#rivervale_lodge

"For good reason. She's a legend."

"I'm still new."

"But a promising legend in the making"

SNORT.

"Tove and Torin both have songs of you"

"Well, they have a song about Buddy, too. And Oak and Edie."

"And Odin."

"Odin's a god, why wouldn't he have some songs about him?" Confusion. He may not have remembered or even met her cat

"Odin is a cat."

"Oh, that explains so much" A smile, "Felines might still claim divniity, of course. Egypt got into their head. Felinus domesticanus may be closer to this..." he makes a gesture of a cat sized bundle inhis hands, then flings , "But they see themselves like this"

And sudenly he is bending . blurring, and is a great snow white tiger

"Show-off."

No ire.

"A bit" The tiger rumbles "I suppose I do enjoy the accolades as much as any other individual. But Show off or not, I hope it's at least somewhat impressive, and useful t othe lodge"

"I guess? Not a lot of snow tigers here, though."

"The chieftain pointed out similar... so I tend to take chimercal forms or Bobcats. Though Siv did insisst on the two of us becoming Narwhals once"

"Narwhals are cool. Did you hear about the guy in London?"

"Yes, did you know the gentleman was a Hearht and a troll? "

"I didn't."

"Well, so the rumors are saying among the kithain community. Apparently the Narwhal horn is what mortals saw but it was actually a potent spear"

"Oh..." A frown. "That's not as cool."

"Maybe the stories are wrong and it IS a horn? "

"Well, a troll running in is exactly that."

"But some average guy, grabbing what he could because he should?"

"Mmm I see you have a point. Who is to say what the story is? Believe the one you think the best until we know the truth "

"I hope it was a guy, but I guess a troll makes sense."

"Trolls aren't guys? His mortal frame was not bullet proof, or even knife proof. If he was a troll, unwyrded, then he risked his life... and.. as a changeling, he is also mortal..."

"We have magic and balefires."

"True, but if he didn't have the right realm, his magic wouldn't do a thing against that mortal.. again, IF he was a troll. .I'm saying that perchance, you shouldn't let the fact that most trolls are guardians make their courage any less miraculous."

"It isn't miraculous, though. It's our duty."

"Isn't that a miracle? That we even exist in this cold world?" A thoguht "Sometimes I'm surprised we manage"

Brow furrows.

"I don't think we should expect to be treated like it's a miracle we do our duty."

"If we didn't, would we still be trolls?"

"You know I .." the features shift, the tiger turning ton a troll "I think that's an intersting point worthy of debate. Some trolls have failed in history. Some have even been oathbroken, and not by Liam ways, and remained trolls. But they also strove to reclaim their honor ... and that is...part of us... we are more complex than we seem We are flawed"

"And wonderful too"

"Trolls protect. They fight for stuff bigger than themselves, and since we're huge, that is actually saying something."

A chuckle at that "It is saying something"

"I mean, don't you like knowing that?"

"Having a purpose?"

A thought "Yes. I admit I do. I need to keep occupied. I need to ..mean something, I need all this, to mean something"

"But I don't want to assume I only do it because of what I am. We still have choices on how we embrace what we are"

"Maybe you're what you are because you do it."

"Maybe, philosophy is a worthy subject of study. Do you think one can be a troll without duty?"

"No."

"Mmm I suppose even our unseelie have duty, just passion first"

"Exactly."

"What of Siv? She doesn't seem able to decide on a duty"

"Unseelie follow Dagda, and Unseelie take Oaths."

Snort.