Large rocks do not like to move. Consequently, when you’re planning on hunkering down they become a welcoming place to put your back against. That’s one less thing to worry about. One less thing to watch. That large rock isn’t going anywhere. Your enemies can’t just pick it up and throw it. It’s smart. But I’m better than smart. I can climb.

I watched from above, smiling to myself at how amazing I was. In this particular situation, and in general. I monitored as Jaakko monitored. His men worked at securing the rest of their perimeter. His eyes scanned the tree line, but he did not look up. If he even glanced upward he could have seen the hem of my hood. But he didn’t, so I got to smirk.

As I enjoyed my moment, by the grace of the Aesir, my boys placed handfuls and handfuls of snow next to me. The mound grew as the seconds and then minutes clicked away. It wasn’t long until all the nearby snow was stacked sky high next to me and with five minutes to spare. Finished with their duty, my boys joined me, to take a moment of rest. We watched our enemies prepare for an epic battle they would never get to see.

Jaakko checked his watch the same time I did. The same time the others probably did. Because in reality we didn’t need the watches to tell it was time. We knew because we were warriors. We breathed it. Lived off it. Battle was everything we were and it was everything we needed.

I smiled to myself. It was small, and it was the only thing visible from under my hood. But my boys knew me well. And Demyan has been there since I was born. They knew, saw, sensed that my grin was the signal, and they slowly shifted away from my side. Taking up position behind the pile, tower, obelisk of our making, Artyom turned to me. A small shift of my hood was enough of a nod, and they pushed. I paused, till I heard the thunk of the snow fall hitting the ground, smiled again, peeked over the edge, and lurched forward.

Just as Jaakko dug himself out of the snow that had laid out him and his men, I landed perfectly on his shoulders and knocked him back into the ground. I lept up, and jumped on his back. “I win.” I whispered into his ear, sitting cross legged atop him.

“You should have built a fort, Hildr.” He responded, muffled by the snow.

“Ah!” I grin, patting him on the cheek. “And where would that have got me, hmm?”

“Would you please get off me?” he groaned, as his men slowly sat up, and mine slid down from the rock, sticks and snow in their hands.

“Do you give up?” I purr.

“WIll you get off?”

“Cause and effect?” I ask.

“Cause and effect.” he agreed.

I leaped up off him, and offered my hand to help him up. “So give me your educated guess.” I said to Jaakko, dusting him off from the snow. “Who would set up closest to you, do you think?”

Jaakko paused, looking slightly upward, and tapping his fingers against his pockets, humming softly. “Faas lives a block over.” He finally spoke out, fingers at rest, and making perfect eye contact. “In the neighborhood that is the start of the single child households. There are woods that he will know well.”

I nodded, soaking in the information. “He and his mother get permits for animal control every season too.” I mumble, tapping my lips.

“He’ll be hunting more than defending.” Demyan agreed, continuing my train of thought. “They’ll be camouflaged and on their home turf as well.”

“I believe that all but you picked to use the territory they know.” Jaakko chuckled, before taking a moment to study the collection of kids surrounding him and me. “We aren’t stealthy enough to track Faas with you. But we can find where the others are hiding in preparation for your takeover.”

I nodded my agreement, moving towards the single child neighborhoods. A place that, by its very nature, was alien to me. But nothing remained that way to me for long. Crouching low as we entered the woods for the second time this day, I closed my eyes.

For once, I smelled Faas before sensing, seeing, knowing where he was. Like Papa and I, he knew how to lay very still, as did his band, so I almost didn’t pick up his breathing echoing back to me on the waves I sent outward. But like me, he lived in the home of a painter, and he wore that distinction proudly in his hair. The smell of pigments, a smell I knew well, cut across the natural, crisp winter air like a claymore. I stopped my boys just in time, not a second later I picked up one of his men shift, and knew they were dangerously close by.

We quickly spun to the nearest trees, hugging them as tightly as possible. I slowly pulled my blade from my side, and shifted how I held it. Just as quickly as that, it was no longer the sturdy broadsword I found it as. It was now an assault rifle. The same kind my father and uncle used, to cut down our people's enemies, just like the heros they were. Following my lead, my troupe of knights were now my soldiers. And they awaited their captain's commands.

I turned to my right, where Demyan and Artyom looked back at me, waiting. I pointed two fingers at them, and then a full hand to my ten o’clock. They nodded, and slowly made their move. I turned to my left, Dimitri was staring off around the corner of cover, hand out, calling for my pause. I waited. Slowly, his hand moved back to his rifle, and he nodded. We both moved wide, going from a 180 degree angle at the tree to 160. 140, 120, 100, 90. Seeing no targets, and not getting engaged, we followed Demyan and Artyom forward, heads constantly scanning our surroundings.

After a few steps, I deemed it time to check again. I held my fist up, and we stopped. The world exploded as I opened myself to it, and I smiled. We were almost right on top of them. And they were facing the other way.

For the record, they were expertly camouflaged. We would have walked right over them if I were anyone else. But I am Hildr Yaromirsdaughter, King of the Mountain. And I was given cheat codes by the gods. Failing to hide the glee from my face, I pointed out the five figures laid out before us. Not even looking at me, watching with their peripherals, my boys nodded, moving into position.

Slowly, carefully, we opened the satchels at our side, and scooped handfuls of the white powder we decided to carry with us. Packing it tightly with our hands into shining spherical grenades. I held up a hand and slowly started counting down to five. Once the open palm became a fist I shouted, “THOOOORRRR!!!”

We chucked our grenades, pegging them in the back of the head. They immediately leaped forward, darting for cover as we tore into them with our rifles. One went down in the first volley, with Artyom moving forward to confirm the kill, while we covered him as the fallen soldiers allies had found cover and were returning fire.

I spun to the closest tree, back to the bullets ripping through the air. The place I once stood now had a huge pile of snow. I would have surely been dead had I not moved. I took this moment to look to my right and left. My perfect, genius boys were all crouched behind cover of their own and were awaiting my instructions. I couldn’t ask for better soldiers.

I shut my eyes to get an idea of our surroundings. There were three now, of the original five, but they were hunkered down well. This was about to get very tricky. I couldn't stop smiling.

“Hildr, is that you?!” came Faas’ voice from across the battlefield, followed by his manic laughter. “I’m not the first one you ran into am I?!”

“Of course not, Faas!” I shouted back, as I signaled for Dimitri, the best climber, to make his way up the tree he hid behind and use the above branches to make his way over to our enemies.. “I remember our pact. The art kids need to watch each other's backs after all!”

“So who was first then?!” I could hear the excitement growing in his voice. He was such a gossip. “Don’t tell me you no longer fly your own flag!”

“I do!” I shout proudly. “As does Jaakko!”

Sarcastically slow clapping cut through the air as I signaled for Artyom to crawl widely to flank the conceited fool. “Now that is something to boast of!” he cheered. “How did you outsmart him?!”

“It was easy, my friend!” I said, looking around. I turned to Demyan and he nodded affirmation. It was now our duty to look like four people. “Once you know how!”

“Oh do tell!” he said, as his men continued their volley, unaware they would soon be dead. “I’ll be sure to put it in a ballad! The Saga of Hildr the Wild!” he cackled. His medication must have been wearing thin. Or sitting on his counter, forgotten once more.

“I’m more than delighted to share!” I continued our banter, even as Demyan and I returned fire at our enemies, buying more precious moments. “Just come before me and join my army!”

“Oh that’s all is it?! I’ll be sure to do that, just as soon as Fenrir breaks free and Ragnarok comes!”

“Why does he have to tempt fate like that?” Demyan grumbled skyward. I smiled. He was always silly like that. I looked up, peeking around the corner, just enough to see, not enough to be a foolish target. Dimitri gave me a thumbs up, sitting upon the tree Faas was using as cover. I turned back around, and shut my eyes. Artyom laid face down just a few feet behind them, also with his thumb pointed up.

“Keep an eye on the sun, then, Faas. Because I just won. And you’re mine.” At my signal, Dimitri jumped up and down madly on the tree branches, and Artyom leaped from cover, shouting out handfuls of snow as he moved. Demyan and I also charged forward, roaring out, and pelting Faas and his men with the final blast that would be his doom.

“Alright alright!” He giggled, covered in snow. “We give we give!”

I grinned at him, dropping the remaining snow in my arms, and offering him my hand. “So how about that ballad?”

He smiled madly back at me, taking my arm with his, snow and pine needles mixed into his bright blue hair. “Can’t wait to see how it ends!”