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 Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:32 am
 Early in the evening, Uhtred had returned with his band of Vikings and a small herd of wildebeest to drive into the pridal lands. A few of them also returned with thralls; Uhtred rarely took thralls. He'd prefer to leave anyone strong enough to be worth while alive, and to take their chances as he had; although eventually his new wife might want something to help around the den. Then Uhtred would have to see what he could do about finding a thrall that wouldn't be too much trouble to keep around. He had spent several hours with his new wife, trying to get to know her and musing on their situation. It was a strange one - not the least because he looked forward to seeing her sister more that her. Uhtred knew that now was not the time to get distracted about Dalla, though; he should go see the Warlord and let him know how the reaving went. Uhtred pointed his paws towards Aesir's den.
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 7:34 am
 Aesir had moved into Gunne's den more out of necessity than anything else. He had actually been more than fond of his own den, which may not have been spacious but was definitely set up in a manner he found pleasing. However, with the Head Priestess as his mate it was necessary for him to move into a larger den befitting both their statuses. Which really left him no choice but Gunne's den.
He didn't like living there, and until he and Morrigan had it completely arranged to their liking, he spent as much of his time outside the den as possible. He would still be in the general area because he knew people would be coming there expecting to find him, but his ascension to Warlord had not left him with much time to play house, though Morrigan had been quick enough to set things up. She was very dutiful, that one, but not exactly a comfortable companion.
With his chin on his forepaws Aesir looked out toward the sea, listening for the deep rumble that underscored everything in the pride. It was a sound he found comforting, stabilizing. It helped him find the patience to deal with the many idiots he had not known the pride possessed. The Stormborn had all seemed relatively intelligent, competent lions until he'd had to take charge of them. Now he seriously wondered how most of them managed without nursemaids.
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:24 am
"Today is a good day to die, Aesir." Uhtred sat down a few feet away from the Warlord, and looked at him.
He didn't know the lion that well - he had gotten into some trouble, been made a thrall, and suddenly risen to lead the pride, while Uhtred had been a steady Reaver, voted up to Captain by his fellows, and was unexceptional, except for his relative youth as a Captain. And maybe the charisma that others said he possessed. He wondered if the pressures of leadership were getting to the Warlord yet - the herds that needed managing, the troublesome thralls, the Reavers that didn't go out sitting around taking up space and getting into fights, drunken brawls, and young Freeborn misses showing up outside Reaver dens with big bellies demanding to be wedded.
It wasn't something Uhtred would ever want, and he was a bit mystified why lions like Gunne and Aesir did.
"The reaving went well. Some of my crew brought home slaves, and we added almost two dozen wildebeest to the herds. Over half are adult females."
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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 7:07 pm
"Yes," Aesir agreed. "It is. But since we both seem to have other plans, what's on your mind?"
He still wasn't completely comfortable with the phrasing involved in asking pride members who came to him what they were about. Phrases like "what do you want?" and "state your business" bordered on hostile, and "how may I help you today?" not only implied that the person needed his help, but made him sound like a servant. So for the time being he simply asked people what was on their mind, which could be a mistake in and of itself, but at least it offered no insult. He still felt he had to tread carefully there.
Probably Aesir could guess what Uhtred was there for. He was most likely making an official report of how his viking had gone. It certainly wasn't a social call, unless Uhtred was absolutely not the lion Aesir had pegged him for. He and Uhtred had never been close though they had been Captains at the same time for a while, and so unless Uhtred was trying to curry favor with random social calls, this had to be an official thing. Aesir sincerely doubted the Captain was the favor currying type.
"I'm pleased to hear it, but not surprised. I can't remember the last time one of your reavings didn't go well."
He considered the additions to the herds and nodded approvingly. Adult females were always a boon, since they could increase the size of the herd when they bred, which was always a good thing since it meant they wouldn't have to go out and capture as many beasts. It also made the mothers more inclined to stay where they were, rather than make escape attempts. Also, young wildebeest flesh was just more tender and succulent.
Aesir considered briefly whether he ought to ask after Uhtred's home life. He'd chosen Uhtred for Ragnhild for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that he thought that Captain more likely to treat Gunne's consort kindly than many of the others. He still wasn't sure he'd made the right decision in trying to buy Uhtred's loyalty like that, but he'd done it and he certainly couldn't undo it at this point.
"You look well for all that. Were there many injuries among the Reavers?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 11:20 pm
"Very little of note. One young fool turned idiot near the end and tried to herd a fully grown buffalo in with the our other preybeasts and was gored for his trouble. His leg is expected to heal alright, though, and if he doesn't favor it too much, he might even work out his limp. Aside from that, the usual flesh wounds. Eirik has a sprained leg, but some rest should sort him out."
There was always some young reaver out for more glory then he could handle, although this time the reaver wasn't much younger then his captain. Just inexperienced. And now the silly thing had learned a valuable lesson: flat teeth didn't mean preybeasts were defenseless. Uhtred himself had a scar, hidden by his mane, from a foolish attempt at a ram when he was young. Important lessons were learned early when you had fewer lions surrounding you.
"In a few weeks, I plan to take the band out again, and maybe add a few of the youth to help. Soon the herds will be moving too far south to be within range to herd back without a significant force, and I want to swell the herds while we can. I might do a third reaving this season, if my band is still itching for thralls. They seem to think there aren't enough females to go around."
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:39 pm
Aesir nodded. He did not receive reports from the healers. It was generally and correctly assumed that he did not need to be bothered with every scrape, bump, and bruise his Reavers acquired while they were out, but that didn't mean he didn't like to know what had happened anyway. It gave him a little more insight into the lions of his pride. When he had been a captain he had always asked about injuries on vikings, too, so that he would know which Reavers he did and did not want to deal with in his own raiding parties.
"Which one was that?" Aesir asked. "Not Eirik I assume."
At least that hadn't been what it sounded like. But maybe that had been what Uhtred meant. Aesir didn't mind asking for clarification. It was better than persisting in ignorance, as long as it could be managed without placing oneself in a position of owing the other person a favor. Not that this was the sort of information a Captain ought to begrudge his Warlord, but Aesir wasn't as confident of his position as he pretended to be.
As to taking the band out again... "That sounds like a fine plan to me. I won't deny the herds could use it. I noticed that the last time I went to survey them. I appreciate your foresight in this."
Aesir wanted to be able to trust Uhtred, and to make an ally of him, but he refused to beg for his friendship or in any way seem to be seeking it. He had already given the Captain one of the most beautiful lionesses in the pride, had he not?
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:46 am
"No, not Eirik. It was Sigfried. Until that point, he had been doing very well. I hope he's well enough to go out on my next reaving. Now that he's gotten some experience in good and bad, he'll be better."
Uhtred wondered if he had anything else of note to report to the warlord. Lions grumbled more freely when there were fewer around to listen and perhaps spread around who was saying what. There had been whispers and an undercurrent of distrust, confusion about how things had gone, and the how suitable Aesir actually was to lead the Stormborn.
Uhtred had done his best to squash the grumbling without being obvious about it, and at one point, had absolutely refused to even consider a plot for him to be warlord. That seemed to throw off some of his most loyal supporters, although why they wanted him to be Warlord when he had never shown such inclination was beyond him.
"You might suggest to the other Captains that the herds need boosting. The time to go is soon, before the herds move on."
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Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 1:18 pm
Sigfried's name was familiar to Aesir and he didn't have to expend any effort to recall a lion to match it. He didn't think it was likely the younger lion would be making the same mistake again, and was actually surprised to learn he had made it this time. But these things happened sometimes. People made mistakes and they learned from them. Sigfried had been fortunate, it sounded like.
"Likely," Aesir agreed. "As far as mistakes go, this one could have been a lot worse."
Someone still ought to have advised Sigfried not to try something like that. A parent, a sibling, another Reaver. This was one of the reasons Aesir had always approved of mixing experienced and inexperienced crews when he went viking and thought Captains who didn't were not necessarily doing the pride any favors. He would keep that in mind when he led his first viking as the Warlord, he decided.
"I'll mention it, to be sure," Aesir said. "Our raids are supposed to serve the pride, and not just their Captains' personal glory. Perhaps a storyteller could be persuaded to tell stories about the heroism of being reliable providers for a few days."
He was very proud of that thought. It was subtle compared to the sort of things he would have done as a Captain or Reaver. Being a Thrall had taught him the uses of subtlety, if not given him a very strong grasp of how to use it. He was learning.
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 11:09 am
"I'm sure my band would appreciate some praise being thrown out about them. If you pick such a story teller and ask them to see me, I can tell them were the praise most belongs."
He could also direct it away from himself. The current politics of the pride made Uhtred unwilling to be the star of the reaving, whatever his actual contributions had been. And if some of the younger Stormborn, those that still needed wives and had reputations to build got what he refused, why, all the better for his band. Happy Stormborn were less likely to cause trouble on a raid, and more likely to think of those waiting at home.
"I will come and see you again when I've gotten the band together for the next raid. And if you have any suggestions for the youngest ones to join and help herd, please let me know."
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2011 11:47 am
"Gladly," Aesir said.
It was largely Morrigan's influence that was causing him to realize the importance of words in building a lion's reputation, as well as deeds, but Aesir remained a warrior at heart and he would always believe firmly that it was truly what a lion did that mattered most. For that reason, even from this early point in his leadership, he planned to do as much as he could to make up for the shameful act he had committed to win the title.
Looking back, Aesir had no doubts he could have beaten Gunne in a fight, but he would never have been allowed to challenge him. A Thrall may not challenge a Freeborn, even if the Thrall was a Freeborn demoted for a set term. He hadn't wanted to wait three years, serving those he knew he was better suited to lead. He didn't have it in him to be servile. And so he had been forced to be cunning, and that meant he would have to live the rest of his life fearing discovery, for no bard could make his actions out as heroism.
But that was not what needed to occupy his thoughts right now. Right now he simply had to nod in response to Uhtred and assure him that if he thought of anyone, he'd mention it, though he had not given it much thought as yet and preferred not to micromanage Captains if it could be avoided. He'd resented Gunne's micromanagement as a captain.
"I trust you to make good choices without my input," Aesir said truthfully. "But if any young Freeborn comes looking to be useful, I'll point him toward you."
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Posted: Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:01 am
"I thank you." Uhtred rose and took his leave of the Warlord, and headed back to his wife and sister in law.
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