Chapter 6
418 13 26
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.
Announcement
C/W: Blood

The warmth radiating from the fire was what Astrid first felt. The heat flooded her senses, driving out the last few vestiges of cold that were left in her. The thin layer of fur that covered her body insulated the heat, keeping her warm even as the winds began to pick up with the oncoming storm. 

Above the fire, the skinned form of a stag was slowly rotated on a spit. The grease and juices from the meat sizzled and smoked above the fire, and Astrid felt her mouth watering. 

Beside her, the woman in white kept the venison cooking evenly. She looked normal there, just like any other person. The woman looked exactly like what the girl had imagined a noble would look like, beautiful, even for her age, and equipped with fine clothes, a fine steed, and fine weapons. But the weariness on her face and her rough hands subverted any chance that this woman was simply a noble. 

The woman stopped turning the spit for a moment to ladle some broth into a bowl. “Here. It will warm you up after the night you’ve had.” 

Astrid graciously took the wooden bowl, and cautiously took a sip. It was warm and salty. A panacea for an exhaustion she hadn’t even realized she’d been feeling. She tipped the bowl, trying to drink as much as she could, but growled when she felt the woman’s hand tip it back. 

“Don’t drink it so fast, my child. You’ll make yourself sick. There is plenty more broth.” 

The girl growled again, but relented, taking short sips, as the perfect liquid warmed her thoroughly. 

In the distance again, with the coming light, she heard her old name called again. Her parents were looking for her. Astrid’s ears flicked to their voices, and a sense of guilt began to fill her. The people who loved her were looking for her. Shouldn’t she go find them?

The woman saw her expression and put a hand on their shoulder. “What is your name, my child?”

“Astrid.” 

Her voice felt timid, filled with fear, like she was afraid that her answer was wrong. It wasn’t until the woman’s expression softened that she realized she’d said her actual name. Not the name people expected her body to have. 

The woman must have seen her eyes go wide, because she said, “Don’t worry, Astrid. I believe you.” 

Again the voices of her parents came across the peak of the mountains. The first rays of the morning light flooded across the rocks, lighting the top half of the storm that would be breaking soon. 

“I should go, ma’am. Thank you for the drink.” Astrid stood up, and prepared herself to hurry to her parents. But the woman’s voice stopped her. 

“You have to know something, Astrid.” The girl turned around to look at the huntress. “If you go meet your parents, you will not be coming back.” 

Astrid took a step towards the woman, almost as if not believing what she just said. “I don’t understand.” 

The woman took a sip of her own broth, and studied the girl with a sympathetic look. “They’re dead, Astrid.”

“They can’t be! I can hear them!”

“You are as well, my child.”

The world around Astrid began to spin, and she took several steps in every direction trying to keep her balance, but all to no avail. She toppled to the snow. How could she be dead? Was this hell? Was this heaven? Or was this the afterlife of some other belief. How could she have died? When? 

“Under the log, Astrid…” 

The girl stared up at the canopy of snow-laden branches. The name Astrid did not use was shouted once again. 

“No mortal soul would be able to see me if they were living.” 

“What happens if I go to them?” Her voice was thin, hollow, barely more than a whisper. 

“You would go to the Christian heaven.” 

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

The woman was silent, leaving only the slow squeak of the spit, and the sizzling of the meat. 

“Would it be a good thing for you? Can you not hear what your parents are calling? They look for a son. A boy that does not exist with a name that is not used. If you went to them, you would be accepting that role as yourself. You would be in the Christian heaven, yes. But would you really be you? Would you be willing to not be yourself for all eternity?” 

It was Astrid’s turn to be silent. She’d always been taught to love her parents, and she supposed she did love them. But she’d been brought to these woods to force her to become what they wanted. She had died in these woods because of them. 

The woman took another sip of her broth. “There is another option for you. You’ve done very well tonight. In fact, I’d say I’m very impressed.” Astrid managed to push herself back to a sitting position. “Join me, my daughters, and my granddaughters.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“My name is Berchta. I am the leader of a group of hunters. They are my daughters and granddaughters. Should you join me, you would become my granddaughter, and be a part of the hunt until the heavens split at the end of times.

“I’m sorry, I'm just confused. What did I do? Why?” 

“I was watching you this past night. When people die, their spirits often become feral, animalistic. It is why they need a guide to lead them to where they’ll reside after their death. But you were without any religion. No spirit was there to guide you. You were not a Christian like your parents. Nor did you strictly follow any of the old ways. So I gave you a chance.” 

Astrid looked to the dagger she’d left in the snow near where she was sitting. Berchta nodded. 

“If you didn’t pass, I would have had my daughters guide you to somewhere appropriate. But you did very well. Impressively well.” 

“Were you testing me on how well I killed those men?” 

The woman laughed. “Not quite. Your spirit is strong. It clings to its ideals. You were able to retain your humanity, and you acted with both kindness and cleverness. You managed to not only keep your mind, despite the trials you faced, but thrive in them. Using the hair as a tripwire was incredibly clever. Only a few of my granddaughters would have thought of that.”

Astrid gasped. “The old woman? That was you?” 

Berchta gave the girl a conspiratorial wink. “Yes. I need to ensure those in my pack are not only cunning, but also kind. I take the guise of someone vulnerable to learn about the girls I’m watching.” The woman stood up and stepped to where her horse stood. Tied to its saddle was a familiar brown cloak. Berchta hastily gathered it and passed it over to Astrid. “Speaking of which, I believe this is yours.”

The pair grew silent there. Letting the sun rise ever higher. The storm was almost upon them, but the line of trees blocked most of the wind. Astrid’s parents called again. Fainter. 

“I’d like to ask again, Astrid. Whether you will join me. I can offer you warmth, family, food, and happiness. You will never go hungry, be without a companion, or be without purpose. But most importantly. Joining us will let you… just be. Yourself, specifically. Astrid. A girl, a woman, a huntress. But if you would rather be with your parents, I will summon one of my daughters to ensure you reach them safely.” 

Astrid gave a strangled yelp as a large pack of wolves almost seemed to fade into existence from the woods. They surrounded the clearing, staring at the women and the girl with quiet, expectant yellow eyes. 

“Do not fear, my girl. These are my granddaughters.” 

Astrid pushed herself to her feet, and stared at the many wolves looking back at her. Many of them had blood-tinged jaws, and more than a few had bleeding wounds. One of the wolves winked at the girl, which gave her quite a start. 

Finally, the young girl looked to the woman. Fear, but also wonder filling her eyes. “Will…. Will we always be hunting men?” 

“Only on rare occasions, little granddaughter. And only ever evil men, like those tonight. And even then, you do not have to join the hunt.”

The girl once again looked at the ring of wolves, who were slowly beginning to enter the clearing. Above them, carried on the thin air of the mountain came her parent’s voices. “Where are you, son?” 

Locking eyes with Berchta, Astrid gave her answer. 

“Let me join your pack, grandmother.” 

~

Immediately Berchta’s face broke into a quiet, relieved smile. The wolves around the trees barked happily and began to pour into the clearing. Astrid quickly found herself buried under a pile of warm fur as a dozen wolves all attempted to lick her face all at once. Despite everything she faced, the sheer amount of joy the animals exuded was infectious, and the girl began to laugh and giggle. 

But that came to an end as above the pile of beasts Berchta’s voice began. “Now, now, girls. You’ll have plenty of time to meet Astrid later. But there are still details that need to be discussed with our new pup. Aldona, find Breata and Sofia. You may carve our breakfast.”

Begrudgingly, the wolves pulled out of the soft pile, letting the young girl sit up. 

Berchta patted the ground next to her. “Please, Astrid, come sit beside me.“ The girl obliged, although she had to wade her way through a pool of wolves.

“May I ask a question, ma’am?” 

“Of course,” Berchta responded. 

“Will I turn into a wolf? If the rest of your granddaughters are, is that going to happen to me?”

The woman gave Astrid a very long, mildly concerned look, before grabbing a bag from the ground and rummaging through it. 

“Tell me, Astrid. Have you seen yourself lately?” 

The girl shook her head, and Berchta handed her a well-polished, silver disk. “I’d suggest you take a look.” 

Astrid held the mirror to her face and looked at herself curiously. At first, she was disappointed. She just looked like she always did, but the more she looked, the more she realized she wasn’t the same. Her lips looked a bit plumper. Her cheeks, flushed red from the cold, were a bit fuller. Even her eyebrows seemed thinner. 

When she shifted forward to get a better look, she realized her hair was longer as well. Before, it’d barely reached the top of her ears, but now, it hung nearly to her back. But even that was not the most impressive change. 

Standing tall and proud on the top of her head were two wolf ears. They turned this way and that, picking up every miniscule sound that she never would have been able to hear at the beginning of the night. 

Her loud gasp brought several faces looking in her direction, and it was only then that she realized there were several girls wandering around the camp, setting up tents, gathering firewood, or carving the venison. Some of them looked perfectly human, others had wolf ears and a tail. For every girl there was, the pack of wolves was that much smaller. 

The faces looking at the girl, following her gasp of surprise, watched her with excited familiarity. They’d seen this before. They knew what was coming. 

Berchta, rubbed the top of the girl’s head. “All of my granddaughters are neither wolf, nor human. They are simply themselves. It just so happens that they may take the form of a wolf at times, as you are doing now.” 

One of the girls tending to the roast approached Astrid and Berchta with two plates of steaming meat and stewed vegetables, handing one to each. One of the wolves playfully dragged herself over to Astrid and rolled over with an expectant look on her face. She laughed and began to scratch her belly, but paused when she saw her arm. All along her arm, thick, mottled grey fur was sprouting. How long had she had fur? 

Setting her plate down, she ran her other hand through her new fur. It was exactly as dense and warm as the coat of the other wolves. Berchta smiled at her. 

“Welcome to the pack, Astrid. But I’d suggest you eat your breakfast quickly, unless you’d prefer to eat it without fingers.” 

The girl shot the woman a panicked look. “What?”

“All pups who join the pack will have to undergo the full transformation before they’re able to join the other girls and switch as needed.” 

“Oh.” The wolf at her feet barked a laugh as Astrid began to chew her way through the food. 

The venison was cooked to perfection. Tender enough to tear with her fingers, but still dense enough that she could sink her teeth into it. That had the side effect of letting her realize her teeth had gotten longer and sharper. The vegetables were equally as well made, cooked in the fat of the stag, and seasoned with a myriad of seasonings that she’d only heard of from passing travelers. She wolfed it down with gusto. She’d never felt hungrier in her life, and she’d never had food this good either. 

At some point, her food was replaced, and began to work her way through the second helping just as quickly. Her plate was beginning to be a little unstable as she held it, so she opted to put it on the ground and eat from it that way. It was all so perfectly salty and delectable. She could not get enough of it. 

By the time she was full, she felt a soft hand stroking the top of her head and down her back. She looked up to see Berchta smiling at her with a motherly expression. Past her, walls of clouds flowed around their clearing as though there was a barrier blocking them. Berchta followed her gaze and softly laughed. “I do have some divine skills, child. No storm will harm our camps.”

Above her, and above the clouds the sun was rising, giving the older woman a heavenly aura. At long last, Astrid began to feel the events of the night catch up with her and her legs grew leaden as exhaustion began to take hold. 

She looked around the camp, trying to find somewhere soft and warm to lie down. In her feeding frenzy, a number of smaller tents, as well as one large tent, had been set up. She looked at Berchta with minor confusion. “The smaller tents are for the members of this pack who may prefer some privacy with each other. It’s not uncommon to find love here. The larger tent is for the rest of us.” 

Astrid stood up, her four legs shaky from fatigue, and began to make her way to the larger tent. 

Berchta tutted at her. “Don’t go to sleep just yet, sweet one. There’s one last thing you need to do.” The grandmother turned to her pack. “Girls! I’d like you all to meet your newest sister, Astrid!” As one, everyone in the camp cheered. The new pup smiled.

Quickly, a new sound dominated the old one. A long, strenuous note held by each girl for as long as their lungs could hold. It was a howl. 

At long last, Astrid threw her head to the sky and joined in unison with the other wolves. The sound ripping out of her body with a fervor she’d never known. The howls of the wolves reverberated through the new pup, around the clearing, and into the forest beyond. 

One by one, the wolves stopped howling, until Astrid’s voice was the only one left. Feeling her energy finally expended, she let her howl end. She felt some residual energy from the howl, but sleep could be avoided no longer, so she slowly plodded over to the tent. Her tail swished this way and that as she walked. Dozens of new scents met her new nose, but the girl was too tired to care. 

Finally she entered the tent, it was filled with a dozen girls and wolves. One of them motioned her over to a small pile of cushions next to them, and Astrid quickly fell into the softness. Almost as one, everyone in the tent cuddled around her. And for the first time that entire night, Astrid felt loved and warm. Not just physically, but in her heart as well. 

The new wolf fell asleep, surrounded by her sisters. 

She was happy. 

And that's it. Thanks for following me along with this story, I was really happy to be able to write it.

Big Shoutout to Chiri for making the cover for this story, it's far better than anything I could make.

Now, in regards to my thoughts for this story. I originally had the idea for this story after listening to Overly Sarcastic Productions video on The Wild Hunt, and more specifically the variations of that myth that are led by women. Additionally, writing this story was catharsis for myself. Just getting out a lot of the anger and aggression that I've been feeling this year, so thank you all for coming along with me on this story. It was a lot of fun to write,a and I hope y'all enjoyed it.

Awoooooooooooooo!

26