a shadow over the land

Baldur snorted at the mention of the word "glory". What the hell was glory really anyway and what made it work anything if it could barely even be defined? He was sick of such talk. Glory and honor might well have been translated to blood and death in his family because that was all the words every really seemed to sum up to. Greed, blood, death, senseless massacre? for GLORY. Glory was useless to the wolf, he had no need of it. But if Sk?ll so desired to chase after then Baldur would let him as long as the older male was left well out of way. Sk?ll could go about making his own kingdom if he wanted, Baldur would not stop him but neither would he participate.


His face and mind were already turned home as he half-listened to his little brother. No, Vili and Ve did not fight fair. Baldur might have actually stood a chance against Vili if Ve had not intervened and maybe even he and Thor could've taken them if he hadn't been shredded to bits by two opponents first. But that was in the past. He honestly did not care what his uncles were up to anymore. Baldur growled again at the mention of the word "lead". How many times did he have to explain he was not going to "lead" anyone. It was Baldur's turn to eyeroll as an exasperated sigh left his maw. He was too tired to even argue the point any more. Sk?ll could convince himself Baldur would lead them into some stupid golden age of screaming women and dying babies but Baldur would not be participating. End of story.


Baldur almost laughed at the look of stunned surprise on Sk?ll's face. It felt good to wipe the smugness from the youth if just for a second, to win the word game even if it was only a fraction. "Yes, just like that. Now how about next time you skip your stupid little games and you just ask, hm?" Truly, the whole debate couldn't been saved if he'd say something like, hey, Hodr's still back there wanna go get him? But then Sk?ll always had ulterior motives. A Hroovitnison empire apparently but they could worry about that later.


Baldur shrugged. "I'll ask him. I think we'll want to at least have Vili and Ve outnumbered if we can. Chances are they won't get much aid from the standard pack members if their rule is as horrid as you say. I'd prefer not to run into them at all if we can help it so dragging the whole family along might attract to much attention?" Baldur's thoughts were twisting and turning to develop a strategy. "I'll see if I can track down a few of our siblings and see who will come. The easiest way back home is to swim across east of Kennocha lake? it is also on pack territory. Have you another route? I say we meet there the first full moon of autumn."


"Speech"

Don't you remember anything I said when I said,


Don't fall away and leave me to myself