Maybe I’ll Learn My Lesson

Children were terribly good at getting into things, Víðarr knew that. It was for the best that they be allowed to learn, explore, make their own mistakes. That was how they grew. Still, the mountain presented its own perils. The steep cliffs, the sheer drops. The world that lay below was also perhaps less than kind, less than friendly. They would learn, in time. Víðarr could only hope that they also learned that he was here to protect them, he was here to love them. All of them. Part of protecting them was going to look when they'd been gone a bit too long.

His pace was relaxed at first. The shadow just figured she'd gotten turned around coming back home. It's only when he picks up the scent of blood on the breeze does Víðarr's pace pick up. His pulse quickened. His breath grew short. The shadow pauses, trying to scent the air. "Delphi?" Víðarr called out, heading west and into the flatlands. Gaze burning, searching. Had she fallen? Been attacked by a predator? What happened? "Nej, nej, nej," he growls, moving down the mountain.

Månsken saw her first, the owl calling down. At a dead run, the viking king took off in her direction. By the time he arrived to find the crumpled form of the small girl beneath the tree, Víðarr was out of breath. Panting. "Jävla helvete," he cursed. The girl was bloody, something was wrong. Something had happened, her tail-- what was left of it drew his attention. "Wake, little lamb. Just until we get home." The words are soft, and the viking king shook her shoulder. Nosed her face. She was alive, but whatever had attacked his granddaughter had done a number on her.

"Hitta Tenshi eller Ulmaria, och hennes föräldrar, nu." Víðarr turned to the two dogs, the orders coming across far more harshly than usual. As he had so many times before, the viking king moved to lift the little girl. "I am going to put pressure on your tail until a healer comes, it will hurt but the bleeding..." he needed to stop the bleeding. As his companions took off to gather more help, the viking king began to apply pressure to the wound, hoping to slow the bleeding.