"It was a dark night and we had just made camp when we both heard a rustling in the bushes. Since we couldn't see far in the darkness we both grabbed a torch and our bows to be prepared should the worst case come to pass. My heart was racing and I could hear the blood rushing in my ears like a thundering river in the midst of a storm! I had nearly accepted my fate to fall at the hands of Jormag himself when a gigantic boar broke through the foliage and rushed into the midst of our camp with bloodshot eyes to boot! I swear, the wild boar was out for blood that night! Not hesitating we both donned an arrow and let loose, skewering the wild boar in its flanks and nailing it to the ground with our arrows. While it was still occupied by the pain from its wounds I drew my dagger and with a jump impaled the wild boar under my weight through its eye. And so we feasted like kings that night, still high on our bloodrush. I swear I've never felt so alive before!" Alvar spoke passionately about the first hunt he had been through while Olaf knew full well that some things were a little bit exaggerated but that was completely normal in most tales told by the Norn and he wouldn't change anything about that little fact!
"You truly have grown little Alvar. Soon you will be a man to be proud of." Alvars grandmother spoke while embracing Alvar under vocal protests that proclaimed to stop treating him like a boy since he was grown up already, earning Alvar a round of roaring laughter from his family.
After he had been through the wringer by his grandmother's hugs Alvar was sent to bed since today promised to be a long night as they would later join the other Norn of Hoelbrak at the large fires in the great hall to listen to the story tellers, Havroune, hunters and warriors while celebrating into the name day of Alvar.
With a tired yawn Alvar slumped into his bed and soon afterwards fell into a dreamless sleep as he had been up since before sunrise and the long trip back to Hoelbrak was still rather taxing on his growing body, even for a Norn like him that was born with a stronger constitution then a normal Human for example.
While Alvar was sleeping the three adults remained at the firepit and continued their conversation though the topic of their choosing had turned darker by a lot judging by the blank faces the three adults wore.
"I have been looking for trails but the harsh snowfall of the last few days up in the mountains has made it increasingly harder to identify the age of the trails I could find as the new snow adds too many new layers too fast onto the footprints. No doubt that Jormag and his servants are behind that. I will soon go out again to look some more since now that spring has come the prints are harder to erase or cover by the weather and we may be able to find another hideout of the sons of Jormag before they start another raid on us." Uncle Olaf spoke with a grimace when he thought back to the last time the sons of Jormag had ventured down the Shiverpeak mountains and attacked those that were working outside of Hoelbrak and its safe walls.
"Even if we discover another hideout the chance to find Knut is by now none existent. It has already been 8 years since we last saw of him and many man, no matter how tough they may be, would have broken under Jormag's consistent whispers…" Alvars grandfather spoke with a grim face that showed the deep wrinkles adorning his face in the warm, flickering light of the bonfire they were sitting at.
"I don't care! I will not let my brother suffer under Jormag if I can do anything about that! I promised Hilda such on her deathbed and I'll be damned if I break my promise!" Uncle Olaf spoke with a growl while anger flowed freely from his tongue though he managed to keep his voice down in order not to wake his nephew up who he knew could have a light sleep at times.
"We know son and we are thankful that you still keep on looking. And maybe you are right that death would be a greater mercy then letting our son suffer any longer but none the less I cannot take his life…" Alvars grandfather spoke with a slightly trembling voice while his wife supportively took his old hand into hers, equally marked by time.
"We are old, son. It will not be too long until we will join our ancestors in the mists but before we go we need to see this through to the end. Not to mention young Alvar. He should not have to take over such a burden from us once he becomes old enough to call himself a man…" the old man said with a sigh while watching the flames flicker from one place onto the other, dancing and playing with their brethren while consuming the wood without a care in the world as was their nature.
"We will find him, I promise." Olaf spoke to his father and mother to which they smiled sadly as they knew it to be possible for said promise to not come true.
After their discussion Olaf left the old couple to themselves and walked out the door to go converse and convey his findings to the ones responsible to deal with the sons of Jormag and help prepare for the upcoming feast and festivities. After all his nephew would only once become 11 years old.
Hope you enjoyed it and please leave a comment below to let me know what you think so far as I have decided to include more details into the storytelling, thus slowing down the story progression a little bit^^