“Fierce as the prowling wolves at close of day,
And swift as eagles in pursuit of prey.”
Thomas Parnell
The day in Reykjavík, the largest city and capital of the nation of Iceland was slowly succumbing to night as dusk slowly took over the heavens above at the early hour of four in the afternoon. Just as the nation would go through what has come to be known as twenty four hour daylight throughout the months of May through July where the sun does not set for days at a time. Whereas now in these the coldest of months of December through January, the daylight hours now are only four to five hours long before twilight takes its place. The sun has just about finished its descent down across the horizon, blanketed by the cloudy skies above that had been gifting the world below with the white cheer of winter for days on end, bringing with it the miracle of a white Christmas that those the world over dream of. (Thank you, Bing Crosby!) Once Sol had completed her journey, driving the Sun on its course through the sky, she was later embraced by her brother, Mani who was worshiped as the Moon. He then gave the world the night, with the deep purple hues of the heavens above replacing the cool blue of his sister. The stars dominated and delighted, even with the lights of the city below, as the Moon now started its own journey.
That was when the lone raven was spotted flying high above, its black body barely visible in the night sky save for the glistening effect the light of the stars and moon gave off of its sleek, black feathers. And although it was quite common for ravens to be seen in these cold months as the bird was to winter and cold weather unlike any other, it was more unusual to see one alone when in search of food. Yet even when this lone raven passed over the streets, it all but ignored the lone mouse down below, here and there as they foraged for food of its own.
The raven flew even past the city lights where the celebrations for the upcoming holiday were in full force, celebrated here in Iceland like nowhere else on earth. The avian flew over children playing in the gathered snow, above adult men and women who hurried to and fro, buying last minute gifts for friends and loved ones. It did not so much as pause or circle overhead as it passed over the sweet melodies of those within the hallowed church halls below as they gathered to celebrate Him. No, this raven in particular had a specific goal, as these birds were known for. In ancient tales, these birds were known as wise, all-knowing messengers to the gods. Two in particular, Huginn (thought) and Munnin (memory) would make their journey across the earth, gathering information and then sharing it with the All-Father Odin back in Asgard.
The raven had left behind the city limits and flew toward the houses beyond, of which were few and far between. Trees dominated the borders of this quaint and old world style neighborhood, where the houses within the trees’ embrace were more of the traditional sort; mostly fashioned in turf and known appropriately as ‘turf houses’. The raven focused on one such house in particular, a family home of sorts. It fluttered down and landed on one of the many bare branches that were void of foliage in the cold, winter months. It watched as the car pulled slowly into the drive and it elicited a soft ‘kraa’ sound as its black eyes watched…
Reykjavík, Iceland -
December 20, 2022Whoever it was that said you can’t go home again was obviously either unloved or never made more than a feeble attempt to celebrate the holidays. Because that was, in fact, where we were at this very moment, outside of the house where Kristjan (Fenris) and Aron Baltasarsson - along with their three sisters and parents, grew up. The deep blue Kia Rio had pulled into the drive of the homestead and slowed to a crawl before ultimately stopping, albeit with the engine remaining on.
Behind the wheel, Kristjan gave pause in an uncharacteristic manner as his cobalt blue eyes stared ahead at the two-level house he had known from the first memory of his childhood. Under most circumstances, Aron and Kristjan would have had their entire family flown from Iceland to where they lived in Las Vegas for the Christmas holiday that spanned from December 25 throughout the beginning of January, but because of commitments on the part of their sisters, that was not the case this year. Kristjan and Aron’s parents were uncomfortable of the thought of traveling to America and leaving their daughters behind to spend Christmas without them, when of all people, David Shepherd came up with the obvious solution of taking advantage of the winter break SCW was gifting all of its staff and stars alike by traveling to Iceland themselves. That way everybody would be together for Christmas; even Esther and Andrey would be joining them for a couple of days before returning home to be with Gerald and Mavis; an option David would not so much as entertain.
It was the perfect solution. Of course, that was before…
“So…” Fenris turned in the driver’s seat to his lone passenger, his once boyfriend and now husband, David Shepherd who was looking even more somber than Kristjan himself felt inside. Kristjan asked, “Are you ready?”
David never took his eyes off of the house, as if he were avoiding laying eyes on the love of his life. He drew in a deep breath, gently exhaling through his nose before answering the question in an almost monotone voice, “About as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Just remember,” Kristjan playfully chided his man. “This was your idea.”
“I’m aware of that.” David said in a tone of voice that somehow reminded Kristjan of David’s own father Gerald; strength coupled by a touch of acidity. David had been acting standoffish, almost distant with him for the past couple of days without any offered explanation. And whenever Kristjan tried to pry out of him what was wrong, David practically blew the question off. Or he simply never acknowledged being asked.
David then finally turned his full and undivided attention to the man to his left and admitted, “But you can hardly blame me given recent events.”
“What are you talking about?” Kristjan asked, his brow creasing into a frown that was more confusion than it was annoyance or anger.
David answered silently by holding up his left hand, and the answer was then obvious by the sleekly carved ring on his marriage finger, a silent testament to the ‘mistake” that the two men had indulged in only recently when the drunken pair had mistakenly presumed one of those Elvis churches on the Vegas Strip was just another tourist trap - only to discover quite the opposite after.
David then continued, “Then there’s last year and my first trip to Iceland…” To which Kristjan turned away from David and his eyes were once again on his childhood home. He remembered that memory from a year ago vividly and without a trace of fondness. How could he? David had been raised in such an emotionally abusive household that the thought of a loving one such as what Kristjan grew up within was somehow foreign - alien - to him. The two men stood right here where the car they sat inside was parked, before David suffered a panic attack and fled all the way back to the States, leaving Kristjan heartbroken and greatly embarrassed.
To his point, Kristjan acknowledged, “You more than made up for that since.”
“Maybe.” David barely conceded before he unfastened his seat belt, further stating, “I’m just not making the best of impressions with your family.”
To this, Kristjan extended a hand to better offer David a bit of comfort, but just like that, an emotional switch had turned and David all but avoided his touch and his expression darkened as he pushed the passenger door open and moved around to the trunk where they had stowed their luggage away. Kristjan frowned at this sudden behavioral change, and he too climbed out of the car, watching David move around to the open trunk before moving along to join him and lend a hand at retrieving their belongings.
“What’s going on, David?”
David set two suitcases down before looking up at his now-husband while remaining bent at the waist, “I think we just covered that.”
“Not that!” Fenris barked - pun intended. “This!” He made a motion with his hand between the two of them as a universal sign between the two of them. He went on as he grabbed another suitcase inside while David went for some of the boxes they had brought that contained Yule gifts for Kristjan’s family.
Kristjan said, “That’s the most you’ve spoken to me in days and you just turned it off like someone turned off the lights! Now what is going on!?”
David grabbed at the luggage and hefted as many into his grip as he could before standing upright and said simply, “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” And he turned his back to Fenris, as the sound of a door opening drew their attention from their own personal issues and to the older but still stunning beauty of a woman that was Eva, Kristjan and Aron’s mother. She called aloud to the two of them, “Are you boys coming in or were you planning on sleeping outside in the snow??”
“Saved by the bell.” David mused and once again turned away from Kristjan to walk toward the door held open for him by the matriarch of the Icelandic family. Kristjan watched him walk away from him before he sighed and reached down for more of their luggage…
***
“David and Zoey aren’t here?” Kristjan asked as he removed his tanned aviator jacket and handed it over to his dad’s waiting grasp, much as David did with his thicker, heavier wool coat. Benedikt moved to hang their garments up on the coat rack to the side of the home’s side entrance, answering as he did so, “They’re in town. Aron is showing her some of the sites; the Yule Cat and the Heiðmörk Market…” A memory that David himself held dear, recalling fondly when Kristjan brought him to that public square just outside of the woods; a winter festival that was a marvel to the senses, and evidence that Icelandic folks really took this holiday seriously unlike any other he’s experienced before.
“We will have to go there tomorrow.” Kristjan said to David as they were escorted into the dining room, but David made no effort to answer the invitation although he had to admit he was greatly interested.
“So where are the girls?” Kristjan asked as he and David took the offered seats at the dining room table at the behest of Benedikt, Kristjan’s father, while Eva continued to busy herself in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the evening meal. Benedikt poured both young men a glass of, all the better to stay off the chill of Iceland but this was more for David’s benefit given he was unused to Icelandic weather. Unlike Kristjan.
From the kitchen, Eva called out, “Don’t give them anything stronger than Malt and Appelsín, Benedikt! We all know what happened the last time those two indulged!”
To this, David quickly ducked his head down, feeling the maddening desire to be elsewhere or at the very least, be able to go somewhere and hide. Kristjan, on the other hand, felt the heat rise from deep within and color his lightly tanned flesh in a hue of annoyance and protective anger. He never did tell his family what happened that night last year when David suffered a near paralyzing panic attack. David’s mental health was of David’s and his own concern, not his father and certainly not his mother.
Benedikt sighed and took a seat at the head of the table where he regularly dined and he said simply, “Sorry for that. Your mother is still upset about…” And he made a slight motion with his hand toward the young men’s hands that bore the rings on them as they reached for their offered drinks.
“I told her that we were going to take care of it!” Kristjan all but hissed, trying his best to keep from losing his famed temper in his family home, and worse, at the expense of his beloved mother. But now he was struggling with who he was more concerned in hurting; his mother or his man. Both of whom held equal shares in his heart and soul. Yet even then he failed to notice the again, sudden pained expression that had swiftly crossed David’s face, only to vanish just as quickly.
Kristjan went on to explain, “But the courthouses in Las Vegas were closed for the holidays so we have to wait until we get back after the new year.”
“Mm hm.” Benedikt smiled coyly. “Are you sure there’s not another reason that you’re putting it off?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kristjan mused as he picked up his glass of the hard, Icelandic brandy and took a sip. To which Benedikt chuckled, saying, “Oh come now, Kristjan! I could read you like a book, ever since you were a boy!”
Kristjan raised his brow inquisitively while David watched the exchange like a tennis match, his eyes going back and forth between father and son. Kristjan asked, “Meaning?”
Benedikt answered with a smile while picking up a glass of his own, “Meaning you just can’t wait to rub it in Elin and Viktoria’s noses that you were the first to get married?”
David, despite his feelings, could not help but snort back a laugh as he himself had a similar knee jerk response to what he and Kristjan did where his own parents were concerned. And Kristjan? He didn’t exactly deny his dad’s accusation. More to the point, he raised a hand and pinched a thumb and forefinger closely together in a none-too subtle sign of admission.
“So, you never did say.” David picked up the conversation on behalf of his man. “Where are the girls?”
“Well,” Benedikt answered, setting his glass down. “Freyja will be back from her job at Grillmarkaðurinn in about five hours. Elin and Viktoria will be here on Christmas Eve but will be stopping by tomorrow.”
Kristjan frowned, not understanding the latter part of his father’s answer. He cocked his head to the side, almost in a comical imitation of Kyssa. Benedikt further explained, “Since they both got jobs down in the city, they thought it would make more sense to get a place together rather than travel back and forth every day.”
“Wait, hold up!” Kristjan raised a hand. “Elin and Viktoria moved out?”
“That’s right!” Eva said as she entered the dining room, dinner plates and silverware in hand. She started to set the table almost aggressively as she glanced at her eldest son and said, “How does it feel not to be in on a secret?”
“Oh for…!” Kristjan fell back into his chair, now completely exasperated by his mother’s behavior and reaction toward what he and David had mistakenly done a few weeks prior. “Mom, how many damn times do I have to explain it to you!? It was an accident! A mistake!”
“A mistake caused by your drinking.” She paused from her task of setting the dinner table and threw her hands up in mock wonder, stating, “Big surprise!”
“Eva!” Benedikt started to speak up in defense of his oldest son. Even if he did agree with his wife about their son’s drinking habits, he most certainly did not agree with how she was reacting to recent events - especially when doing so right in front of their guest, David. All he could be thankful for was that the situation was not made worse by Aron and Zoey’s presence. David’s obvious discomfort was bad enough, but if the young lady Aron was dating had been there, it would have been even worse.
Eva turned to her husband and she defended her actions, “What? You agreed with me about his drinking…”
“Oh really…?” Kristjan started to say, his attention turning from mother to father, but he needn’t have bothered. Eva was far from finished in admonishing her son for what she felt was his reckless behavior. Eva was a wonderful mother as every one of her children would testify, but she was also a protective one. Even unto their adult lives. And none of her children brought out her ‘mama bear syndrome’ more so than her oldest boy.
Eva stared hard at Kristjan who matched her stare for stare, and if someone were to throw a kernel of popcorn between them, the heat radiating from their gaze would most assuredly cause it to pop. She said, “Everything bad that has happened to you has been because of your indulgence in anything remotely alcoholic, Kristjan! When you and Kris Ryans were caught in that elevator, you were both drinking!”
“Stop.” Kristjan said with a biting ease but one that spoke volumes behind his famed temperament. But he was his mother’s son and Eva was not the slightest bit intimidated by her boy. Kristjan was a proud and loving momma’s boy, and Eva knew the fact better than anyone. He loved her just as she did him, but that also meant that she was not about to quit when she had a full head of steam.
She continued, “Or what about the time you damn near killed yourself drinking when you were outed!?”
“What?” David asked in genuine confusion as this revelation was news to him. Kristjan’s eyes flashed at the reminder of the time he was truly at his lowest and how his mom had just used it to weaponize against him.
“Eva!” Benedikt again tried to intervene, knowing his son better than almost anyone save for Aron himself, and as such he could recognize the signs of his temper ready to explode. But Eva continued on, “Then there was…”
"
GOD DAMN IT!!!” Kristjan shot up from his chair, throwing it over to the floor in the process and his outburst finally did what her husband could not as it shocked Eva into silence. “
THAT IS ENOUGH!”
“Kristjan…” Eva started to speak, the shock quickly wearing off and ‘mama bear’ once again coming out to play. “I am only trying to point out to you how much your drinking has hurt you! You just refuse to admit any fault…”
“Like mother, like son, eh Mom!?” Kristjan stared her down, again surprising her into silence. He then pointed a finger in her direction, “And don’t you EVER insinuate David has hurt me or is some fault…!”
“I didn’t…” She started to speak but was quickly cut off by Kristjan shouting, “Like hell you didn’t! You just stood there and did so stop acting holier than thou Mom! I love you, you know I do and that will never end or change but you are FAR from perfect so DROP IT!!!”
Eva slammed the last of the dinner plates down onto the table’s surface and she turned slowly to her son and she stepped right up to him and she said, “I love you as well dear, but do not ever speak to me like that in this house!”
Kristjan nodded, “Well there’s a simple solution to that Mom…” he stated in a cold whisper. He then turned to David and with a silent nod, but one that spoke volumes, David stood up from the table.
“Kristjan…?” Benedikt started to speak, then turned from his son to his - well, son-in-law. “David…?”
David gave the man a sad smile but followed Kristjan around the table where Kristjan grabbed his coat and passed David's own to his waiting hands.
“Where are you going?” Eva asked, now suddenly realizing with great regret what just happened, even if she was acting out of a mother’s concern for her flesh and blood.
“Where do you think!?” Kristjan answered as he and David reached for their luggage but conspicuously leaving the boxes that contained the Christmas gifts. “We’re going to a hotel!”
“Boys…!” Benedikt stood up but he might as well have said nothing as his protest fell on deaf ears, the door to their home slamming shut behind their son and his husband. Seconds passed with a discomforting silence. Eva’s eyes were closed, her curled fingers pressed against her lips, and gentle tears streaking down her cheeks.
Benedikt turned from the door to face his wife. “Are you happy?”
Outside, the car had just pulled out of the drive and peeled off up the road when the frosted bushes in the yard parted and a wolf stepped through, watching the vehicle as it vanished into the distance.
“Caw!” The sound came from up above and the wolf gazed upward with indifference toward the raven overhead…
Downtown ReykjavíkIndeed Kristjan - Fenris - had escaped from his family home and brought David into the heart of the city where they found a quaint yet comfortable hotel for a last minute accommodation; a lucky thing indeed as the holiday was present and most hotels had filled up completely. True, the room was smaller than what he was accustomed to, and he’d probably end up having to sleep on top of David. Nothing he hasn’t done before - wink wink. Still, he would have rather flown back to the States than return to the house and admit defeat to his mother, most of all.
Kristjan needed to get out into the fresh, Reykjavík air, but David opted to remain in the hotel, having had enough for the moment of the cold weather that came naturally to his man’s native country. Besides, David privately felt that his presence would be the opposite of what Kristjan needed at the moment, as he was placing partial blame on himself for recent happenings. That was where Fenris was now, walking down the city streets he had grown up on, ran along with friends as children and escorted his baby brother and sister to school when he was old enough to lend his parents a helping hand.
“I usually have my reasons for wanting to have a match against someone; the World Heavyweight Championship is usually at the top of the list. Ben Jordan will always rank as my Achilles heel where that scenario is concerned. There’s also the times I see someone who looks like a legit bad ass inside of the ring and I want to test myself against them. JC … Jack Washington … Jake Raab … Then there are the times I see someone who says or does something that just pisses me off and I want to get in the ring with them for the sole purpose of kicking their ass straight into the afterlife. Austin James Mercer has always held the top spot there but there were also guys like Supreme Machine. The point is, I have my reasons for when I want to fight a particular opponent… but this?”
Fenris made a face and shook his head in a faux sense of disbelief.
“This one wasn’t even my idea, and I could have cared less about ever facing Alexander Raven, even if it is for the Internet Championship. I just had zero interest in the whole damn thing but then the whiny little bitch went crying to the higher ups…”
Fenris closed his eyes and put on a sarcastic imitation of the reigning Internet Champion crying, complete with gasping for air and rubbing his eyes with his fist, before he suddenly stopped and stared straight into the camera.
“And lo and behold, the match is made official.”
He scoffed.
“Funny, isn’t it Alexander? It’s been months since all of this shit started between us, and why is that? It’s because you have an over-inflated sense of self importance. And yes! I do get the irony of that claim coming from me of all people! Listening to you run at the mouth and posting all of this bullshit on Twitter, you talk and act as if you have a Word For the Day calendar at your fingertips that you can browse through randomly to give off the illusion of intelligence. Or, I don’t know, maybe you study a thesaurus before you get in front of a camera so you can keep that illusion going in hopes people will think you intelligent rather than a fraud and somehow gain more support.”
“And why? Simple, really. You just love attention. Not exactly a fault mind you, considering the business that we’re in thrives on having attention thrust your way, but there’s a key difference between you and I; I have always earned whatever attention the fans or the bosses have given me. You, on the other hand, take your attention however the hell you can get it! Usually by being an antagonistic, know-it-all asshole! The kind of human being who gets his rocks off by talking down to people about shit you don’t know anything about! Or by ‘mansplaining’ about things to people who know what they’re talking about when it’s obvious to anyone watching that you, do not! And you’ll continue doing this because people like you can’t help it, just so long as it gives you some misguided sense of self.”
Fenris turned to address the camera, and thus his upcoming opponent. He clenched a fist and stared hard.
“And in the end, that was what really drove you over the edge where I was concerned, wasn’t it? Oh sure, we had a handful of exchanges back and forth on social media, but nothing that really set you apart from any of the other sad sacks who try to use social media to try and raise their lot in life. You’re like those sad ass influencers that you read stories about, you know the sort. The ones who go into restaurants and expect freebies because they have a whole whopping five hundred followers! Or, better still, those ditzy divas who contact the most exclusive hotels and suggest a ‘collaboration’...”
He used air quotes.
“When what they really meant was ‘gimme, gimme, gimme’! They think that just because they have some followers that hang off their every word, they can use that to brush past in life rather than actually accomplish anything of importance, and bitch? You remind me so much of them with that attitude of yours! I’m legit surprised we don’t see your face on Youtube or Tik Tok, asking … No, demanding, to have people love and respect you! I know! Maybe next time we’re in Las Vegas, you should contact the SCW bosses and suggest you ‘collab’ because, you know – you are such a big deal!”
“And to think, this all started really months ago when you got all butt hurt before your match against Austin James Mercer. It’s almost like you thought you deserved to have the support of your peers even when you were still relatively a baby in the locker room. And I mean that both literally and figuratively. Oh sure, you might have had the support of guys like Ken Davison, but consider the source. Granted, I was one of the ones betting on Mercer to take your title and – I was wrong. I admit it. You won that match but bitch…”
Fenris cracked a smile and shook his head in disbelief.
“If you thought you beat Mercer when he was one hundred percent in his game, you are wrong! I’ve seen Mercer at his best. I’ve fought Mercer, at. His. Best! And the man you faced that night and beat? That was not the Austin James Mercer who was at his best! The simple fact is, you got lucky. You may have pulled off what everybody with any brains would call an upset, but you did not defeat ‘the man’!”
“But me?”
He placed a hand just below his left clavicle.
“I wouldn’t play your little games in order to boost your ego because I could always see you for being exactly what you are - an overrated underachiever. I mean, it seriously must have pissed you off when there was another man out there who wouldn’t acknowledge you and say your name!”
“Your ignorance was never more glaringly obvious than the time you called me ‘all anger and no substance’. You make noise about my not being aware of the shit that you bled for, when you turn right around and look past the exact same damn things about me you fucking hypocrite! And I’m not even talking about my career in MMA or everything I accomplished there, although I sure as shit could because the man that fought and bled for the professional MMA circuit is why the man who fights and bleeds for Sin City Wrestling is even here! Four months, Raven. Four! Months! That’s how long it took for me to go from my very first match as a professional wrestler to becoming the World Heavyweight Champion! And if you are anything like some of the critics I had in those days, you might be saying it was just luck or it was a fluke and nature would take its course, causing me to drop the belt. Well son, it took over eight months before that happened so let me tell you; that must have been one hell of a fluke! My reign is second only to J2H's and yes, I will admit that is saying something! I had matches against the likes of Alex Jones, Casey Williams, Dmitri and anyone else that they wanted to put me against! Whether or not they were a main event Superstar or a jobber! Anytime they needed me for any reason, I was there to represent them! You? You're supposed to represent the World Wide Web as the Internet Champion and the SCW Universe is lucky if they get a token statement! Nature didn’t take it’s course, it took over the day I stepped inside of this place! One thousand, three hundred and forty four days - undefeated! And you? How long did you stay unbeaten since arriving here, Alexander? How close gave you been to being at the top?"
He leaned in at the waist and cupped a hand over his ear, the better to hear before he smiled and nodded. Satisfied.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Now I have to ask you, Raven! Who is the real 'blind one' between us? You start shit with anyone that so much as acknowledges you, from Mercer to Miles Kasey… fuck! You even got into it with Zoey Lukas and dumbass .. all I can say is that you need to thank the gods above that SCW does not allow intergender wrestling because I can guarantee she would kick your ass!"
"Considering everything that's been happening in the States, do you know what you remind me of? You're like a political campaign ad. You talk too damn much and nobody understands a god-damned thing that you're saying! You make empty promises that you don't stand a chance in hell of following through with!”
Fenris came upon the famed Christmas Cat in the town square, a monument that meant as much to the citizens of the Icelandic capital as the White House Christmas tree meant to the American people.
True Fenris had always been a dog person, disliking cats with a burning passion. But this cat in particular? It had always held a special place in the heart of the ‘White Wolf’.
"You are the one who has been content with being second best all of this time! I may not have championship gold around my waist (for the moment) but I can promise you that I am still more to this business than you will ever be!"
"There's something else that I want to point out to you Alexander, so kindly shut the hell up and try listening for a change! Everything that happens after this moment? Everything that is going to happen inside of that ring? Is entirely your fault! You did this, you're to blame! You bitched and you whined to Ward and Underwood like an entitled, bratty child until you got what you wanted! The big question is, now that you have me, whatever are you going to do with me? I had absolutely no interest in that championship of yours. If I'm going to be honest? I would have rather this been a non-title match but unfortunately - the powers that be didn't see that as an option for a SuperCard. Ironic, isn't it, that Ravens are the largest member of the crow family, and here we have a Raven about to eat crow! So soon enough, Alexander, you won't even be second best."
"You won't even be a blip on the fucking radar!"
