7 The day the moon swallowed the sun

After the visit to the seer, Ubbe began to train me harder, Ivar came a few times and said "if you can awaken something like that you can handle something like this" every time he knocked me on my back.

It wasn't that he was stronger than me, it was his experience in battles. Ivar had been raised in battles and raids, that's Viking culture and to live into his 40s with all his limbs just showed how skilled a warrior he was.

After a few years of training and development of my magic, through meditation, my magic core had grown but it was still in a gaseous state.

I was stronger then humans even before the awakening, I could jump about 2.5 meters in the air, run insanely quickly about 20mph and I didn't really tire easily when these changes started happening I took to carrying rocks and metal around with me, not insane amounts couldn't really carry a boulder on my back all the time.

So I'm 12 now, about 5 foot tall and have a lithe muscular figure, I had a sharp jawline and my eyes had gotten a deeper colour, I kept my haircut short (teen Bjørn style) unlike most Viking men, most grew there hair out. like the longer it was the longer you'd survived, I thought that was a samurai thing?

So yeah I'd been training like crazy, I wanted to get my body in top shape before the awakening. I'm quite nervous about my bones turning into uru and my muscles turned to stone. No doubt that's going to hurt never mind the transition into a werewolf.

I'd also improved my mind palace, I kept the cave as the centre but around the mountain was a Forrest and beyond that was a ring of farmsteads and buildings separated by a River. Every tree, wall, and pathway was carved with runes; magic, power, knowledge, rhythm, harmony, transformation, protection, earth.

After I'd done that I felt a gush of magic begin to hit my mind before rushing to every cell in my body and cycled it 7 times until forcing its way into my core and expanding it. It was instinctual and felt really pleasant like a cool breeze in the scorching heat.

As my 13th year was a week away, I was preparing to leave for the woods. I'd said my goodbyes to my friends Brandr and Frida they were actually dating now, it made me laugh when I found out, good job Frida doesn't hold a grudge too long or Brandr would have to sleep with one eye open.

Ubbe wanted to come with me but I refused to say I wanted to do this alone. I was already viewed as an adult in their eyes, I could look after myself.

I took everything I'd need, a Viking was never far from his weapon away from home. Astrid had drilled cooking into me, not much for techniques but how to prepare meat and skinning animals.

I took off before the sun had risen, I walked for 5 days into the woods hunting birds along the way, I spotted a few deer but I didn't want to waste most of the meat I know Astrid would hate that.

I'd found a clearing with a large flat stone and decided this was a good place, so I set up a quick shelter with a few fallen trees not too far away. The next morning I felt something staring at my back, hoping it wasn't an enemy because I had no top on at the moment, even in the winter I wasn't cold my body was constantly warm. I turned around to see a red squirrel with 3 blue stripes running from its head to the tip of its tail. I could sense magic from it so I pushed a little of my magic towards the squirrel and it responded in kind, It approached me like it was happy.

"Hey, there little guy what has you so interested in my back?" I questioned the little critter, knowing it wouldn't answer me. The little guy did a circle around me run up my back and perched on my shoulder though.

"Hmm your just like the story of Ratatoskr running up and down Yggdrasil" I chuckled and the little guy seemed to protest as he reached out and tugged my ear.

"Ah okay okay you can stay with me I'll just call you Ratatoskr" I placated the little creature and he seemed content as he stuck out his chest like he was proud.

'hmm looks like I got a familiar a unique one at that' I thought as I petted it and gave it some nuts I had with me, he nibbled on them as I laid back down. 'just one more day' I thought as I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up as the sun rose and rubbed my eyes, Ratatoskr was laid on my chest and seemed to stir when I got up, I looked at him and sat up as he scurried up to my shoulder. "You can't stay there today I'm going to undergo a transformation later," I said worried about my new miniature friend. It looked at me patted it's chest and pointed at a tree branch above us.

"Okay yeah you can stay around here just not on my shoulder until I change back, clever tiny thing aren't you" I smirked as I patted its head with a finger and gave it another walnut.

The morning passed as I meditated naked on the flat rock before I knew it the sky began to darken and I felt my blood start to become turbulent and heat up. My eyes snapped open and looked up, Ratatoskr was on the branch looking at me, the moon began to block out the sun.

As my blood continued to seethe throughout my bloodstream, I could feel it thickening by the second. It was a peculiar feeling as steam started to exude from my skin leaving a prickling sensation on every part of my body. As the moon's surface slowly covered the sun my bones began to liquefy, like the heat from my blood was melting them and as soon as that happened they ossified like they were preserved in ice, hot and cold clashing under my skin.

I gritted my teeth as they began to decompose in my mouth and re-pierce my gums and regrow instantaneously it was maddeningly excruciating. I felt a tingling sensation through every muscle on my body and they condensed and petrified.

As that began to diminish a delightful rush of energy flowed over my conscious pushing my perception to the limit and shattering it, I could see, hear and smell 10000x better, the sensation of the wind against my skin felt magnificent words can't describe what it feels like to be in touch with everything around you for miles.

Just as the blessings pain began to abate

My finger and toenails began to grow into claws and my arms and legs grew pitch black fur. My legs began to snap and reattach over and over, my arms grew and I eventually stood on hind wolf legs and howled as the woodlands shook and the creatures became timid. My transformation hadn't stopped though my face began to break and realign into a snout and I grew fur all over as my hands splintered and shrunk into paws as a tail shot from my spine.

When the pain and pressure stopped I looked to the sky and howled again. I took off running it was instinct I could fully control my body it was my own and I accepted it all. I ran as fast as I could and everything seemed to slow down I could hear a trickle in the distance and shot off in that direction. It took a matter of seconds to reach the stream and as I looked at my reflection I noticed my eyes were a mixture of deep red and Forrest green with a golden pupil, I had white markings on the top of my head and ears that looked like a crown and I knew instantly. I was the wolf king not an alpha but a king.

My spark couldn't be stolen and my bite would make an alpha but they would-be warriors in my pack. I felt Gaias blessing in me, it was on my back like the tree of Life was connected to me. I could call out to nature, meaning anything to do with nature be it plants, rocks, water, lightning I could call out and it would bend to my will.

I decided to go back to my camp I had left my clothes there, releasing the transformation I reverted back to myself and felt tremendous strength course through my veins.