up, Viðarr can only hope that Strai prevents the sheep from going too far in the opposite direction.

"Viðarr"

He realised what Vidarr was doing as the other wolf went wide, cutting off the sheep’s escape. He heard Vidarr’s words, and acknowledged them with a short nod. His attention was already on the sheep, and what to do with it. Sheep wrangling wasn’ exactly his first choice, but twice now Vidarr had won against him. He begrudgingly did what the Viking Demon told him to.

When it turned, and started moving in his direction, he trotted forward. And reached over to slap its butt. Encouraging it to go in the direction they wanted. Back towards the sheep pen. He could see why he and Vidarr were building a better enclosure. The sheep were already figuring their way out of this one.


"Speech"

He watches at his distance as Astraios handles the sheep. Reaching out to give a smack to encourage it along, but then, he would have probably done the same thing. They really would need to get herding dogs of some sort, something that would help tend and round up the flock. The viking king filed it away for later, another thing for his to-do list. Maybe they could just steal them from the same pack that had yielded sheep. Then, he was likely better trading for them, knowing the importance of actually having dogs that listened to and respected them. For now, it will go on the list of tasks for the thralls.

Speaking of which, watching the boy as he returned the sheep to its temporary enclosure, Viðarr figures that it's good enough. Trotting toward Strai and the hastily fabricated pen, his mind is made up. "The sheep will be part of your responsibilities." He gives the instruction with a nod. "Keeping them fed, watered. Checking the fence." His tone carries some finality, Viðarr wasn't one to take argument. Still, he watches the boy carefully, wondering if he'll protest.

"Viðarr"

After his encouraging pat, the sheep went in the right direction. He trotted after it to ensure it didn’t go getting any ideas, and then it was back in its enclosure. He shut the gate after it, eying the enclosure dubiously. He turned to Vidarr as the older wolf approached him. He wasn’t sure exactly what he expected the leader would say - but what came out of his mouth wasn’t it.

Strai could feel himself twitch with surprise before schooling his expression. He couldn’t totally keep out an expression of contempt, but he did a decent job. He was being promoted to sheep dog? And what did he know about caring for sheep? Inevitably one would die. Animals did. What then? He would be held accountable, and what did he know about keeping things alive! He could already imagine the ribbing Delphi would give him. “As you wish.” He said to Vidarr. The older wolf had already proven his ability to wrestle Strai into submission. He respected that, even if he respected nothing else.


"Speech"