The lone wolf of Freyrdrand

VI Significance

Ashe walked alone in the dead of night in the village.

She didn’t even put on her hood, letting the heavy snowflakes cover her head and shoulders.

Both Iceblood and Furodo are already asleep at this time, only the torches of the vigil are still flickering brightly.

Ashe walked aimlessly until she saw a small tent with a dim yellow light.

“Why is he still living in a tent?” Ashe looked at the houses around him. Although they were damaged a lot, there should still be vacant houses left for Lothar to live in.

Ashe just thought about it for a while before she figured out the reason.

The people in the tribe did not give him a house to live in.

A pang of sorrow suddenly surged in Ashe’s heart.

“Go and see him.” Ashe thought, “If he’s not messy, it’s not impossible to give him a hug.”

Ashe shook off the white snow accumulated on her blond hair, and got into the tent, the rich aroma of broth first got into her nose.

A pot of hot soup was steaming, and a weak flame was burning in the stone furnace under the pot to ensure that the soup would not cool down.

As for Lothar, he was sleeping soundly in his sleeping bag.

“By the way, he must have been exhausted after running around with us during the day.” Ashe looked at the small pot of broth in the tent, and knew who the pot of soup was for without even thinking about it.

“Thank you, little wolf cub.” Ai Xi originally wanted to comfort Lothar, but he was comforted by Lothar instead.

Ashe sat next to Lothar, took out a spoon and bowl from Lothar’s skin pouch, skimmed off the foam in the pot, and scooped a bowl of hot soup for herself.

Ashe breathed lightly, blowing off the oil droplets on the soup surface, and drank the soup in small sips.

“Ha…” Ashe exhaled freely, then looked at Lothar, “Are you awake?”

Lothar didn’t respond.

“If you wake up now, I’ll kiss you.”

Lothar still didn’t respond.

“It seems that I really fell asleep.” Ashe was thinking while drinking the soup.

The delicious broth awakened Ashe’s taste buds, and the warm current reverberated in her body.

“Mom won, everything is going according to the original plan.” Ashe said, I don’t know if he was talking to himself or telling Lothar, “Tomorrow the tribe will abandon this village and continue to find the throne of Avarosa Aunt Heernuo has to stay here to recuperate from her injuries, and some stove households will also stay with her.”

Ashe glanced at Lothar, but Lothar still had his eyes closed, only the sound of even breathing came out.

“There is not much food left. Mom decides to go to war with the Ice Son Tribe tomorrow to grab food. The Ice Son Tribe is our feud. We have fought countless times. But Mom firmly believes that she has found the throne of Avarosa The location is on the high mountain near the Ice Son tribe…”

Ashe licked the remaining soup on her lips, and continued: “Actually, I also want to believe that the mythical throne of Avarosa really exists.” Ashe shaved a strand of blond hair behind her ears, “But I am no longer a child. I can clearly distinguish reality from delusion. Even the Frost Priests don’t believe in that myth. Marukolo said it was purely fabricated. But no matter how hard I persuaded him, Still can’t convince mom…”

Ashe scooped up a piece of meat, chewed and ate it: “I tried to pick up the True Ice weapon again today, but failed again. My mother said that I was too young to be an adult. She said that most of the ice blood I have to live at least twenty winters before trying to pick up the True Ice Weapon, am I too impatient?”

Ashe looked at her hand. This hand was very beautiful, with slender five fingers that were long and flexible, but this hand couldn’t hold a weapon.

A person who cannot hold a weapon cannot be qualified to be a war mother.

“Ice doesn’t bring pain, but submission.” Ashe murmured, “This sentence Marukolo taught me is said to be Lissandra’s ice blood prayer. Although you don’t seem to like him, But he is really a good person, he healed the wounds of the furnace households. Aunt Haier Nuo fell down, and now he is the only one still speaking for the furnace households…”

Ashe talked for a long time by herself, puzzled by her mother’s behavior, confused about the future of the tribe, and worried about whether she could be a warlike mother…

Ai Xi expressed almost all of her thoughts. The warm soup was not as intoxicating as honey wine, but it shook Ai Xi’s heart clean.

There was only one thing Ashe didn’t say.

Thoughts on Lothar.

“I should go back, Lothar.” Ashe put down the soup bowl and spoon, picked up a handful of snow and washed them clean, “I wish you sweet dreams, wolf cub.”

Ashe left the small tent. From the beginning to the end, Lothar did not open his eyes.

…

When Lothar woke up, the first thing he felt was the soreness in his legs.

He was too reluctant to walk by himself yesterday, and now it is extremely difficult to get up from the ground.

Lothar looked at the pot next to him, and the soup in it had been reduced by half.

Lothar grinned happily, struggled to get up, lit a fire with flint, and heated up the leftover soup. This was his breakfast.

After eating and drinking, Lothar walked out of the tent tremblingly, and skillfully began to dismantle it. He wanted to catch up with today’s tribe’s migration.

“Good morning, child of the wolf.” Marukolo greeted Lothar.

“Good morning.” Lothar responded lukewarmly, without stopping what he was doing.

Marukolo shook his head, and handed Lotha a bowl of medicinal soup: “I gave it to you, Axito, to make you feel better.”

Lothar raised his eyebrows and looked at Marukolo suspiciously.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t poison you.” Lothar took the medicinal soup: “Will I be able to walk as fast as the ice blood after drinking this bowl of soup?”

“The effect of this bowl of soup is to make you lie down and rest. You will recover quickly, and you will be alive and kicking tomorrow.”

“Then I won’t drink.” Lothar put the bowl back into Marukolo’s hand.

Marukolo said helplessly: “You can’t go on any longer. Ai Xi also has good intentions, and there are still many stove owners who will stay here.”

“I want to follow Ashe.” Lothar said stubbornly.

“Ash said, if you don’t drink, let me freeze you here.” Marukolo’s hands condensed a jet of black cold air.

Lothar turned a deaf ear.

Marukolo sighed, and the air in his hand dissipated: “You are as stubborn as Glenna, do you know that such stubbornness is not good for you or others.”

“No one else.” Lothar said suddenly.

“What?” MaRukolo didn’t understand.

“No one else.” Losa stared at Marukolo’s face, “No one in the tribe cares about my life and death. I am an outsider. Although the prey I hunt will be distributed to the tribe every time, there is never a party when I hold a banquet.” Where I am, no one will give me a funeral if I die. If I do die, my knife, my bow, and my pot will be shared by others, and they will not even say thank you when they take it , no one will remember me in a few decades. So why should I care about the ‘others’ you said?”

“But Ashe…”

“Ash is an exception.” Lothar showed a happy smile, “If I die, she will definitely cry for me.”

Marukolo fell silent.

“So wherever Ashe goes, I will go.” Lothar packed everything into a bag, “There is no point in staying where there is no Ashe.”

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The beliefs of the Freljord are very mixed. In addition to the beliefs of the local gods, many people believe in the secret religion of the three sisters in mythology. They are the three queens in ancient times, and they are the ancestors of all the ice blood in the legend. They are the most powerful Serilda, the most intelligent Avarosa and the most magically gifted Lissandra.

——Excerpt from “Valoran Travels: The Freljord