A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Seeing Astrid again caused Erik's mind to travel back to a simpler time. It was now eleven years in the past, four years before the awakening and Edda's betrayal. Erik and Edda were both fourteen years old at this point.

The icy wind of Kirkenes in winter swept through the still-bustling harbour, carrying with it the salty tang of the sea and distant echoes of what few hardy seagulls stayed in the north rather than migrate to the south.

There was no sun in the sky, despite being midday, as Kirkenes was currently at the start of its polar midnight phase, where the sun wouldn't return for at least two months. Instead, street lanterns and a twilight gloom lit up the harbour.

Erik, his silver-gray hair tousled by the breeze, stood beside Edda as they looked out over the harbour crowd. His eyes, reflecting a timidity that would shock anyone who met him in later years, wandered over the crates and ropes that littered the docks.

Edda, bright-eyed and brimming with excitement, tugged at his sleeve. "Come on, Erik! It's finally the time of year when we can meet up with Astrid again! Let's go find her!"

As vampires, Astrid and the community she lived in would usually go for supplies at night. Only during the polar midnight period would Astrid's mother agree to bring her here during the day.

After all, before the awakening, vampires still had trouble staying under the sunlight.

Despite Edda's enthusiasm, Erik looked a little reluctant. He didn't dislike Astrid per se; he just preferred spending time alone with the girl he loved instead.

But he could never refuse Edda anything, especially not when her enthusiasm was as high as it was right now. So he put away his reluctance and gave Edda a timid smile before nodding, "Yeah, let's go."

But before they could move, Erik was suddenly jumped from behind by a slightly older girl who tousled his hair with her fist and laughed loudly, "Looking for me, are ya?!"

Edda's face lit up at seeing her friend again after many months. They tried to meet up in between the polar midnight phases, but it was difficult and often didn't work out. Luckily, they could always stay in contact over the Internet.

"Astrid!" She said happily and jumped in to hug Erik and Astrid at the same time, as Erik was still held hostage by the vampire girl.

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The younger Erik just closed his eyes and sighed, letting it happen, even if he was slightly annoyed. The fact was, Astrid was not only older but also a vampire, which meant she had constant access to her full strength, while Erik would have to change to his werewolf form first.

And it's not like he could show his wolf form in the middle of a busy dock filled with regular humans.

Astrid continued to laugh as she rubbed Erik's head with her fist, "Edda! It's good to see you, girl!"

Finally, she and Edda let Erik go and stepped back a little.

Astrid was a sixteen-year-old vampire with strawberry blond hair, typical red vampire eyes, and pale skin. She was still growing, of course, but as a sixteen-year-old, her beauty was already apparent.

Seeing the disgruntled look on Erik's face, Astrid chuckled sheepishly, "Sorry, buddy. I know you don't like that, but I can't help myself. It's good to see you!" She pouted a little, "I wish you would respond to my messages a little more often. I missed you, you bastard."

Erik sighed. Despite her behaviour and the fact he preferred to hang with Edda alone, he did care for Astrid, even if it hadn't always been that way.

Their little trio of friends had actually started from the basis of Erik and Astrid rather than Astrid and Edda, as one might have expected.

It all started two years ago when Erik was twelve and Astrid was fourteen. Astrid was almost the complete opposite of Erik: a rabble-rouser and a troublemaker who loved to get into fights. The problem was her community had very few kids her own age.

So, she naturally got intrigued when she heard from her mother about this shapeshifter kid from Frostvik who could win fights against people two or even three years older than him.

So, as soon as the next polar midnight rolled around, she convinced her mother to arrange a meeting in Kirkenes.

Unfortunately for Astrid, it didn't exactly go as planned. Despite Erik's strength and skill, he didn't really enjoy fighting and only did it to appease his parents. But since nothing forced him to accept this random vampire girl's challenge, he simply ignored her.

Yet, Astrid didn't give up so easily and, over the next month, continued to pester Erik, hoping he would finally accept. Erik naturally grew annoyed as Astrid seriously cut into the time he could spend with Edda.

During this time, Edda tried to befriend Astrid but was wholly ignored, as the vampire girl was entirely focused on getting Erik to accept her challenge.

Eventually, Erik decided it was better to accept the challenge and get it over with so she would hopefully leave him alone.

But, unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. Erik managed to defeat Astrid despite being two years younger, and the vampire girl gained an obsession because of it. After that event, Erik found it entirely impossible to get rid of the vampire, so he reluctantly stopped resisting her friendship.

Soon after that, Astrid and Edda became friends as well.

Erik scratched his head awkwardly, "Yeah, sorry about that. You know how it is. First, you wait a little while to respond because you're busy with something. Then you procrastinate for some other reason, and, eventually, it just becomes too awkward to still respond."

Then he smiled softly, "But it's good to see you again, too, Astrid."

Astrid, whose obsession with Erik had long since turned into a crush despite their age and racial difference, only heard the last part as she put her hands on her hips and laughed. "Of course it is!" Then, her eyes lit up with excitement as she asked the same question she always did when they saw each other again. "You wanna spar?!"

At this point, for Astrid, the sparring was just as much about the fight as it was about spending time alone with Erik without Edda. But Erik realised none of this. In typical young boy fashion, his entire being was absolutely obsessed with one specific girl while ignoring any and all others.

And that girl was Edda, not Astrid.

Erik sighed, still not a particular fan of fighting, "Come on, Astrid. We always do that, and it leaves Edda with nothing to do. How about we just walk around a little?"

Astrid pouted, "Come oooon. Just a quickie!" Just like Erik, Astrid was a little clueless about some things.

Some people walking by momentarily halted when they heard a sixteen-year-old girl mentioning a quickie. Still, they all decided it was none of their busines and moved on.

Edda, the only one not so clueless between the three of them, giggled at Astrid's choice of words before turning to Erik with a cheeky smile. "Oh, just give her what she wants, Erik. Give it to her hard, okay?! I'll just watch from the side."

Neither Astrid nor Erik understood what was so funny, but Astrid didn't care either, as she cheered, "Yeah! Come on, let's go!" She grabbed Erik's sleeve and, under his exasperated sigh, pulled him along to find their usual spot, just outside the town.

Unfortunately, along the way, they ran across a group of slightly older vampires, finally able to explore the town again during the daytime, who decided to cause trouble for the trio, particularly for the weak human girl with them.

Seeing the malice and curiosity in their eyes, Erik tensed up and instinctively moved close to Edda when the group blocked their path. He may be timid, but he would protect Edda with his life if it came to that.

Yet, he also knew he couldn't simply transform right now. They were in a relatively quiet area, but the risk was still high that a random human might see him. He ground his teeth in frustration as he thought of a way out.

Sensing the rising tension, Edda clutched Erik's arm, her cheerful demeanour fading into apprehension, appearing aware of her vulnerability as the only human in the group.

Astrid, however, stepped forward, her posture radiating confidence. "Got a problem, jackass?" she challenged, her strawberry blond hair seeming like a fiery halo in the dim light.

The leader of the opposite group, a tall, 16 or 17-year-old vampire with a sneering expression, looked them over. "What's this? A little mixed gathering? You still hanging around with the mut and the human, Astrid?"

Their group consisted of vampires from various communities. Still, their leader just so happened to be from the same village as Astrid.

Astrid's eyes narrowed, and her voice was ice. "They're my friends. More than I can say for you, you little shit. Already forgotten the last time I beat you up for thinking you could get handsy with me?"

The leader laughed, his gaze lingering on Edda. "Come now, Astrid. Why protect a human? You're outnumbered here, and she's nothing but—"

Before he could finish, Astrid lunged forward, her vampiric speed a blur. She tackled him to the ground, her fists connecting with his face before the others could react. The rest of the group moved to intervene, but Astrid was a whirlwind of fury, her movements swift and precise.

Erik still held back while holding on to Edda as he prepared to transform if there was no other choice. He felt a surge of admiration and fear for Astrid. He wasn't unhappy with himself, but sometimes he wanted to have that kind of determination.

Suddenly, the fight ceased as quickly as it had begun. Astrid stood up, the leader of the vampire group lying dazed and bloody on the ground. His companions, too late to save him, quickly helped him up as they cast wary glances at Astrid.

"Next time you talk about one of my friends like that, I'll rip your fangs out of your mouth and stuff them in your ass," Astrid hissed, her eyes still blazing. The opposing group, now more cautious, slowly backed away and then dispersed, leaving the trio alone.

Astrid turned to Erik and Edda, her expression softening. "You guys okay?"