She watched silently as each wolf interested in a new rank spoke up, and she tilted her head in acknowledgement of them all. Laufey's interest in the position of Stallari pleased her - he was ambitious, not content to simply laze about, and he had proven himself a capable warrior in the past. Perhaps it was time for him to prove himself in a more tactical position as well. "Very well," she spoke up as they fell silent. "Inga, you have more than proven your wisdom and intelligence, and your loyalty to your pack. I am honored to bestow the rank of huskarl upon you that you may be better placed to pass your knowledge on to our young." And to Lyndvarr: "You are correct that, with so few healers, your knowledge would be best used among the Hirdha, though it would be a great shame for your skill in battle to fall unused. You would be welcomed to continue to train as a fighter and to fight and raid beside us as a warrior as well as a healer. To that end, although your skill in your rank will be today tested by treating the wounds of the embattled rather than through battle, I would like you to stand in as a proxy Thegn to test one of our potentials, whether you feel ready to take your oath as Hirdha or not." To the two would-be thegns, Harekr and Joker, she spoke very seriously. They were not seeking simply to become warriors, but to become the elite, the lifeblood upon which the pack rested. "You are aware that there is more to the thegn than simply being warriors, yes? The thegn must take an oath of fealty to the pack. It is an important decision, but if you are ready to make such a step, you will be tested and allowed to take that vow."
She stood and stretched, stiff joints and muscles popping and loosening as she did. "If you are all ready to make such vows - Kaprasíus, as Stallari you will be testing Harekr's skills. Lyndvarr, as proxy thegn you will test Joker. You are not to cause crippling wounds, but it would do no good as a test for you to hold back overly much." She turned her attention to Stori, the enthusiastic would-be apprentice, and considered him a moment. He was young and untrained, but he would be entering into a violent field where he would eventually make the same oaths as any thegn. It would certainly do him no good to let him assume things would come easily. "Neith," she summoned without turning her head, "you will be standing in to test Stori. Stori, you do not have the benefit of much training, but every warrior will eventually meet an opponent of greater skill and experience. Neith is not a warrior among us, but she is older, and far more traveled than you are. How you fare against her will have as much to do with how determined you are to succeed as it does your level of skill."
Now she turned a penetrating gaze to Laufey. "Do not think I have forgotten you, cousin," she added with faint humor. "The rank of Stallari has as much to do with trust as it does with skill. You proved yourself a capable warrior against Vereux before we traveled here, and you have proven to have great loyalty to Yfir. Your judgement has on occasion been flawed" his two trysts with outsiders, and the children that came of that being evidence enough of that "but you have always taken responsibility for your mistakes and sought to rectify them. You will have your chance to prove yourself as a leader, as a Stallari - but you will first test your skill against me." He was far larger than she was, and his youth too would be an advantage against her, but you only truly got a sense of someone's skill, the way their mind worked in battle, by testing it yourself.
""
|
