Hagalaz took in a deep breathe of the sweet spring's breeze which brought the smells of fresh greens in the house. She sneezed loudly as Fridleif, her oldest child, blew on a flower and the many white plumes shooting from it were carried to her nose. With a loud giggle the youth ran off, disappearing into the green field of grain. She wiped her face and lifted Hwittirafn her newborn up against her breast. He didn't wake and lay there peacefully. The woman rose her voice up, "Woede! Svafa! Time to go, come on!" Svafa came first, crying as she did, pointing a finger at her older brother and accusing him, "Woede took the doll fader made for me!" In the back Woede stood on the table hopping from one foot to the other while victoriously waving the straw figure in his hand around. His tongue slipped out of his mouth in challenge as he did! Svafa cried even more at the sight, pulling Hagalaz' dress, all the while disturbing Hwittirafn in his sleep. "Woede! Give the doll back, right now!" "Why did she get something from fader and Fridleif and me didn't! It's not fair! Blééééérrrgh!", the boy protested as he jumped from the table, not quite ready to listen! Hagalaz shot him a glance of her green eyes and took two steps towards him. The boy suddenly rushed for his sister and gave her the doll back with a low giggle. Svafa took it with her mouth petulantly low while she hid behind her mother. "You should know better than to take from others what you haven't earned, espescially your own kin!", she said while pinching the boy's ear with the tips of two fingers! "AW!", the boy cried out and rubbed his ear with a lowering of his brow. She then turned around, "And you shouldn't be so keen to come crying and let others do everything for you! Hop! Off you both or Raubok will leave before we can see him!" The two children turned to the door and she shut it behind her.
When she passed over the road the sun kissed her hair and turned it's colour from red to a deep bronze. She pulled the cloth around her youngest closer to his little features to ward off the dust that was pounded up by powerful ponies. They were dragging with them a cart filled with farmer's tools. She walked by the slow moving transport until she was next to the man that led the beasts. The man looked at her and inclined his wrinkled head, it was an old farmer called Haftuur, "Hailoz young woman.", he smiled, "How is your day?" She smiled and inclined her head in return ever so slightly, "All well, I am taking the children out to the herdsmen. If nothing has happened they should be heading into the mountains, but before that it would be best to see if some wool can be bought." The old man widened his eyes a moment, "That is today? Ai, I knew I had forgotten something!!" Hagalaz expressed wonder on her face. "Hmf, remember the last hailstorm that blew the thatches from Yngwo his hut and uprooted several trees at Brunda's applegarden?" She did, for the storm had been fierce and it had taken all her effort that night to keep her children calm. "Joah.. , but what have you forgotten then?" The old man's brow wrinkled again, "Hrm.. it also tore up a part of the branchfence I had woven to keep the sheep from my field! Granted it's still sowing season now, but it won't do much good for the first harvest if those lands get stamped flat!" Hagalaz smiled, "If that is the worst thing, I'll ask my fader to see how the freshly trained dogs are. I will see him today still at the woolmarket. The old man smiled instantly, "Oh, you are too sweet! It is only for one day! Just ehm.. as far as the tamers go..", the man lowered his head to her while looking from the corner of his eyes, "Not your brother." She laughed.
They arrived at the market outside of the town's walls, she passed through the crowd and where people took note of her they bowed their heads a little and she would respond with a nod back. Most, except two women, maidens whom were born close to her stance of the stars. Olgve and Wyndau, they had to reach up on their tiptoes to kiss Hagalaz on the cheeck which they each did in turn, "Have you heard?" Wyndau began with a mischievous smile on her face, while Olgve rubbed over Whittirafn's back muttering sweetness to his little ears. "Raubok has brought his sons with him, Wilfreda told me when she came by earlier in the morning and she couldn't help take note of how big they have become!", she snickered. Olgve and Hagalaz both smiled through the dismissive sigh they gave their friend. "How is our young warrior here?", Olgve began as the three of them headed for the large herd that could've easily counted fourhundred sheep. Hagalaz rocked the newborn up against her and the child opened it's eyes slowly with a large yawn. Neither Wyndau nor Olgve could supress a small squeel and Hagalaz handed the child to Olgve, "Ogh, so heavy already! What have you fed him?" Wyndau laughed and gave Hagalaz a firm slap on one of her hips, "Haven't you seen it yet? His moder has more than enough to feed a small village of children if she wanted, haha!" Hagalaz rolled her eyes a bit while she unslung the satchel she had donned over her back. They walked up to Raubok, a hardy man with the light thread of a youth half his age, he spread his arms wide as he saw the three women approach, "Ogh look who we have here! I didn't dare hope I would see you all again after all you had bought last spring!" He embraced the three of them in turn and placed his mouth on their cheeks each in turn, he even spared one with care for the young child. The other three had fled before him as he came running in like what must've resembled a hulking scarecrow come alive! "The winter was hard and many needed warm clothes to keep themselves healthy.", Hagalaz said simply, "So, have I come too late or is there something yet left that I can bring home?" The man rose up a finger and he smiled from behind his wild black beard, "Just the thing for you here." "And for my friends?" Both of them were equally surprised as Olgve and Wyndau were gone all of a sudden. They eyed around them, finding Wyndau who in turn had found Raubok's sons. In the meanwhile Olgve was muttering songs to the young one while dancing in the sun as she was followed by a train made out of Fridleif, Woede and Svafa with her doll. The herdsman looked at her with sympathy, "It must be hard , looking after so many children!" Hagalaz looked back at him, "It is what will make my hair turn white one day for certain."
