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 Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 12:39 pm
 Ingmar was trying, with difficulty, to contain his excitement. He was finally big enough to join a band and go Reaving with the other Stormborn, and they were supposed to go out soon, within a few days. Ingmar was having trouble filling up his time. He needed a focus aside from sitting outside and pacing around.
So he started humming a half remembered song his mother and her mate sang occasionally, but off key and missing half of the lyrics. Anyone with any knowledge of music passing by would have been extremely offended.
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 6:35 am
 Solvtorn was just such a person. He had a pretty thorough knowledge of music, at least Stormborn music, and he was very proud of that. Someone might think a lion who took so much pride in his musical knowledge and skills would have little tolerance for a lion who sang off-key and didn't know all the words to his song, but that wouldn't be the case with Solvtorn. He had grown up among the Stormborn, and relatively few Stormborn had beautiful singing voices. It was all the sea air maybe.
"Is that a new song?" he asked as he passed by, not recognizing the melody or the words. Since both of Ingmar's parents came from outside the pride, it seemed possible that the song did, too.
He moved without haste or urgency, not being anxious about going reaving like Ingmar was. It was, however, difficult to watch the largely pink lion pacing to and fro. He'd seen it plenty of times before, but he still found it put his nerves on edge to be around someone with so much excess energy. Subconsciously Solv hoped that by moving in a relaxed manner he would encourage Ingmar to do the same.
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Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 8:30 pm
Ingmar saw no reason to lie about the song; after all, he wasn't a singer, and didn't mind that he couldn't sing. He was supposed to fight.
"No, it's a song about ravens following reavers to get a decent meal. I just can't sing and I don't know all the words properly. I'm just trying to keep my mind from dwelling on the reaving that is coming up soon."
Ingmar didn't stop pacing, trying to keep his nerves down. If he tired himself out, he was sure that would help.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 5:42 am
"I know that one," Solvtorn said. "But I've never heard anyone sing it as you do. It is quite unique."
He grinned and it was not immediately clear whether he was exercising his sharp tongue or if he was merely teasing good-naturedly. Sometimes it was difficult to tell, with him, and that was the way Solv liked it. Those who knew him well would probably have guessed that there was some sharpness in his teasing, even if it was good-natured, simply because Ingmar would soon be a Reaver.
"I can teach you the words, if you wish, though I think it would be beyond me to give you the ability to sing them as they were first put to music. You must be quite the fighter, to have been chosen to go viking so young. Since you clearly weren't chosen for your musical talents."
Yes, definitely barbed. Solv harbored his own prejudices and jealousies when it came to Reavers and vikings. He had never been asked to go on one, not even as a singer, and it rankled. He resented each new Reaver who was taken when he was not. But they were generally larger than he, and better fighters, and so Solv never said anything that could not be denied later, or at least called a joke.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 7:22 am
Ingmar threw his shaggy head back and laughed. "Musical talent! Hahaha, you are right of course, I have none. None at all. My dad has a fine voice but not me, I sing like a seabird squawking. As you can tell."
Ingmar was too good natured to let some teasing and joking get to him, especially from another male Freeborn. If it had been a thrall teasing him, it might have been different. As far as Ingmar was concerned, some ribbing and teasing was expected, especially from older Reavers and Captains. If he'd let some harmless words bother him, what good would he be as a Reaver?
"Do you know the one about wenches and mead?" he asked.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 7:24 am
"Your dad?" Solv asked with what seemed to be polite curiosity.
In fact, Solv was more than politely curious about the lions in Ingmar's litter. Their mother, Nymphaea had challenged into the pride and been selected to go viking with Aesir on his first viking as Warlord. Shortly after coming back from that viking she'd borne his litter and promptly wrapped them all in furs for some reason unbeknownst to anyone in the pride. And then another lion had shown up, someone from her past presumably, and she had taken him to mate.
Solv knew Ingmar's litter called the lion Dodona father, but he thought maybe he could learn more about the truth of the matter, for he could not believe the cubs were the offspring of that lion. There was almost no resemblance, and he had shown up long after the cubs had arrived. There was nothing wrong with having viking-born cubs, but Solv did feel it was only right that Ingmar and his siblings know who their father really was. After all, a lion's ancestors were important!
"I know a lot about wenches and mead," Solv said, layering his words with entendre just because he could. He rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Don't tell me you're new to that, too?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 7:59 am
"Yeah, Dodonna. He has a good voice. He doesn't sing all the time though, just when the mood takes him."
Ingmar looked like his mom, and although he wondered occasionally why none of his other siblings did, or why none of them looked like the lion he thought of as his father, he just assumed they all looked like other relatives, which he knew could happen. Besides, Dodonna was the one that trained him, raised him, and taught him to fight.
"I meant the song about wenches and mead. I forget the tune, but it's about coming back from a raid and, well, getting some wenches and mead."
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:45 am
"Right, of course. Dodonna," Solv agreed. "I had no idea he sang. I'll have to ask if he has any songs from his homelands that he might be able to teach me."
Whether the younger lion spoke out of ignorance or intrigue, he probably wasn't going to get any juicy gossip out of Ingmar. And who would care anyway, at this point? The litter had grown up and was going about proving themselves to the world. Their own actions would soon be more telling than those of their father, whoever he was.
"I knew what you meant," he said. "I can try to figure out which of the many songs on the topic you want to hear and sing it for you if you like. But if you need any advice on the topic outside of song and story, I know a bit about that, too."
Always there was that fine line between condescension and good will. At heart Solv was no fighter, and he knew it, but that didn't stop him from playing his passive-aggressive games with the Reavers. The only reason any of them might have to suspect he was doing anything besides teasing them in good fun was if they remembered his childhood, which he had found few did. All Stormborn were born free and equal, it was said, but undeniably some were more equal than others.
"Are you sure I can't convince you to sit down? Just watching you pace is making me tired."
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 9:19 am
"I have to get my energy out. I can't sit down. As for the mead, I think I've gotten that much covered. The wenches will come, I think. At least, that's what Taraxa said. Ladies love Reavers." At least, the way the older Reavers told it. Ingmar hoped they were right. He spent so much time training to be a Reaver, he had very little experience with the females, except the ones that were also Reavers.
"Besides, I might get a thrall," Ingmar mused. Thralls were good. Female thralls were very good. Even if you didn't get cubs by them, they made less work for a wife. If he ever got one.
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 10:26 am
Hearing Ingmar repeat Taraxa's words about ladies loving Reavers rankled Solv, but there was proof that it wasn't only Reavers. Solv really did have very good luck when it came to females. He didn't win them with muscles and boasting though. He had to charm them, sometimes trick them. He resented it every so often, that he had to work so much harder just because he was stronger of mind than of body.
"Taraxa would know," Solvtorn said with a hint of a nasty smile. "He's always got someone to warm his den."
As far as Thralls went, Solv wasn't too interested in them. He was not one of the more important Freeborn in the pride, and so it was really not in his best interest to be seen associating with Thralls too much. He ordered them about and all that, but rarely did he socialize with them in any other way.
"You might. I wish you luck with that, then. The energy, the Thralls. Everything." He smiled again, a little insincerely, and began to walk away. He'd had enough of the over-energized Reaver-to-be. "Don't die in bed."
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Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:31 am
Ingmar nodded his goodbye, and decided to go find a place to have a good scratch. Solvtorn wasn't a bad guy, exactly, but Ingmar wasn't sad to see him go. He had none of the fellowship that Ingmar had with other hopeful reavers, nor did he have the experience to tell Ingmar much he need to know. He just never seemed content.
Leaving off of his pacing, Ingmar went off to find a tree with rough bark to take care of his itching.
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