God of War: Daughter of War

The two years following the family saving the three wolves was more of the same, as Flurry found that their days were full of training, learning how to master themselves, or in Atreus' case master his emotions so they didn't explode at the wrong moment, and surveying their woods to be sure no uninvited visitors got through the protection stave. They found that both Speki and Svanna were great runners and even greater listeners, thus allowing Kratos and Atreus to train them to pull a sled that Pandora made, along with harnesses that wouldn't hurt the wolves, which were easy to put on and take off. Fenrir was exempt from pulling the sled, but Kratos did make sure he pulled his own weight by assisting in some of the hunts, mostly to catch deer for all three of them and even the family from time to time, and he found that the wolf definitely bonded with Atreus. In addition to the sled Pandora also made sure to make some homes for the wolves, Speki and Svanna's was near the river, in an area that remained unfrozen thanks to Flurry's runes, and they also had an eternal burning fire, once more thanks to Flurry's magic, while Fenrir had his own resting place between the two houses.

Of course that didn't stop all three of them from hanging out with Atreus, since he treated them far nicer than his father did, as he made sure they were clean and didn't sustain any injuries while they were out, but Kratos was fine with this, since it meant his son could handle some responsibilities.

Flurry found that there was a constant problem as the weeks and months went by, occasionally she found more of the kol raiders, as she discovered what they were officially called at one point, and they continued to hunt wolves, capturing them and eating them like the clan her family had rescued their wolves from. The reason she considered this to be a problem wasn't due to the fact that they were having trouble with the groups in question, rather it was because encountering them seemed to undo all of Atreus' progress in mastering his emotions. Between encounters their father cracked down on his training and did what he could to help Atreus control all of his emotions, eventually allowing her brother to undo some of his changes, only to lose his progress when he laid eyes on how the wolves were being treated. It was an unending cycle, he was able to make progress and revert his changes, and then when he said he was ready Flurry tracked down another kol raider camp and they found that his rage exploded all over again, to the point where she started to wonder if they were ever going to break her brother's curse.

Such a thing caused her to carefully check out the cursed mirror and the curse, mostly to see if there were ways to break the curse and undo what was happening to her brother, though a portion of her time was also devoted to a new type of training, teaching Atreus how to use his wings. She discovered that while Atreus was skilled at other things, such as languages, which Mimir was helping him fully master since the head knew more about the other cultures of the world as well, he really had no skill in using his wings or flying in general, despite her lessons. It was actually kind of funny when she watched it happen, as there were times where he fell face first into the snow, his healing coming in and tending to his injuries when he relaxed and focused his mind, and when she wasn't doing that she was making sure he knew how to move with his tail. Atreus was able to deal with the tail quite easily, in fact he had taken to incorporating it into their training to try and throw his father off, an interesting tactic that Kratos had gotten used to thanks to fighting so many gorgons in the past.

Of course Atreus did have to complain about how he slept, since he didn't have Flurry's ability to hide her wings, because it meant he had to sleep with his chest facing his bed, wings draped over the edges of his bed, hands and feet pulled close to him while his tail coiled close to his head, almost like he was an animal and not a person.

Flurry had told him that it could have been worse, because eventually the curse was going to do more than give him a pair of wings or a tail that he could use to help take down their enemies, as dragons were massive creatures and that meant that her brother was going to experience a massive growth spurt if they didn't break the curse. There was also the fact that his body would start to be covered in scales, his form would begin to match what they had seen when they found Fafnir, and he would no doubt gain the power of an elemental breath attack, either lightning or fire based on what she had seen so far from all of the other dragons. Plus she knew that if Atreus went too far they might lose him entirely, since she was sure that Fafnir and his fellows, Otr and Reginn, either lost their minds or were significantly changed while retaining some fragments of their original personality, something her brother agreed with, he'd rather not reach that point. Of course that didn't stop him from being annoyed with his training, since he couldn't quite get the hang of flying with his wings, but Flurry knew that it was just his upbringing, as he wasn't used to them, unlike how she had grown up with hers and was used to how to use them in both combat and navigating an area.

All they could do was keep up their training and hope that one day Atreus mastered the art of flying, or managed to tame his emotions so he didn't have outbursts when he faced something that enraged him, while facing the dangers of Fimbulwinter and whatever else might be thrown their way in the future.

Kratos let out a sigh as he stared at the cave walls that were around him, taking a break from making a couple of arrows for his son since they were still teaching him not to rely on magical arrows that replenished themselves after some time, where he pulled out the pouch that had carried Faye's ashes and stared at it for a time, remembering the good times they shared before she passed.

"I'm back." Atreus said, entering the cave that they used between heading out into the snow covered woods and the area their home was in, not noticing that his father put the pouch away before collecting all of the arrows he had made, though as he said that he set down the deer he had hunted.

Kratos nodded and held the bundle of arrows out for his son to take, allowing him to get a better view of his fourteen year old son who was taller and more mature than he had been during their first adventure, and his attire had been altered over the years to accommodate his growing body. The fur portion had been shifted to Atreus' right shoulder and the vest was designed to provide him with all the warmth he could ever want, plus it was yellow and had a sash that was similar to the old sash Kratos wore back in Greece, sort of embracing both his Greek side and his Norse side. He had changed the position of his quiver over the years, because his wings seemed to be a permanent addition to his body, since his rage at all of the kol raiders was preventing him from breaking the curse, so his quiver was resting above where his tail was located. He looked more like a warrior these days, a ranger to be exact, that was crossed with a dragon, but they had trained him to use each of his alterations well and he had grown stronger as a result, all while still looking for a way to break the curse so he could return to his normal form.

In addition to that Kratos had also added a furred shoulder piece that rested on both of his shoulders and even resembled a cape a little, black furred to be exact, though he shelved that thought as he finally stood up and followed his son outside, who was carrying the deer quite well on his own, while Pandora was tending to the sled and Flurry took to the air once she knew everyone was ready to go.

Kratos did notice that his son was looking at something after setting the deer down on the sled, though whatever item he was interested in was ignored a few seconds later as he and Pandora climbed onto the front of the sled, allowing him to take his position near the controls. Once everyone was in position Kratos got the wolves moving and they rushed off without even wasting a second, as they were well trained and knew exactly what to do, all while at the same time directing them through the frozen nature of the woods, a place everyone was used to these days. While that happened he spotted a bright falcon in the air and guessed that it had to be Freya, as she had undone more of her curses over the years but was still trapped in this realm, least she be ripped out and thrown back into Midgard if she tried to travel. Of course that was impossible since Odin, to prevent his enemies from moving about the Nine Realms, had found a way to seal Realm Travel for nearly everyone that wasn't himself or select dwarves, since Sindri and Brok could likely still do such a thing, but that didn't stop Freya from trying to break that curse, just in case Realm Travel was restored.

It was hard to tell if she wanted to tell them something or not, but from what Kratos could tell she seemed to be checking up on them, because a few moments later Freya turned and headed back to her home, no doubt to see if Baldur was back and keep up their defenses to be sure their home remained safe as well.

"I hope Fenrir got some sleep while we were gone... it would be nice to see him eat a little more." Atreus commented, as his friend had grown weak over the last half year and it had worried him, despite the fact that Flurry's alteration to the barrier was supposed to protect everyone that was under it.

"He is... quite sick, Atreus. You must ready yourself for what is to come." Kratos said, because they knew Fenrir was sick, it was his older age coming to bite him, as there was no way for an actual disease to get him, especially since the other wolves were as healthy as can be.

Atreus, of course, wasn't ready to admit that his wolf companion might die in the near future, even though he did admit that Fenrir was sick, causing Kratos to focus on the path that was ahead of them while Pandora kept an eye out for enemies, only to find that there were none for them to worry about. Such a thing meant they were able to reach the edge of the protection stave with ease and enter their home without wasting too much time, to which Kratos brought them to a stop once they were on the other side of the gate they had installed after taking the wolves in. While he closed the gate, however, Pandora undid the harnesses so Speki and Svanna could wander over to the river that ran nearby and get some water, though Atreus did lift the deer they had acquired and placed it on one of the nearby branches, stepping out of the way so the wolves could start eating it. Kratos couldn't help but give a little nod of satisfaction, indicating that he was proud of his son, just like he was proud of his daughters as well, and once Atreus was ready to head back up to their home they headed up the path so they could check on Fenrir, which was around the time that Flurry landed nearby.

What they discovered, however, was that Fenrir was definitely far weaker than they recalled him being and Atreus rushed over to his side, discarding his bow in the process, where he sat and let the wolf rest his head on his legs, while his family found that while Atreus wanted him to eat something, anything since he cut the meat into smaller pieces for him, Fenrir just didn't have the strength to eat. Flurry sighed and told her brother that it was time, he needed to let Fenrir go, though while he seemed to fight the idea that the wolf was actually dying, in the end Atreus let out a sad sigh as he started to talk to the wolf, who seemed to understand what was going on. They knew it was hard for him to let go of someone he had bonded with, even if that someone happened to be a wolf, so Kratos and his daughters remained silent as Atreus tended to Fenrir, addressing his strengths while the wolf licked him a few times as Flurry found that he looked sad as well. Eventually Atreus moved into what seemed to be a phrase that only he knew the meaning of, though it seemed to work well as Fenrir's eyes grew dim as his soul, his literal soul as Flurry looked at it, emerged from his mouth as four tiny wisps, three escaping into the air while the fourth disappeared into Atreus' dagger.

It was an emotional moment, that was for sure, where Flurry was sure that Fenrir would find his way to the Light of Alfheim, since he wasn't bound for Helheim, though as Atreus cried, mourning the passing of one of their wolves, Kratos placed his son's bow near him as he turned to face the main house.

"Atreus, I will postpone your training for the time being... mourn Fenrir how you wish, even bury him if that is what you want to do... but when you are done I will resume your lessons." Kratos commented, as while this was a good time to teach his son how to better control his emotions, as fighting and taming one's grief could be good for someone, he also knew that it was in their best interest to allow Atreus to tend to Fenrir, before pulling him into more training.

"Why? Why is that one of the only things you care about?" Atreus asked, focusing on the fact that his father wanted to train to help him, while ignoring the fact that Kratos was even allowing him to bury Fenrir first, another sign in Flurry's eyes that her father had changed for the better, since she wasn't sure his old Greek self would have allowed such a thing, but Kratos held a hand up to stop her and Pandora from saying anything, "We can't hide forever!"

"We are not 'hiding', Atreus. We're trying to prepare for a battle that we are not ready for, while also trying to avoid taking part in Ragnarok itself." Pandora remarked, which was the truth, because if the Giants had predicted that there might be a secondary way for Fimbulwinter to start, something they had discovered on accident before confirming it in Jotunheim, then it stood to reason that the Giants might have discovered another path to reach Ragnarok's end, without damning the Nine Realms to destruction.

"That's the thing, we can't stay out of this forever. We are running out of time... Ragnarok is right around the corner, just as all of the prophecies have stated." Atreus stated, which was an odd change for him, as none of his family had thought that he really cared for the various prophecies that had been made, but now he seemed to see them as the keys to the future, likely part of his Giant side coming through, "Whether you like it or not, war is coming... whatever Loki is supposed to be doing during this point in time, he's supposed to be doing it right now... my story doesn't end with us hiding in these woods like a bunch of cowards!"

"Atreus, getting involved with Ragnarok means going to war with Odin and his allies, and the destruction of the Nine Realms in their entirety." Flurry said, as she was against even getting involved in the war that was brewing, because that would mean the death of many gods, people, animals, and, eventually, the realms that everyone called home, something she would like to avoid until they figured out if the Giants knew more than they let on, "I know you are eager to learn more about yourself, just as I was eager to learn more about myself and my race, but the path you are currently walking down will bring more suffering than is needed. Don't worry, we will help you, but we need to be smart about this."

"See, that's unfair. You can ask Mimir about your people whenever you want, and you've done so plenty of times since this endless winter started, but when I want to know about myself, my destiny, I'm forbidden from doing so!" Atreus remarked, where it seemed like part of his old self was coming back, the part where he thought that things were unfair and that they had to accommodate his desires into everything they did or decided to do, and his desire to have everything go his way was a bad sign since it could lead to the other aspects of the curse that triggered his changes, "Listen to me: I don't want to fight anyone... I... I just want some answers, that's all."

"Tell me, Atreus: what if those answers lead to war with Asgard?" Kratos inquired, because the Giants had been obsessed with the All-Father and his demise, just like Odin had been obsessed with killing them and taking their knowledge for his own ill gain, and he wanted to know what his son would do if the answers he sought would bring him to the event that they were trying to avoid.

"What if that is what mother wanted? To finish what her people started?" Atreus stated, as that seemed to be the direction that the Giants were pointing them in, based on what they had discovered so far, hence why he was putting forth that idea as a potential answer to his father's question.

"Brother, if that was the case Faye wouldn't have destroyed the wall containing your destiny. She wanted you to walk down your own path, not be chained by the plans of her people." Flurry remarked, though this wasn't what she wanted to hear, as it sounded like Atreus might be wanting war with Asgard, which would be bad for everyone, hence why she turned away for a moment and spread her wings, "We'll give you some time alone with Fenrir, but make no mistake that we'll start training as soon as you are done."

Sure enough she took to the air and resumed scouting out the rest of the woods, just to be sure that everything was fine, while at the same time Pandora was no doubt checking on Albis while Kratos headed into the main house to check in with Mimir before resting for a time... but when an hour had passed, however, she felt a random surge of her brother's magic and dropped down near the house, only to find that he was nowhere to be seen.

"Atreus never returned... and, judging from your expression, things could be bad." Pandora commented, though at the same time their father walked out of the house with both of his weapons on his back and Mimir attached to his belt, showing them that he was ready for whatever might have happened.

"Well, it isn't the worse case scenario, him turning into a dragon... but his magic did flare earlier, so who really knows." Flurry said, where she beckoned for the pair to follow her, as she had a general idea as to where her brother might be, because she knew it would be hard for Atreus to get out of the area she had felt the flare in, not unless he knew magic that would move him to another location entirely.

The path in question brought them back down to Speki and Svanna, who seemed to be looking at the rock wall that was off to the left of where they were resting, where there was an opening large enough for Atreus to slip through, where Kratos just hacked through it with the Leviathan Axe. Such a thing allowed them to made their way through the crack and make their way through the small cavern that was on the other side, though while they walked Kratos informed his daughters that his sleep had been troubled, as it seemed like Faye was trying to tell him something from beyond the grave. Flurry was happy to hear that it wasn't the usual nightmares that had been around when it was just them, as she didn't want her father to deal with his older terrors again, though before they could say anything on the matter the family stepped out into the open and found that some raiders jumped down into the clearing. That immediately made the family ready their weapons and lash out at them, slashing through the enemies that were somehow in the area that was under the protection of the stave that Flurry had enchanted previously, though it didn't take them long to cut down their foes, nor did it take Flurry long to pick up the few bits of resources that were on them.

When they pushed through the ruined tree that had fallen in the way, however, they discovered that one of the staves was broken, which explained why there were raiders in the area that was under their protection, and, even more shockingly, near it rested a large female bear that had been slaughtered, due to all the blood that was around her body.

"Either there's a larger bear out here, or Atreus is transforming." Flurry commented, though either way this wasn't a good sign, because whatever had fought the now dead bear had smashed through one of the protection staves and that meant they had to find her brother so he could make a new stave, "Let us hope it is the former."

Kratos nodded as they continued deeper into the woods, following a trail of blood paw prints that suggested that it was the former, though Flurry noticed a wooden chest off to the side and quickly looted it for it's resources as he smashed through a fallen log so they could keep going. Pandora found another wooden chest that she tossed the contents of to her sister once it was looted, before they crawled through another passage and found another raider infested area, meaning they had likely been at the edge of the protection stave and took advantage of it falling. Such a thing didn't matter to the family as each of them slashed through their enemies, Flurry using her bow to take out those that were further away, eliminating the raiders before they could do any damage to the rest of the woods, all while all three of them made sure to grab any resources that were added to Flurry's bag. Eventually they had to climb a stone wall, or jump up in Flurry's case, that allowed them to loot a stone chest and a wooden chest that happened to be on the way, before the trio entered the mountain cave that was in front of them and dropped down on some raiders that happened to be in the area.

They looted another pair of chests, one wooden and one stone, while Mimir mentioned that Atreus might have followed the bear that had torn through the area the raiders were in, if it had been wounded, though as Kratos stepped outside he and his daughters found that the large bear was still nearby, as it barreled into him and knocked him down into the clearing that was below them.

"Well, there's the bear." Pandora said, where she and Flurry pulled out their weapons, though as they did so Kratos held his hand out and stopped them, as the bear was picking a fight with him and he was going to beat it down until it submitted, to which both of them put their weapons away as the bear roared at Kratos, causing him to do the same.

Based on appearance Flurry found tell that the bear wasn't very different from the other one, save for the fact that this one was definitely taller, to the point where it was nearly as tall as her father was, though when it fought they found that it swung it's paws at Kratos like it had been a person at one point in time. She and Pandora also found that it was able to slam down on the ground, like it was trying to crush their father with it's weight, while noticing that it seemed to be enraged and was directing it's rage at their father, almost like he was the case of the creature's suffering. The astonishing thing was that the bear was able to chomp down on their father's arm and haul him around like he was nothing, though Flurry knew it was due to him holding back most of his power, otherwise the bear would have never done such a thing in the first place. That did, however, cause Kratos to unleash his rage, the flaming power he was known for, as he tore his arm free, let it heal instantly, and then punched the bear in the side of it's head so hard that he knocked it back into the large boulder that happened to be in the area.

That caused the bear to get even angrier as something odd happened, it's body started to grow until it was taller than Kratos was, while it's front and back paws seemed to become sharper, almost like a dragon's, and sections of it's fur started to change before their eyes, becoming more scaly. Such a thing caused Flurry to wonder what was going on, since this seemed to be beyond what a bear should be able of, especially when it moved faster than before as her father socked it in the throat without delay, allowing him to grapple with the beast and chock it for a few seconds. There was only one thing she could think of that would cause such a thing, that this was Atreus and that his emotions had warped his sense of reality, though as she thought about that the bear roared and her father hurled it back into the boulder, this time unleashing a series of blows on the beast before it could get back up. Once he was done with that attack Kratos brought his elbow down on the back of the bear's neck, knocking it to the ground, before delivering the final blow as he picked it up and hurled it into the rock wall that they had been standing on before it had attacked him.

As Flurry and Pandora moved to their father's side, however, the bear shuddered as a familiar pair of wings emerged from it's back, along with a very familiar pair of horns, though as Flurry realized what was going on she noticed that something was building in her brother's throat, causing her to summon a barrier around her, Pandora, and their father. Sure enough her thoughts were proven right as Atreus released a torrent of flames that blanketed the area, torching everything that was outside the barrier, or at least everything that was behind them, all while Flurry did her best to keep the nearby protection staves intact. In the following seconds her brother seemed to stop before a secondary burst came out, forcing Flurry to alter her magic as she directed all of the flames up into the sky above them, as she was sure that the rest of the woods would have been set of fire if she allowed the second burst to hit what was around them. This one, however, was cut short as her brother started to cough, like he had damaged himself in the process, causing her to flash over to where he was standing as she used a bit of her magic on him, a spell that would snap him out of his haze and allowed him to revert to the form that they were used to seeing these days.

Kratos barely had time to realize that he had been beating up his son as they found that Atreus was coughing up blood as he collapsed in front of them, where Flurry weaved some of her magic over him as she started to mend his throat, while also making sure he was unconscious for the time being.

"Atreus..." Kratos said, as he couldn't believe that this had happened, that his son's emotions would actually turn him into a bear, whose rage then seemed to bleed over into the curse and caused all the destruction that was in front of them, burning away all sorts of trees and animals that were in the way of the attack.

"He's fine... sure, his throat wasn't ready to spew fire and those torrents tore it up, but I can heal him." Flurry replied, while at the same time she spread her magic out and doused the flames that were dancing around the destroyed area, just to keep the rest of the woods from going up in flames, "Just let him rest for a time and he should be good to go."

Kratos nodded as he hoped that Flurry was right, as they were in uncharted territory when it came to Atreus, thanks to his curse and his Giant powers, so all he could do was hope that his son emerged from this unharmed and that they would be able to return to their home without any complications, he just had to be patient as he waited to see what the next few hours held in store for his family.