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The following night was silent along with the day.

Nobody tried to talk to Calder besides the occasional words that were exchanged when something was given to him.

They could not find a clearing that night, though Calder was sure that they were heading into the mountainous plains by the way the peaks jutted over the trees.

Since they did not have a lot of space, Calder took to leaning against a tree to sleep.

He was exhausted enough that it did not matter where he slept, he could barely feel the bark digging into his back as he stared blearily at the fire.

"May I?"

Hemming was standing next to the tree and gesturing next to Calder.

Calder nodded and scooted so that Hemming could also face the fire while they sat propped against the tree.

"You have been quiet, more so than usual." Hemming said quietly as he laid out his blanket to sit on, shielding his ass from the snow.

"I have been thinking." Calder hummed at both his words and the feeling of the mans shoulder leaning against his.

"There is much to think about then?"

"Yes." Calder snorted. "I have questions but do not know how to ask them."

"Pick the one you are having the most trouble with and just, ask it. I promise I will not be offended or angry."

Calder hummed again, tucking his arms around himself as a breeze weaves through the trees.

"Can you feel it? The wolf, I mean. Is it always there? Is it separate from you or are you one in the same?" Calder asked quietly with a flicker of his eyes to Hemming.

"It is like... it is always there in the back of my mind, until a strong emotion pulls it forward. Or if I call it forward to shift."

"So it is not you, it is a independent beast?"

"It is me. But in a more wild and abstract way. It is a feeling; a subconscious part of my mind that controls anger, strength, pride, sometimes love." Hemming said with a smirk and Calder nodded softly.

"Does it hurt? When you... shift?" Calder asked quietly, most of his thoughts and questions were being answered.

"Only when I have not done it in a while, and when I did it the first time when I was a child. That is why we go on runs; to keep our wolf happy and painless."

Calder sighed; it seems so obvious now, like he should have noticed that there was something animalistic about all of their behavior.

"We will be coming to a village tomorrow not far south of here in order to restock on some things. If you feel as if you cannot stay with us, you are welcome to join them."

Hemming's words made Calder's head shoot up. Hemming's face was distraught and his hazel eyes filled with a hidden sadness.

"I will not be leaving. I have traveled with you this long, finding out about your nature will not change the fact that this and you saved my life." Calder said and lifted a hand to place on Hemming's bicep.

Hemming stared at Calder with a wary expression, Calder knew that he was worried that the younger would actually leave.

"Hemming, I am not leaving. We can go to the village and get what we need, and I will be coming back with you. I fear even if you told me to leave I would not listen." Calder smiled softly and gave a squeeze to the mans arm, definitely not thinking about how muscled it was.

Hemming also smiled and moved a hand to rest on one of Calder's raised knees.

"I am glad we found you."

Calder chuckled and pulled Hemming's shoulder down for his to lay his head on. He curled his arm around the others and used his other hand to pull his blanket around himself.

He could indulge himself at least once, right?

__________

Calder was still latched onto Hemming when the sun woke him up.

The sunshine was directed at them, and Calder jerked and squinted even when his eyes were closed.

Hemming thankfully did not wake at the harsh flinch, surprising since Calder's body was plastered to his.

His knees had turned so that they were leaning against Hemming's hip, and both of Calder's arms were looped around just one of Hemming's.

When Calder's eyes had finally adjusted to the new morning light, he was blessed with the view of Hemming's face bathed in sunlight once again.

Calder did not get to stare for long, since somebody clearing their throat broke his focus, finding Hale standing off to the side against a tree.

Calder blushed red and carefully extracted himself from Hemming's side.

"You think he is handsome?" Hale whispered with a teasing tilt.

Calder opened his mouth but shut it again, not knowing what to say with his heart beating so fast.

"I am surprised. When Hemming came out of the womb, my mother said he had the ugliest face she had ever seen." Hale laughed quietly and gave a pointed look to the man, only to smile wider when he looked past Calder.

"She was trying to make you feel better when you busted your face into a door and could not talk normally for a week."

Calder whipped around to face Hemming, who was very much awake and smirking the way he did when he was fucking with his siblings.

Hale pouted and flipped Hemming off, returning to Padmas side; who Calder realized was also awake and smiling down at the babe.

Halina and Nadir were also awake, Halina playing with a stick that was on fire and Nadir using a knife to whittle a piece of wood he found.

Lagina was sleeping, but Calder only knew it was her by the color of the fur on the wolf.

She was curled up against Nadirs thigh and her blonde fur was almost white in the sun, besides the obvious dirt and debris trapped in her coat.

"I am surprised that she has not been sleeping away from camp; I rarely see her sleep as a woman." Hemming said quietly with a sly nudge to Calder's shoulder.

Calder only chuckled and took in the warmth that the sun was providing them so early in the morning.

"We should start off towards that village, maybe they will have items for the babe." Calder said and stood, cracking his back from the way he slept; even though he was comfortable, it did not mean that he was used to it.

"Yes, about the babe. Hale! Are you and Padma going to claim the child, or are we going to try and leave her to the village?" Hemming called and snapped his brothers attention from his partner and the baby.

Hale blushed and exhaled sharply. His hands coming to rest against his hips.

"You are lucky that me and Padma talked about it last night, or this would be very rude." Hale pointed an accusing finger towards Hemming, who wore a satisfied smirk. "But yes, if no one has any objections. The babe will be ours."

Nobody said anything and Hale stood up straighter with pride, Calder could have sworn his eyes became a brighter green from what they already were.

"Good. Then I claim the babe as Eira, mine and my mates daughter to the day we die." Hale smiled and huffed out a sweet laugh.

Everyone cheered and whooped, and though Calder was laughing and clapping along with them, he was confused as to what a mate meant for the couple.

Hemming was smiling wide and with a final laugh, let out a howl that echoed throughout the forest.

It sounded as if real wolves joined in, and not humans mimicking a wolf. Lagina had even woken up and joined the howl, perfectly blending as a wolf.

Calder listened to them call out and smiled, feeling almost a little left out that they could produce such a beautiful song and he could not.

The howling only stopped when the babe, now Eira, began to cry at all the noise; Padma halting in their own cry in order to hush the babe.

Hemming stopped also, his smile wide and foggy breathes coming out in pants. Calder felt a almost painful heartbeat thump loudly at the sight of Hemming enjoying himself so.

When the man looked over, his eyes were shining at Calder. Hemming nudged the smaller male with his shoulder again, making Calder chime out a laugh at the mans antics.

The spirits stayed high as they packed, Halina teasing Hemming about how Hale had a child before him. Yet though her face had a hidden sadness, she was grinning.

Calder was smiling for a while after that, even as they walked and nobody talked to him, he stayed with a smile glued to his face.

When the village came into view, littered around a mountainside plateau, his smile diminished slightly. He had not been back to a civilization in the better half of a week.

Hemming seemed to notice this and walked closer to Calder, putting a broad hand across the smaller mans back.

As they walked into the village, Hemming dropped his hand and his smile, looking around and scanning the multiple huts and tents that were put up.

The villagers that were habitants of the settlement gave them weary looks as if no one had visited them. Calder was surprised by the reaction, seeing how big the village was compared to his farm.

Hemming stopped once they came on a crossroads, turning to face the others with a stern look.

"We know what we are here for, Nadir brought what we needed from the sled for trade and you all have coin for purchase. We meet back here at midday." Hemming called and Calder watched all of the others nod and walk off in different directions, though Calder stayed with Hemming.

"Come, I would like to find a tailor to talk with about a cloak." Hemming said and nodded off to the side for Calder to follow.

Calder did not miss the feeling of thick mud, sticking to his boots and difficult to walk in. The smell of pig shit and rotten clay clinging in the air was something he had forgotten existed in his travels.

Hemming had only stopped once to ask a villager for directions, before they were off again and Calder stayed attached to the larger mans side in fear of falling into the wet sludge.

The tailor that they happened upon was an old woman, with fabric hanging from the wood of her huts pergola.

"Hello. I hear you are the one to see about a cloak." Hemming greeted the crone with a sweet smile.

The woman squinted at Hemming before nodding.

"Yes. Though, your friend will have to tell those buggers across the path to leave." She huffed and pointed to the roof of the hut across the way.

Calder furrowed his brow and turned to look, only finding the two ravens perched peacefully on a thatched slope.

"They are only ravens. He can not control where a bird goes." Hemming told the women with confusion.

"Then I suppose you will be without a cloak. I will not have Odins watchdogs see my every move." The old woman huffed.

Calder opened his mouth to say something but she had already gone inside the hut.

He exhaled sharply and looked to Hemming, who was as confused as he. Why would she be so disturbed by a couple of birds watching her.

Calder huffed and turned to look at the birds, both quirking their heads at him in interest. Calder made a gesture for them to go, but was only met with beady eyes staring at him strangely.

Calder pouted and searched the ground, quickly picking up a muddy rock when he spotted it.

He pulled back and aimed low before throwing the rock, careful that it only startled them and it did not hit them.

When the birds scattered he hummed with pride, turning to Hemming with a small smile.

Hemming had crossed his arms and was looking at Calder with a satisfied grin. Calder tried not to blush so hard at the look.

The old woman came from the shack with a smile and clapped her hands.

"Well then, now we can do business. What would you like?"

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