//------------------------------//
// Foresight Is 20/20 
// Story: A Pup Named Fenrir 
// by MisterEdd 
//------------------------------//

Apple-bucking the entire orchard took considerably less time than I initially thought, doing what would normally take hours in just three. Every now and then, Applejack would give me an impressed nod and resume her work, trying to keep up with me and even though it was pointless, I still had to applaud her for the attempt. I didn't think knocking apples out of trees would be as fun as it was but it wouldn't be the first time I'd been proven wrong. Perhaps it was some lingering yearning from my "glory days" to cause wanton destruction or the act simply spoke to my stupid basic male need to smash something. Or maybe it was the sheer pleasure of hard work, to contribute a valuable service to the community I'd become a part of and served as my way of giving back.   

It soon became clear that we, or rather, I, had generated a little audience consisting of Big Mac, Granny Smith, Apple Bloom and Winona, who all intensely watched me clear the trees in one blow. No one, it seemed, enjoyed the display more than Winona, her hazel eyes observing my every movement, her tail wagging furiously enough to kick up a dirt cloud behind her. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I could've sworn there was some heavy lust behind her gaze. Given that I had little in the way of experience with females, other than the one-and-done encounter with that nameless she-wolf, you can imagine what this did to my masculine pride and I couldn't help but toss her a wide, knowing grin.    

I could barely contain my laughter when Winona realized that I was onto her salacity, her eyes flying wide open and her cheeks burning red beneath her fur. Turning sharply, she rushed off through the nearby bushes, nearly knocking herself silly by almost head-butting Bic Mac's chest. Refocusing on the task at paw, I slammed my heel into the trunk I was currently working on, the plumb orbs falling all around me like thick rain droplets. I was lucky in that I had yet to seriously damage any of the trees; given how much the Apple family depended on them for their business, I'd hate to be responsible for setting them back by destroying their main supply of income. Both of my hind legs were beginning to lock up and I was just thankful that only one tree stood in the way of my rest.    

I stared up at the tree, this one being the tallest, thickest and greenest one I'd seen yet. 

"Go on, Fen. It's all yers." 

Accepting Applejack's gracious offer, I spun around and, putting all of my weight onto my front paws, extended both of my hind legs in a good, hard kick. CRACK! A thunderous bang echoed throughout the orchard, my paws striking the tree hard enough to send it bowing backward, a shower of apples plummeting from the crown, creating a sound like a hundred pounding war-drums. The tree swerved back and forth, creaking as it recovered from my strike but remaining upright, eventually coming to a gradual stop. Aside from a large cavity and a couple of fissures, the tree was in remarkably good shape considering how I'd smacked it hard enough to kill a bear in one hit.      

"Whoa, did'ya see that, everypony?! Did'ya?" Apple Bloom shouted excitedly.

Big Mac managed a stunned, "Eeyep" and brought his hooves together for a clap. 

Granny Smith rubbed her eyelids. "Wha' are they feedin' tha' boy, oxen?" 

Applejack gave my side a good rub. "Heh, we might jus' hafta keep yah 'round full-time." 

"Depends...what's in it for me?"

"Our eternal gratitude?" 

I furrowed my brow as if in deep thought. "Hmm, it's tempting..." 

"Okay, okay! Yah drive uh hard bargain! How 'bout this: every day tha' yah work fer us, yah get eight-um-nine apple pies an' uh barrel o' cider?"  

"It's a deal," I grinned and shook her hoof. "Lead the way, my eternally grateful lady." 

Cracking a lopsided smirk, Applejack shepherded me towards the house, the rest of her family in tow.

"Jus' be sure t' not eat everything yah see. Leave some fer th' customers."

"I make no promises..." 

Despite my joke, which made Granny Smith turn even greener than she already was, I had enough restraint to only take what was my agreed-upon payment. None of the four ponies sitting in front of me had actually expected me to enjoy my earnings right there and then, watching me with a mix of wide-eyed shock and awe or, in the case of little Apple Bloom, with whoops of excitement as she egged me on. By the time I'd made it to the ninth pie, I could already feel my stomach threatening to burst, throwing up a metaphorical white flag and begging me to stop. The adult Apples were grateful that I'd refrained from indulging in anymore pastries, poor Granny Smith looking ready to pass out and Apple Bloom giving me some mock boos in faux-disappointment.  

"Wow, yah sure can put those away," Applejack muttered incredulously. 

"I wasn't known as 'the Devourer' for nothing," I groaned, letting out a weak chuckle. 

Apple Bloom leapt up into my face, her expression one of youthful pride and excitement. 

"Yah should sign up fer th' pie-eatin' contest in tomorrow's carnival! Ain't no way nopony can beat ya!" 

"I'd have to recover first, Bloom. Besides, wouldn't there be rules against that?"

"Uh-uh. Th' rules clearly say tha' anyone can sign up regardless o' species. Ain't nothing in th' rules 'gainst big talkin' wolves." 

Actually, the term would be "vargr" but I didn't have it in me to correct her. Damn it all, how can these ponies, especially the young ones, be so adorable?! Wobbling to my paws, I groaned and patted my stomach, silently thanking it for not giving up on me. Big Mac offered me a hoof but I waved it away, preferring to stand on my own. A loud belch tore through my mouth, sending Applejack's hat tumbling off her head and Apple Bloom into a fit of laughter.  

"Ha, good one!" Apple Bloom giggled before Granny Smith shot her a glare.

Turning to me, she grimaced, "Say, 'Excuse may.' Were ya raised in uh barn?"

"Actually, I was raised in a stable."

There was a light snicker and Applejack next found herself on the other end of Granny Smith's glower. 

"I'm sorry," I said with a head-bow. "Please excuse me." 

Granny Smith's gummy smile returned. 

"Apology accepted, Fen. Are yah feelin' okay, Sugar Cube? Do'ya need t' lie down?" 

"No, thank you. I really should be getting home."

She waved her hoof. "Ah insist. It ain't no problem wi' me." 

"Oo, oo, can Fen stay in mah room?"

"Ain't no way he can fit," Big Mac said with a firm head shake. "He'll hafta sleep in th' barn." 

That was the most words I'd heard him say this whole visit. 

"Thank you all."

"It's th' least we can do." Applejack gave me a playful slug on the foreleg. "Yah did help us out a lot in th' orchard today. Celestia knows how much work we got done thanks t' yah." 

I lightly bumped her side with my shoulder.

"I'm happy to help, my lady." 

Applejack shook her head and shoved her hat back on, giving the brim a good tug.  

"Yeah, well, git in tha' barn or Ah'll show yah how 'lady-like' Ah can be." 

The barn was actually quite spacious, giving me plenty of room to stand and even pace if I wanted to. The smells didn't bother me; remember, I spent many years living in a stable so animal musk and the stink of wet hay and excrement weren't going to get under my skin. Big Mac cleared out an empty stall for me, sweeping away the dirt and hay and setting down some old blankets to make it more comfortable. Applejack tried apologizing for the shabby lodgings but I assured her it was more than enough and was grateful that they'd gone through the trouble. Honestly, compared to some of the places I've slept in, this was like being inside of a palace.  

"Thank you both."

"Eeyup," was Big Mac's response before he turned and left.

"Jus' shout if yah need anythin," Applejack smiled, making her own exit. 

I encircled the inside of the stall and settled down on my stomach, resting my head on my forelegs. Twenty minutes flew by and silence soon overtook the barn. If there was a clock, I'm sure it would've been annoyingly tick-tocking in the background to occupy the void of sound. I bolted upright as the door opened but I settled back down at the familiar scent of feminine canine musk. Winona soon came into view, an inquisitive look on her face. 

"Ah wanted t' see how yah were. Do'ya mind if Ah stay a li'l while?"

"Not at all." 

Gratefully, she took a seat on the floor right outside the stall. 

"So..." I started off uneasily. "Have you always lived here?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, mah whole life." 

"Really?"

"Mah ma was th' previous Apple family dog. Ah was actually th' runt o' th' litter."

Winona then leaned forward slightly. "So where're yah from? If tha's not intrusive er anythin'."

"It's fine. I was born in a place called Járnvið in the realm of Jotunnheim. It's a massive forest located in a land of giants." 

"What 'bout yer folks?"

I frowned at this. "My father and I weren't exactly close. He was the god of mischief, a bringer of chaos and mayhem so he wasn't always around. My mother was a witch and I haven't seen her since I was a pup. Well, a pup in my first life. Other than Tyr, who raised me, I had no one." 

"Must've been lonely."

"It was," I admitted. "But I got used to it."

"Yah shouldn't have had t'." Winona scooted closer to me. "If we'd met when we were li'l, Ah would've made sure Applejack er Big Mac would've taken yah in." 

I snorted at this. "Gods, if that was the case, they would've run out of food before the year was out."

Winona snickered, "Yeah, y'll are quite th' eater. Better watch out. Yer gettin' pretty big."

"Was that a fat joke?"

"Maaaybe."  

I observed her curiously. "I've noticed that you've been more sociable with me. And there was that look you gave me in the orchard. What's going on?"

Scratching one ear with her hind paw, Winona let out a sigh.

"Ah know Ah've been playin' it cool but when Ah heard 'bout what happened wi' th' chimera, Ah was actually afraid yah weren't gonna make it." She began sniffling. "An' tha' would've just been awful." 

I was hit by a hazy recollection of Winona seated at the foot of my hospital bed.

"Tha' was mighty brave o' ya," Winona resumed with tears in her eyes. "Dumb but brave. Not many would've done wha' yah did but yah did it anyway. An' Ah got t' thinkin' 'bout th' time we spent together an' Ah know it weren't much but Ah really liked havin' ya around. Th' truth is, Ah like ya."

I placed my larger paw gingerly atop hers.

"I like you too, Winona."

"Yeah, yah made tha' pretty clear," she chuckled. "But Ah'm willin' t' give this chance if ya'll are."

I licked the tip of her snout and delighted in her stunned expression.

"I'm game if you are."

In response, Winona slipped into the stall and cuddled up next to me, letting out a little sigh as she closed her eyes. As we lay there not speaking, I began to contemplate my jotunnulfr nature. The truth was, I had no clue as to how much time I had in this world. Maybe I'd keel over after a few centuries or I really was immortal and would simply keep on living. Winona's life was fleeting in comparison to mine, especially given her advanced age but perhaps I could grant her some happiness in her remaining years and that gave me some comfort, however small, as I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke sometime later, a snoozing Winona still cuddled up next to me, a content smile on her face. Moving with the pace of an elderly tortoise, I managed to shift enough without disturbing her and stood, almost hitting my scalp on an overhead beam. Well, good news was that I'd slept off my pie binge and settled my stomach, so much so that it was completely empty. As for the bad news, it looked like I'd grown again, not that I was all that shocked, mind you. Peering into a trough of standing water, I studied my reflection and discovered it wasn't just my height that'd been affected. 

The wolf staring back at me had a broader, stockier skull with taller, more pointed ears and a pronounced brow. The muzzle was a tad longer and wider, the top canines peeking out of the upper lip. I opened my mouth and experimentally bit the air, my cuspids being longer and more curved. My fur has lengthened and became shaggier which, when combined with the broader chest, shoulder blades, and torso, added to my increased size. Now I was undoubtedly tall enough to stare over Big Mac's head and easily dwarf the majority of ponies that I'd normally come across. 

It was still early in the morning, the sun having barely risen when I stepped outside. Somewhere, a cock was customarily crowing, no doubt to someone's aggravation. I collected my saddlebags from the front porch of the Apple Family homestead and began with White Fang, the protagonist's species being a major point of interest for me. I'd barely made it two chapters in when Big Mac and Applejack exited the house and stopped dead in their tracks. I looked up from my book and smiled at them.     

"Good morning."

"Morning," they both managed. 

"Looking lovely so far, isn't it?"

They nodded and, encircling me like fight-starlings, the siblings took turns examining me. Big Mac lifted up one of my paws, which was now big enough to cover his face, while Applejack prodded at my ribs with a hoof. This tickled and I tried to hold in my laughter, huffing out some puffs of air. 

"How do'ya feel, Sugar Cube?"

"Fine," I answered casually. "And you?"

"Just peachy. Big Mac?"

"Eeyup."  

Apple Bloom sleepily trudged out of the house, rubbing her eyes. 

"Wha's goin' on, every...?"

She paused upon catching sight of me.

"Whoa, yer gigantic!" 

The filly proceeded to bounce around me, a parade of oohs and ahhs accompanying her movements.

"Ah can't 'till mah friends see yah! They're gonna lose it!" 

Apple Bloom gasped and spun around to face her siblings.

"Can Ah bring Fen t' th' carnival? Please?"

They silently peered at one another, Big Mac nodding his approval.

"If it's fine wi' Fen, then it's fine wi' us," Applejack concluded, throwing me a questioning gaze.

I'd barely managed a "I don't mind" when Apple Bloom wrapped herself around one of my forelegs. 

"Yay! Ah can't wait!" 


~*~


Arriving home, I attempted to enter my doghouse, only to find that I couldn't even fit through the door. In retrospect, I really should've seen that coming. Sighing, I set my saddlebags inside and made my way up to the cottage. There was no way I was getting in there, so I settled for knocking on the front door. Fluttershy's voice let me know that she was on her way and almost two minutes later, the pegasus came into view, momentarily taken aback by my transformation.

"Hey Mother. I kind of grew again..."

"I can see that," she replied in her normal sweet tone, a bit of dryness seeping into her voice. 

"Did you want something to eat?" 

"Yes, please." 

"Go wait in the backyard. I'll bring you something in a few minutes."

In the backyard, I found a nice patch of grass to lie down on. Even with my growth spurt and more menacing appearance, the animals that usually hung around the cottage continued to go about their usual business, though most of them understandably kept their distance. Wariness was a preferable option to outright fear and it made sense that the mostly prey-animal creatures would instinctively have their eyes on me. I really didn't care; as long as none of them had a problem with me, I didn't have a problem with them. Angel soon bounded into view, stopping to give me a curious once-over.

"Wow," he whistled. "You're huge! And kind of scary-looking."

"I know. Aside from Fluttershy's little entourage, no one really cares."

"That's because you're a big softie," Angel remarked in a baby voice, giving my cheek a pinch.

"Release my cheek or-..."

"Or what?"

I knew it was just playful teasing but that didn't mean I had to like his arrogance. 

"Or else I will eat all of those almond cookies you've been hiding."

Angel drew back in surprise but knitted his brow skeptically.

"You're bluffing. You don't even know where they are."

"They're in a jar hidden under the couch," I said without missing a beat.  

The rabbit became a white blur as he sped away to the front of the house, leaving me cackling like a madman. Fluttershy arrived with a tray of venison, the steaks stacked up in a miniature pile.    

"What was that about?"

I gained control over my cackling and shook my head. 

"Something about baked goods. This looks amazing, Mother. Thank you." 

"Fenrir?"

I lifted my head from the tray, a steak dangling from my mouth. I quickly put it away and licked my mouth.

"Yes, Mother?"

Fluttershy seated herself on the grass next to me, taking a moment to gather her thoughts.

"I wanted to let you know how sorry I am."

I gave a short scoff. "You're sorry? For what?"  

She seemed to wince at this, a great deal of guilt adorning her features.

"I know I've been distant lately. It's just...that I'm still adjusting to what I learned about you the other day. I'd been treating you just like a dog but now, I don't know how to reconcile that with the thought of you as a normal sentient being."

"Plus the whole 'killing thing,' right?" I asked.

"Well, there's that too. It's still a lot to process."

I felt awful for not giving much thought to Fluttershy's predicament. It had to have been hard to acclimatize herself to one way of thinking, then get the rug pulled out from under her and learn that she'd been wrong this whole time. She'd been there for me since the beginning and still was, even after hearing about my past. Placing my tail around her waist, I used my foreleg to press her against my side. There was no resistance on her end, gladly snuggling into me.

"You don't need to be sorry, Mother. The truth is, you've been more accepting, more patient, and more loving than I could've ever thought possible. If anything, I don't deserve having you in my life." 

I held my paw up when Fluttershy tried to interrupt. 

"I know what I was, what I am. But you never gave up on me. Please don't feel guilty. I don't want you to beat yourself up over this. No matter what happens, I will always treasure our time together."
 
Fluttershy's eyes moistened at my words. "Me too, Fen. I love you."

"And I love you, Mother," I said softly, gently nuzzling her chest. 

The concept of wyrd was always a point of contempt for me, an intangible but ever-present web I'd found myself entangled in. Much like a noose, the more I struggled, the tighter it constricted around my throat until at last I was left strangled. I used to believe that I was only ever fated to become a monster to be slain at the end-times but perhaps the Norns decreed that I was to go through all of that so that I could arrive here at this place and time. Perhaps Fluttershy was meant to be in the Everfree Forest that day and was meant to take me in. I can't say for certain whether or not I did anything to improve her life but I definitely know as an irrefutable fact that she improved mine. 

"Mother? I promised Apple Bloom I'd escort her to the carnival. Is that alright?"

Fluttershy stroked the side of my muzzle. "Of course it is. I'll be there a little later too." 

I simply nodded, enjoying our little moment together. 


~*~


An hour soon passed and I made my way to town, three fillies gleefully astride my back. Following my talk with Fluttershy, as well as the completion of my breakfast, I swung by Sweet Apple Acres to pick Apple Bloom up, finding Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo there as well. It seemed that I'd been designated as their chaperone for the next hour-and-a-half until Rarity would take over and the CMCs couldn't be happier. As to be expected, the other two fillies were astounded by my appearance and fussed over different parts, with Scootaloo paying extra attention to my fangs and paws while Sweetie Belle repeatedly ran her hooves through my fur, admiring the soft, thick hair I'd since grown. Applejack gave them some bits and a warning to listen to whatever I told them and we were off.

"Whoo! I'm the queen of the world!" Scootaloo cheered while clinging to my neck.  

I rolled my eyes at this but said nothing. Aside from behaving as a young child should, she was enjoying the sensation of being tall for once instead of a tiny filly. I'd been made aware that Scootaloo, despite being a pegasus, was incapable of flight, an ironically depressing thought that made my heart go out to her. I don't know what I'd do if I was crippled or toothless, deprived of my ability to run and hunt, to take pleasure from such simple and liberating acts. Giving joy to young Scootaloo, if only briefly, filled my soul with an indescribable bliss I've never known in two thousand years of existence.   

Bystanders watched as we came strolling into town, most, if not all, were entertained by the sight of the CMCs riding a giant wolf as though he were a wagon. Tents and stalls had been set up, a multitude of games and activities awaiting enjoyment for ponies of all ages. A unicorn in sunglasses magically tossed darts at a board covered in balloons, all the while bobbing her head along to the barely-audible beat thumping from her headphones. Time Turner was tossing balls at a pyramid of bottles in an attempt at winning a stuffed bear for Derpy, though he spent more time hitting the wall than the bottles. A particularly muscular stallion slammed a large mallet and rang the bell at the top of the vertical tower, stopping to flex his muscles before accepting his prize of a giant stuffed panda.     

"Where do y'all wanna go t' first?"

"I want to try Whac-A-Mole!" Scootaloo grinned. "I'm going to beat the high score this time."

Sweetie Belle tapped her chin. "Hmm, I was thinking about the ring toss." 

"Wha' 'bout yah, Fen?" Apple Bloom inquired. 

"I'm not really one for games."

"Lame! Come on, Fen," Scootaloo all but begged me. "It'll be fun! Just pick one!"

A loud ding distracted me and I turned my head to witness a very thin and feeble-looking stallion try his luck at the vertical tower game, barely managing to get the puck above three. The crowd booed and threw jeers as well as popcorn, sending the stallion sadly stumbling off. I shook my head in pity, wondering how such a stallion would ever find a mate being so weak. Scootaloo, meanwhile, smirked up at me.  

"You want to try your luck at the strength-tester? Let's go."

The crowd parted to make way for my companions and I as I approached the tower, the portly earth pony running the game doing a double-take at the sight of me. He calmed somewhat when he noticed the fillies accompanying me, straightening the small hat on his head and clearing his throat.

"What can I do for you?"
  
Scootaloo confidently set down some bits on the small table next to the pony.  

"Let my friend here try."

The earth pony's eyes bounced between Scootaloo and me. 

"S-sure, go right ahead."

I thanked him and strode up to the lever, the onlookers watching me with bated breath. Ignoring the mallet, I gave the CMCs a wink and slammed my right fore-paw down. The impact was so strong that the puck zipped up and knocked the bell clean off of the tower, sending it soaring off a few feet away and right into a coincidentally-placed trash can, an act surely worthy of skalds' attention. The crowd went nuts, hollering and congratulating me on the feat, though none were louder than my friends. The earth pony nervously shoved a stuffed figure resembling a potato with a face and limbs.

"Here's your prize, sir!"

"Thank you," I grinned and passed the freakish toy to Scootaloo. "Here you go."

Scootaloo stared astonishingly at me before accepting the toy, hugging it to her chest.

"Thanks, Fen," she whispered tenderly, almost as if I'd given her some great treasure. 

I patted her head with my paw, using the pads like a brush. 

"Anytime." 

Next, we visited the ring toss, where Sweetie Belle managed to win herself a black ball marked with the number eight that apparently answered your questions if you shook it. I'd initially mistaken it for a mystical divining tool but the fillies shared a good laugh and informed me it was just a fun toy. After that, Scootaloo tried for her Whac-A-Mole record, using a foam-covered mallet to strike a bunch of plastic moles that popped in and out of several holes. She didn't end up doing very well, only hitting two but remained in high spirits, keeping the potato-thing tightly pressed against her side. Apple Bloom, however, was a pro at the game, hitting nearly every mole and obtaining a rubber play-sword.  

"Fen, hello there!" 

Rarity came trotting towards us, briefly thrown off by my new height and build.

"Did...you all have fun?" 

The fillies animatedly talked over one another in response.

"Well that answers that question." Rarity turned to me. "Thanks for watching them."

"Of course." 

The three were reluctant to leave but after I promised to meet back up with them, they were more receptive and each thanked me with a hug. After Scootaloo was finished, her hug ending up being the tightest, the CMCs waved goodbye and went off with Rarity. There weren't many games that I could play and the rides were too small but I could still walk around and enjoy the sights. I soon came across a garish sea-green tent with yellow stripes, the sign about the entrance reading, "Madame Tarocchi: Fortuneteller" and a plum-colored stallion brusquely shoved his way out of the tent. He briefly glared in my direction and I caught the dagger shoved in the back of his belt, as well as the familiar coppery smell clinging to the blade, letting me know that it wasn't just for show.

He scowled and wove his way through the crowd, just as an elderly mare stiffly appeared in the tent's entrance, her eyes boring into mine. She was roughly in her late sixties, early seventies, with a silver-blue mane tied back in a bun, one milky white eye and a slight case of under-bite. A purple and white headscarf, pair of faux-golden hooped earrings and a black shawl draped over the shoulders of her light green body completed the look. Her cutie mark consisted of three egg-white playing cards, each bearing a black question mark. 

"Ah, welcome, my lupine friend," she croaked in a strange accent, beckoning me with a hoof. "Come, come into Madame Tarocchi's tent, yes? Madame Tarocchi knows much..."

Reluctantly, I made my way over to her. There was something...unsettling about her scent, one that was both foreign and familiar to me, though I was unable to place it. All I knew was there was something off about the mare and the fact that I wasn't sure about the reason was what angered and worried me the most. Even as I loomed over her, Madame Tarocchi remained eerily calm.

"Are you real?"

"Indeed, Madame Tarocchi is one of those gifted with the third eye, yes? Tell you what: Madame Tarocchi will give you a free demonstration and then you will believe. Deal?"

"O-kay..."

The tent's interior was surprisingly large enough to house me, the roof reaching at least twenty feet. Candles flickered atop a shelf filled with odds and ends like tiny skulls, a shrunken head and a pickled nine-legged calf fetus. Madame Tarocchi took her seat in a high-backed chair at the other end of a round wooden table, the surface carved with the images of two seals chasing one another in a circle. She lit an incense stick and began drawing signs in the air, spreading reddish-brown vapor throughout the tent before setting it down in a clay holder in the shape of a falcon. Rubbing her temples, the old mare began throat-singing in a language that I was unfamiliar with. 

"Oh spirits, guide these withered hooves, reveal the future to me-e-e-e-e!" 

I scoffed at her theatrics. "I bet you're a charlatan."

The old mare cocked her head. "Really? I thought I was a Gemini." 

Funny how she suddenly dropped her accent. 

She gestured to the other end of the table. 

"Come, sit. Madame Tarocchi compels thee."         

I rolled my eyes but still obeyed. 

Madame Tarocchi suddenly jumped in her seat and raised a hoof. 

"Ah! According to the Dwellers of the Ether, you are...Fenrir, son of Loki."  

Now I was intrigued. No one outside my immediate friends' circle knew my true name or the name of my father. Unless someone went blabbing, there was no way this random old mare could possibly have this information.

"What else do they tell you?" I wondered, trying to sound as though I actually believed this malarkey. 

"Madame Tarocchi also knows...that you are Warg-King, God-Wolf, Gleipnir’s Mouthful, the Ravener, Brother of Death, Bane of the High-God..."

This wasn't possible! 

The old mare continued, her voice gaining thunderous momentum.

"...Hróðvitnir, Vánagandr, Thjóthvitnir, Fettered One, Tyr's Crippler, Prisoner of Ámsvartnir..." 

"Enough!" I barked, the fortuneteller going silent. "You've made your point."

"Then may Madame Tarocchi give you a card reading, yes?"

Who was this stranger who held knowledge she couldn't possibly possess?

"Go ahead," I told her flippantly.

Madame Tarocchi studied me with her good eye, which I only now realized was a deep green. She withdrew a deck of cards, shuffled them up and set three face down on the table.

"These represent your past, your present and your future," Madame Tarocchi gravely intoned. "Let us see what Fate has in store for you, yes?"  

She flipped over the one on her immediate left, which depicted three swords impaling a bleeding heart. Oddly, I could almost swear I saw the heart beating, heard the thump-thump-thumping as the swords slid into the organ. Blood dripped down from the wounds in flowing streaks.

"The Three of Swords, yes? You have experienced pain, heartache...betrayal."    

Flashes of Lyngvi raced through my mind. 

The middle card was a stallion hunched over in bed with his face in his hooves, a row of gleaming swords hanging horizontally on the wall behind him. The old mare's good eye widened. 

"This is the Nine of Swords. You have done a terrible wrong-no-many wrongs. You have hurt many innocents, spilled enough blood to drown the world. You must make amends."  

She flipped over the last card, the image of a stallion carrying a bundle of long wooden poles.

"The Ten of Wands. You carry a great burden, one that is of your own making. The road ahead is going to be hard but you must travel it nonetheless to achieve happiness." 

Madame Tarocchi then glanced at me sympathetically. "The way you walk is thorny, through no fault of your own. You were fated to suffer in one life but now must continue to do so in this one. To feel the sunshine, you must first hack your way through the dark forest." 

She began to reshuffle her deck when she accidentally dropped it, scattering cards all over the table. One in particular slid face-up across the table and landed in front of me. It was a ram-like creature with eyes of flame and a bell hanging from his collar, the sound of deep ringing echoing in my ears. A stallion and a mare were chained to the throne he sat upon, their faces contorted into screams of anguish. A myriad of shrieks appeared to rip through the tent, though if Madame Tarocchi heard them too, she gave no indication of this and instead focused on cleaning up her mess.

Finally taking notice of the card, Madame Tarocchi reached over to pick it up, her hoof hovering above the card.

"The Devil, yes? Symbolic of a toxic relationship you have. A figure from your past, perhaps?"  

Abandoning the accent once again, Madame Tarocchi held out a hoof.

"Okay, that'll be twenty-five bits."

I balked at this. "Twenty-five?! You said this was free!"

"Ah-ah-ah, Madame Tarocchi said that the demonstration was free. Nothing was said about the tarot reading. I don't just give out advice for free, yes?"

Grumbling, I forked over the bits, which Madame Tarocchi greedily snatched and deposited into a previously-unseen lock-box beneath the table. She flashed me a pretentious smile and waved me off.

"Good luck, Fenrir Lokisson," she stated in that ridiculous accent. "Madame Tarocchi looks forward to seeing you once more, yes?"

"Don't count on it," I growled and stormed out.