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 Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 7:31 am
Today was a day of thought. Njal wasn't very fond of days of thought, and much preferred when Thorgrim did the most thinking. But he couldn't argue against doing some of the thinking himself, after all, he was supposed to... well, be amazing. Or something. And just formidable on the field was simply not enough. He was also supposed to be finding 'friends', like-minds.
He wasn't very good at this just yet, but Njal would certainly improve. He always improved at things, once he got started. Like a snowball. A toothy, clawy, beat you up in a minute snowball. But yes, anyways. Now was a time of thinking, and so the large lion found a nice place to sit and think, even though it wasn't exactly a secluded place. Maybe he could spot someone of use to him.
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 8:12 am
 Vol squinted at the hulking dark shape sitting a good distance away from him. It seemed he was squinting more and more lately. Not that he was getting old! It was just that the sun was shining a lot more brightly than he was accustomed to, and sometimes the morning mists were really much thicker than he was used to. There was nothing wrong with his eyesight, and he would beat to a pulp anyone who suggested otherwise.
It did irk him that he couldn't make out whose figure he was looking at, however. There were a lot of dark-coated lions in the pride, and a good many of them were large and hulking, and when one was squinting into the sun, they all were. Fortunately, Vol wasn't so stupid that he tried to rely solely on his sense of sight. Instead he shifted so that he would be downwind of the other lion and simply picked up his scent, which wasn't hugely helpful, as it did not belong to a lion in whose presence he spent a great deal of time.
Enough of this foolishness. Vol decided he would just walk up and start talking. Specifically, he would walk up and start telling the lump that he was in Vol's thinking spot, and suggest that he move his arse before Vol moved it for him.
"Someday I will kill you," he called out once he had drawn close enough that others would not think the greeting intended for them.
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 8:58 am
It took Njal a bit to realize he had been spoken to, mostly because he was apparently doing a very good job with thinking. "Not today," He replied, almost automatically, as he drifted away from thoughts about things he would do, once he had the chance. He perked his ears and looked at the approaching lion, not really needing to squint to see him better.
Since it wasn't Njal who had initiated the conversation, he decided he's let this other male talk first. Maybe it was something silly, and he could get back to his thinking. Njal really had to practice that brainpower now!
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:11 am
"You're in my spot," Vol pointed out.
For most younger lions about the pride who knew him well, this was sufficient motivation for them to relocate. Vol was not known for having much tolerance for fools or people who disagreed with him. He didn't really hold grudges, but he had an opinion on everyone and everything, much like a score card, except there were precious few ways to regain points once they had been lost and a host of ways to lose them.
Occupying Vol's thinking spot when Vol wished to occupy it was one of those ways. An old comrade of his had returned to the pride not too long ago and brought with him...something. Vol wanted to think about what that was, and what it would mean for him and the pride in the future. He had no illusions that Thorgrim was going to be content to grumble to his wife and family about the changes Aesir had wrought in the pride.
"Aren't you that pup that came back with Thorgrim?" he said, deciding to leave the matter of his usurped spot for the moment. Right now he had an opportunity to gather information about the exact subject he'd meant to consider anyway.
It was anyone's guess as to whether Vol honestly didn't remember whether Njal had come back with Thorgrim or if he'd been in the stronghold the whole time. Vol was often blunt to the point of rudeness just because he preferred it to meaningless silver-coated words. That was what bards were for. In fact, there were those who might have observed of Vol that he was frequently rude just because he enjoyed seeing how people reacted. Those who remarked on the possibility were ignored.
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 11:12 am
Sadly, Njal wasn't most young lions. And he didn't really know Vol, either, so he didn't quite know what it could mean to get on the other lion's bad side. "Not right now it ain't." He didn't really sound annoyed himself, but Njal didn't want to move just because some old lion had come over and claimed ownership of the spot her currently occupied.
"Pup?" He repeated, and there some irritation was betrayed in his voice. Still, he didn't pursue that. Maybe to this lion everyone seemed like a 'pup'. "Aye, I came back with Thorgrim. What of it?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 12:30 pm
Vol met Njal's eyes without flinching when the younger lion questioned his assessment of him as a pup. What else did he think he would be in the eyes of a seasoned warrior like himself? His youth and inexperience made him a pup by default. One ear twitched, inviting Njal to make something of it.
"How long did you live at the outpost?" he asked as the question occurred to him.
It must have been nearly his whole life, if not actually his whole life. Very obviously this was no son of Thorgrim's, and Thorgrim wasn't the type to take on some outlander and raise him as a protege as Vol had done with Ru. That sort of thing would likely disgust Thorgrim. Vol decided it would probably be best if he didn't go about calling his protege Ruzanski Outlander until the young captain could make a good impression on him.
"Passing curiosity." It was all the explanation he intended to offer, and an unknown like Njal was ought to be grateful to have received even that much from Vol.
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Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 10:01 am
"Long enough for that... Aesir fellow to barge in and mess things up." He snorted, irritably. Njal probably would have been powerless to do anything about Aesir, even if he had been present. But he was a Stormborn, and held no qualms about disrespecting anyone, because insulting each other was just part of their lifestyle. And it wasn't exactly a secret that the current Warlord didn't please everyone.
... Besides, how were they supposed to get allies if they were too secret? "Heh, curiosity, eh? Y'know what they say about that." Something about a dying cat. But, just like the greeting, he didn't actually sound like he'd made a threat.
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:13 am
"I know what they say. It is an outlander expression though." At least that was what Vol believed. He hadn't heard it a great deal growing up, and he hadn't left the pride until he went on his first viking, so it stood to reason that it must be an outlander expression, and a nonsensical one at that.
"You think he's messed things up?" Vol asked with more than a little interest.
He shouldn't have been surprised to learn that any compatriot of Thorgrim's would take a dim view of Aesir, but the fact was that Njal was closer to Aesir's age than he was to Thorgrim's and many of the lions of that age and younger seemed to get along well with the Warlord and approve of his changes. Or at least didn't disapprove of them.
Personally, Vol thought the pride had been going downhill since before Aesir came to power, but around certain people, like Thorgrim, it wasn't wise to say so. Thorgrim had been very close to Gunne, to the point where he'd named his son for the Warlord. If Vol ever had sons, he doubted he'd be naming them for Aesir, but his disapproval wasn't specifically directed toward him either.
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:49 am
In response to that, all Njal could do was huff slightly. Yes, fine, outlander expression. He had spent plenty of time outside, after all. As much as it didn't please him, it seemed inevitable that he had picked a few things up.
He might have smiled for successfully getting the other lion's attention, but even Njal was capable of certain subtleties. "Yes, he has. Thrall cubs, becoming freeborn? It's ridiculous. If the parents are no good, stand to reason the spawn ain't any better." Most of his criticisms had been learned from Thorgrim, but Njal stuck to them faithfully.
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 6:05 am
Vol ignored the young lion's huff. The Stormborn were all a pretty huffy lot when it came right down to it, and as long as the young fool didn't try to take a swipe at him, Vol didn't much care if he sighed or huffed. Though if he did it again he might cuff him to remind him that he was talking to a more experienced reaver who could whip his a** ten ways to Sunnandæg.
"Even if one of the parents is freeborn?" Vol asked, instinctively playing devil's advocate even though he happened to feel that generally speaking Njal wasn't wrong. Thrall spawn ought to be thralls unless the freeborn parent chose to acknowledge them and raise them to freeborn status.
"Wouldn't that had sort of an adverse affect on the viking born, too?" he continued. "Being outlander born is little different from being thrall born, for that matter, but we let them fight to win their place as freeborn. Should viking born lions be required to undergo an askorun when they come of age?"
There had been a number of outlanders making their way into the pride recently. Another thing Aesir had instituted was that a lion who fought to a draw was allowed into the pride. Previously it had required a decisive victory. Vol had no opinion on that one way or the other, but he thought it would be ridiculous to require every adolescent Stormborn to fight for a place in the pride.
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Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:38 pm
Yes. If the father is a freebron, the cubs will be spending too much time with their mother. If their mother is a freeborn... well, what kind of female will lower herself to a thrall?" He wrinkled his nose, as if the thought repulsed him. If Njal were female – the gods forbid that – he'd beat any dumb thrall that tried anything with him. Her.
"No, it is different. Outlanders that join us prove themselves." Thralls were just unfortunate souls that... well. The life of a thrall spoke for itself. As for the second question-- er, Thorgrim hadn't really talked to him about that one. "...no. Some other test, though." Perhaps only something that resembled and askorun, just to make sure the Stormborn stayed strong.
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Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:10 pm
Vol considered suggesting that the cubs could be raised by a freeborn lioness but he couldn't imagine any freeborn worth her salt being willing to raise some thrall's cub. He wouldn't want any wife or daughter of his doing that - even if he had either of those things. He also had to agree that Njal had a point. What kind of female would allow a thrall to take her like that?
"I see," he said.
Vol didn't really disagree with any of that, except that he wasn't sure it was right for the viking born to be singled out after they'd been raised as freeborn and brought up to be proper Stormborn lions. Not all of them chose to be reavers, either, and so was it right to expect them to be able to fight? Well...yes. The Stormborn were a martial pride by and large, and so every member ought to be able to fight at least a little.
But that wasn't what Vol was used to, or had ever been used to. He wasn't sure he would welcome such an innovation any more than he had welcomed Aesir's and Gunne's changes. He would have to get used to them, and Vol wasn't good at that. He liked things the way he liked them, and according to tradition.
"It has been interesting talking to you about this."
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Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:31 pm
'I see'. It wasn't exactly an enthusiastic reply, which Njal would have liked. Being agreed with was nice, and this older male hadn't even agreed. What a lame answer. Still, it was better than disagreeing. And also... interesting? Yes, it was.
"Yes, well, we can talk more. If you want. Me, you and Thorgrim." Perhaps this lion would say yes, and they could already start making some connections. It was important to do so, they had been gone so long... they didn't really have many of those.
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Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:55 pm
"Not right now," Vol said.
Vol preferred to do things on his own time and in his own way. Which is to say the traditional way. As far as he was concerned, he had spent enough time with Njal today, and had plenty to think about for the time being after just this short conversation. Not being a thinker, Vol didn't like to overload himself with too many thoughts in one day. What he did, he mostly did on instinct, and that went for his beliefs, too.
"It is good to meet a young lion with traditional beliefs," he said truthfully. "I would not mind talking with you and Thorgrim at another time. It's been a long time since last I saw that old warrior."
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:13 am
Oh, this was getting more promising! Njal liked that, even if this older male wasn't in a hurry, while Njal sort of... was. Ish. Well, he was an impatient lion. He knew that the Stormborn did what they wanted, when they wanted, though, and figured he'd best not push his luck. Things were going well, and he didn't want them to sour.
"Alright. I have things to do, too." He said as he stood up, but didn't bother clarifying what 'things' he might need to do. "What's your name? I'll tell Thorgrim you're about." He didn't know if this lion and Thorgrim had even been friends, but Njal's main objective was just letting Thorgrim know someone he might be able to talk to.
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