6/11/2025, 11:33 PM
nine months |
Teenaged rebellion had finally called him by name. Or, rather, this form of it had finally convinced Sverke to give in to its siren call.
Now, the Black Spear stood with the mainland's frosted earth beneath his navy paws. Moonlight filtered through the trees of the tightly-packed forest, the shadows blending into his dark fur seamlessly as he walked. Sverke had no desire to split from his family's grasp, no matter how few remained. But his wandering paws and hunger for novelty had driven him to sneak off the island. Just far enough to wander, not so far that he couldn't abscond to the safety of the Skjoldrheim's shields should he find trouble even greater than himself.
Sverke paused in his meandering trek, lifting his chin to take a luxurious breath of the pine-scented air.
Alright, he could relate to why Sindri had taken off.
Up ahead, a twig snapped. The boy's attention snapped toward the noise. Ears swiveled forward atop his crown. All went quiet, and still, for a held-breath second...then, whatever had wandered too close to the prince sprang away, deeper into the shadows. Sverke gave his reaction no thought - he lunged after the unknown figure in the space between heartbeats.
