We enter in the zone where I get a bit unsure of my chapters. Reviewing them, but be aware that what you get from now, I will have probably finished it the day prior. If I get a huge block, there might be delay in uploads.

Anyway, we're going to try keeping the rhythm :) chapter 17

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Well this was intriguing…

The sun was illuminating the land now, and the rule of the night vanished alongside the darkness. Laws and rules mattered very little to Fenrir, but he had understood that the only way to be left in peace was to cope with them. As long as he did, no one could tell him anything without justifying a rude comeback from the forewatcher.

And as long as he followed the rules, he could take advantage of the breaches between them. Never come by night. Never kill a dragon without permission from the rulers. It allowed to come here, by day, for as long as he wouldn’t touch or befriend a scale of these pathetic beasts. It left plenty of possibilities and among them, to meet the man who provoked such turmoil among the leaders.

Very few things mattered to Fenrir… even the military mobilization in Northenheim was uninteresting. He was ready to let it happen without lifting a finger. But this time, this arrogant Loki had managed to make him feel something. Despise, disgust, and even a spark of anger… In the end, it didn’t matter what he made him feel with his low threat. The crime had been to make him feel something in the first place.

And he wouldn’t tolerate that. He wouldn’t allow this waste to think he had power on him, just because of his title. Nothing shackled him. And nothing forbad him to, let’s say… warn the guy of the imminent attack. It wouldn’t change much of the outcome, probably… but if it could be a pain in Odin’s back as well, Fenrir would consider it beneficial on several levels.

It was always the same, when a man came to the dragons’ lands. First, they looked at the intruders with fright, then ran to hide, never out of reach though. A routine that could be thrilling to young minds who came here for sick purpose. But a tad boring and exasperating on the long run.

So what a surprise it was when, this time, a good portion of the reptiles, seemingly massively gathered in the center of their domain, spread their wings and took flight. In astonishment, Fenrir watched them rising, some even taking wingless ones with them. Where did this strange behavior come from? Was it the man who taught them to do that? In such short amount of time?

Seeing these creatures in suspension in the air, thanks to the only strength of their wide wings, held something strange. Like this view alone made him question how low he thought of them. In the blink of an instant, he realized he never actually saw one of them fly. Not even… her.

But as intriguing this new behavior was, the less time he spent here, the best he’d be. He came with a purpose. And fortunately, there were still some on the ground. Winged and wingless without clear disparity, by the way. So he approached one that started to tremble heavily.

“You, tell me. Where is the man who defended you?”

No response. But he expected that. Too many times these pathetic reptiles just froze to death, waiting for their actual slaughter. It made it incredibly easy to young killers, but just as immensely annoying when the goal was other. Fortunately, because the behavior was common, Fenrir also knew the simplest way to proceed.

Keep simple with the rules. And bluff… He didn’t have the right to kill, but dragons didn’t know about that. It was just that easy to convince an already frightened beast of a potential grim fate.

“I offer you a chance to live. Tell me what I want to know, and you’re free to go.” He spoke calmly, pulling his sword out of its sheath. “Where is the man who defended you?”

A gasp this time. But it curiously didn’t correspond to the timing of his threat. When he noticed the dragon was looking behind him, his left eye already showed him the vision of the field behind, with a blurry shape standing not so far.

“Sir, if you have any request, please address them to me…” a cold voice inquired while the forewatcher turned to face him. Fenrir recognized that form of speech, it resembled Odin’s favorite… a polite invitation on the surface with a dreadful threat under.

The resemblance was striking. Not in the physical appearance, this guy was totally blank of any scar on the skin to start with. But in the essence, in the aura he radiated. The kind of energy that dared anyone to mess with the conditions he set.

Maybe was this man just like Odin on the inside? Maybe was he trying to build his own empire upon dragons just like Odin did with people?

“I did want to address you… but you weren’t there. Now we can talk.” Fenrir replied calmly.

It wasn’t planned, but it made him want to verify this. He came to warn, but this man was potentially… out of the ordinary. Before he realized it himself, he pointed his sword on the man and pushed straight toward him.

Curiously, the way this man of pure skin easily avoided the strike didn’t surprise him. He hadn’t even focused on his future sight in this strike. It just felt natural. Like he knew, not thanks to his left eye but to his guts, that a simple direct strike like this would be nothing to the man.

“Don’t fight him! He’s a forewatcher!” another voice rose in the back.

Surprised, Fenrir looked at the reptile who spoke. It was strange that this dragon, a female seemingly, knew about forewatchers. And even more unusual that she could recognize one from such distance. But then, dragons were told to have excellent sight. And despite the hood that provided thick shadow to his face, she was at an angle that could allow her to see under.

There was no need to hide then. It was hot under this clothe anyway. And unlike most men, he wasn’t complexed by his face half invaded by luminous white scars. He was the kind to accept the fact nature made him uneasy to watch. Nature, and most likely his abuse of future sight. Others might think what they liked. Like most things in life, this didn’t matter to him.

Breathing a little better without the warm atmosphere of the hood, Fenrir looked at the man standing on his guards only a few meters away. His future sight barely distinguished its contours, but still he began to appear to his left eye, seemingly. What caused such anomaly?

“I’ll be clear. I don’t care what you are. The only reason I’m not fighting you yet is because I’m not sure of your intentions.” The man warned.

“I think I just attacked you…”

Fenrir didn’t even know why he said that. To provoke him? Maybe. Despite his strange future sight anomaly, the forewatcher was still confident he could easily defeat him. Calmly, he rose his sword and let the blade rest against his shoulder.

“There was no intention in your strike. It felt like an infant charging me with a stick.” The man replied calmly. “So far, I only get the feeling you’re here to play. But I shall warn that I’m not in the mood…”

Had he figured all that just by the way he was attacked? This was sign of someone who was familiar with fighting. Or a lucky guess. But if it was, it was asserted with lots of conviction. This guy was more and more intriguing.

“What are you?” Fenrir finally asked out of curiosity. “Are you a special? What are your abilities?”

“I’m most certainly special in the sense I have the ability to kick your ass out my place if I need to. So I’ll put my question a bit less subtly. What are you here for?”

“Just know for now that I’m not here to hurt and.. hold on a second. Your place? You said your place?”

This wasn’t defiance this time. Merely an amusement. Even the rulers didn’t dare to claim this territory for themselves. Only drunken men, late at night in taverns, spoke these words. It was considered a daring joke in the society, one that was always welcomed with mockery.

“Yes, my place. It happens I was here first. Long, long before you, your father or any living human you’ve ever known. And right now, I’m pretty pissed with the constant, unfriendly intrusions. So it would make it easier if you could be a little more cooperative there.”

He sounded serious. Maybe was he mad, devoured by some sort of psychosis. Sometimes the powers of a human seemed dormant while rampaging the mind. It was a bit sad if such was the explanation. Maybe should he just do what he was here for and leave before it got any weirder.

“They won’t take this as apathetically as I do. I came here to warn you, Killian.”

“Excuse me, how did you call me?”

“Killian? That’s your name, right? I heard you say it when you killed that shifter. I was there, remember? You charged me and we got… interrupted?”

There was confusion in the eyes of the man for a few second, like that didn’t ring a bell at all. Then his eyes widen like he had a revelation, quickly turning his face into a rageful shock. He took a big breath and brought his hands to the back of his head, like containing a scream.

“That abomination gave itself a name?!” he let it out in a put-out shout. “Great, I just needed that… Look, it had nothing to do with you. But the man you saw yesterday… wasn’t me.”

“I don’t care. Neither do the rulers. They come to kill you.”

“And?”

The question itself took Fenrir aback. Wasn’t this man afraid? Did he understand what he just said? The two other options were not much more believable. Either this man was already prepared, or…

“Aren’t you scared of dying?”

“We all die in the end. What matters is how we die. Dying in a right fight doesn’t seem like the worst end for me.”

“So is that it? You’re just a man trying to die the way he decided? With a maximum of noise?” Fenrir summarized his comprehension of the words.

“Have I said that? Not being scared of death and calling it are two different things. Keep in mind that dying is always my last option. If people try to get me down, I’ll bring a lot of them with me. I’m not doubting they will come to kill, I’m doubting their success in such operation.”

Seeking to provoke for an honorable death was a motivation Fenrir could envision. Life wasn’t nice in general, and when some couldn’t bare it anymore, they sometimes came to use the only true power they had. And chose their death. A blaze of glory.

However, usually, those who did that were decided on their own future, welcoming death. This man… he sounded like he still wanted to fight, and to cause as much damage going as he would. This wasn’t a man who truly wanted to die. But one that was ready to die. Why? What was his true motivation? What could push someone to such extremes as shaking the whole island?

“What do you want? Why are you still here? It doesn’t make sense to me…” Fenrir had to voice.

“Because I’m stuck on this island, genius…”

“That, I understand. Like all of us. But why staying here in particular? You’re a human too, your place is in a city. Why doing… what you do? Especially if it can kill you, you won’t be there to enjoy the results…”

The guy breathed a bit heavier, but stared in silence for a moment. A bit like he was trying to figure out on which tone to reply. It was strange that he looked so angry too. Beside a harmless attack, Fenrir hadn’t done anything wrong so far…

“All my life, I submissively followed the rules for a greater good than mine. Like them. I obeyed orders coming from despising people I could have literally broken in half. Probably just like you, big guy.” He pointed at the dragons then at Fenrir with a finger as he talked. “Whatever the form it takes, I’ll always have more sympathy for the side that has the most respect for life. And it appears my values are all I have left now.”

The concept was totally alien to the forewatcher. Standing a ground foolishly in order to protest, even if it would bring a quick end… He couldn’t help but relate to his rebellious feeling; himself had done a lot to contradict Odin. However, he did all this because he wanted the ruler to have him as a dead weight. And he didn’t take much pleasure in that. It was merely some kind of passive, constant vengeance. Without any particular goal but to annoy Odin in his reign, while staying alive.

What he heard from that man was more than revenge. It was aggressive. It was conviction. What a shame it was so idealistic, and totally out of this world’s way of thinking. Because he’d probably not last long.

“What is your name, strange man?”

“Why do you need it?”

“I’d like to know whose words I’ll be meditating once in a while. Your death probably will be meaningless to them, but… stories and legends never truly die, you know…”

“My name is Adam. Adam Grimbelt. And I’m neither a story nor a legend. I am just a man. A really annoying man.”

“You sure are…” Fenrir couldn’t help a little smile.

This guy also made him feel things again, but in his case, it wasn’t perceived as a crime. He was… a good distraction. Putting his sword back into its sheath, the forewatcher put his hood back on his head and nodded as a little salute.

“Anyway…Please try to stay alive.”

“Should I detect sympathy there? So you are capable of that...” The man taunted in his back as he walked away. But this only widened the smile under the hood.

“Not for you. I don’t care about you. But what hurts humans…. never fails to amuse me.” Fenrir chuckled, eyeing on the tensed dragons that had stayed behind.

In the one that possessed the curved vertical horns, the forewatcher even noticed a look of defiance. Would this man’s attitude be contagious? If dragons began to stand up, then this island was really going through something.

If only this man had been more patient… It was such a shame he attracted the looks so soon, when he could have done some serious damages. His fate was sealed now, unfortunately. As imposing he could be despite his average stature, this guy stood no chance against the Northenheim army.

This left the forewatcher wondering how this would turn out. The outcome sounded pretty obvious but… who knew? It was one of the rare situations he would have wished his future vision could go further than a few seconds.

As he arrived to the border of the woods, Fenrir quickly found the skull he left there, hidden under the shadows of the trees. He hadn’t brought it to not scare the dragons further. Because there was no need to. Because it wasn’t funny. But now that he walked to the city, he better not be seen without his famous attribute.

“Admit it, you like him.”

“He’s just a hot head that will get killed before we know.” The forewatcher replied in a sigh. That was a conversation he didn’t want to have right now.

“Maybe, but he made you hope for his victory.”

“Even if it was true, does it matter?”

“Of course it matters. You definitely need something in your life. You aren’t meant to live without any interest for anything. That’s not healthy for you to be so indifferent.”

Fenrir didn’t reply. He didn’t want to have this conversation because he knew where it led, where it always led. There. Exactly there. Who did she think she was to tell him what to make with his life?! Maybe if he ignored her long enough, she’d just get discouraged and disappear. Unfortunately, he felt her breath on his neck, meaning she wouldn’t let it go like this.

“You can sulk, but you know this is true. You know you only feel alive when you take interest. Like you felt alive when I was there…”

“Maybe but you’re not here!” he lost his temper and turned around angrily.

Once again… nothing else than empty woods. He was alone. Like he always was. All motivational speech were meant to fail, when there wasn’t anything to hang on anymore. And even she didn’t have her word to say on that.

Sadly, he took the skull into his hands, and looked into their empty orbits.

“You’re not here. Not anymore…” he sighed. “Same for this guy. In two days, he will be dead and forgotten. He’s not worthy of any interest. He will soon be gone too.”

As silence lasted for a few second, Fenrir concluded he finally managed to go back to normal. He took the skull under his arm and resumed his walking. Maybe some rest before the big even wouldn’t hurt. But a last discrete taunt still answered back eventually, like whispered right into his ear.

“We’ll see about that…”