Kwai kwai nidobak! For those of you who don't know, that is Abenaki Native American for "Hello, friends!" This is my first FanFiciton that isn't a Spyro story, but I'm excited because I've been wanting to write this story for a few months now. We won't be getting into the mystical stuff right away, but we'll get there soon, I promise. I hope you all like this story and remember to leave a review or send me a PM!

Chapter 1: The New World

`Northern Atlantic Ocean – year: 1003 C.E.

It was a cold yet sunny day in the Atlantic Ocean. The waters were calm and still while the winds blew steadily. Out in the middle of the ocean, was a ship. This ship was a Norse longship that had an active crew. All the men aboard were attending to their duties that ranged from rowing the oars to manning the sails. There was one man that stood out from the rest who was rowing the boat.

This muscular man was rather tall with hairy, pale skin. He possessed dark brown hair that reached his shoulders and it was fairly wavy. He also sported a beard that was about a foot in length. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt made of black cloth with gray chainmail armor over it. Light brown furred pans were covering his legs and he wore heavy leather boots that were also brown. Lastly, he wore a gray wolf furred cloak over his shoulders and back. He was also carrying a sheathed Viking sword made out of iron.

The armored Norseman looked around as he and his fellow sailors rowed their longboat. He seemed to be searching for something and made sure that the ship was sailing where the seagulls were flying.

"Thorgeir, we've been sailing for over a month now. When are we gonna find this 'New World' you spoke of?" one of the sailors questioned impatiently.

"Patience, Almod. We'll get there soon." Thorgeir assured calmly, obviously not wanting to hear complaining.

Almod was the tallest man amongst the group and he had muscular, pale skin. This man's hair was dirty blonde and wavy. Both his beard and hair reached his shoulders as well. He was wearing a vest made out of chainmail and black pants. His boots were dark brown and he had shoulder pads made from a bear's hide. He also donned gauntlets made out of bear fur. Lastly, a morning star was strapped to his belt and a kite shield was resting on his back.

The man who spoke, now known as Almod, stayed quiet after that. They were all in irritable moods because they've been sailing almost nonstop and many of them thought that the place they were trying to find didn't exist at all.

"I heard that Leif Ericson himself discovered the New World." one of the sailors commented after a long moment of silence.

"I think he and his crew were just lying to get attention. 'Fighting dark skinned warriors' indeed!" another sailor replied skeptically with a scoff.

"Would you both just shut up!? Look!" a third sailor yelled with wide eyes as he pointed towards the direction they were sailing.

All of the Norse sailors looked in the direction he was pointing and they squinted their eyes to see what looked like land in the distance. The land had various trees and a beach, making the men want to work harder to get on dry land.

After what seemed like forever, the Norsemen reached the sandy beach and they sailed the ship right onto the beach. The men got off of the boat and looked at their new surroundings with interest.

The beach's sand was still wet from the ocean tide and the trees. The leaves were various different colors because it was autumn and some of them had already fallen to the ground. Geese could be heard above them and they all looked up to see the birds fly in a V formation towards the south.

"I love the sea, but it's nice to be on land again.' a man with a blonde beard commented and the others nodded in agreement.

"We'd best head inland and make a shelter." the tallest man suggested as his blue eyes scanned the new environment.

"I agree. Good idea, Almod." Thorgeir replied with a smile behind his thick beard.

The group of Norsemen walked together into the forest so they could get a better idea of what the land was like, but they almost immediately heard twigs snap in the foliage.

"What was that noise?" one of the men asked quietly as he unsheathed his war hammer.

"Shh!" Thorgeir hushed as he slowly looked around the area they were in and the rest of his men took out their various weapons.

Everything was silent for a long while and nothing happened. Something happened however that none of them expected.

A lone woman stepped out of the bushes and towards the surprised men. Her skin was darker than theirs and her brown eyes looked black as night from a distance. She possessed long, dark brown hair that reached her lower back and some hair on the right side of her face was braided. A black rawhide headband was tied around her head so that her straight hair would stay out of her eyes. Her slender body was covered with a deerskin dress that went down to her ankles. Bone beads were attached to one another to form at least four necklaces around her neck. Her facial structure was also different that what they were used to. Her cheekbones could easily be seen, her nose was flatter than those that they usually saw in Europe, and her eyes were slightly almond shaped.

"Who are you?" Almod questioned with wide eyes as they all stared at the tan skinned woman.

"Gagwi gedidam? (What did you say?)" the woman questioned with a very confused expression.

The Norsemen became confused as well and looked at one another.

"Do any of you know what language she's speaking in?" one of the sailors asked his fellow Vikings, but they all just shook their heads, no.

"Hmm… I recall Leif Ericson and his crew talking about a group of people living in this New World. He didn't say too much about them, but he called them… Skrælings I think it was." Thorgeir remembered with a snap of his fingers.

"I remember him saying that too, but he was farther north than us. Do you think these are the same people he encountered?" Almod questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Does it matter? We can put a name to this woman and anyone else we may encounter." a red-headed Viking replied, making a good point.

Deciding not to argue, they all agreed that they would name this woman and any person they encountered Skrælings. They turned back to the woman, but were greatly surprised when they saw half a dozen native men behind her. All the men were armed with bows and tomahawks, yet none of them made any hostile movements. The Norsemen assumed that these people were hunting when they arrived not too long ago.

"Did any of you hear them coming?" one of the Vikings whispered awkwardly as they looked at all the natives, who were observing their every moment.

The natives were wearing various animal furs and most of them had feathers in their hair. Not only that, but all of them possessed long, dark hair and dark skin. The Norsemen had to admit, they were impressed by the natives' weapons and battle ready stances.

Deciding to take a chance, Thorgeir calmly stepped forward and he made sure to keep his hands away from his sheathed Viking sword.

"We… do not wish to fight you. We… wish to… trade." the Viking said slowly as he made hand movements with his hands to emphasize what he was saying.

The natives seemed to at least partially understand what he was saying and they lowered their bows and tomahawks. The Skræling woman stepped towards the muscular light-skinned man and looked up a little because he was slightly taller than her.

"Awani gia? (Who are you?)" she spoke with a questioning expression as she pointed at the Norseman.

It took a moment for him to understand what she meant and he replied after a few seconds of awkward of silence.

"Thorgeir." the Viking answered finally with a slight nod.

"Kizokw." the Skræling woman introduced herself with a small smile, making the bearded man smile as well.

One of the natives walked forward all of a sudden and whispered something in the woman's ear. She nodded in understanding and the tan skinned man backed away.

"N' dlossa 'wigwômnok. (I am going home.)" Kizokw told the Vikings as she motioned behind her. "Adio, wli nanawalmezi. (Goodbye, take care of yourself.)" she said as she looked at Thorgeir.

The Norsemen watched as the Skrælings walked off and into the forests without another word before looking at each other. They didn't expect to come across people like them, especially without a fight.

"Well, that was interesting." Almod commented, earning a few chuckles from the group.

"Alright, alright, let's set up a camp near the ship." Thorgeir told them as he turned around to face his fellow Europeans.

The heavily armed men nodded in understanding and they walked back to the beach were their ship was. Something told them that they would see the Skrælings again before they leave.

Six weeks have passed since the Norsemen first arrived in the New World. They have built a sturdy camp just off of the beach and next to the forest border. Their settlement was surrounded by a wooden fence and they have made small houses made out of logs and wood. A bunch of trees around the area have been cut down so this temporary settlement could be built, but they made sure to leave a few around as a sign of respect to the people of this land.

The Norsemen haven't seen the Skrælings since they first arrived in this new land. It had gotten even colder over the past few weeks and almost all of the leaves had fallen off of the trees at this point.

Thorgeir was currently outside of his home within the camp and he was sharpening his Viking sword on a stone wheel. He was so focused on his task that he just barely noticed his friend, Almod, walk up to him.

"Those Skrælings are back. That woman spoke your name." the tall European informed, catching his friend's attention.

"Were they hostile?" Thorgeir questioned as he stood up and slid his sword into the sheath on his belt.

"They're armed, but that's expected. No, they seemed pretty benign." Almod answered as they both walked away from the temporary house and towards their settlement's gates.

When they reached the gates, they were able to see four of the natives, including Kizokw, standing in wait for them. The two Norsemen glanced at one another before Thorgeir walked right up to them, gaining the native's attention.

"Greetings." the European spoke with a slight nod.

"Kwai kwai nidoba. (Hello, friend.)" the Skræling woman replied with a small nod as well. "Ndaii passojiwi. Kwigi bra apïô spiwi nia? (I live nearby. Would you like to come with me?)" she asked as she imitated walking with two of her fingers.

It took a minute for the Viking to understand what she was saying, but he assumed that she wanted him to follow them. He nodded in agreement to this and the natives smiled. It was at this point that Almod stepped forward.

"I'm going with you." the tall man spoke with a straight face, gaining the native's attention.

"Awani agema? (Who is he?)" Kizokw questioned with a raised eyebrow as she pointed at him.

"Almod." Thorgeir introduced as he motioned towards his friend, who nodded awkwardly.

The Skrælings nodded as a greeting before they turned around and walked into the forest. The two Europeans looked at one another before they followed the natives into their territory. The group traveled on an animal trail that the natives used for awhile without anything eventful happening. They soon came across a river and walked on a trail next to it. Soon after that, they came to a clearing in the forest and there is where the Skrælings' village stood.

All the buildings in the settlement were long houses made out of wood and they had rounded roofs. All the natives were also performing various tasks. Some men were staying by the river and were spearing fish while some woman were harvesting the last of the corn or making clay pots. The children were happily playing near their mothers and a small group of hunters could be seen coming into the village with some game. Everyone was busy doing something.

The two Vikings looked at the village with wonder in their eyes. Out of all the places they have traveled to throughout their lives, they've never encountered people like this before.

"Abenaki." Kizokw stated with a proud smile.

"Huh? Is that what your people are called?" Almod questioned as he motioned towards the village.

"Abenaki…. 'people.'" she spoke with a slightly questionable tone of voice, hoping that she was using their word correctly.

"Abenaki people. That's an interesting name; I'll have to remember that." Thorgeir commented with a slight nod.

Their native guides smiled at his approval and they walked into the village together. They led the two Europeans over to a single native man and they nodded in respect.

This man possessed the same tan skin and dark eyes like the others, but it could be seen that he was much older than the Norsemen's current guides. He only had a small patch of hair on the back of his head, but that small patch was long enough to reach his shoulders and it was tied into a ponytail. He was wearing some robes made from deer leather and a black bear's pelt was being worn as a cloak over it. He wore a bone bead choker on his neck and breast plate armor over his chest that was also made out of bone beads. He was also wearing a feathered headdress on the back of his head, but it was even thinner than his head and was just as long as his hair. Lastly, there was a black line painted across the mid-section of his face.

"Kwai kwai, Sougmou. Tôni kdôlôwzi? (Hello Chief. How are you?)" Kizokw greeted respectfully, making the old man smile warmly.

"N' wôwlôzi, ni kia? (I'm fine, and you?)" Sougmou replied as he lightly clapped his hands together.

"Wli gen. (Good.)" the Skræling woman replied with a chuckle.

'I wish I could understand what they were saying.' Thorgeir thought to himself as he and Almod awkwardly stood behind the woman.

"Tôni odosaan? (Where did you go?)" the chief of the tribe questioned when he noticed the two Vikings standing behind her.

"Nôdossa kpiwiw ni... (I went into the woods and…)" Kizokw began to explain, but her voice trailed off as she stepped aside so that her leader could get a good look at their guests.

Sougmou stepped towards the bearded men and looked at them closely. At first, it looked like he didn't trust them, but he soon smiled and nodded as a greeting.

"I'm guessing he's the leader of these people." Thorgeir told Almod before they looked at the chief again.

"Heil ok sæll." the two Vikings greeted in their own language and the nodded back.

The old man didn't know what they said exactly, but he guessed that they had just greeted him in a respectful way. His smile widened as he thought of the possibilities his people befriending the Europeans.

"Wikwalapôda wdamôgan. (Let's take a puff on the pipe.)" Sougmou suggested as he reached into his leather robes and pulled out a peace pipe.

The pipe was a little less than a foot long and was made out of carved out wood. The hollow object had leather wrapped around the ends of it and a hawk feather was tied to the center of it.

Thorgeir and Almod watched with great interest as the Abenaki elder held out the pipe and another native used some flint to light whatever was inside it. He nodded in thanks to the native who lit it before he placed the other end of the pipe in his mouth and breathed in.

"What is he doing?" Almod whispered to his friend and they watched this act that they've never seen before.

"I don't know." Thorgeir replied quietly with just as much interest.

Sougmou slowly took the pipe out of his mouth and calmly exhaled through his mouth, letting out a cloud of light gray smoke. He then handed the pike over to Thorgeir.

"He's offering us friendship." the green eyed Norseman realized as he gently held the peace pipe the same way that Sougmou did.

"Friendship? Well, that's different than how people usually treat us when they see us." Almod commented with a soft laugh.

Thorgeir chuckled as well before he did as the chief did a few moments ago and breathed in the tobacco smoke. He went into a small coughing fit from the unexpected taste and smell, but Kizokw quickly stepped forward and pat him on the back to clear his lungs. He nodded in thanks once his coughing ceased and he handed the spiritual pipe to his tall friend.

Almod was a little hesitant at first, considering his friend's reaction to the strange smoke, but with some encouraging hand motions from Sougmou, he placed the smoking end of the pipe into his mouth and breathed in. Like Thorgeir, he began to cough as well as the smoke and tar entered his lungs.

Kizokw walked over to him and pat him on the back as well. She and the chief must've been expecting these reactions. She then took the pipe away from the tall Viking once he calmed down and she placed it into her mouth.

'I hope that thing is only used for special occasions. That tasted horrible.' Thorgeir thought to himself as he watched the Skræling woman breath in the burning herbs.

Once she finished inhaling the tobacco smoke, she gave the pipe to Sougmou. He nodded in thanks before he took another drag from the pipe. He exhaled the smoke out of his nose and looked at the two Norsemen.

"Nidobak! (Friends!)" the chief announced with a smile and the natives of the village cheered happily, overjoyed that their new allies came for peace and not war.

"It seems that Odin and his followers have some new allies." Almod whispered to Thorgeir with a chuckle.

"So it seems." the Norseman replied with a small smile behind his beard.

Thorgeir looked at each Skræling of the tribe, but his eyes stopped when he saw Kizokw. He has seen many beautiful women in his time, but she was the most beautiful by far. Her tan skin complimented her dark eyes and hair, and her long hair looked ever so elegant on her body.

The bearded Viking shook those thoughts away when he began to daydream and he quickly looked away from her so she wouldn't notice him staring. He couldn't allow himself to get distracted by a pretty face. He came to the New World to explore and trade with the locals.

Something told Thorgeir that he'd be staying there for a long time and that Kizokw would prove to play a bigger part in his life later. For right now however, he wished to enjoy the warm welcome from the Skrælings.