Throughout the years

On my swim across to the mainland, Ratatoskr used me like a boat, sat on my head steering me with my ears. It's a good job I liked the little guy, because he was funny, cause I'd probably kill anyone who pulled my ears, it wasn't pleasant. When we reached the mainland I set off running towards Norway.

I wasn't travelling at full speed, taking my time I hunted moose smoked and cooked the meat it to eat when I was hungry. Ratatoskr liked berries and nuts he didn't eat meat. I kept the pelt and made it into some leather over a week or so and made some braces I'd etch with runes, later on, I was still studying rune magic and had made some progress, I created 5 energy rune stones that when laid in a pentagon pattern with sticks inscribed with enlightenment and peace runes, created a vortex of magical energy that I could feed to my core.

I also got used to my transformation and could do it in seconds now, I even got a better grasp of partial transformation, I could transform any and all parts of my body if I wanted, having a bipedal form was practical for fighting, so I'd gotten the hang of that as well, I stood at 8 feet tall in my 'Lycan' state as I'd begun to call it. My wolf form could stand at 10 feet but I chose to go around as a regular-sized wolf.

Travelling around through forests and grassy plains, seeing the different plant life and animals roam around going through the cycle of life was peaceful and I enjoyed watching life go by. I'd been running for a few weeks and reached Norway. I'd travelled through many villages and even had a run-in with some Vikings but they weren't a match for me, they died quickly and became nourishment for the plants.

I'd gotten stronger than when the raid happened, my speed had gone up a notch as well. I was growing stronger every day by a little but it was an improvement, my perception hadn't changed but while I was practising magic and focused it into my eyes I noticed my sight changed, I could see in the dark and perceive magic aura as colours, it was Ratatoskr that I noticed his magic energy was a pale yellow and was soothing to look at as it wisped around him, I'd also examined the red stone he brought me the magical aura it had was a deep shade of purple and was spinning around rapidly. I thought about making a gateway rune with it but decided not to yet, I wanted to be as ready as I could when I entered Pangaea.

As I was travelling I'd also begun to think about people I wanted to meet when I got the chance; Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Mozart, Darwin, and a few other notable figures I knew about, additionally the magical figures throughout the ages.

I'd also thought about hobbies I wanted to pick up, music being one of them as well as cooking, I was getting tired of eating plain food roasted over a campfire and with my blessing I could grow vegetables, herbs, and spices but with the time I was in, there wasn't a lot of variety around.

Throughout the next few years, I'd explored most of Norway, I'd been back to Birka for yule a few times and had given a few gifts to Astrid and Ubbe, mainly some leatherwork I'd done, I made Astrid a leather chest piece with an intricate wolf design and she loved it. Ubbe got a new sheath I'd made.

I was 20 now and nothing much changes I had hardly aged since my awakening I was still the same height around 6 foot and had kept my hair short still. The most notable thing was my face I looked more mature then the teen look I had before, I grew a slight beard but kept cutting it off. Ubbe and Astrid had a son while I was away one year they name him Egil he was a noisy little thing always screaming when I was near. Kids must not like me, I'd given them a gift of metal ores I'd found over my journey so they could trade and live well enough for a while.

Egil was 4 now, Ubbe had begun training him as he did me all those years ago, he wasn't too bad, but Ubbe had compared him to me, which Astrid had berated him profusely for. Apparently, I was special, she had no idea how right she was really. I came to this world by death and the Pantheons help, no one here on this earth can say that apart from me. Maybe in a few years, someone else will come, death did mention that when I was leaving his office.

I'd come back for yule. 7 years of travelling around and nothing had changed since I left. I visited the "lovers yew tree" as people had begun to call it, every time I came back to Birka. I told them my stories and even placed rune stones to enrich the tree with magic, the stones we're warded against theft so no one other then me could remove them. That's something I'd picked up over the years, I'd added more runes to my bracelets and that was one of them, didn't want someone to steal a bracelet that could charge magical powers and create barriers.

Ratatoskr had stayed the same which I found fascinating because he's outlived a normal red squirrel. Maybe it's because he's a magical creature? I honestly didn't know and I didn't care really he was my companion and the longer he stayed by my side the better, he had a knack for finding things and stealing, like a thief just squirrel-sized.

Anyway at the yule feast when stories were being told to Egil they mentioned the raid of Birka and my first battle. He tried saying that I was a weakling for throwing up after I'd killed someone but then Astrid made him kill a bird and he'd broken down in tears.

"Egil that was just a bird we eat them regularly now think if that was a man who could have a wife and children" I mentioned as his face paled, "I know that's what I thought" I sighed with a knowing look on my face, I could tell he was thinking about everything that a man could do in his life, I had done that after the battle.

"It's not easy the first time but it's do or die in battle, you get used to it after a while and I don't feel guilty if I'd have shown mercy I could have been stabbed in the back. Mercy is only for a select few people and you have to be cautious even then" I claimed with my arms folded eyes closed, remembering a holmgang (duel) I'd taken part in a few years ago.

His name was Ulfrik and he seemed like a man with honour and integrity but as soon as I'd one the fight and offered him mercy he tried to slit my throat from behind if I was a normal man and didn't headbutt him in the nose I might have died, it was a shame really, he was a loyal man to the local jarl but was petty and disrespectful so he died with a swing of my axe.

I'd told Ubbe and Astrid the stories of my journey and they'd told Egil some, but not everything. He did like the story of "the lovers yew" though it was like a tale of the gods to him. Egil didn't look up to me really, he looked up to his father as did I.