Careless Whisper

Sk?ll had wandered much further in the lands since he'd met up with his brother Baldur. That meeting had given him much to consider. He had not, for instance, realized how difficult it might be to persuade his siblings to their duty. Part of him had been hoping it would be as simple as talking to them and they would docilely return with him to retake control of the pack. Their Empire would rise again, and life would return to some small measure of normalcy. But Baldur had given him a much different impression.

Plus, the more he saw of these lands the more he had to wonder if returning to their northern home was even in their best interests. There was a much wider variety of possible territories here. Why not leave Vili to play at being alpha of a falling-apart pack, and rebuild the empire here? He could return to retrieve Hodr and their other siblings later if they didn't eventually leave of their own accord.

They would need to draw in more than just family to sustain a more viable long term empire though. Unrelated wolves to act as mates, guards, cannon fodder depending on how well they proved themselves. Willingly by preference, though captives would certainly be an option if there weren't volunteers. He'd learned long ago that everyone had something that would earn their compliance if not their loyalty.

It occurred to him, as he traveled along the water's edge, that he hadn't thought to ask Baldur if any of them had sired pups yet. New pups would be an important part of their pack, and they would need to be brought up properly if they were to live up to their blood. Besides, it was far past time for the older siblings to have taken a mate or two. He made a mental note to bring it up next he ran into one of them, then he paused midstep.

There, not far ahead of him, a white female stared glumly at her reflection in the water. A grin tickled at his muzzle as Sk?ll took a moment to study her from afar. Not purely white, after all, but a very pale silver marked with darker grays and black, including an unusually perfect marking on her shoulder. Sk?ll's tongue darted out, like a snake scenting for prey, then lolled as his jaw gaped in a grin. It was as if Hroovitnir had heard his plans and reached beyond the grave to bring him the perfect opportunity.

He stepped out with renewed vigor, long strides bringing him quickly to the she-wolf's side. "Well hello there, beautiful," he laughed in a sing-song manner. "What are you doing all the way out here alone? You must have someone to be with, surely... Family, friends, mate...?" He was fully unaware that he'd echoed nearly exactly his own brother's words to this same girl some time ago during a storm, albeit saying it with much more in the way of confidence and panache.



"Speech"

My declaration embedded deep under my skin

A permanent reminder of how it began

No hesitation when I am commanded to strike

You need to know that you're in for the fight of your life