Slow Conclusion pt.2

Rest at last.
The wolves had either been called back or lost their trail, though Theo would bet every possession he had that their master had pulled in the reins.
Whatever the cause, he wasn’t going to argue against the ache in his body anymore, laying against a tree in a fresh wolf pelt to keep warm.
A lone scout had been dealt with swiftly, giving Theo a chance to use his bow. Although nearly rock hard and stringy, the meat was food and that was enough.
Looking to the jotun, he was surprised to see him staring back.
“What?”
Shifting his weight, Erik moved to face Theo more.
“Why were you hunting us?”
He almost laughed at the distant memory, so quickly had he been defeated at his own game.
“The chieftain your crew killed. He had actually hired me to kill the old man. Said something about him being a magic user with no master, that he needed to die for it.”
He had seen little of the mans prowess, but had to assume there was little reason otherwise for them to keep him around.
“ Why do you speak so lowly of us?”
Feeling the glare return and knowing his end would come if he gave the wrong words, he spoke carefully.
“What else are we to think? Ragnarok comes and what is left of it? Hordes of lost beings, from different realms wielding unstoppable magics. What other way is there than to take back what is rightfully ours, to drive out the invaders.”
Feeling satisfied in his response, he for the first time noticed the burns on the jotuns wrists and ankles.
“Where did you earn those scars? Seems fair I have answered two of your questions, you can answer one of mine.”
Once again his past questioned, Erik treated it the same as when Cali hinted at it.
“My past is of no concern to you. I question you because you have hounded us for days and now I am deciding whether or not to leave once you fall to your fatigue.”
He had to admit, the jotun’s straight forward nature was growing on him. A very decisive creature, something he could respect.
“Fine then. What next?”
“Why should I trust your word? If aid is given and you return to Midgard with us, what will stop you from continuing your hunt?”
Here was a question that have Theo pause. Why would he honor it? He had used the same tactic before, gain an uneasy alliance for the sake of survival, then backstab the target once they were clear. It had worked flawlessly in the past.
“Because with my current luck, if I try to betray you and your crew, the fates will kill me. You have already had me at your mercy several times now.”
He couldn’t believe his own words, but it was what he understood from all of this.
Erik continued to glare, there was still the feeling that he should let him live, but his skepticism had never led him astray either.
“I aid you now only because I wouldn’t wish Fenrir’s wrath on any mortal being. If the others decide you die, I will do nothing to stop them.”
An response he didn’t doubt. Theo still wasn’t sold on the nice guy act, but as slumber claimed him, he found no other choice than to wait and see.