Chapter 7

As the sun set, and darkness shrouded the cave, the crimson eyes of Ulfvaldr shot open. Tola had already gotten up a while ago, like usual. Ulfvaldr, however, didn’t feel like getting up. He felt like shit, for some reason, but he couldn’t really point out why. He felt guilty, for some reason, as if he had done something wrong. He didn’t feel good about himself. But then, as his mind cleared, he finally remembered once more, and he felt pain. Not the physical pain, which marred the body, but the mental kind of pain, you feel when you lose someone close to you.

Ulfvaldr made up his mind, and stood tall. He had a goal to achieve. He needed to recover all the bodies of his tribe’s members; the bodies of his parents. Thus he walked over to the resting Tola, startling her once more.

“Really, Valdr, you need to move a bit more soundly. Every time you wake up, you scare the living shit out of me,” she complained, causing Ulfvaldr to chuckle at her antics.

“I’m going to go to the mountains today… To recover the bodies,” he said, immediately losing his temporary good mood. He was wrecked with guilt, over the deaths of his tribe; over all the atrocities he’d committed.

“Then take me with you,” Tola replied. Ulfvaldr nodded his head, and then they left the cave behind, with their minds set on travelling to the far away mountain range, which seemed to tower over everything, piercing into the sky. The moon hung in the sky, as they landed on the ground beneath the cave.

“It’s been days since I was out here last,” Tola said, enjoying the moonlight, and her newfound freedom. As she said that, though, Ulfvaldr immediately felt even more guilty. After all, he had kept her in cave, with no way out, for days. It was quite a cruel thing to do.

“You don’t need to be guilty,” Tola said, “I don’t regret coming with you to the cave. I enjoy being with you. And in the tribe, I was an outsider. I did like the people there, and they liked me, but I was still an outsider. I didn’t grow up with them. And by coming here, not only did I manage to save them, I also saved you, didn’t I? If my story didn’t trigger your memories, then you’d still be out there… Then, when you finally did regain your memories, the devastation could have been much greater. So, don’t feel guilty,” she said. Ulfvaldr smiled at her reassuring words, and no longer felt too guilty over taking her away.

Thus, they began their journey. Ulfvaldr didn’t want to spend several days travelling, so he carried Tola, which seemed to embarrass her greatly, and sped off. He made sure to travel at a speed that didn’t hurt her. However, they still didn’t make it there in one night. It was only after the second night, and a bit into the third night that they arrived. And Tola was marvelled by the sight. The mountains were much bigger than the ones she was used to, and they were covered in snow.

“They’re so big!” She exclaimed, with a great smile, however, Ulfvaldr couldn’t bring himself to smile, nor like the sight. Those mountains had served as prison for him, for who knows how long. He had no idea how long it had been, but he knew it was a long time. During his entrapment, he had been in a state of mixed consciousness and unconsciousness.

“Let’s get onwards,” Ulfvaldr said, then continued walking. He didn’t carry Tola anymore, as the distance wasn’t great. He only helped her when some troublesome terrain occurred. Then, after an hour or two, they arrived at that familiar clearing. The three corpses were still there, littering the otherwise peaceful grounds. Tola was a bit surprised by seeing them.

“Who are they?” She asked, while pointing towards the three, fur clad, corpses.

“I don’t know. They walked through the clearing when I woke up. Probably hunters, or something,” he answered, before going and disposing of the corpses. He went, and buried them a bit away from the clearing.

Then, the work began. He began digging, with his bare hands, as they worked better than a spear. While he was effectively digging, Tola decided to help, and also started to dig, with a spear. After several hours of work, they finally uncovered the first body. The moment he found him, he immediately started tearing up. He grabbed the cold, rock solid, body, and placed him to the side. Tola immediately came over to him.

“This was the best friend of my father. His name was Knǫttr,” Ulfvaldr said, trailing off at the end. They decided not to put further thought to him, and continue working. Ulfvaldr looked up to the sky. The moon was slowly making its way down; it was going to be dawn soon. Ulfvaldr needed a shelter for the day, so he started digging a little cave, in the snow. He had already dug a few meters down in a small area, so digging a small cave into the ice walls wasn’t a problem. Thus, soon after, he had a small cave where he could seek cover from the sun.

But he didn’t stop after that. He continued to dig, until the sun started rising. It wasn’t until the sun started appearing in the horizon that he stopped, and entered the cave. Inside the ice cave, Tola snuggled up to Ulfvaldr, to help fend off the cold. Ulfvaldr looked at her with affection. She was the only one he cared about anymore. She was his salvation.

“You know, Tola, I’m really glad you’re with me. If it wasn’t for you, I might have already killed myself,” Ulfvaldr said. However, unexpectedly, Tola started chuckling.

“Why’re you laughing?” He asked, clearly confused.

“That was the first time you called me by my name. I’m just happy,” she said, with the most beautiful smile Ulfvaldr had ever seen, “If you really care so much for me, how about you give me something?” She asked, with a mischievous smile.

“Give you something? What do you want?” He asked back, a bit interested in what it could be that she wanted so dearly.

“A child,” she answered bluntly, with slightly reddened cheeks. Ulfvaldr got really surprised though. Not quite what he had been expecting.

“A c-child? You mean like,” he asked, trailing off at the end, not sure how to finish.

“Yes, a child between you and me. I can’t always stay up all night like you, and sleep all day. I always get up several hours earlier, and frankly, I think I’m gonna start going to be earlier as well. I want a child to keep me company when you sleep,” she said. She was a bit embarrassed, but she didn’t hesitate. She was set on having a child with him. She was the right age too.

“Alright then, I’ll have a child with you, I don’t really mind. But are you sure you want to have it with me?” He asked, failing to understand how this girl could not only want to be friends with someone like him, but even have a child with him.

“You fool, you’re the only one I want a child with. You might have done some bad things in the past, but that wasn’t really you. And we might have only known each other for a few days, but I always knew you weren’t yourself. I could see that something was wrong; that you were sad. And frankly, I’ve already fallen in love with you,” she said, growing redder and redder as she spoke. Especially at the last part, she was red as a tomato. But she certainly wasn’t shy.

“Alright, then I don’t mind,” Ulfvaldr finally said.

“Great!” Tola said with a dazzling smile, as she immediately took off her fur top, revealing her beautiful breasts, and causing Ulfvaldr to redden. He had never seen a girl naked before, so he was a bit shy.

“You mean right now?” Ulfvaldr asked in panic. Tola didn’t mind, though, and took her fur skirt off, revealing her completely naked body, for Ulfvaldr to see. However, she got quite cold, from her skin touching the ice, and immediately got closer to Ulfvaldr.

“Yes, I want to do it right now,” she said, as she started undressing Ulfvaldr. Ulfvaldr could only give in, and let her have her way. Thus, they put their fur clothes beneath them, covering the ice, and started exploring each other’s bodies.

For an hour, loud moans resounded throughout the clearing, letting anyone nearby know of what act they were committing. However, there was no one nearby, in several miles. They were completely alone, and free to do their business.

“That was rougher than I expected,” Tola said, as she snuggled her naked body to Ulfvaldr, who was also naked by this point. They were covered in furs, and used each other’s bodies to warm up. Not that Ulfvaldr needed it, but it was a great help for Tola.

“But I quite liked it, even though it was a bit painful at first. But I doubt any other girl has such an energetic mate,” she said with a giggle, and kissed Ulfvaldr on the mouth. They had gone for several rounds, and she had felt his seed several times, so she quickly got used to the pain. Then she suddenly got a serious look, as she asked Ulfvaldr,

“Have you ever done it before? Did you have a mate in the past?” She asked, a bit nervous for the answer. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had a mate before, after all, he was quite the strong guy, and she knew he was the son of the chieftain of his old tribe. But she still wanted to be his only one.

“I never had a mate before; you were my first,” Ulfvaldr revealed, much to Tola’s delight.

“That’s good. Of course, you’re also my first, and only one,” she said with a smile. After their little escapade, they bundled together, and slept through the day, until their little, cold cave, was covered in complete darkness. Thus, the eyes of Ulfvaldr opened, and they got up. This time, Tola had slept through the entire day, not wanting to get out of Ulfvaldr’s grasp. However, they didn’t dally, and with conviction, they, once more, started working. They dug, and they dug, throughout the night; uncovering body after body; until, they finally got the area, where Ulfvaldr had burgeoned out of the ice and snow.

Ulfvaldr was finally hesitant; he knew what remained below, and hesitated to see them; their frozen bodies; frozen faces. He remembered clearly their faces when they were buried; when he killed everyone they knew; everyone he knew. He was corrupted with guilt; with disgrace, with shame, regret, penitence, sorrow; remorse. He couldn’t bear the thought of seeing their final, frozen expressions; yet he couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing them; the thought of letting them stay in their unhallowed, sudden burial ground. With a final conviction, he clutched his fists; Tola grasped her spear; and finally they began digging again.

It had already been a few days, so there wasn’t much left to dig. In fact, it was only this small area. The only bodies that remained, were that of his parents; his family. The others; a good two dozen, lied in rows, a small distance away from the now much larger clearing. Tola had only done a small share of the clearing; the speed and strength of Ulfvaldr, didn’t allow her to keep up, yet she still helped, without complaint. They continued digging, for what seemed like several hours, even days, yet was only a short few moments, as the area wasn’t that big. As the final calamity had fallen upon the tribe, all the members had been spread throughout the clearing. Especially the last surviving ones. The others, however, had been spread out, through much more nefarious methods. Some had been chased down by Ulfvaldr, others had been thrown over dozens of metres, breaking all the bones in their bodies.

However, now here he was, the very being that killed them, uncovering their bodies. And he had finally done it. He had dug through the frozen, solid ice, and had finally touched upon ice hard flesh. In a flash, he had uncovered them, and there they were; his mother and father, holding each other in an embrace, with a frozen expression, showing both pain, fear, and regret. After being tumbled by tremendous amounts of snow, they had still managed to hold onto each other. As he saw these two frozen lovers, covered in a frosty veil, he felt his knees weaken, and a cold, dead, liquid, moisten his eyes. Wistfully, he fell down to his knees, and let his tears flow. With a loud, deep growl, he screamed, resounding through the entire mountain, sounding like a savage, feral beast that had its arm ripped off.

He felt an insatiable anger; an anger, not only for himself, but for everything that had happened. So much had happened to his tribe; to him. They had lost their home, been trapped for weeks, and when they finally got freedom, they met certain doom. If that wasn’t enough, he had been cursed; cursed to a nocturnal life of killing. Normally, he would want revenge, for all the injustice which had been acted upon him. But what should he enact revenge upon, he thought, as he gazed upon the skies, his eyes piercing through the clouds and the dark veil which covered the world; gazing into the unknown void.

He felt a warm touch to his body, as he was wrapped by two arms. Tola held him in her bosom; she wanted to say something, but she didn’t know what to say; yet, she didn’t need to say anything. Only the touch of her comfortable, living, body, was enough to calm him. And that comfort, was what he needed the most right now.

Thus, he finally began on the last part of his last goodbyes. With his fastest speed, he carried all the numerous bodies of his tribe, down to the foot of the mountain, one by one. With his speed and strength, he could quickly carry two bodies down, so it didn’t take long, before they were all there. Then, he quickly fell a few trees, from the forest nearby, and made an improvised carriage, to carry the numerous bodies. He wanted to bury them where his tribe used to live, but he had no idea where that was. After all, when they came here, he was covered in furs, unable to see anything, during the rare occasions where he was awake. The landscape had also changed drastically. Instead, he could only settle to bring them as far away as he could, until not a hint of this cursed mountain could be seen.

He would pull the ends of the carriage, while Tola sat on it, doing her best not to touch the thawing bodies. At his fastest speed, he would rush away, as if he had no other cares in life, except getting away from there. For many nights, they would travel, until the bodies started smelling worse, and worse. Tola would sit patiently, and watch as the world flashed by, and she came back to the area she knew her entire life, and saw it fly past her. Several days passed, until they finally arrived at a flat area, with trees covering throughout. Amidst the many trees, there was a single clearing, where the light of the moon shone in, in a magnificent streak of light. Ulfvaldr finally let go of the carriage, and let it fall to the ground, in front of the long streaks, which stretched out behind it.

Immediately, he began work and dug their final grave, where they would finally find their undisturbed rest, and the proper burial they deserved. He had been digging without rest, for days on end, only a few days prior, however, now, his digging seemed slow, and unmotivated. It was as if his sadness and regret weighed his body down, not allowing him to do what had to be done. However, after a few hours, the grave was still dug. Thus, one by one, he slowly lowered all of them down, into the newly dug grave. Then, as all, two dozen bodies, lay in the grave, he looked over them with a lingering gaze. He wanted to say something, as to apologize for what he did to them, but he couldn’t even open his mouth. But it didn’t matter, he though; they were all dead, after all. Then finally, he refilled the hole with dirt, covering the dead bodies, and finally giving them their much delayed burial.

A single streak of a tear escaped his eye, and streamed down, making a small wet spot on the ground, as he turned around, and walked away, soon followed by Tola. This location, he would never forget, but he would also not see it again, in a very, very long time. Thus, they made their way back to the cave they had come to call home, deep in the small mountain range, a few miles away from the tribe which Tola once belonged to. However, in the middle of their journey back, they came to a quick halt. Ulfvaldr suddenly stopped, and dropped Tola. He felt a sudden urge; a sudden hunger. He hadn’t fed for days, and it had taken all his willpower to hold it back; the only reason he lasted so long, was because of his desire to give his people rest.

But now, the hunger came flaring at him. He looked at Tola, with black eyes, adorned in red veins, and a crimson center. There was a deep hunger in his eyes, as he growled, sowing a deep fear in the heart of Tola. It was at this moment that she remembered what he truly was, yet she didn’t truly fear it; she was only surprised. However, before she could even say anything, Ulfvaldr disappeared.

In an instant, he had gotten far, far away from her, all his senses frantically searching for any sign of life. It didn’t take long, before he saw a small herd of deer. Like a hungering lion, he leapt at them, and dug his fangs into a deer, and ripped its throat open. The poor deer made a shallow scream, as the other deer ran away, the fear apparent in their eyes. However, it was no use. As the first deer fell, the others soon followed. In an instant, he had drained three deer for the entirety of their blood. He was on his knees, feasting on the already dead deer, before his eyes cleared, and his blood covered face moved, to face the night sky.

“It doesn’t taste good,” he mumbled. However, his hunger had still been satisfied, and he no longer felt that impending hunger. However, he didn’t feel as powerful as before. It left a small sense of weakness. However, he didn’t mind; he had promised Tola to renew his ways, and he would surely make the effort. As his thoughts trailed to Tola, he panicked. He had left her alone in the middle of a dark forest! Who knows what animals might lay their paws upon her. Immediately, his body flashed away once more, and he quickly got back to her. Luckily, she was fine, and no harm had been bestowed on her. As Ulfvaldr appeared before her, once again, she was startled, and almost fell to her butt.

“Oh, you’re back. You scared me a bit there,” she said, as she looked worriedly to Ulfvaldr. She could see his blood covered form, in the darkness, the light of the moon shining down towards his body. Ulfvaldr stepped forwards, to grab her again, so that they could continue their journey, but Tola hurriedly stepped back.

“Uhm, maybe you should clean yourself a bit first?” She asked, hinting towards all the blood on his clothes. Ulfvaldr was a bit taken aback, but quickly noticed how he looked. He quickly turned around, to go to a nearby river.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t notice,” he said, absentmindedly, before cleaning the blood off of him. His face got clean and pure again, but his clothes remained stained in red. No matter how he washed it, he couldn’t get all the blood out, so he could only give up. A short while later, they finally continued forwards, travelling all the way to dawn before stopping. They found a shade-full place to rest, and slept the day away.

Thus, they continued, until they finally got back to that small mountain range, several miles away from the tribe. They stood below the elevated cave, as Ulfvaldr began sniffing his nose, and looking around. Tola looked at him with a weird expression, not quite sure what was going on. She looked at him with a questioning gaze.

“Someone was here,” he said, as if he knew what she was thinking, “several people, at least half a dozen.” Their thoughts immediately drifted towards Halfdan. When Ulfvaldr released the poor man, he had asked him to remain silent about him and Tola, but who said he would obey? Who said he would even be able to? They might force it out of him. However, Ulfvaldr didn’t worry too much. Since they had been here, it was most likely to search for him, and since they didn’t find him, they would assume that he was already long gone, and that they would never see him again. Thus he didn’t worry.

They simply made their way back up to their cave, deciding not to worry anymore. Now, they would simply live their lives in peace; enjoying the company of each other, starting a small family. Tola would remain in the cave to take care of the children, and Ulfvaldr would go out and hunt animals; drink their blood, then take their meat back home. But, would things truly go as simply as that?