Odin Is My Guide (Say/Open)

[Brogan Kilvayne]

He journeyed unto Mimir's Well
That in Ultimate Knowledge He may dwell,
Sacrificed an eye for true sight
So great Yggdrasil might divulge it's light.

Brogan strode with pride and joy in every step toward the people who had come to his Wild Hunt in honor of Yule. It was a fine day, to be sure. A few days before many of those in attendance were also gathered at the trial of Christian Moynahan. The repercussions of that day were far from this place, however. Now was a time for joy and togetherness.

Now was the time for the Wild Hunt.

Brogan had readied the horses, and he had prepared several birds of prey should the attendees fancy some falconry. His land had many game animals, small to large. Afterwords, he would field dress and butcher the game for his guests, and they would choose the entrees for a grand feast. It would be most glorious, indeed.

The Yule log, and tree were waiting in the lodge as well. Sayeva and Adrianna had helped to decorate the tree, and it was rather tastefully done, befitting the caliber of the women themselves. The lodge was dubbed Wild Haven, and it would be a second home to Brogan and his new family for many years to come, he had decided. Here, being close to nature- it was perfect really. They had a forest to hunt, and fields to plant. A dream lost in time, it was.

He was not attired in the standard elite hunting garb, but in something more naturalistic. He was essentially wearing animal hides stitched into something akin to armor. A jerkin, breeches, boots and gloves. Around his broad shoulders was a black bear's pelt. He wore a helm with a buck's antlers fastened into it. In his hands he held a wooden spear, iron tipped. He looked like a perfect warrior-druid- the perfect officiator of this event. The final touch was an eye-patch placed upon his left eye. He had grown his beard out, as well.

To any who looked upon him, he was Odin the Allfather in the flesh.

"Hail, my friends and family!" Brogan announced, " Now begins the first of many Wild Hunts to come. Today, ye shall know me as Odin Yulefather- and my lovely bride Sayeva shall be as Frigg. Prepare thy-selves, and let us soon make haste to begin the hunt!"


Brogan was visibly excited at the prospect of starting this adventure. He hadn't really been the host of something like this, really. Say, Sophie, Adrianna and he had been rather private people up until now. This would be a good change of pace.

[Sayeva Reardon]

Born and raised
raised in the cage
scramble in the maze
society’s built

Just as her beloved had chosen to dress in a manner so commonly attributed to Odin, Sayeva had chosen a gown much like one Frigg would wear. The gown should not have been taken lightly, however - the thin fabric of the skirt was only there for show, and beneath it she wore hunting pants, and boots to match the same. She did wear a tiara on her head, which also served to sweep her hair out of the face.

Really, the hair and the outfit did not matter much. The odds that Sayeva would transform into another animal were extremely high. She preferred to hunt as her hyena, or as her tiger, or as her lion. Here on Brogan’s lands, she was free to hunt in her hyena form, as it was normally the least likely to be explained away as “escaped from the zoo.” She had only an arrow and quiver with her, as she knew she would not need them for long.

There was a towel and a change of clothes in one of the saddlebags. Sayeva was completely used to being naked, but she doubted that her intended wanted the other men to see her in that state. Not out of jealously, perhaps, just… well, because she was his. The clothes she had stowed away were less fancy than the ones she wore presently, astride a horse. She beamed as her Odin announced the hunt, and spurred her horse lightly, ready to go when Brogan gave the signal.

If he hunt had happened before Christian's trial, he would have had to point out that he was free to travel the state of California, not just Los Angeles. Dakari had been victorious in that muh, as she had been victorious in just about everything else. Now, he figured, as a good time to vent a little of that after-trial adrenaline. Besides, what better way to spend the last few days after his trial than in the (relative) wild, hunting game with friends?

He had dressed far more traditionally than Brogan. There was a traditional quiver of arrows on his back, and a bow in his hand, as well as a switchblade in his pocket. As if he really needed them. He could gain more of any of those via his ability. But this was a traditional hunt, and he was going the traditional route, unless necessity required otherwise. He happened to be trained in archery, and he was good enough at it, not perfect, but good enough to not make a fool of himself.

He could also ride a horse well, because he had taught himself to do it. He had never been hunting before, but, like everything else, he wanted to give it a try, simply to learn it. His curiosity never ended, and his adventurous spirit never let him back down from a new challenge. He too nudged his horse in the right direction and nodded to Brogan.

Dakari was perhaps the least familiar with any of what was going on. She knew how to ride a horse well enough because it had been a necessity in some parts of Jamaica when she was growing up, but it had been many years since she had ridden one. She had almost picked out something cutesy to wear, but functionality was far more important in these matters, as she understood well. So her outfit was a leather blouse and riding pants, and tall boots.

Her chosen weapon was a crossbow. She was not very familiar with the weapon, but she was a trained sharpshooter, and short of using a gun - which she hated and which would have ruined the whole thing anyway - she figured either that or a regular bow would have been close. The crossbow resembled a rifle more closely, since a bow put her focus sideways, and required a pull rather than a pull mechanism. She hoped her logic was right.

Like Sayeva and Christian, Gabriel carried a bow and quiver. He really did not plan to get close enough to the animals for them to take a bite out of him. It was not quite that he was a coward, he just did not really want to die. Besides, he had enough scars already. Next to Christian, he tossed his head toward Odin and Frigg. “Are you getting the feeling that we’re not in San Diego anymore?” he joked quietly, softly enough so that only those immediately next to him could hear. He was not making fun of their leaders; he found their representations beautiful in a way, and that was exactly how he meant it.

Words: 808.
Attire: Described in post.
Excerpt: Condemned? “Big Time Game Hunting.”
Comments: yes, I used the song for the title.

[Lucius Kilvayne]

An ancient forest beckons me
To run skyclad amongst the trees
My lusty spear, it cannot wait
The gentle deer to penetrate
Cernunnos, Lord of Beasts, he grunts:
"Come join us for the Wylde Hunt!"

Lucius Kilvayne had come to hunt. He was not overly skilled in such things, but he had researched it thoroughly enough when he was first invited to Brogan's land for a Wild Hunt. He was wearing a fur coat, a mock up of a wolf pelt, and under it simple clothing- black shirt and denim pants. In his hand he was holding a spear, as he wouldn't want Brogan to show him up on this activity. If his ancestor was going to use the ancient weapon, so too would Lucius. But he had also brought a rifle, and that was slung across his back. Horseback riding was something he was not unfamiliar with, fortunately. He hung close to Dakari, and listened to Brogan's greeting.

“Are you getting the feeling that we’re not in San Diego anymore?”

"It is good for setting the mood, I must say," Lucius answered with a slight feeling of self awareness. He too had taken a more old timey way of dressing. Adrianna nodded in agreement, as she too was dressed in ancient fashions. She had a certain sylvan style to her, Lucius had to admit. With a green shirt and brown leather accentuating to make the forest theme hit home. The fancy bow she had likely found among Brogan's belongings- or had been given by the ancestor as a Yuletide gift, perhaps- finished the huntress look off.

Lucius and Adrianna mounted their assigned horses. When the mounting process was completed, Brogan spoke again. It was now time to begin the Hunt. He let loose the hounds, and mounted his own horse.

Brogan raised a horn he had been wearing at his side, and blew into it. The trumpet sound nine times, a hail to the nine worlds, and a reference to the nights Odin hung from Yggdrasil to gain the runes. Then he sounded three times for the Norns. In all the number was twelve- the same as the number of days for Yule.

"The Wild Hunt begins now!" he shouted, as he spurred his horse into the green thicket of the forest. " Follow the hounds, and find thy quarry!"

Lucius wasted no time, and his horse was soon racing to joint he Wild Hunt. The dog he was following was one of few breeds that could hunt wild boar,an English mastiff, and Lucius knew that either he or Brogan would be bringing home the bacon today. Soon enough the quarry was spotted. It was a massive boar, and it was nearly caught by the mastiff, with an American bulldog closing in to assist. Brogan signaled to Sayeva, and Lucius to Dakari.

"May the best Kilvayne couple win that pig," Lucius said taunting his ancestor.

"Then he is already mine!" Brogan said, the two men racing toward it.

[Sayeva Reardon]

After Lucius, Brogan was starting to become Gabriel’s favorite Kilvayne. The man was both wise and fun, and knew how to be either or both in any situation. Here, there was a certain amount of playfulness, but the seriousness of engaging in a hunt. He chuckled softly at Lucius; remark; the setting did fit the mood. It was something like a reenaction, he figured, in many ways. He listened for the sound of the horns, then started behind the hounds, in the group among the rest of them.

Dakari grinned as one Kilvayne challenged the other. “Game on,” she called, joining Lucius’ side, ready to draw her crossbow at any time, as soon as she had a clear enough view of it. Her sight was very clear, but there were the others as well as the hounds to consider. The dogs caught up to an animal quickly - a boar, Dakari was pleased to see. There would be nothing to this. Spurring her horse on with her legs, she raised her crossbow and aimed it.

Sayeva took off at Brogan’s side. Easily the most practiced at hunting of any of them save Brogan, she was certain that she and her love would win this challenge easily. They might even have to slow down for these rookies.

“Men!” Sayeva shouted at Dakari, who laughed and shook her head. Sayeva was also ready to take down the boar; to her, this was easy. She had a clear shot of the boar, and was sorely tempted to transform into her hyena form to finish it off, but that would hardly be a sportsmanlike thing to do. So she smiled to herself instead, racing ahead to close in with the hounds.

An arrow sliced through the air and cleanly into the boar’s neck.

It was all science, really. Christian had followed the hounds, and anticipated them. The boar was running from them, and it was not hard to guess where it might go to escape them. From there, Christian had mapped out a trajectory of a series of points the boar would reach and which would be the best shot. It was only matter of choosing the right spot.

He rode down to meet the others as they finished off the boar. Admittedly, he was one of the best archers present - having studied archery for a while - but using that skill in practice had been an entirely different matter. Having made his mark was a satisfying feeling.

Words: 415.
Attire: Described in first post.
Excerpt: None.
Comments: I couldn’t find lyrics! :/