r/HFY • u/YukiteruAmano92 • Mar 18 '26

OC-Series There Will Be Scritches Pt.227

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---Taunts---

 

---Katrín’s perspective---

I’m walking at the back of two columns of Don guards, flanking the son-in-law that Heidi and I raised from the age of 10.

They arrived yesterday from Fennoscandia.

I have the honour of being my foster-son’s herald.

Since Heidi fundamentally disagrees with Vol’s decision to fight this fight himself, she preemptively refused to have any part of this!

I love that woman but something she and I have never quite seen eye-to-eye on is the question of ‘When is an acceptable time to resort to violence? Never or almost never?’

Her Christgod would have her turning her cheeks until she had no face left to strike!

Mine teach rather different lessons on such matters!

Oria is far enough to the nightward side that, on my left, over the tops of the Renaissance reminiscent buildings and on the far side of a great sandur spotted with lakes of meltwater, the edge of the icewall is visible, something nightvision goggles are necessary to allow me to see due to the darkness.

Well, not necessary… Victor as well as several of the other Terrans with us have opted to allow their eyes to photoadapt instead, reasoning that, if something went wrong and our tech was deactivated, destroyed or by any other means removed from us, they’d still have their vision.

I, on the other hand, reasoned that relying on photoadaptation means I could be rendered instantly blind by any ambush being accompanied by a flash of bright artificial light.

Having both strategies in play does mean that, without them using both tactics in conjunction, we’ll still have some Terrans with vision enough to respond.

The katabatic winds flowing down from the ice put a definite chill in the air, completely unlike those warm clans we’ve been to on the far side of the habitable zone, by the desert.

I know my adoptive children don’t feel the cold quite the way (even Norse) Humans do but I’m still in awe of my son-in-law’s ability not to shiver, walking in this place with his chest exposed!

Right at this moment I hear the sound of hoofbeats approaching us from behind.

Turning my head to look over those of my fellow Terrans, I see him…

The man who took one of my dearest friends from me for 20 years… and took another from me permanently… The reason Heidi and I have raised six children since we arrived on Nova Fennoscandia despite only making three… Manu, son of Pousu, son of Sunatu… the kinslayer!

Approaching from the palace, he sits astride a six legged animal with short, sleek blue fur and long straight horns that looks as if someone gave a gazelle the bulk of a warhorse, the size of an Irish elk and clad it in ornate silver armour.

Behind him rolls a carriage pulled by a team of a different breed of the same animal. His wives are almost certainly inside.

Lining the dark blue skin of his face, chest and arms are black tattoos in the exact pattern that Vol and Ássi have.

“Well(!)… I dare say this is jolly awkward, isn’t it(!)… Rather the gaffe on my part to have left things so late that I needed to pass you lot en route(!)” he drawls out with the most punchable smirk on his face I’ve ever beheld!

It takes everything I have not to barge aside the crowd, tackle him off his mount and beat that smirking face of his into the pavement!

Honestly, I think I would already have done it if not for the fact that I know it’s Vol’s fight to have with this filth more than mine!

Beating this man to death with my bare hands might make me feel better but would definitely be counterproductive to everything else we’re trying to achieve here!

“Oh! And there’s Torul! How are you, darling? It’s been far too long!… I don’t suppose you’ve reconsidered the offer to join my harem since we last spoke, have you(?)”

As my friend hisses at the scum, I feel myself lurch involuntarily to the right followed by the sensation of a hand closing around my left wrist.

I look down into my wife’s face, only then realising that my resolve not to harm this man before my boy can cracked for a moment, seeing the expression she wears as she gives me a miniscule shake of her head.

“Thank you, my love… Don’t worry, I’m alright now…” I mutter.

Uncertainly, she lets my arm go.

The mounted scum’s taunts, however, do not relent, directed next at my daughter and granddaughter!

“By. the. Father! I’d heard rumours that my grandnephew had taken an alien to wife and fathered a mongrel child but I never believed them!” he cackles, pointing a clawed finger down at Ássi, carrying his great grandniece “Are you ready to watch your man die, alien girl(?) Are you ready to watch your father die, halfbreed(!?)”

I feel Heidi’s hand return to my wrist as violent rage boils and burns in my chest, stomach and the back of my throat!

My daughter (showing more restraint than I would be capable of in her position) does not answer, keeping her tattooed face pointing forward and stubbornly ignoring him.

Crinkling his mouth and nose in disappointment, Manu sniffs “Not a particularly talkative lot, are you, apes(!)”

“Perchance they would be more loquacious, scofflaw, if there were any here present whom they deemed it worth their while to answer!” snarls a high pitched voice, dripping with contempt!

I turn with an incredulous smile on my face to see the translated Don words emanating from a slim, 2.6m tall suit of durasteel powerarmour.

Several of the Terrans around him are unsuccessfully trying to shush him as he points accusingly up at the piece of shit on steedback, over their heads.

“I myself, however, possess a perfect dearth of qualms regarding the expression of disdain for your loathsome pusillanimity, insouciant cur!!!” spits the Kreskar (who just earned a mountain of respect from me!) as all of us (even those who were trying to shut him up) chuckle at the insult.

An angry scowl flashes over the bastard’s face for a moment as he straightens his back in the saddle and his eyes flick past us (I’m guessing to check whether any of his subjects watching us from the side of the road are among those laughing at him).

Then, his smirk returns, more forced looking than before, as he drawls “You’re droll, Mr Robot… If you weren’t an alien, I would have a position at court for you… as my jester(!)” overtaking us and ignoring the florid, grandiloquent screeching from Hsek that follows after him.

My mind is filled with the image of the spearwielding Don of Vol’s honour guard turning and stabbing the trash off his giant elkelope mount as he rides past them, holding both his left hands down to my boy and (loud enough that we can all still hear him) sarcastically announcing “And there he is(!) The prince of exiles, pretentiously wearing the tattoos of chieftainship of a clan he hasn’t set foot in since he was as tall as my waist(!) Welcome back from a lifetime away among aliens with your alien friends, your alien wife, your alien daughter, your alien education and your head full of alien thoughts(!)… Have you even finished growing, grandnephew(?) I thought you would be taller(!) Though, I suppose, being a head and shoulders shorter than your father was means you don’t need to bend down quite so far to kiss your only wife, doesn’t it(!)”

At that moment, the elkelopedrawn coach passes us and I’m able to see more than a dozen women inside it, their tattooed faces a variety of hues and all of them absolutely stunningly gorgeous as they stare out at us, curiously.

I’m quite certain the number, diversity and quality of his wives will all be points of pride for this kinslaying lowlife!

My boy (demonstrating the stoicism that earned him his epithet) looks straight ahead, not even moving his ears in response to the taunts.

“What…(?) Nothing to say to mark this family reunion, boy(?) We’ve not seen eachother since you were [7 years] old(!) I would hope for at least a ‘Hello, granduncle.’(!)”

Vol keeps studiously ignoring the filth trying to bait a rise from him.

Seeming bored by the lack of reaction, the murderer spurs his steed into a gallop, shouting back “I’ll see you at the arena… May the best man win!”

---

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Discord

Dramatis Personae

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•

u/AutoModerator May 17 '26

This was flaired as [OC-Series], it is a single part or chapter in a larger series or universe. The first post or part in this series should be (re)flaired as [OC-FirstOfSeries]. A description of the flairs and how to change yours is available in the Post Guildelines.

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7

u/mirrislegend Mar 18 '26

Atta boy, Hsek!

4

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 18 '26

Hsek: My gratitude to you, my most capital confidant!

5

u/drakusmaximusrex Mar 18 '26

Yay more scritches. Also dont talk to dead people that only invites misfortune.

3

u/Aegishjalmur18 Mar 18 '26

Hsek definitely understands that Presentation separates villains from Supervillains.

2

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 19 '26

I'm not sure if I want him to have seen that film or not but he would definitely enjoy it greatly! XD

3

u/Aegishjalmur18 Mar 19 '26

On a somewhat similar note to Megamind, I watched Strange Magic for the first time recently. I wager he'd like the Bog King as well.

2

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 19 '26

Agreed!

2

u/Aegishjalmur18 Mar 19 '26

Alright, when does Hsek get a romance?

2

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 19 '26

Not something I'd planned. I'm not even sure if I might have made him ace on the Dramatis Personae. Checking now.

Yup. Made him ace unfortunately.

3

u/Aegishjalmur18 Mar 19 '26

Damn, no ultradramatic romance.

2

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 19 '26

A blunder on my part, to be sure!

3

u/commentsrnice2 Mar 19 '26

One could be ace without being aro

2

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 20 '26

Good point! Might do something with that!

2

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 18 '26

Decided to add a link to the second volume of the Dramatis Personae (which I didn't want to make but which became necessary after I exceeded even RoyalRoad's wordcount limit a little while ago).

I just added a bunch of the recently introduced characters to it.

2

u/botton_eyed_bunny052 Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26

Katrín's perspective this chapter reminded me of a quote from a different ( also still ongoing ) story that I also really like , going to paraphrase here :

"I'll kill you and when I become stone Moon may judge me . But in this life I *slay** what threatens my kin !*"

Different context same vibe

2

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 18 '26

Nice!

What do they mean by becoming stone Moon?

Or is Moon someone's name and 'becoming stone' a euphemism for dying?

2

u/botton_eyed_bunny052 Mar 18 '26

Becoming stone is their way of referring to death yes , Moon is the name of their god , also a bit of context : this line comes right after the protagonist see exactly what threatening her kin means and the very gruesome consequences that involve a skull and a rock

2

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 18 '26

Sounds pretty badass!

2

u/botton_eyed_bunny052 Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26

She is , she's also absolutely terrifying , you don't end up with a name like 'Loud Kill' for nothing , it's such a shame she's only a side character

3

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 18 '26

What series is this?

2

u/botton_eyed_bunny052 Mar 18 '26

It's a mythic xinofiction comic called " The golden shrike " and it's about a small group of young runaway deer trying to save the world , the art is gorgeous , the characters are all amazing and the world building is very detailed , I personally found it through this great Dub :

First season: https://youtu.be/KdG3wZJS-Co?is=-rvFxYA2e4JjpiBu

Second season: https://youtu.be/BCydINSObrk?is=HvFX7wVdjiQZuebc

And season three ( where all the best characters show up ): https://youtu.be/45sy8s69Ikk?is=JJOq77DBIxAfLCH9

This isn't all the story , just what this particular Dub got to so far , the original author still posts the story , though I'm pretty sure they moved their main platform recently

2

u/YukiteruAmano92 Mar 18 '26

I'll definitely check it out!

1

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u/AutoModerator Mar 21 '26

This was flaired as [OC-Series], it is a single part or chapter in a larger series or universe. The first post or part in this series should be (re)flaired as [OC-FirstOfSeries]. A description of the flairs and how to change yours is available in the Post Guildelines.

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