In the evening, Sote returned without Svadilfare. He knew that he would be punished hard for failing, but still he returned, and I had to confess to myself that I was glad. Without Sote, Thorstad would not still exist. He could tell that he had tracked Svadilfare for seven hours when the snow came and covered the tracks. He had continued to search until nightfall, but then had to return without my precious horse. He knew that he had failed greatly, and I could see the disappointment in his eyes. I only hoped that no one noticed my hesitation when I struck him with the whip.
The night went by peacefully as we sat inside the crouded small hut and heard the strong winds howl between the treetops. I felt sad when I thought of poor Svadilfare who had to endure this terrible blizzard.
We woke up early the next morning and saw that the storm had passed. The sun now smiled down upon us as we struggled to clear the paths through the snow. Tore and Øystein was astonished by the beauty of this place as it portrayed itself below the sun and the clear sky.
But more work had to be done. We worked long days to collect timber, hunt and fish.
Everything seemed completely in order, and everything was until yesterday, when one of Heimgard's thralls came limping back from the forest drenched in blood. One side of his face was completely torn up, and all the way down his body, big wounds showed both muscle and bone.
Since his face was torn up, he had difficulties talking, but I understood that he had been attacked by a great beast with claws as long as daggers and as tall as two men. It happened just beyond Elgåsen, a hill that I could see from the place where I was standing.
Me and my two brothers grabbed our weapons and followed the blood-trail back towards the hill. When we found the place where the thrall had been attacked, we could see the tracks of a pair of large feet with long claws. According to the size, I estimated that the creature had to weigh at least four hundred pounds.
The tracks led away towards the river that ran from Trongsjø, the lake next to Thorstad and disappeared into the water. We searched far down and upstream, but no more tracks could be found. Disappointed, we walked back to the farm when night came.

It's now been four days ago since Kolle disappeared. He went out the day after Tuv got ill, and was supposed to come back the following evening. I fear that something has happened to him, because that day, Tuv went mad. I had never believed that her slender body could contain such great strength. Sote had problems restraining her, so I had to help. Together we managed to tie her up, but she kept on screaming that Kolle had been taken by the creatures from the forest. Suddenly as her outburst, she calmed down and started to cry, saying that Kolle had been killed.
That evening, no one got much sleep, and I lay awake thinking about what to do. If there really was something to Tuv's visions, we couldn't survive here for long. I decided to travel to Heimgard for assistance the next morning.
When I woke up, I gave the thralls strict orders to stay indoors till I got back. It meant that they may have to starve for a few days, but at least they'd live. I only took with me enough food for two days, in addition to the sword, bow and a quiver of arrows.
After travelling for four hours, I saw a huge rock in the hillside, and a pack of crows were fighting over something. When I got there, I saw that the remains of a man was lying at the foot of the stone. Recognizing the clothes, I could see that Tuv had been right.
It took me two whole days of skiing to reach Tvasterud, the home of one of Heimgard's freed thralls. I told Tvaste about all the recent events, and he immediately sent his son to Heimgard to get help. After four hours, my two brothers Øystein and Tore and three thralls came riding to Tvasterud. Early in the 18th of march, we hurried off into the mountains, hoping to reach Thorstad the next evening.
When we got there, Sote and Svadilfare was gone. Grima told me that one night, Svadilfare had gone mad and fled into the forest. Sote ran after him to bring him back. That was last night, and still they hadn't returned.

The past days have been really exhausting. Work from early morning till late night. But we have managed to do quite a lot. The first house is finished as far as we can get during the winter. The timber-piles are growing, and the surroundings seem to be excellent hunting-grounds.
The Gods seem to be in good mood, blessing us with warm winds and empty skies.
The only problem is that Tuv seems to have gotten ill. Grima is doing all she can, but she has never seen this kind of madness. Tuv keeps muttering to herself about trespassing on holy grounds and disturbing the underworlders. Sometimes, she cries out, and I can see her fair face twisted in terror, and rolling eyes large as eggs.
But the other thralls are taking this very well. I sense that they are frightened too, but they keep it to themselves. I almost feel proud of them. But today, Kolle was too frightened to go off hunting on his own. He has never disobeyed me before, and I would not have such insolence in my house. He saw at once that he had made a mistake and took his punishment well before he went off hunting again.
Grima is having trouble preparing food and keeping an eye on Tuv at the same time, so much of Sote's time has gone helping her. That means that I have to take Svadilfare and gather timber on my own. The two men help when they can, but I was hoping to gather a lot more timber before the snow melts and the streams open.

When the day is over, I am exhausted, but still I don't sleep well. Torfinn Boge's relatives won't come looking for us during the winter, so I don't worry about them. It's more the gnawing sensation that something's lurking in the night and watching our every move. Also, Tuv's constant gibbering makes sleeping impossible.

It has only been a day since I arrived at Thorstad, but already we have managed to erect a temporary building so we have a roof to live under while we work on the rest of the farm.
I thank the gods for Sote's help. Without his skills in building, we never would have gotten this far in just one day.
But still, something lurks in the back of my mind. Tonight, I heard the same unfamiliar voices whispering in the darkness. The thralls have also noticed them, but does not speak of such things. They believe that accepting their existance just strengthens whoever or whatever is out there. For once, I decided to agree in their superstitious nonsense.
Early this morning, I sent Kolle out to hunt and find good timber. Meanwhile, me and Sote will construct a sledge so that Svadilfare can drag the timber back to Thorstad.

Fifteen days has passed since I left my family at Heimgard. Eighteen days since I killed Torfinn Boge in holmgang.
I had always imagined myself staying in Heimgard and continuing the life of my forefathers, but now I sit here in this god-forsaken place, with only four thralls as company (Sote, Kolle, Tuv and Grima).
After ten days of travelling into the uncharted woods to the north, we came upon this place. Night was falling, and the skies were dark and heavy. The forests were full of strange and unknown voices, and so i named it Myrkdalr. We made camp for the night in a small clearing by the big lake, but when I woke up, the valley had changed dramatically. The darkness and the voices were gone, and Myrkdalr now portrayed itself in all it's splendor; a lush valley with lakes steaming of fish, and green, ancient forests full of game. The ice was clear as glass, and the white snow sparkling in the sunlight. The sun shone happily down on us, and so this would be the first of countless mornings here.
The company could be better, though. Not a single, civilized soul lives here, but still I think I can start anew and build my own farm. In memory of my father, I have named it Thorstad.