The Weakness of Uli Brightjaws. (Part Two.)

Avatar image for undergroundgod
Undergroundgod

3069

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

#1  Edited By Undergroundgod

The tree grew from a stone the size of a ship, its roots burrowing deep into the grey rock. It would have been tall, had it stood straight... However it was bent and hunched over, with not a leaf in it's branches. Yet for all that, it seemed strong as any living oak, as if it had fed on the strength of the stone and made that strength its own.
In the branches of the tree sat two ravens, each as large as a dog. Uli knew the laws of the spirit world... This was no accident. So he walked under the tree, and nodded his head to the ravens in respect. The raven on the left spoke, and its voice was like cracking icicles falling to stone. "Where are you going, Uli Brightjaws? You are far from home." " I am seeking something," Uli replied. Then the raven on the right also spoke, and its voice was like brittle leaves on a cold wind. "What are you seeking, Uli Brightjaws? It must be something important." Uli did not really care for the tone of the ravens, still he remembered the old packs between Fenris and Hrafn. And more, he knew that if he did not speak plainly with them, they would worry at him wherever he went until they were satisfied they knew his business... Such is the raven's way. "I am looking for my own weakness." Both ravens shared a cackle. "No wonder you walk away from your tribe then, " said the raven on the left. "For they walk away from their weakness and towards their strength." "Still," Said the raven on the right, "Perhaps you are doing the right thing. If you carried your weakness with you and could not set it down in the realm of flesh, perhaps here you can out run it." " I am not some jackal-wolf that would run from my weakness," Uli growled. "I intend to find it here and kill it." Both ravens laughed like cracking bones... "Do you think it will be that easy? Cackled the raven on the left. "You are no stronger here than you were before." "If you could defeat it with your strength," Purred the raven on the right, "You would have done that long ago." "No, you need another way to overcome yourself, Uli Brightjaws. You need wisdom." "If you are willing, Uli Brightjaws we will share our secrets with you." The ravens puffed out their coats and shifted from foot to foot on the branches.

Uli looked at them, and the blood of Fenris shown in his gaze. "Why do you wait for my permission to advise me? Are you not children of Hrafn, who are free and generous with your secrets?" The raven on the left muttered to itself. The raven on the right remained silent. Then they spoke, sharp and soft. "There are rules." "There is a price." Uli said nothing. "Hang yourself from this tree," Said the raven on the left, its voice low and it's eyes half-lidded. "Hang yourself here." "We will sit above you and pull at your flesh," Said the raven on the right, serpent-voiced, "And in return we will tell you many things." “Things that will make you wise.” “Things that will make you strong.”

A green light as cold as the bottom of a forgotten pond, glittered in their eyes. Uli Brightjaws growled, and rage rose within him. “You are no ravens,” Uli said. “Of course we are ravens,” said the raven on the left. “We bring wisdom.” “We must be ravens,” said the raven on the right. “We learn secrets from dead men.” Wotan had creatures that he called ravens, too. Uli thought to himself. “I know you.” Uli said in a voice low and grim. “I don’t think you do,” said the raven on the left, as its eyes glittered like emeralds caught in ice. “Perhaps instead you know our forefathers’ names,” said the raven on the right with a snap of his beak. “We are their children.” “We are their heirs.” Both ravens lean forward in the tree, their feathers bunching outward, they were nearly the size of a Hispo-Wolf.

“You are abominations,” growled Uli, “You are betrayers and corpse-splitters, the carrion-wings. You are the bastards cast out by Hrafn. You are the birds that pick at the serpent’s hide.” “We are what we are, Uli Brightjaws.” “We are your doom.” They came at him out of the tree, swift as arrows. Uli was in his war-skin as quick as an eye blink, yet they sliced open his pelt with rakes of their wings, each feather a razor blade. He snapped and clawed at them, they were quick like no mortal bird, his teeth and talons closed on empty air. They laughed their bone-laughs again as they circled above Uli, they laughed as they dove at him a second time, more blood ran down Uli’s arms and legs. They were still laughing as they dove a third time.

Then Uli’s hand closed around the neck of the first. It beat at him with its wings, more powerful than the hooves of a great horse, its feathers sliced Uli’s flesh until blood ran. Uli did not let go. It tried to scream out to its sibling, however Uli’s iron grasp strangled its cry in its throat, it could do nothing. The second raven dove down on Uli like a thunder bolt falling on a mountain. However a thunder bolt cannot strike a mountain low, and the raven could not strike down a son of Fenris.

Its beak sank deep into Uli’s shoulder meat. Uli reached out with his other hand, Uli caught the second raven by the neck. It, too beat at Uli with its powerful wings, slashing Uli with its dagger sharp feathers. Uli did not let it go. He strode over to the stone that supported the ravens tree, he dashed both their heads against the rock, breaking open their skulls, spilling out their brains. Uli then hung the bodies of the dead ravens in the tree, and then hastened from that place. Although he saw nothing, he heard the soft pad of feet that fallowed him.