Forgotten Altars

"Stupid freaking bird." Katla grumbled as she chopped and gathered her way along the meadow's edge. Stones, wood, and boar parts entered her bag automatically with only the added pull on her shoulders to give evidence of their addition. A few of those graylings had joined in as well. With the sun threatening to dip below the horizon she had added a few more things to her tiny hut, mainly widening it and setting it up with a vent in the roof so she could secure a rough door at night. 

On the edge of the clearing a small cluster of mushrooms taunted her. A quick glance to the sky told her she would be pushing the time constraints before the night came along with the evening chill. Finally she decided the mushrooms were worth it and dove into the thicket. Mindlessly she followed the trail of mushrooms, picking up each morsel to add to her bag. Raspberries joined as she found a few good clusters of them.

As her bag weighed down under the loose branches she added to her pack along with the food stuff, Katla paused to resettle the straps. As she looked up there, ringed around with standing stones, was a large flat stone stacked on top of another series of large stones to make a crude altar. At the opposite end was another stone carved again with those glowing letters. 

Curious, she walked towards the stone. Her fingers brushed over the carved inscriptions and watched as the the elder language lifted to turn into a glowing white text she could read. 

"Slay his Kin" The directions seemed straightforward enough as she looked up at the deer carving featured at the top of the stone. Her gaze flicked upwards to focus on that as she once again mouthed the directions to herself. Slay deer? That wasn't too far out of her plans to get better clothing. 

The rustle of feathers for the second time in that day had her turning, her axe in hand to defend herself. Instead, perched at the edge of the altar was that same large black raven. Nonchalantly the creature picked at its chest feathers, grooming and resettling them. One foot was lifted against its belly, the toes curled as it nestled the leg into the feathers to warm up. 

Her attention jerked up and through the shifting leaves of the trees she could see the telltale streaks of sunset taking over the sky. Soon she would feel the cold along her still bare legs and feet. A huff escaped her as she stepped closer to the bird, awaiting what cryptic knowledge it would offer up before leaving; again useless without having offered any sort of tangible assistance. 

"You have found the summoning place of one of the Forsaken. Make the correct offering at their altar and they will come." The bird started, its strange voice oddly solemn. Katla tapped her fingers against her arm in impatience. She had already gathered that was what the general structure was for. Added in with the hint and she could have gleaned that information for herself. 

"Well, continue. It is getting cold and I need to still make tools for tomorrow." She sighed. Impatience was rewarded with the bird pausing in its speech. The bird turned and tipped its head, the over large beak clacking together as it waited. The sun slipped further down and the first shadows started reaching over the wood. Katla shivered as the cool evening breeze started and she clenched her jaw shut. 'Message received' she thought to herself as the raven once more resettled itself. Both of its clawed feet were curled around the edge of the altar and she could see the animal's wings had dropped in readiness to take off. 

"Be wary though, the Forsaken are not easy prey. Don your finest armor and craft a mighty weapon before you do battle." With a loud caw, that sent deer fleeing and several seagulls into the air Hugin once more launched himself into the air, disappearing to whatever distance he went to while waiting for her to stumble into something deemed noteworthy. 

"Like I had thought they would be easy.." She huffed before turning. The hints of chill turned to cold as her breath escaped her in visible white puffs. "Great...sunsets so fast here." Another grumble as she started to alternatively run and jog towards her small homestead. The movement didn't fully alleviate the chill and she could hear the cries of the graylings as they began their nocturnal hunts. 

Uneasy she pulled her axe out and slowed to a walk, reserving her stamina for any needed fight. Just barely she could make out the soft glow of the fire and the tendrils of smoke escaping out the narrow vent of her home. The gibbering noise from her left caused her pause as she again slashed at the creature. Two blows before it feel and disappeared at her feet. She grunted as the added weight of resin entered her bag. 

One of those Neck creatures waded from the river and lunged at her, again she turned almost out of habit, and struck the creature along its broad flat head. Immediately it disappeared leaving behind its tail. Items grabbed she once more stowed her axe and made a run for the promised warmth and safety of her crude home.  Thankfully nothing else came from the woods and she quickly latched the door behind her before taking a breath. 

An angry burbling growl from her stomach announced the need for food. Katla sighed as she threw a few more pieces of wood onto the fire. The warmth trapped inside the building eased some of the tightness in her body. An involuntary response to the implied safety of home; no matter how crude the shelter proved. Without thought she added a couple pieces of boar to the spit and set them to roast before turning to put away the rest of the meat gathered along with raspberries and mushrooms. Hunger had her popping just a couple of the sweet berries into her mouth; a soft groan of pleasure escaped her as the flavorful fruit burst over her tongue. 

The sizzling sound of the meat searing accompanied by the responding crackle of flames kept her company as she put away the stones, flint, and other items before turning to repair her spear, axe, and hammer. As she touched the table a symbol for a small rough bow appeared over the side of the table. Small and glowing it hovered there in a slowly rotating picture. Her fingers brushed through the sigil passing through with ease and yet the image remained. 

"Hmm.. Well let's try.." She dropped her pack on the table before reaching again at the glowing image. This time her fingers met something firm beneath them. As she pulled her hand away from the symbol a crudely crafted bow formed in her hand. Worried she turned to her bag, rifling through frantically as she saw all but a few bit of scrap leather had been used. Alarmed she turned to the chest where she had stored away the deer hide only to sigh in relief. It was still there, untouched, and ready for use when she found enough material to complete her next task; pants. 

Suddenly, the tantalizing smell of meat turned to the less than pleasant smell of burning flesh. "Shit, shit shit shit shit.." Katla chanted as she dropped the bow and rushed over to the spit. Ignoring the pain of singed fingertips she wrestled the chunks of meat off the spit, blowing on them frantically in attempt to cool them. The outsides were fairly black, cooked beyond crisp, and she hoped at least the center would be edible. 

"Damn.. New rule, either cook or craft." She sighed before pulling one of the bits of meat apart. The burned parts didn't seem to go beyond the first layer and hunger made even burned food palatable. With a grimace she choked down the dry and burned boar meat before eating another small handful of berries to wash away the taste. Full and warm, Katla looked over her small living arrangement. Her simple bed of spare rushes, sweet smelling grass, and a larger piece of scrap leather called to her. Tools remained out and the fire needed banked for the night.

"Tidy first, since daylight is precious" Talking to herself had become a comfort. It filled some internal need to hear a human voice beyond the facsimile that the Hugin offered sporadically. The self coaching provided the needed motivation as she rose and put away the items in her pack, lightening it to only the few tools she needed to carry from place to place. The remaining bits of her burned dinner were tossed into the embers of the fire to burn off the waste. 

That settled she snuggled into her bed. The sweet scent of the meadow grass filled her nose as she curled up and feel into a deep restful sleep, lulled by the soft crackle of the fire and sound of water lapping along the river's shore. 

The salty spray of the ocean caressed over her cheeks in a fine mist. She could taste the hints of salt on her lips as she wet them with her tongue. The rolling swells of the sea broke as the proud bow of the ship broke through them. The red and white sail billowed behind her as gulls screamed and dipped in chaotic patterns as they dove for bits of fish as the catch was gutted .

Behind her the voices of others filled her with a sense of joy. A deep abiding sense of happiness and love.  Despite wanting to she couldn't turn her head away from the vast expense of the sea. Ahead a fish leapt from the water and fell back in. Her head tipped up to allow the warmth of the sun to bask along her face, for the fresh air to fill her lungs. The scent of man, pine tar, fish, and salt filled her nose. The lazy drift of white and gray tinted clouds across the bright sky soothed some inner broken part of her soul. 

Two large warm hands pressed over her shoulders. She could feel the brush of a chin pressed against her tightly braided hair. The shift of her clothing, of the jangle of her chains of beads, amber, and keys that hung suspended from the large broaches that held her smokkr in place. The hands fell to curl around her waist, pulling her closer to the warmth of his body. The familiar scent of him surrounded her. Woodsmoke, tilled earth, and rosemary; scents that were home to her. 

His name rested at the tip of her tongue unspoken, despite her yearning to call to him. To this man who, even after death, was the promise of home...