After about four hours of hiking, I decided to take a short break. I wanted to start polishing my sword and see what Papa packed in my bag. Most of it was medical supplies. There was also a long length of coiled rope and carabiners. I shrieked in happy surprise after a few moments of looking through. Sitting at the bottom was a small metal tin, and a hand carved pipe.

The contents of the tin was a genetically crafted herb called Luxury. This was only ever handed out sparingly at the halls during very specific ceremonies. Sure anyone could get them, but they required putting in months in advance. This was an extra special treat.

And it was all for me!

Putting it aside for the moment, I built a small fire, and set out to spend an hour sharpening and polishing the blade. I had to leave the pipe as an award otherwise I’d never start. Restraint was key in this situation. I knew myself too well.

But, because I was not perfect, I only spent about thirty minutes on it, before carefully setting the tins red rootlike contents into the pipe. Failing to find a book of matches in the pack, and grunting about it for a good ten minutes, I took a stick and lit the end with my camp fire, to light the pipe.

I breathed out the purple smoke slowly, smiling to myself, back against a tree. I lounged there with a small smile on my lips, biting at the edge of the pipe. Watched, as the flames danced with the edges of darkness that creeped in from the woods. Enjoyed the show of them playing together. Letting smoke escape my breath to join in on their fun. Listened as the nightly creatures made their way through the forest.

The flames and shadows and my purple smoke grew larger and larger as I melted into the tree and snow. They became almost human looking. They danced along the edge of my camp, throwing me into a fit of giggling. Eventually they all bowed, and made way for a man who approached from the shadows.

I sucked on the end of my pipe as I watched him walk up. He was wearing winter clothes meant for hiking. He had a large blue hood with fur all around the inside over his head and a pack meant for backpacking and camping. He had a long light orange beard with matching hair,  and smile wrinkles around his eyes. He was the largest man I had ever seen. “Warmest greetings, Hildr Padshiy, Bear of Soovshchestvo.”

“And to you strange man I’ve never met who smells of storms on the horizon and static in the air!” I responded, wistfully, breathing in more smoke, and releasing it with each word.

The man laughed. It boomed like thunder and matched my heartbeat. Or my heartbeat matched his laugh. It was joyful and held nothing back. I joined in and we laughed for a long moment about nothing at all.

“I enjoy your spirit, Hildr. You have an air about you. A true warrior.” He said, nodding with the last sentence for emphasis. “Do you mind if I join your hearth?”

I snorted at the question, gesturing at the surrounding area with my pipe. “What’s mine is yours, friend. What was your name again?”

“I thank you. And my friends call me Ozu.” He said, approaching the fire, and sitting cross legged. “So what brings you out to these woods? Late night hunting, by the look of your pack there.”

“I’m on my rite of passage!” I say proudly, before eyeing the man suspiciously, while biting the end of my pipe again. “What of you, sir? Honesty begets honesty don’t you think?”

“Fair is fair. Questions for questions, as my father always said.” He agreed, shifting his seating position. “I’m taking some well deserved time off to do a bit of wandering before returning to the grindstone. I have quit the heavy workload in store in my future and wanted to sneak in some ‘me time’. Get back to my roots as it were.”

I puffed on my pipe a few times, while thinking. It was getting a little harder to think. Especially with the owl giving the entire history of a far away land no matter how many times the elf boy told him to stop and the campfire turning into all the colors of the rainbow. Also the man kept turning into a rain cloud, and his backpack into a hammer. “Do you have traveling papers, Mr. Ozu?” Crows mocked a flying elephant for following his dreams in the distance.

“Just Ozu is fine, please, and yes I do!” He said, almost proudly, as he proceeded to pat himself done while searching for them. “Ah there’s the damn thing. Here you are!” He said tossing it to me.

It was an old leather binding with a few sheets of paper in it. I opened it, and squinted hard. For a moment, all I saw were crude stick drawings fighting each other to the death. Than the page was blank. It stayed blank for a long time. I rubbed my eyes, and still they were just empty pieces of paper, yellow from old age. “There’s nothing on them.” I said, tossing it back to him.

“Are you sure?” He said, looking shocked. He held up the pass book, scratching his beard. “How about that...” he mumbled, before shrugging. “Well I never was good at magic tricks. My father did like his secrets and my godfather has a very confusing way of explaining things Both of them.” he placed the book back into his jacket, looking to me. “So, Hildr Padshiy, are you going to be turning me in?” his eyes danced with amusement. They also physically danced. On the bridge of his nose.

I thought about it, puffing on my pipe, only to find nothing. I scowled, as I emptied the ashy contents. “No.” I answered, placing it back in my bag. “I have a monster to find.”

“Well I appreciate your discretion all the same.” He smiled, before standing. “Tell you what! I am not one to leave debts unpaid, and I couldn’t help but notice your blade there. Fine work that, but in need of some polish and sharpening...and a handle.” He dusted himself off from the snow. “And I happen to know my way around metalworking a touch. So in exchange for keeping your lips firmly sealed, I’ll take care of this blade while you’re hunting your monster.” he held out a hand over the fire.

I looked at him stupid. “That blade is my union with my ancestors. My connection to my family. Crafted by my own hands. Why should I trust you to do as you say, and not run off with it?”

His eyes sparked at the question, and he stood tall. With a booming voice, louder than any storm or any gun, he said, “I swear on my name and on my house. On the life of my wife and my daughter. By my honor and my hammer, I swear to you my oath that I shall not leave this spot till my task is done, and will not take your blade, nor hand it to any but you.”

He held out his hand again, chin held high, an air of pride and honor about him. I studied it for a moment, than shook his hand. Static sparked between our fingers and the oath was sealed.. “I will not be long, Ozu.”

“I do not doubt it, Medved.” He said, as I handed him the sword, wrapped in it’s leather binding. “By the way, I saw what may be your ‘monster’ on my way here. Quite the,” he coughed.  “Craftsmen you have amongst your kindred.” he pointed northwest of our position. “If you head that direction, it should take you not but an hour at most.”

“Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it. I am, and always will be, a servant to humanity.”

I walked the path northwest as best I could. In all honesty, I may have hit my new pipe too hard, and I was having difficulties walking a straight line. It wasn’t helping that the trees kept moving back and forth. They were complaining about the state of today's youth and how no one respects nature ‘the proper way’ anymore. I think they were mad still for all the times the boys peed on them when we still played out here.

“I don’t know what that has to do with me!” I barked, and they stared at me, scandalized. I spat at them. Dumb trees.

The ground around me shook. Or it was my head. The night sky exploded into a bright wave of light colors, swirling back and forth over head. Within the lights, some started to take shape. Two rams  appeared in the middle of the lights. Their mouths opened wide, and twin lightning bolts fell from the sky, landing strait in the middle of the clearing with a loud, deafening crack, throwing me onto my back.

The ground continued to shake, as I slowly rose to one knee. The air was charged. My hair stood on end. I looked up to see two huge synged circles with Runes burned into the ground. Tanngrisnir said one. Tanngnjostr said the other. I leaped up at this, dropping my bag to the ground, pulling out my loaded crossbow, and tossing my quiver over my shoulders. I was beaming.

The runes started to hum and glow a low blue hue as bones started to break from the earth within. It wasn’t long before the skeletons of two giant rams with spiral horns that were a vibrant purple stood within the circles. Their eyes glowed and sparked with lightning, as their heads shifted around. Looking. I was lying prone, hidden in the grass, waiting.

Except there was no grass and I was not hidden. I realized this when I sneezed and both heads snapped right to me. The giant rams shook like dogs, and their bones rattled like wind chimes. Their eyes crackled and the sky tasted like ozone as flesh started forming on them.

“This is awesome!” I cackled, aiming my crossbow, and firing at Tanngrisnir. It hit right at the center of the skull, just as muscle was coating over. As the tendons touched the arrow, it jumped back, sinking towards the neck. Tanngrisnir reared back with a deafening bellow as Tanngnjostr turned with concern.  “BOP!” I shouted, excitedly. Their heads snapped back to me. I was grinning. They were fully formed, except for Tanngrisnir, who’s head was just skull, with glowing, electrical blue lights in it’s socket. They screeched. I roared.

Tanngrisnir charged at me. Or so I thought, as I tensed, bending my knees and standing at the balls of my feet. But it charged right past me, as I looked at it confused and it ran into a tree. “What in the-oomph!”

Tanngnjostr rammed into me, as I was distracted, tossing me skyward. I flipped backwards three times before landing hard on my back. I landed eyes to the moon. It was made of cheese. There was a mouse eating it. His ears were round. But before I had time to fully absorb this, I saw the hooves of Tanngnjostr coming down on me. I rolled out of the way, the hooves smashing into the ground, cracking the earth just inches from me. All this, while I loaded another bolt. Rising to a knee, just a few meters from Tanngnjostr’s front right leg, I leveled my crossbow and fired strait through the kneecap.

It reared back, I loaded another bolt, pivoting, to place Tanngrisnir in my line of vision. Tanngnjostr landed back on its front legs, and lifted its right, crying out in pain. Tanngrisnir looked around confused, calling back. It could not see.

“Oh okay.” I mumbled. Tanngrisnir’s head snapped in my direction. “Oh. Okay.” It leaned forward, pointing it’s horns towards me, stomping its left food, getting ready to charge. “OHOKAY.” I said, slowly rising. It charged forward, and I sprinted away. “DONOTWANT.”

I ran faster than I have in a very very long time, and much harder than I would ever like to do again. I ran right past Tanngnjostr, as it still tested it’s injured leg. As I ran, I started to get an idea. I turned, making an arc around the field back towards Tanngnjostr. Tanngrisnir ran past me, still charging. I huff, annoyed. “You were supposed to follow me!” I shout at him. His attention snapped back to me. “Thank you!” I said, smiling, as Tanngjostr turned his head to me as well, slightly curious. Tanngrisnir got ready to charge and I grinned, half turning towards Tanngjostr, head still towards Tanngrisnir, and hopping on the balls of my feet. “That's right!” I coaxed. “I’m right here! Come right at me!”

He charged at me, as my grin growed. Tossing my crossbow over my shoulder, I ran one last time, right at Tanngjostr. I darted underneath him, with Tanngrisnir close behind. Tanngjostr gave out a startled bellow, as Tanngjostr tried to stop itself, hearing his brothers cry. The two slammed into each other, and fumbled onto the ground, Tanngjostrs’ horns catching between Tanngrisnirs neck. As they spun around, there was a crack, as Tanngrisnirs neck snapped.

Tanngjostr tried to remove himself from the body that was once Tanngrisnir, but their horns clacked together, intertwined. I walked forward silently, loading one last bolt into my crossbow. I stalked up, aimed behind his ear, and fired. The large ram stiffened, than fell onto his brother. Dead.

I shouted victory up to the sky. Than the sky started to spin. Spin and spin and spin. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I fell backwards, unconscious.