First thing in the morning, Thorfinn started his daily exercises as usual. After his workout, Thorfinn willingly took on the task of making some food. Everyone else woke up quite late, as they had been up until the wee hours of the night before, finally succumbing to exhaustion just after midnight.
After they all sat down to eat breakfast together, Thorfinn faced another round of various questions, which he could only patiently answer.
Once he was finally free, Thorfinn called Morla, Merek, and his mischievous younger brother Orrik to join him in the woods. Val insisted on coming along as well. After a moment's thought, Thorfinn decided to bring her, realizing it was a good chance to test a hunch he had. The three shadowcats also followed them instinctively.
Thorfinn stopped when they arrived at a good, open spot.
Morla asked curiously, "Now can you tell us what this is all about, our 'Wizard Thorfinn'?"
Ignoring Morla's teasing jab, Thorfinn began, "The reason I called you all out here is to help you become skinchangers. We'll see if you have the gift."
Merek couldn't help but ask in surprise, "We can become skinchangers too?"
Thorfinn explained, "Theoretically, it's possible. After all, you and Morla have the same parents. There's no reason Morla would awaken the gift and you wouldn't."
Orrik was also skeptical. "Thorfinn, I've tried many times over the last two years, and I always feel like I'm just short. I'm out of ideas. If you've got a trick up your sleeve, let's see it."
Seeing Orrik with a look that essentially dared him to try, Thorfinn couldn't help but feel a touch of pride. "It's nothing major, just a small bit of magic. It can cause a temporary burst of your mind's power and increase your awareness. You will experience a whole new world."
As soon as Orrik heard it was magic, his eyes were full of excitement. He quickly volunteered, "Me first, me first! Merek, no cutting in front of me!"
Thorfinn smiled and explained, "The effect of this magic lasts for about three days, but you'll have a period of fatigue afterwards—you'll feel listless and unmotivated for a while."
Merek shrugged. "That's hardly a severe consequence. If I can become a skinchanger, it's a huge gain. That small price is absolutely nothing."
Val tentatively asked, "Can I try too? I mean, is there a chance I could awaken the gift and become a skinchanger?"
Thorfinn considered her question before answering, "I can't promise anything, but I can say it's possible. We'll only know the specific result after you try."
Receiving Thorfinn's reply, Val looked eager to try her luck. Even though most free folk shun skinchangers, they can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy whenever the gift is mentioned. The large, successful tribes, however, tend to treat these exceptional people favorably, hoping they can use their talents to help the tribe grow and prosper—which indirectly proves the skinchangers' extraordinary nature.
Most skinchangers, however, choose to live a solitary life. Besides the fact that they can live comfortably on their own, it's probably because they dislike being tied down.
Thorfinn continued, "I see a lot of animals nearby. After I cast the spell, you should go and try to establish a connection with them. If luck is on your side, you might become a skinchanger. Before I cast the spell, I need to tell you about the feeling: you must try to empty your mind, imagine entering the animal's body, and try to establish a link with it…"
Thorfinn began casting the Increase Intellect spell. The first was Orrik. Thorfinn gently placed his palm on Orrik's forehead and infused warm magic into Orrik's brain, stimulating his soul to briefly heighten his mental power. It must be said that such an enhancement spell has many benefits, and this particular application was something Thorfinn stumbled upon by accident. Now, on his first day back, he couldn't wait to try it out.
The spellcasting process was smooth. When Orrik opened his eyes again, everything looked different—the world seemed clearer, like a person with poor eyesight putting on glasses for the first time.
Of course, the deeper change was that his mind was sharper, and he felt much more intelligent.
Orrik murmured in disbelief, "This feeling is truly… marvelous."
Val asked curiously, "What does it feel like?"
Before Orrik could answer, Merek interrupted her query. "You'll find out when you try it. It's our turn next."
Next was Merek, and finally Val. After using three spells in quick succession, Thorfinn finally said, "Now you can go and try to establish a connection with your animal partners. Go on, the time for success or failure is now! See if you can do it."
The three didn't linger and immediately went to try this new thing.
Thorfinn then focused his attention on Morla. After two years, this young woman had grown even more captivating, but with age, she had also gained a certain wildness, and her eyes held a more aggressive look. Seeing Thorfinn openly looking her over, Morla didn't get angry; instead, her eyes held a playful provocation that made Thorfinn's heart race.
Thorfinn's tone was lightly cheerful as he spoke, "It's our turn now, Morla. Two years have passed—let me see how far you've come."
Morla chuckled. "Let's try it then! We'll see if you, the teacher, are still qualified to instruct me. Don't tell me you were so taken with that little sorceress named Lyra that you learned nothing, and she even stole your heart."
With her first remark, Morla showed Thorfinn what it meant to be sharp-tongued. It seemed she was getting back at him for ignoring her last night, and her words were particularly blunt, practically screaming her displeasure.
Seeing that no one was around, Morla said without reservation, "Don't you know I missed you, you little scoundrel? And you brought a woman home with you?"
Thorfinn sighed helplessly. "Alright, Morla, stop it… I missed you too."
Morla murmured, "Truly?"
"Truly."
As if remembering something, Morla squinted her eyes and put her hands on her hips in one smooth motion, then asked huffily, "What is your relationship with that Lyra?"
"We are both apprentices to the Forest Witch Thenya. She is my kin… just like you."
Morla keenly sensed the unusual implication in Thorfinn's words. 'Just like you'—didn't that mean another lover? Morla instantly felt her confidence waver, and then she asked, half-angry and half-hurt, "Did you two ever…"
Thorfinn was momentarily stunned, then realized what she meant, but his realization was followed by a weary sigh. What in the world was going through Morla's little head?
Thorfinn answered firmly, "No."
"Not even once?"
"Not even once."
Morla cheered up a little. "I knew you'd be the type of boy girls like. When you get older, girls will be lining up to jump into your furs… Now, can we officially begin?"
Morla's affection was both painful and sweet for Thorfinn, and yet he couldn't help but enjoy it, as it showed that the little girl he had saved back then still thought of him.
The two then began their skinchanger exchange. Just as Boro passed on his life's experience to Thorfinn, Thorfinn now taught Morla what he had learned. Perhaps one day in the future, she would pass it on to someone else like this. Many things among the free folk are passed down this way through generations, whether it's slang, common knowledge, or fighting techniques. Just like the Dothraki's "It is known," this is the tradition of the free folk.
In two years, the frail little girl was gone, replaced by a mature, rational, and independent free folk spearwife. Darie taught Morla everything she had learned, treating her like her own daughter. Reynar was also training Morla and Orrik; Thorfinn had seen with his own eyes that their axe usage was quite impressive.
Great warriors are never made in a day; they require training accumulated over time, just as Thorfinn focused on archery. In Westeros, most knights who wield longswords look down on warriors who use bows, but excellent archery can be just as deadly, perhaps even more so.
Fortunately, this was not Westeros. Since the Wall was built, the land beyond it has been separated, and no one here looks down on an archer.
Thorfinn hadn't had much expectation for the Increase Intellect spell, only trying it out with a 'what if' attitude, but it did bring a pleasant surprise. On the very first day, Orrik and White Snow successfully established a connection. When Orrik, inhabiting White Snow's body, approached Thorfinn, Thorfinn didn't notice at first.
However, as White Snow drew closer, Thorfinn keenly realized that Orrik had succeeded.
Merek and Val, however, showed no signs of progress for a while. They didn't have a deeply bonded animal companion, and Thorfinn was about to give up hope of their success. Who would have thought that on the third day, Merek would give Thorfinn a huge surprise? He had actually managed to bond with a gyrfalcon.
That was the famous Hai Dong Qing! The gyrfalcon is very difficult to catch and tame; a wild one, even after being captured by humans, won't easily submit. In his previous life, the so-called "hawk-taming" process was often about this bird. Making it obedient is no easy task; you have to keep it from sleeping for days and nights to break its wild spirit, and only after various training regimens can you get a proper hunting falcon.
Even among skinchangers, few have managed to tame this creature. It's said that a skinchanger's animal partner resembles the master greatly. Could it be that Merek is also an aloof and proud soul?
Thorfinn couldn't help but be curious about how Merek had managed to tame the hawk. When Thorfinn pressed him for details, Merek didn't conceal anything and proudly recounted the process.
It turned out that Merek had befriended this hawk in the mountains long ago. It was a nestling whose wings hadn't fully grown yet, and it had fallen out of its nest. Merek found it and returned it to a cave on the cliff, and he would often go back to check on it, even feeding it a few times.
Learning the story, Thorfinn couldn't help but marvel at Merek's good fortune; such a high-quality hunting falcon is extremely rare. With the addition of the two new members, the initial core group of Thorfinn's family—these siblings—had all become skinchangers, with no one left behind.
Darie and Reynar were also utterly surprised to hear the news, as such an event was truly unbelievable. Fortunately, it was a good thing and cause for celebration. Unable to figure it out, the two could only attribute the incredible outcome to the magic itself.
Val, however, was not so lucky. Although she sensed something, she still didn't succeed. The young woman was very disappointed, thinking it was a shame she missed out on such a fun thing. Thorfinn guessed that this was likely related to her age. After all, among the three, Val was the oldest; Orrik was twelve, Merek was fifteen, but Val was already seventeen.
The addition of the newly born skinchangers made Thorfinn's blood run hot. The growth of his partners strengthened the confidence in his heart.