Orm✒️

"This just shows you're not mature enough to help!" The words that started their fight and that made her leave. She hadn't been listening and it was a critical situation, but now his words were echoing in his mind. He coughed and winced at the pain in his ribs.
"I'm sorry, Fjäll," he whispered to the empty forest, as he laid on the shore of the river, his deathbed. He fell asleep. Suddenly something yanked at the skin on his neck, and the sensation of being pulled out of the water made him realize he had even been in the water.
"Orm? Orm?" A tiny voice called for him. Suddenly his eyes opened and as he coughed, water poured out of his mouth. The other wolf embraced him! "Oh Orm, the tide almost took you!"
"The tide?" Orm blinked his eyes as he lifted his head and looked around, suddenly everything came back to him, "Skugga, why are you still here?"
He looked at the girl, her black eyes showed no secrets to him, but then he saw her injured leg and he sprung up on his own legs just before they both heard wolves approaching. Skugga was limping, so he pulled her up on his back and ran as fast as he could. His throat and lungs felt like they had thorns in them, and just as they reached the outskirts of Tyrs härd, his broken ribs crackled and he collapsed.
"Hurry," he yelled at Skugga, who turned to run toward the camp.
Someone grabbed his tail and he was being dragged away. Orm relaxed despite this, relieved that Skugga was safe now. But then the motion stopped and Orm looked to see what was going on. Growls and snarls reached his ears as he saw someones face being ripped open by mighty claws. The enemies whimpered as they scuttered away.
Orm woke up in an unfamiliar cave. His legs were a bit sore, so was his chest, but he felt alright enough to sit up and scratch his ear. He looked around him. Underneath his paws was soft bedding, and there were belongings stored in the cave, as well as some unlit lanterns. He imagined how cozy the cave would be once they were lit. Familiar eyes entered the cave and glowed onto him.
"Orm!" Fjäll attacked him in an embrace but then pulled away quickly, "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
Orm shook his head as his chest was filled with warmth, as if he was going to erupt with happiness.
"No, I'm not hurting," his words caused another attack and she started kissing his face, and Orm felt like he was melting underneath her.
"You're the dumbest wolf alive," she told him, and Orm saw tears in her eyes. He pulled her down on the ground with him and laid his arm over her.
"I'm fine," he said, and he looked at her brilliant white eyes and he couldn't help but smile. Nothing in the world mattered other than her and this cave and this moment. But then she started crying.
"I'm sorry Orm, I'm sorry I left you, but you said such hurtful things," Orm thought she was recounting the events he had been, but, "when you said that I wasn't ready to have pups, I- I, I mean.. if you don't want to have pups with me, th-that's fine-"
Her words turned into sobs and Orm lifted his head, stroked her cheek with his paw and made hushing noises.
"Fjäll, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were carrying that with you, is that why you were angry with me that night?" Orm held his breath as she nodded, and Orm didn't want to say it but he knew that was also why she had pups with someone else, "I didn't mean it like that, Fjäll. I do want pups with you. I want everything with you. It was a stupid thing to say. You're right, I am the dumbest wolf alive!"
She peeked up at him and he could hint a shy smile on her face.
"I mean it, Fjäll, I should not have said that," as he looked at her she seemed so small, and still she fought off three enemy wolves to save him as if it was nothing, she was truly remarkable, "and having pups with you would be an honour that I don't deserve."
"You do," Fjäll licked his lips affectionately, and Orm couldn't help himself anymore, he finally kissed her for the first time.
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"Don't tell Borg that you live here," Fjäll instructed Orm a few days after she had promised him he could stay. His old cave at Himles territory wasn't an option anymore. Orm just sighed at her. He understood why she wouldn't want her brother to know, and she probably wanted to tell him herself. Orm himself was scared to face Borg, and tell him that he had blown his mission. After a week of hiding, he couldn't stand it anymore. He showed himself to the alpha with his head hanging.
"Borg, I'm sorry-" was all he got out before being embraced.
"I've been so worried, Orm! No one has seen you for several weeks!" His old friends voice was less scary than Orm had imagined.
"I failed, Borg. I blew my cover," Orm shook his head.
"I won't hear it, Orm. I know what you did, you saved Skugga, she told me all about it," Borg was more commanding than he had ever been, "do you know how distraught the pack would've been to lose our little princess? I'm throwing a party for you tonight!"
And so he did, and it was an amazing party. Skugga stood on the alphas hill with Borg when she told everyone what happened that night. She had been on another mission to find out the enemy packs secrets, when they found out who she really was. They were planning to do horrible things to her, and Borg heard them plotting it, so he had to intervene. Skugga told the story as if he was the greatest hero she had ever seen, he fought off the others and kept them occupied while Skugga fled, but appearently she couldn't leave him behind and she found him beaten up in the river.
"I thought he was dead, it was awful, but I didn't want his body to be washed away in the stream anyway, so I pulled him out, but he was alive!" The whole pack was quietly listening to the story. "That's when I heard wolves approaching, they were many. My leg was badly injured and Orm was half drowned, so I accepted my death right then and there."
The crowd gasped sorrowfully and some whispered.
"But suddenly, Orm rose up to his legs as if nothing was wrong, and then he picked me up. He was so fast, I had no doubts we would make it home! After carrying me to safety, he chose to stay behind and fight off the enemy once more!"
The pack cheered and howled!
"I have never seen such bravery since my father saved me all those years ago," the crowd seemed to remember that instance as well, and some hailed Yggs name, "I owe this wolf, Orm, my life. Thank you for listening."
Skugga walked down from the hill, and someone nudged Orms side, telling him good job, while another called him a hero. Borg exclaimed Skalds name and instructed him to sing a song, and so he did.
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