#heidruninteracts

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closed starter, ancient lands heidrun & the visser wolves @waterfallswords

The storm passed, allowing the three White River wolves to leave the confines of the small cabin. It was an emotional moment for Heidrun, after months spent safely there writing his musical wonders. He didn't wish to leave at all, but Lilja and Tofa marched so far ahead that they almost left without him!

It's been days since and the three have remained together, although Heidrun wonders why the Visser wolves are intent on walking so quickly. He barely has time to take in the beautiful surroundings of these ancient lands of their ancestors. But, that doesn't stop him serenading the journey, putting his mental prowess to the test as he improvises with his lyre. An upbeat and joyful tempo, the pace of their strides used as the rhythm. "With sturdy boots and packs so light, we march through day and camp at night. The stars above, they guide our way and we sing and laugh, come what may." he bellows out loudly, Heidrun having to think quick on his feet for the next verse. "...now here's a tree, and there's some land, another tree so tall and grand, look at the branches...and more trees. We'll climb them high to see...what we see...another a tree!" he can hear the duff notes, and the way the words are not quite as creative as he wishes them to be and Heidrun shakes off the tune. "Hmm, no. No no, I will get it, I will get it. Let me roast, as the outsiders say." he chuckles with a slight boastful note for his knowledge of their- "They call it sl-ayng. I know a lot of it." he sighs out, retrying the tune again but then he stops. "Where are we going, again? Perhaps I can write the song to be about where we are going instead of what we are passing? Which is just trees."

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Despite Tofa and Lilja's words, Heidrun can see how his poetry has affected them deeply. So much so that Tofa's head hangs with the weight of the creative depth, and Lilja's mouth is agape in wonder. He gives them both a grin, nodding. "I understand." Heidrun says with a diplomatic bow to Tofa's words. "I would never do anything to cause further stress after such a difficult journey. It is my responsibility to soothe, just as much as it is to entertain." he declares, thinking that whispering such words makes the delivery of them sweeter for them to hear.

He whisks up his lyre, floating confidently to the seats before the fire and Heidrun makes himself at home between the two wolves, squeezing between them and creating space with his elbows so he can strike up a tune across the lyre's strings. "I know just the song, it will ease your troubled minds." he states, fingers now expertly working a lilting melody that is as soft and comforting as a lullaby. And after the chords gently repeat, Heidrun's voice sings out in a lamenting note. "In shadows deep where moonlight softly gleams, I pine for thee, O wolf of snowy sheen. Thy absence felt in whispers of my dreams, a loyal friend in memories unseen. Thy pawprints fade upon the forest floor, a silent tale of journeys we once shared. In solitude, I long for thee once more, thy presence missed by longing hearts declared. So let us pray, beneath the moon's pale light that fate shall reunite us, friend of white." @gloriouswhispers

tofa nods, frantic but subtle at lilja's whisper and glances over her shoulder. relieved that heidrun doesn't hear them, but horrified that the wolf is searching through papers. she turns her attention back to lilja, sighing as she mentally prepares herself for the days that will follow. 'we will eat this rabbit when it cooks, then we sleep. and then...it is just until the storm passes. we can leave without him.' she agrees, hearing heidrun clear his throat and immediately she's tense all over again. her eyes dart to the bard and to the visser. 'lilja, i have never asked anything of you until now. you know this.' she whispers in plea. 'but if my nerves drive me to killing him and we find the others, you promise you will not utter a word?' but the moment is interrupted by the loud and obnoxious...poetry? tofa glancing to heidrun with an expression of horror before her energy is drained entirely. 'gods, this is it. this might be where my nerves drive me to kill myself instead.' she utters.

tofa is now dazed as she stares at heidrun, assuming the moment will never draw to a close. but she does find humor in the sonnet for hati's taste in women. fighting a chuckle because the last thing she wishes is to encourage the bard. her head dips down, heavy and in defeat as if it's been rung with a rope and the sigh she lets out is mournful. 'heidrun.' she glances back up to him, puffing out air that sends loose stands of hair dancing from her face. 'we are too tired to appreciate your creative endeavours. it has been a very long journey for us. please can you sit. and soon we will eat and sleep. that is all we have the energy for, i hope you can understand.' @waterfallswords

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Heidrun can't read a room, or some would say he refuses to. Every reaction that flickers over Tofa's and Lilja's expression, he's entirely ignorant to them. Clueless. Even if he can hear the exhaustion in their tones, Heidrun remains wearing his proud grin and he exudes the kind of confidence that proves the stories true. Somewhere along the line, many years ago, a Nygard and a Jensen were not too different. "Yes, completely alone. I would spend a week or two...sometimes three at a safetown, perform for them to lift their spirits and then move onto the next. Sometimes more than three weeks, in fact. There was one town in a very sunny place, I remained there for the entirety of spring. Some of my best work yet." he nods proudly, ignoring Lilja's intended comment. It is not surprising that he survived, at least not to himself. "I even dabbled in the art of our God Bragi and I wrote some poetry." he says excitedly, moving swiftly around Tofa and ignoring how much smaller the cabin feels now filled with three of them.

Heidrun makes a frantic search through piles of paper, hearing whispering between Tofa and Lilja but is far too focused to tune his senses to their conversation. He clears his throat to demand attention, interjecting with the way he stomps his foot onto a chair as if lifting himself higher. "O, Spring Sun, I find ye sweeter than the Summer heat. A soft kiss upon my skin, instead of burning on my feet." he smiles, expectantly glancing for their reactions. "That is as far as I wrote with that one but- maybe you'll like my...I wrote a poem about the Jansens and...well, it had the opposite effect of what I was looking for. Everybody wished to meet them. Ha." he rambles, back to his piles of paper again until he finds the one he needs. "This one is about Hati." he clears his throat again.

"Why, what big arms you have. And a beard so rough it feels like sand. No, I do not wish to compare the size of our hands. You are a terrifying soul, nasty and mean. But behind your eyes, lie a soft gleam. I can see why Hati loves you so, A big brutish woman, akin to a foe." he smiles again to the other wolves. "That is called Hati's Maiden." @gloriouswhispers

just like that, the serenity is gone. there's disappointment on her features when she hears there are no others, although it's quickly replaced with confusion as to how heidrun survived. but, tofa snatches the rabbit so she can seek escape in the kitchen. even if it doesn't prevent her from hearing the tale he embarks on. her sigh is weary and heavy as she skins the animal, her frustrations taken out on the poor rabbit's pelt and bones as she chops the meat. 'so you have been traveling and singing?' she quizzes from afar, it evident in her tone that her brow arches in a judgmental speculation. 'and become a bard that outsiders idolize?' she isn't sure what she believes more, heidrun surviving alone or being revered among supernaturals. she can't help the scoff when she finally returns with the meat to cook over the fire, shooting a glance to heidrun and then a knowing but sympathetic look to lilja. 'oh, i can imagine you fought tirelessly too. i am impressed at how you managed your time, writing songs, traveling, singing them and searching for us.' she grins, and then waves a demanding hand to him. 'fetch us a drink, since you have lived here for months and we are guests.' @waterfallswords

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"I have been here for months. So in fact, you are the intruders." Heidrun explains in exasperation, eyes darting between the two Vissers. He lets Tofa retrieve the rabbit from him, a confused look to the cabin door as his time alone is questioned. Not just by Tofa but by Lilja too. He looks back to them with a wide shrug, no longer brandishing the lyre as a weapon. "I can survive by myself, thank you!" he huffs with offence. "There are no others!" Heidrun waves a hand to the door, plodding further to the table and chairs so he can make himself comfortable in his cabin.

He gives a wrinkle of his nose to mirror Lilja's expression, tsking at her words. "What more does a man even need?" he responds, barely even taking a breath. "I am not sure when I reached these lands, possibly last winter but Lilja I have been everywhere. Carried by song and melody, bringing cheer to every town I settled in. I have lived the true life of a true bard, and it has been magical. I am something of a...what did they call it?" he thinks, an exaggerated motion made with his hand coming to his chin while his mind fetches the English word. "Rock Star. I have no idea why they think a star is made of rocks but is a compliment. Somebody said I am a Vikingr Elvis. I do not know what that is either." he shrugs. "But rest assured, the tales of Visser wolves and all of your glory has been spread far and wide, just as a bard's responsibility is." he smiles fondly of his memories over the past few years, before his eyes move between Tofa and Lilja and he cleared his throat. "I...well, of course I looked for you all as well. That...tirelessly, actually. Almost died." @gloriouswhispers

'i have been called worse, so i will accept those words as compliments.' tofa laughs, now blanketed with a sense of comfort from the confines of the cabin. her gaze continues to sweep over every corner, wishing to study every detail hanging on the walls. pausing at strange portraits captured in square boxes that seem more lifelike than art with crushed flowers and pigments. she can hear lilja reel off ideas about the former occupant of the cabin, but from what she sees before her on the wall, it wasn't a frail elder. it was a mother and a child. a young boy, who's smile is wide and free as he sits on the front steps of the cabin in his mother's lap. who did this strange portrait? where are they now?

lilja's next words pull tofa back to the moment, looking to the young visser wolf with a faint surprise. her choice of words have resonated within tofa, and it feels instinctual for her to disagree with them. find us. us. but instead of souring the mood, she forces a chuckle. 'it is a good idea, i am sure your father and brother are looking for you tirelessly. they would find it here quickly i think.' it's a subtle correction, wrapped in a positive note. but make no mistake, tofa wonders why the wedding band is still cuffed around her wrist all these years later. and she wonders if roan feels freer during these previous years than before. she doesn't think he is looking for her. maybe out of duty.

while she looks for something to use above the fire, the ghostly melody reaches her ears. an unfamiliar familiar lilt in the air now from beyond the cabin, bringing tofa to abandon the search and move toward the door. the burst from the door has her blade extended out, an angry shout from her lungs before realization hits all three of them. 'heidrun!?' her voice isn't even pleasant surprise. it's...dread. and then it's instinctual for her to throw the can of beans she holds at him as a weapon. 'what do you mean what are we doing here!? what are you doing here?' she remarks, eyes catching sight of the rabbit he's managed to catch and tofa's hand extends out with a demanding grabby motion. 'where are the others? will one rabbit be enough?' she asks, peering to the door and back to the bard. expecting there must be others with him in order for him to have survived. @waterfallswords

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The dead rabbit slung over his shoulder experienced a peculiar final journey on Earth. Its last breath accompanied by Heidrun's melodic hums. Despite the weather, he feels satisfied with his successful trail in the woods, whistling as he heads back to his cabin retreat before the winds worsen. Certain notes in his whistle catch his attention, prompting him to retrieve his lyre and play, etching them into memory. However, the warm orange glow from the cabin window interrupts his melody, reminding him of the catastrophe he faced before, losing endless sheets of music he tirelessly penned.

He pauses, realizing he likely forgot to smother the flames yet he continues his tune as he approaches the cabin. Stepping inside, he is startled upon entry. Reacting swiftly, he brandishes both lyre and rabbit as weapons, letting out a terrified scream he hopes sounds menacing. Only upon recognizing the visitors as Tofa and the Lilja does he relax, though his tone remains tense and he expels a stressed and panicked laugh. "You could have sent word of your visit! I could have injured you! The Visser daughter, by the Gods! That would have been dangerous for us both! What… what are you doing here?" he stammers, noticing Tofa holding cans of beans. "Ah, yes. Help yourself, by all means!" @gloriouswhispers

'lilja the pup does have an endearing ring to it.' tofa stifles her laughter, looking to the other wolf with expectancy to meet a well-intended glare from the visser. if only it hadn't taken profound loss and fear for the two of them to find the perfect middle in which to meet. and tofa hopes, even after all these years, lilja can see she has no intention of replacing her mother. tofa doesn't even think it's possible, but in some ways a shadow has lifted from her. freeing her from constantly feeling as if she stands within the strong memories of the magnetic linnea. 'adventurous and mischievous are two different things. you can be both.' she confers, believing lilja is both.

tofa considers the observation about the cabin but ultimately is content that no life seems to dwell within it. although, once inside, her senses tune to the surroundings with a hesitation in her step. she swipes the cloak from her head, glancing through the interior with a skeptical eye when she moves through to the kitchen area. immediately opening cupboards for something they can eat. lilja echoes her sentiments, tofa agreeing in a hum as she finds cans of...peas and beans. nothing exciting but she's grateful for the find. a well stocked cupboard, in fact. 'yes...i thought it would be ransacked.' she ponders, glancing over her shoulder to watch the other wolf begin the fire. tofa searches then for a strange contraption she has in her pack. dropping the bag from her shoulders to rifle through. 'lilja, here.' she says once it's found, moving to her and extending the tool toward her. clicker they have called it between them. because the strange thing clicks as it's pressed and a flame emits from the end of it. like a fire witch is trapped inside.

'we should sleep by the fire instead of another room. and keep your dagger out. i have a feeling...' her eyes move to the door before she lowers near the fireplace. 'somebody might return.' tofa's instincts have fine tuned over the years and she speaks confidently to the younger wolf, smiling when flames burst into life and start their steady growth. her hands raise to the warmth, a slight tension releasing from her cold shoulders. 'oh i could sleep for a thousand years, i think.' she admits in a whisper, eyes reflecting the orange dance. 'if nobody returns this will be a good place to wait for the storm to pass.' and it still will be even if somebody does return and a small grin lifts tofa's lips when she envisions their surprise. 'there are beans and peas, i shall see if there's something to hang above the flames and we can have warm food.' a welcome change that urges tofa back to her feet and to the kitchen.

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Their soft accompanying voices are the perfect melodies, Heidrun wearing a smug grin as he hears the two Vissers singing along. Why would they not? His music is the closest they will ever be to hearing the true tune of the Gods, a Nygard gift. The floating sound is perfect for such a journey, too. Lifting spirits. Even when Heidrun's lyricism falls flat, he isn't deterred. It's only Lilja putting a stop at his attempts that he lowers the lyre...with a slight huff, of course. "My entire purpose in life, Lilja, is to bring the gift of music. The very blessing of such sweet sounds to everybody. I had to learn from the outsiders in order to create bards they would enjoy. So, I know a lot now." he answers the Visser triumphantly, clearing his throat. "That's a tribe!" he shouts out in mangled English. "They say that when they like the feeling of something. Or you can say, I like that tribe. Tribin'. Caught a tribe. See. I am but a wealth of knowledge, Visser wolves."

Heidrun nods eagerly as Lilja recounts information he is certain she has given him previously. "The witch's town, yes. I remember." he declares, and it's natural for him to reach for his lyre at the prompt of creating a tune. "I can do that, with my eyes closed, in fact. I have a mountain of songs I created for our witches, I can change the lyrics. Already now I have some. Let me-" he requests respectfully for control of the strings again, nodding to Lilja's grip against the neck of his lyre, and Tofa joins the moment to put a stop to all of it entirely. Heidrun fights a frown as his hand drops listlessly to his side in abandon of the song. "Fine. But, this is not fetch. That is another for when something is bad. Because fetch is good, but somebody once told me it was never supposed to happen." @waterfallswords

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"With sturdy boots and packs so light..." Lilja hums absentmindedly as Heidrun's melody accompanies their travel. And it has for days, sometimes frustrating her but other times, like this one, making the journey feel just a touch easier. Perhaps it is why the Nygard Oath is one of such power, as Lilja finds herself reminiscing more about her father every time Heidrun strikes up a tune. "The stars above, they guide our way." she flicks her gaze to the skies, the lyrics prompting a more pressing thought. "If we do not find somewhere to shift, perhaps we should retreat further into the woods. It will be easier to be mistaken as wild wolves." she mentions to Tofa, as drawing out a sensible conversation from Heidrun serves as more of a headache. Lilja takes a quick glance over her shoulder as soon as the bard struggles with his words, a chuckle following from her as she slows her pace to walk beside him. "Roast later, perhaps." she suggests, taking hold of the neck of his lyre to lower it. "Why did you wish to learn so much from the outsiders, Heidrun? I could not think of anything worse." she muses next, before giving a nod in response to his question. "There is a safetown, but it is believed to mainly home witches. Tofa and I thought that if there is not many of us, they might let us stay for a short time." and now, with Heidrun joining them, their skills of persuasion may have to heighten. "Maybe you could charm them with a song about their powers? Do that." @gloriouswhispers