Down Below
Venom looked over her shoulders once more to the village above. Not a person was out, and not a candle was lit. Convincing herself that no one was watching her she continued down the shadowed trail that led to the docks. Tonight was perfect: the full moon provided enough light so she wouldn't need a candle, and the cold winter air promised that no one would wake up to notice she was gone. Or where she had gone to. As she began to unbind a small row boat from a post some of the heavy vapor caught her arm causing her to shiver. It was probably snowing down bellow. Venom knew it would be cold tonight and had put on the warmest fur vest she owned. But it was still just a vest. Vikings needed to to have their arms free if they were needed in battle. Once she had the small boat free, she stood straight and looked over her shoulder once more for good measure. She still couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched.
She didn't see anybody in the forest, and the village was well out of sight. No candle lights anywhere. Shaking it off she loosened her shoulders and, deciding she was just being paranoid, hopped in the boat. Venom settled herself in the front of the boat with the two leather bound oars and began rowing. With each row the thick vapor was thrown up and flicked into the air in thin glittered wisps under the moon light. In only minutes the island she called home already had a good distance between the small boat, and was still gaining more. That is until she felt the boat softly but suddenly rock. In an instant she froze. That feeling of being watched had returned. That bad feeling... Venoms expression dropped.
"What are you doing here?" she growled. The response was a chuckle.
"Sneaking off at moon high into the clouds?" A male voice stated. "You practically called me here."
"Why did you follow me here? You know I cant talk to you." Venom heard movement and assumed he had shrugged.
"Just catching a ride."
Venom whipped around to look at the stow away. Havok as usual was cloaked in black and wearing his steel helmet with two sharpened horns sticking out the sides. He was leisurely lounging on the other end of the boat with his head propped up on his arm with a smirk that spelled trouble, plastered on his face. Venom glared at him. She wasn't going to let him just tag along.
"No, no! Look here, I'm going to row back, and your going to get off my boat and go home. Or I'm going to throw you off from here into the clouds!" Venom seethed. Havok only laughed.
"I'd like to see you try!" He mocked. " And this isn't even your boat!"
"Its been sitting at the docks for months rotting away! I patched it up that makes it mine!" She growled.
"Pfffft! That hardly makes it yours!" he laughed. Venom lunged forward and tried to grab at him by the front of his clothes, but just as she was about to make contact he vanished.Venom had forgotten about his little gifts. Havok had reappeared on the other end of the boat and mischievously snickered at Venom when she turned around with a dumbfounded expression. He waved his finger making a few 'tsk sounds from his mouth.
"Temper, temper. You wouldn't want anyone to find us out here would you?" Havok said. Venom scowled and cursed to herself when she realized how loud she had just been. she face palmed, which knocked her helmet crooked, then pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Whatever, but your not staying here!" Venom said much calmer, yet still very irritated. Havok shrugged.
"Okay Venom, you win. I'll go back. After all there is a large chance someone has noticed I'm not where I should be." Venom paled.
"And I'm sure there will be a lot of questions for where I've been and what I've been doing...Who I've been with." He said as he took one of the oars and sat down to start rowing.
"I'd go straight home if I were you as well. I mean I wont try to rat you out, but as you know Trench always knows when I'm lying, or I guess you don't know because no one is aloud to socialize with him either. Though-" Venom cut him off by grabbing the oar in his hand. Havok looked at Venom with a satisfied grin and knew he had won by the pained expression on her face as she swallowed her pride.
"Fine...you can stay." Venom said begrudgingly.
Venom knew how this would go. If anyone noticed he was gone they'd be checking all over the island. If she sent him home now he'd parade right to his house and let everyone know where he had been. Trench can tell if he's lying, yeah right. The only time he ever gets caught is when he wants to be. Everyone from here to Valhalla knew that. He lives for this kind of thing. Venom slumped back in her spot in the front of the boat and continued to row as Havok kicked back on his end of the boat.
"Why did you even come here?" Venom asked again. Since Havok knew he was here to stay for the time being, he figured it was okay to respond.
"Everyone's entitled to a little fun."
"Yeah, well your kind of fun doesn't always end well for everybody. Or should I say, Everybody else." Havok clutched his heart with a fake hurt expression.
"Your words are like venom!" He said dramatically.
"And trouble always follows havoc!" Venom retorted. Havok chuckled.
"Well played."
"I'm serious Havok, you cant have fun all of the time."
"Oh, whats the harm?" Havok asked as he idly played with a wisp of cloud.
"Harm? All you every do is make messes for everyone else!" Havok rolled his eyes. His smirk never leaving his face.
"You know I heard the ships are supposed to return tomorrow. There's supposed to be a feast to celebrate."
"Who told you that? The four other people who can talk to you? Cant be them since no one can talk to them either. Or maybe one of the elders? I doubt it since none of them even like to be around you..." Venom growled. She had been deliberately mean, and knew it had struck a cord with her troublesome stow away by his silence. Havoks smirk had faltered.
"One would have thought with hair as black as mine, you would enjoy the company instead of lashing out." Venom stopped rowing and chuckled darkly.
"My hair might be as black, but my ash grey eyes are accepted by others." Most of the vikings from Venom and Havoks island had blonde hair, even brown hair wasn't that common, but black? It almost never came about in their population. At least Venoms grey eyes set her apart from Havok.
"If it weren't for you, having black hair wouldn't be such a curse..." Havoks faltered smirk fell into an all out frown from Venoms cruel words.
"...You dont mean that..." He barley uttered above a whisper. Venom remained silent. It had seemed more like he was reassuring himself that, than making a statement. After a long silence between the two Havok decided to break the tension.
"So why are you out here?" With those six short words, for the first time that night, Venoms facial expression softened. Venom turned around to face Havok before she spoke.
"Haven't you ever wondered why we're up here? Why the gods cast the nine islands into the sky?" Havok threw his head back, and stared at the moon for a bit.
"To preserve the vikings way of life. And in doing so preserve themselves." He answered after a moment of thought.
"But why shouldn't we be able to go down bellow if we chose? Who decided that?" Havok paused. He hadn't expected to have a conversation like this when he snuck out.
"I don't believe its our place to question it. Why don't you become a scout if you have so many questions?"
"Heh, I plan on it. I love the stuff my mom brings back from down bellow." Upon hearing that comment Havok was reminded of something.
"...Wasn't your mother the one who was almost banished for having a child from down bellow?" Venom nodded. It obviously didn't bother her in the slightest.
"Huh...she's lucky she was so respected by everyone."
"Lucky her father is the tribes leader." Venom corrected. Havok noticed that instead of referring to him as her grandfather, he was merely recognized as her mothers father. Havok opened his mouth to question it, but decided against it and closed his mouth. He didn't know Venom well enough to ask.
Suddenly, close by a metal rod with a Blinking red beacon surfaced from the clouds. Venom saw this as just what she was looking for, picked up an oar and began to steer the boat towards it.
"What are you doing?" Havok asked. In the blink of an eye he had disappeared from his laid back position and reappeared standing lightly on the edge of the boat facing the rod.
"I just want a peak." Venom stated as she kept rowing towards the protruding rod. Havok or not, she was still going to do what she came out here to. Havok turned and stared at her with a shocked expression as it sank in what she meant.
"I don't think this is a good idea."
"Aw come on, You of all people know some rules were meant to be broke. Your here aren't you?" Venom chuckled. "Then again, You of all people would obey the gods rules without a question." She mocked. Havok glanced around nervously losing his normal easygoing demeanor.
"You shouldn't speak ill of the gods." he warned.
"I know...sorry." Havok smirked as venom tied the boat off to the rod.
"Your going to be in a lot of trouble if you get caught."
"I was in trouble the second you appeared in my boat."Venom said as she dropped the other end of the long rope down the other side of the boat.
"Ah, ah, ah. You were in trouble the second you decided to sneak off. Don't blame me for what happens next. Its not like I made you do anything, if anything you dragged me along in this. I'm the victim!"
"Yeah right, victim who wouldn't get off the boat! And if we get caught it's your fault since they're looking for you."
"I thought we decided that you were in charge? This is your boat right? And who's to say they'll find me? I sneak out all the time and get back in my bed before anyone can prove I was gone." Havok pointed out as Venom threw a leg over the side of the boat, tied the rope around her waist, and latched herself onto the rod.
"I still don't know about this." Havok stated, though with his smirk, he didn't seem very concerned.
"Aren't you supposed to be mischievous? Why so cautious?" Venom teased. Havok gasped dramatically.
"By the gods, has her majesty Venom, just graced me with friendly teasing? It cant be so!" Havok called down as Venom began her descent down the rod.
Venom rolled her eyes at his chuckles, but had to stop herself when she realized she almost smiled at his antics. Venom shook her head as she was reminded of years ago when her brother Stoic had asked Dementia for directions one day years ago without realizing who she was. Their aunt made him go pick out a switch. Venom scowled at the thought of that unpleasant memory growing up. Their kind is off limits. Venom looked up at the shadow of the boat above holding Havok inside. His kind is off limits. Trench, Asphyxia, Dementia, Bludgeon, and Havok... On that note, Venom noted she shouldn't leave Havok alone up there long enough to get bored. She could almost feel him cooking up something for when she came back.
As Venom climbed down the pole she noticed just how much colder it was the deeper she went into the cloud. She couldn't see the shadow of the row boat resting on top the cloud, or the red light of the rod anymore. In fact she couldn't even see anything really. The farther she got from the moon the darker and thicker the clouds became. They were so thick venom couldn't even see her legs well. Not even an outline, it was as if her body faded and disappeared the lower she looked. Venom was reminded that she did in fact still have legs when one of her feet slipped. On instinct Venom wrapped her arms and legs around the pole, causing her to slide down at an alarmingly rapid pace. Venom yelped and clamped her eyes shut as her death grip on the pole began to tighten. With this action her rapid descent slowed and came to an abrupt stop. When Venom was finally able to will her eyes to open and stop shaking she looked up. But upon realizing with the clouds it was impossible to tell just how far she had slipped, she looked down.
Venoms eyes widened in wonder. Several different colors had dyed the vapor bellow. Inching lower, shapes started to become clearer until she could see perfectly. Venoms jaw dropped. The two other times she had tried to look down bellow was nothing like this. Beneath the clouds were strange tall square buildings made of stone that reached clear into the clouds themselves. Every one of them were covered in glowing lights that escaped so many windows. Along the ground she could see thousands of red, whites and a few very bright blue lights moving in this labyrinth of a village. Venom couldn't even see the end of it all. Just more buildings and light covered stone trails.
Venom was so mesmerized she hardly even noticed that it was snowing, like she thought it would. She just kept looking at the captivating sight wondering, what she was missing, what it was like down there...Why everyone was kept from advancing. She was pulled from her thoughts when she vaguely heard Havoks distant voice.
"Venom! Hurry up! I think I hear a plane coming!"
Venom released a breath, and continued looking at the massive village with a shiver. She looked straight down and chuckled. Not because she had realized she was covered with snow, but because she had noticed the large pole she was currently on, was stationed on top of one of the stone buildings. Oh how she yearned to go get a better look around from ground level. It would be so easy right now... But as the wind picked up and changed direction, Venom turned and cut the image of the building from sight and began steadily climbing back up the pole. She knew there was no place for her down there, and if she didn't get going soon her home would be to far down wind to catch up with.
When she finally made it to the top of the pole and back into the blinking red light of the beacon, she found that the boat had been untied and was traveling in circles around the pole, five feet out of her reach. Inside Havok had on his signature smirk of mischief. Venoms lip curled into a nasty snarl when she met his mocking eyes. His unmistakable red eyes that glowed like fire embers under every light in contrast to his ghostly white skin. Venoms expression softened. She should have seen this coming, His kind or not, she had left him alone long enough to get bored and cause trouble.
What else should she expect from a son of Loki.
Okay! I'd just like to say that aside from this blog being for book reviews, I do have classwork assignments. This being one of them. Further more, I do not know a lot about Norse/Nordic mythology other than a few basics, but I do think that vikings and the Mythology are all pretty cool. Along with naming your kids after something nasty or tough to ward off evil spirits. Did vikings really do that? I don't know, but I've heard of it and liked the idea, hence the names for the characters in this. Lastly if I have time, or have another creative writing assignment, I might post follow up stories for this. That might clear up any confusion there might be. Like a chapter every now and then. If anybody has any comments or criticism, have at it.
