I awoke to the smell of food. My stomach growled amd I dressed quickly, running my fingers through my hair. The sides were bristly and growing out, I would need a shave soon. I made my way down the ladder to be greeted by Alva bustling around a cook fire.

“Oh good! You’re awake. Could you be a dear and fetch some water for the wash basin? I can’t tote it like I used to.”

“Certainly,” I replied, “I’ll be right back.”

I grabbed the bucket and headed out into the dewy morning. The sun had crested the hills that surrounded Solsilva. I walked towards the center of the village, where the well was located. There were others out, many after firewood or fetching water as I was. I saw Alynda with Alys and another pup in tow.

“Good morning, sir!” Alys called across the clearing between houses.

“Good morning! How is the arm, little one?” She waved it in response, smacking the other pup. I tried to hold back my laughter as Alynda pulled them apart.

“Good morning, Eir,” Alynda said. I took her bucket and went to fill it, she seemed to have her hands a bit full.

“Good morning, here you are.” I said passing the bucket back to her.

“Thank you. Makes you want a litter of your own, eh?” She said.

“I’m in no hurry,” I laughed.

“See you around!” She turned, herding the pups towards home.

I filled my bucket and returned home. Alva had herring and porridge prepared, and after a quick wash I filled a bowl. We all sat around the table, Frode had some papers spread out next to his bowl.

“What are your plans for today, dear?” Alva asked.

“I need to go check up on a few elders. Eir, you’ll need to come along for this. It’s a routine visit and you will have to continue caring for them. I’ll discuss the various conditions and treatments after breakfast, I have it all written down somewhere. I also need to check in with our apothecary, Gorm and Sif, they cultivate and forage many of the herbs we use and I haven't met with them in a couple weeks. We’re getting low on some things.”

“Sounds busy. It is good that you have the strength of youth on your side, Eir. I can’t imagine you got much sleep last night.” Alva arched an eyebrow and Frode turned towards me. I was caught and this was as good an opening as any.

“I had actually meant to talk to you all about that,” I ran a hand through my hair, then took a breath and gathered my thoughts before diving in, “I found my mate.”

“Oh, congratulations dear. Who is to be the lucky one?”

“Uh, Sage.”

“Oh! How lovely! What a good match.” Alva clasped her hands, smiling brightly.

“I knew you were acting oddly yesterday. I just thought it was nerves,” Frode paused. “Well, I suppose it was, wasn’t it?”

“She has asked me to come and speak with her family this evening, so I would appreciate this staying between us for now, but I did wish to seek your wisdom on something Frode.”

“And what would that be? It’s been a long time since I’ve courted a woman, lad.” He laughed.

“He wasn’t very good at it then, either.” Alva stood and began clearing dishes.

“No, no. Nothing like that. I offered her some hugr manipulation. Some relief of tension and stress, you know? And what happened, well, I-I haven’t seen anything like it.” I explained the green aura, the tension the gathering made me feel, and how it had created the rush of energy that pushed out from us. He listened intently, his face serious for once. “I've read of such things, but only in texts that were ancient. There aren’t any current cases to look to, are there?”

“I had an instructor while I was in training, she could create an aura, only it was lavender. I’m sure I wrote about it somewhere” He stood, beckoning me and walking over to the shelves of journals he had kept over the years, “Someone who hasn’t had training in hugr manipulation, such as Sage, wouldn’t be able to generate that on their own. It would take the assistance of someone with that skill set, such as yourself. I also find, in practical application, that if the individual is willing to put their trust in you it will allow them to be more open.You can get a lot more done this way. It would make sense that the mate bond would allow for that. Have you marked her? No, I suppose not. Once you complete that bond you will likely see this take a more solid form.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know that throughout our history there have been Lycans who were gifted beyond our inherent nature, correct?” I nodded, “There are specific gifts that manifest. It’s much more than auras and all that. The instructor I spoke of could project her form anywhere she wanted. If she wanted to speak with someone she could pop into their quarters without leaving her own. As if she were a ghost, though she was very much alive. There have been those that can read thoughts, those that can foresee events before they unfold, those that could see long distances and through structures. I will give you what information I can but I also suggest you speak with Dagr. The wise warriors speak with the ancestors, and this is a skill mastered using manipulation of hugr.When one’s physical form fails, the hugr lives on. Thus, the wise warriors can reach out to and steer those spirits to share information.” He was talking fast, pulling out journals and flipping through them. Most went back on the shelf but he set a few on his workbench.

"Now you've got him started," Alva said.

"No, no. It's just, caring for a village gets monotonous after a while. I haven't had a good conundrum in-" He paused, cocking his head at Alva, "when was that?"

"Oh, probably three centuries now, dear."

“It keeps the mind fresh, unraveling something like this. Now here are a few entries for us to peruse, some are just hearsay I found noteworthy. Some describe the woman I was telling you about.” He stopped, “I always knew that girl was special, didn’t I tell you, Alva? The day she was born, I told you.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Our Alpha is strong through and through, but she laboured for the entirety of the summer solstice. I was called at sun up, and was calling her father in at sun down. A pup chasing the sun like that? Born on the solstice? She has Skoll’s favor, mark my words.” He pointed at me as he spoke, as if I needed reminding, “Now here are a few texts that may be of use to you, some of them are simply things I deemed noteworthy hearsay, some are in regards to the instructor I spoke of. I also have a few contacts that I can reach out to that may have more information, though that will take a few days. There are also some older texts stored in the infirmary that may be of use, though it has been a while since I looked over them.”

“Thank you,” I said, taking the stack from him, “Truly. I want to have some answers for her. It feels as if I’ve invited this in with no solution.”

“If it is as I think, it would have come with or without you. Our young Alpha is coming into her own. At least she has someone to turn to, help her manage these newfound abilities. To help her wield them. Come, let’s make our rounds and then you ought to seek out Dagr. I can introduce you to Gorm and Sif another time.”

He began to fill his bag with an assortment of tins. I saw dried herbs, powdered herbs, salves, and tinctures. We were soon walking through the village at a comfortable pace.

"Now Matilde has gone downhill quite a bit in the last year or so. She has an ache in her bones that just won't leave. She uses a simple camphorus ointment, her daughter applies it as needed. In the winter it sometimes worsens and stronger pain relief is called for, though I fear she does not have many winters left."

"What do you usually recommend?"

"Warm compresses seem to help, and if that doesn't do it Sif makes a poppy tincture that will. She prefers to avoid that as it makes her quite drowsy, though. She is not terribly open to hugr manipulation, though I've used it to some effect in combination with a small dose of poppy. Here we are," He stopped in front of a longhouse and knocked on the door. We were greeted by a woman with hair coming out of her braid and sticking to her face, heavy with sweat.

"Ah, Frode ye've caught me in the middle of laundering. Ma's this way. And who is this young man?" She led us into the longhouse, the air was heavy and moist. Some tawny heads popped out over the edge of the loft, peering down at the newcomers. They disappeared as quickly as they came, followed by giggles.

"Mari, this is Eir. They've finally given me a replacement."

"You? Never thought I'd see the day."

"You know Alva, she just wants to dote on those grandpups, and I can't say I'd mind the rest myself. Good morning Ms. Matilde! I've brought you a fresh face and a fresh tin of salve!"

"Oh hello! You've come just in time. And who is this?"

"This is Eir, the new healer. He's trained in all the latest tricks so I hope to see you dancing at the next solstice!"

"Oh Frode! Whatever tricks he may have, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."

"It's lovely to meet you Ms Matilde," I said, "I hope I can be of aid to you in the coming years."

"Oh my, such manners. That will take some getting used to after this old clown."

"Bedside manners come in all flavors Matilde," Frode laughed.

The morning carried on in much the same way. My head was spinning trying to retain not only the names and particulars of my patients, but also their family members. Frode knew everything about everyone in Solsilva, which I supposed came with the centuries he had been at his post. The enormity of the shoes I had to fill was overwhelming, at best. We returned home past noontime and Frode dismissed me as he refilled his bag with empty tins and jars he meant to return to the apothecary.

I went to my loft and began writing everything I could remember from our rounds that morning. In training I had done this after any particularly rigorous lesson, setting it down while still fresh seemed to help it stick in my brain. I needed to remember as much of this as I could, and I would be able to reference what I could not remember in this journal entry.

I took time to flip through a few of the journals Frode had given me. I found a few things of interest and copied them into my own journal. There had been reports of a man that could focus his sight so that he could see miles away or even inside of buildings while on the outside. His aura was yellow. There was also a detailed description of the lavender instructor Frode had spoken of.

Once I was satisfied with the amount of progress I had made I came down my ladder and said goodbye to Alva. I set off in direction of the temple. As I walked I tried to set order to my thoughts, though as the evening drew closer my nerves seemed to become more jumbled. I hoped Dagr would be able to give me some answers in regards to the hugr conundrum, but I also hoped to talk about my plans for the evening with my aunt who always knew the right thing to settle me.

I let my fingers graze the doorway as I entered the smokey temple. There were a few lycans kneeling before the fire. Some chanting in unison, some silent. Fenrir dominated the room, and those glowing jet eyes seemed to follow me. A hooded figure approached me, but her grey robes told me she was only an acolyte.

"Excuse me, I seek the counsel of Dagr Sollyschild."

The acolyte pointed to a door to the side of the room. I nodded my thanks and let myself through into a room with a small fire burning in the middle. My aunt sat, her gaze fixed on the fire and yet somehow looking beyond it. I entered quietly, hoping to not disturb her reverie.

"I believe congratulations are in order," she said, not looking up.

"Yes, but-"

"The Alpha. Don't fret so. She is not as scary as they all act. You are full of good intentions, and you have the head to follow them through. She cannot ask more of you."

"It doesn't feel like enough."

"You will learn to be enough. If anyone knew all before the end of their first century I've never heard of it. You cannot be Frode, you cannot be Selby, you cannot be anyone but Eir. You will learn."

She said it with such finality, as if she was finished speaking of it. Yet she simultaneously revealed insecurities I hadn't truly admitted to myself yet. I didn't want to fail Sage, or our clan. I could not be Frode, that had become very clear to me. Not only did I not have his experience, I did not have his manner. Selby was another that I looked to and saw such large shoes. I would have to learn.

"There was another matter," I said.

"She's marvelous, isn't she?" Dagr looked up for the first time, eyes alight, "Just you wait and see. She will need you to get there, though."

"What is it, though?"

"She is lycan, and so will not reach her true potential until fully marked and mated to her true mate. She will need help controlling all of that energy, though. You witnessed only a small example of what she is to become. You saw her push, but when she learns to focus it. That will be a sight to behold. She will need to be strong, she has been gifted for such a time as this. Her mother has brought us peace and prosperity, but she will not have a peaceful reign. Your union will set things in motion. Your children will bring unity to all of Fenrir's children."

"Is war coming?"

"I've said enough,," She turned back to the fire.

"I can't imagine who would try. Who could think they would prosper against all of Fenrir's children?"

"Focus on her for now, leave tomorrow's worries to tomorrow and help her to become strong. We need her to be strong."

"I think I love her, Auntie."

"Of course you do, you are fated. Now go and prepare yourself for tonight, your beloved awaits." She waved her hand, effectively dismissing me.

Whatever questions she had answered I was left with a dozen more. Our children would unite Fenrir's children? That could not be. The clans of Skoll and Hati were peaceable, we were both the descendants of Fenrir's sons. There was a brotherly love between us and yet they were vastly different from us. We chased the sun and they chased the moon. Prophecy said that when our two clans truly united it would bring about Ragnarok. Fenrir would be freed and Odin and all the other gods that had trapped him would be brought to justice. It would be the end of our world.

The thought of having a hand in the fulfillment of such an important prophecy left me stunned. I knew this meant war, pain, and grief lay ahead. Losing sleep over it would not help any, yet was I supposed to act as though I had heard nothing? I would have to try. It would not do to go into this evening without a clear mind.