Vidarr

**Vidarr** is the sixteenth episode of *Primal* and the sixth episode of the second season.

## Synopsis

Spear, Fang, and Mira are hunted by survivors of a village decimated by their carnage.

## Plot

Spear wakes up onboard the ship that he, Mira and Fang had stolen from the viking village. He finds that he has been treated of his arrow wounds while Mira is applying the same treatment to Fang. However, their long period of respite is cut short as they are ambushed by the Viking Chieftain and his son, Eldar, who are both out for revenge for the massacre of their village. A heated battle ensues wherein Spear fends off the chieftain while Mira protects Fang from Eldar's arrows. Despite being equally matched in strength Spear is able to knock off the chieftain's helmet and Fang overpowers Eldar. The fight is soon delayed after the two ships collide and run into the jagged rocks of the nearby shore. The ship that Spear and his companions were on is broken in half, while the second ship is about to hit several other sharp rocks. To save them from crashing Mira takes the helm and steers the ship to shore. Meanwhile the Chieftain and his son press on with the fight, until Eldar is grabbed by Fang in her jaws and tossed overboard. The chieftain fears for his son's safety so he jumps into to stream after him.

Mira continues sailing, but Spear notices that the left side of the ship had been broken and now water is pouring inside the hull. Mira manages to safely land the ship and anchors the vessel by tying it to a tree with help from Spear and Fang. Once safe on the shore, Fang begins behaving erratically, running around through the forest sniffing random areas. Eventually Fang finds a suitable area and begins to construct a nest, which initially confuses Spear, until he remembers how upset Fang was when Red died, at which point he becomes overjoyed once he realises what it means - Fang is going to lay eggs soon. Thrilled by this new revelation, he giddily collects padding for the nest.

Meanwhile down by the river, the Viking Chieftain has managed to fish his son out of the river, and makes his way inland with him. The duo tend to each other's wounds before setting up camp for the night. Whilst staring into the fire, the Chieftain sees visions of Rikka's death and an unknown horned entity, though the latter may have been a nightmare. Eldar returns from the woods with a deer on his back which they cook over their fire, which for the Chieftain, brings back a memory of his family sharing a meal, and his two sons' sibling rivalry. He tears up at this thought, and goes down to the river to clear his mind. The Chief and Eldar's tender moment is interrupted by a large vulture swooping them, which gives the Chief the idea to venture up to their nest.

Back in the forest, Fang is last, ready to lay her clutch. Mira and Spear watch from a distance as she lays a group of 3 blue eggs. Spear gives her a congratulatory hug and goes to touch one of the eggs, but is knocked away by Fang.

High above the river, Eldar and his father scale the cliff housing the vultures, and as they are climbing a lone bird disturbs them. Eldar jumps onto the bird's back, much to his father's surprise, and it dives down to the river in an attempt to throw him off - it does not work. The Chief continues to scale the cliff and enters the nest, where he manages to get ropes around another bird's neck and gains control of it. He meets his son in the sky and the two bird-riders fly off in search of their enemies.

Returning to the nest site, Spear is busy catching scores of fish for Fang, while Mira is working on repairing the damage done to the boat. This moment of solace is broken by the Vikings' bird mounts arriving on scene. Spear and Fang fight to keep the eggs safe while Mira provides bow cover-fire, until Eldar's mount swoops past and grabs her, flying up to a great height. Eldar yanks on his reins which causes the bird to release Mira from its grasp in response, though Mira is able to grab onto one of its claws before she falls, and swings her way onto the bird's back. Even despite being repeatedly struck by Eldar, Mira tugs on the ropes around the bird's neck which forces it to rapidly lose altitude.

As Mira and Eldar fly past at speed, Spear takes his fight with the Chief to the skies as well, by forcing the Chief's mount to take-off. Both vulture-riders are now fighting their respective adversaries midair - Mira vs Eldar, and Spear vs the Chief. Mira's fight does not last very long, as while still dangling from the bird, Eldar tries to chew through the rope she is hanging onto - until she drops onto the other vulture when it flies directly below her.

Spear and the Chieftain's fight lasts only seconds longer. They exchange a punch or two each, followed by a headbutt and hand bite from Spear. Using his newly gained advantage, Spear hurls the Chief from the bird back to the ground, crashing through several trees and smashing his head on a rock in the process, but he manages to survive the fall. Distracted by his father's fall, Spear kicks Eldar off his own mount, causing him to smash into the ground at high speed - killing him. Rushing over to his son's impact site, the Chief lays eyes upon his last son's body, so overwhelmed by grief that he simply gives up and slides into the river - the current carrying him off to a place unknown.

With both of their assailants dealt with, Mira and Spear return to Fang on the back of the birds. Spear approaches Fang's nest, then hugs her when she lowers her head down to him. The episode ends on an overhead shot of the valley and an eerie tune.

## Characters

* Spear
* Fang
* Mira
* Eldar
* Viking Chieftain
* Red (flashback)
* Rikka (flashback)
* Chieftain's second child (flashback)
* Fire Demon

## Trivia

* The title, *Vidarr (Víðarr)*, is the name for the Norse god of vengeance, fitting for the theme of the episode. Both the Viking Chieftain and his eldest son, Eldar, utter the name while climbing a steep cliff.
* Unlike previous episodes, a Nordic rune-esque font is used for the title card.

## References

 "Sea of Despair" • "Shadow of Fate" • "Dawn of Man" • "The Red Mist" • "The Primal Theory" • "**Vidarr**" • "The Colossaeus, Part I" • "The Colossaeus, Part II" • "The Colossaeus, Part III" • "Echoes of Eternity"