Though aimless, their wandering certainly had not been without purpose. Surely in time the gods would give them a sign, as to what they needed to do. Since their negotiation with the man whose daughter they had taken as a captive, they had taken on an unlikely companion -- the boy Hypnos that he had been supposed to train, back in Yfir, before the pack had been stolen from them. Though he was a strange one, he seemed capable and strong despite his lame back leg. There was certainly promise in him, though he didn't know Hypnos well. Perhaps he ought to learn more about him? His paws would carry him along the winding river, emerald gaze cast upon the rapids with curiosity. If Hypnos wanted to travel with them longer, as a more permanent situation than it was now, Kapra wanted to be sure he had what it took. Neither he nor Katja would bat an eye at a fight -- at the possibility of laying their lives down on the line for one another. Losing his tail had been of his own accord, a fight he hadn't needed to barge in on, but he had done so gladly. Would this boy be as willing to fight as they were? Or would he be but a burden to them? If he proved worthless, they could certainly find a willing buyer for him, but something about him struck him as useful. After a moment of consideration, of watching the afternoon sun reflect upon the rippling waves, he would call out to him. His muzzle would lift to the sky as a demanding call left his lips, though a grin toyed at his features, wondering what the world had in store for them today.

There was a sense of pride in once more being taken under the wing of Kapra. The viking, along with his sister, had interesting views on the world. Honor... There was really no such thing. Such a false word... The only honor one had was the honor they made for themselves. You had to act... There could be no hesitation any longer. With the passing of his mother he felt a sense of relief, at long last. The crimes from the past were far from solved, however, and things were only, in the end, beginning. The young man would walk, moving alongside a river, following Kapra’s scent. He knew right now it was just a temporary offer to stay with the vikings, but the young man was more than willing to prove himself to them. He was not afraid of laying down his life, of getting his paws dirty. No... On the other hand Hypnos was raring at the chance to prove himself in battle. He wanted to show the world he was unafraid... And take what was his. The gods he worshiped, though different than those that the vikings cherished, certainly had smiled upon him. It was by their will, and his determination, that he was able to live. His ears would perk as the man called to him, further up the river than he was currently. Haha, had the wind shifted and he hadn’t noticed? Perhaps so. The boy would let his paws carry him onward, paws thudding against the earth as he ran. His back right leg, while the weakest, could support him far better than it had when he was a pup. He was, without any doubt, strong. He would overcome any challenge. This Hypnos swore. Upon arriving he would give a dip of his head in greeting to Kapra, a smirk gracing his features. “So what’s on the agenda today?” The boy would ask, more than ready to begin. "Talk" Think

Table by:: Chrono

The sudden appearance of Hypnos at the battlefield had given him an idea. Kapra knew that if the boy proved to be completely useless, they could pawn him off to someone useful -- and since his mother was dead and his father was nowhere to be found, he doubted anyone would come trying to wrangle him away. And yet he sincerely doubted he would be a disappointing addition; he had shown no sadness at his mother's fight to the death, and while he didn't fully understand the relationship they shared, this showed the sort of apathy that impressed him. Certainly he could help the boy learn to shape his future. To take what was rightfully his, to live in the moment, to destroy whatever strove to hurt him and to live without fear or hesitation. Perhaps he was not as blatantly manic as Kapra was, but he would teach him to dive head-first into life without thinking twice. An easy smile played on his features as Hypnos answered his call. He was, perhaps, more subdued around Katja and those familiar to him -- Hypnos was slowly included in this group -- and without such frenzied excitement. And yet a fire shone fiercely in his green gaze still, the small bit of tail he had left wiggling behind him in eagerness. "Today we're going to talk about my gods," he explained with a chuckle. What Hypnos knew -- or had been taught -- he didn't know, but he wanted to find out. And even if did not worship the same gods as he and Katja, perhaps some lessons could be gained regardless. "And we're going to talk about herbs. Do you know anything about herbs?" They likely wouldn't talk about the ones most wolves knew about; he didn't know much of anything about herbs meant for healing, for curing sickness, though he knew about certain plants that could kill, and he knew about things that could bring him closer to the gods than he ever could be otherwise.

Hypnos would blink a bit as Kapra said that today they were going to talk about his gods. The boy knew of the Olypmian gods, but others he did not. He doubted, strongly doubted that Kapra followed their ways. No, he was different. Certainly different. The boy was admittedly curious about what the man would teach him, what he would learn and retain throughout the rest of his life. The man was a foreign being, one who could teach him a great deal of new and wonderful things. At least such was Hypnos’ line of thinking. He would give a shake of his head though as the man mentioned herbs. “Nope. I don’t know a thing about them. My training was sadly cut short when mother disappeared... My... Brother had been taken by Arcanumn it seemed. She never came back so no lessons were given.” The boy would shake his head. “I miss her a bit but, well, life goes on. You need to focus on what’s in front of you before you lose the moment.” "Talk" Think

Table by:: Chrono

Hypnos seemed honestly interested in what Kapra had to teach him, which elicited a smile far more genuine than was typical of the tawny viking. Slowly he would turn to face him more fully, the small stub he had left of a tail wiggling excitedly at the prospect of a lesson.

”Let me tell you something of my gods,” he began, his excitement subsiding slightly as he shifted into a more serious demeanor. As far as he was concerned, his gods were the only gods -- and he wouldn’t have spoken otherwise in the presence of most others. But this boy knew nothing of his faith and he would give him a chance to learn, whether he chose to believe it or not; he just had to understand and follow the values that he and Katja shared.  ”I am told that in the beginning there was nothing. Instead, there was a great, dark abyss of emptiness, before there was any earth or sky. Of this nothingness erupted a great, vast land of ice known as Niflheim, while a land of fire came forth from the south. This land was angry, full of fire and flames, and from this land known as Muspellsheim came great rivers of fire and poison. The frost from Niflheim began to flow as well, and together they collided to form a godlike giant known as Ymir. As more of the ice from Niflheim began to melt, a cow came forth who began to nourish Ymir with her milk. She, too, needed nourishment so she began to lick at the ice, uncovering the first of the gods, Buri. It was Buri's son who married Ymir's daughter -- they fathered the three gods Odin, Vili, and Ve. It is these three gods that birthed everything that we know as life now." For a moment, he paused. The story was a lot to take in, he knew this, and the names would likely be foreign to the boy. But the backstory was important to him. He needed to know his gods, even if he did not choose to accept them.

Slowly he would move from where he stood, twisting his head toward the river, inviting Hypnos to walk with him while they spoke. "Odin is one of the most important of the gods," he began, still serious despite how animated this talk had made him. "It is to him that we owe our existence. He is the giver of all wisdom; it is he who instructs us to care not for rules or conventions, to ride into battle with frenzy and to be as sinister as we must be to pursue knowledge and glory." He was not the most noble of the gods, but that was what was so appealing to him -- and why he felt such a strong pull to Odin, the father of all creation. A gentle grin painted his features as he turned his head to Hypnos, searching for a reaction. After a moment his head would twist back forward, his gaze searching for something in the distance. Before their meeting, he had searched for a plant that he could teach Hypnos about. For him to truly understand the gods, he had to slip from the reality he knew and Kapra knew a perfect way to make this happen.

The boy would listen well as Kapra began to speak. The man's demeanor became a more serious thing as he told the story of the world. A great nothing, an abyss of emptiness before there was earth or sky. Then from that came a vast land of ice and fire. Then these lands collided to form some giant... Ymir. There were more things that came too, like the cow who nourished Ymir. The ice that the cow licked would uncover the first of the gods, Buri. Then, from Buri and Ymir's daughter, who was unnamed, came forth three gods by the name Odin, Vili, and Ve. It was a lot of information to take in, but all the same the young man would try to make sense of it. He knew the stories were important to Kapra. Valuing the man as a mento and as sorts, a father figure or older brother, he would do his best to retain the information. The young man would walk alongside the man as he continued on, focusing now on the tale spoken of Odin. The one they owed their existence too, the giver of all wisdom. He would narrow his eyes, a thought coming to mind. It was not in anger, but in thought that his brow furrowed, a question passing his lips. "Was in Odin's teachings who had Katja choose to target Olympus?" The young man would ask. "...and when she prevailed over my... my dam... was that too because of the will of the gods? Or is there more to it than that, Kapra?" There was much the boy did not understand, but he was more than willing to learn. "Talk" Think

Table by:: Chrono

The talk of the gods was about all that could sober him so dramatically. Even if Hypnos did not believe in the gods that he and Katja shared, he would have to listen and learn about them. They could teach him things, even if he did not worship them as he did. He was pleased at the boy's attention, and even more pleased at his question.  "A good question," he acknowledged with a curt nod.  "Odin does not decide what we do. He only gives us the courage and the will to act." His pace would slow, his body reeling around as he slowly turned to stop at the river's edge. Though they could talk as they walked, the question presented by Hypnos was a complex one, but one he was beyond happy to address.

"I can answer your question by telling you a story that my mother told me once," he began, his voice serious as he glanced sideways at him.  "Legends say there is a tree, called Yggdrasil, that stands at the center of all the worlds. It grows from the Well of Urðr, and in its branches and roots hold everything that has ever existed. The tree is nourished from he water in the well, which is filled again as the dew drips from the leaves of the tree in the morning," he'd explain carefully, trying to lead up to the point he was trying to make.  "Life is much like the tree. A cycle. Without the nourishment from the water, the tree will not survive, and the well cannot continue to nourish the tree without receiving water back from the tree. Another story, too, tells of three women who carve the fate of children into Yggdrasil," he'd add pointedly.  "All beings are subject to these carvings, but this is merely the first glimpse into a being's life. It can be changed, depending on your actions and the course you choose to take."

Wondering if Hypnos had taken anything from his musings, he eyed him curiously, head tilting. His expression was softer now -- the boy was a student to him, though he was as close to a friend as he'd had in a long while, and the warm expression he offered him was a rarity from the viking.  "I suppose I would say that your mother's demise was not necessarily fated," Kapra would offer finally.  "You can only become what you were meant to be if you chose it. I don't believe your life is fully fated, but the concept of complete freedom is just as foolish. You do not have to be anything at all, though the gods give you a push in the right direction. Your life -- it is in your paws. The same goes for Katja, when she took Yfir. There is nothing wrong with straying from the course you were meant. Do you think you were supposed to be here?" A soft laugh left his lips, though he was serious too -- was their reunion fated, or had it merely been a coincidence? It didn't matter much to Kapra either way, for he figured a bit of both was what life consisted of.

There was so much to take in. So very much to think about and understand. So the gods did not decide what wolves did, nor did they shape their path, but their destines were, in the end in their own paws. Hypnos would look down for a moment in thought, heavy thought. All that had been expected of him, of being tossed into the ravine... his destiny... he could shape his own destiny. The young man would consider all of that before he finally spoke, offering an answer to the question that Kapra posed. "In all honesty? I don't know if I was meant to be here or not, Kapra. I just know that I am here, because I refuse to die. I refuse to let others tell me what I can and can't do because of my weakened leg. It is weakened yes... but I will not let it define me." The young man would look to Kapra again, frowning some. "I don't completely know what my path is yet... what I want... but... from what you're telling me living in the moment is not wrong." The young man would let his seagreen eyes shine. "So I'll live in the moment... and savor every second. You only live once... so might as well take what you want, right?" ""

Art by Tea

His gods would laugh at a creature who thought anything was fully destined. It seemed Hypnos was beginning to grasp this concept, as Kapra watched him, and he realized suddenly that their lesson had been much more rewarding than he had thought. Initially he had wanted to find some herbs to teach the boy about, perhaps tell him a few stories about the gods, but the course of the lesson had changed.. and certainly for the better. His grin was genuine, quite subdued from the normal goofy, manic expression he wore, and there was a shimmering excitement in his eyes. He knew little about what Hypnos had been through, about his maimed leg and his broken relationship with his mother, but he knew that it didn't need to define his young friend either.

'I refuse to die,' he'd tell him and Kapra would nod thoughtfully. "And that is why I invited you to join Katja and I," he explained carefully.  "You must not bow or give in to anyone. Your life is yours to control and to shape, and no one else ought to influence that unless you let them." His brow would would furrow as he examined him, emerald gaze straying to his leg.  "May I ask what happened to it?" he'd inquiry, quite curious, since it seemed more important than a simple injury.

His grin would widen at Hypnos's words.  "Exactly," he'd agree eagerly. "Katja and I.. we take what we want and fight for what we cannot have easily," he explained. "We live without fear and never hold back. Do the same and the world is yours." Without fear, it didn't matter what was lost.. they could find something they wanted even more.