We were running at a pace that seemed impossible to maintain. Denmark, with his usual bravado, was leading the way, dragging Norway by his arm.

I glanced back to see Sweden, his eyes gleaming with an odd hue, his mouth frothing. He was gaining on us.

Iceland and I lagged behind. Our younger bodies were not able to match the speed of the older men.

“Big brother!” Iceland cried out to Norway, a rare show of vulnerability. I felt a pang of surprise.

Suddenly, Sweden lunged at us. His teeth sank into our skin. My vision blurred as I fell to the ground.

My body felt different, strange. I could feel a frothing sensation in my mouth and a wild urge to chase.

I looked at Iceland. His eyes mirrored my own confusion and fear. We were now like Sweden, wild and aggressive.

We joined Sweden in the chase. Denmark and Norway were now our prey. I could only hope they would find a cure.

The chase was on. Denmark was quick, but Norway was slowing down, looking back at us with a pained expression.

“Run, Norway!” Denmark yelled. But Norway’s gaze was locked on Iceland and me. He looked torn.

Norway tripped over a root and fell. Denmark stopped to help him up, but we were closing in.

Just as we were about to reach them, a bright light blinded us. When it faded, a woman stood before us.

The woman raised her hands and a barrier formed around Denmark and Norway. We collided with it and were thrown back.

“I am Freya, the Nordic goddess of love. I can cure you, but you must prove your will to change,” she said.

We snarled at her words, but somewhere deep inside, we understood. We needed to fight the wildness within us.

Freya led us to a secluded space. “You need to remember who you are, not what you’ve become,” she said.

I thought of my friends, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. I remembered our bond, our camaraderie. I wanted to go back.

I saw Iceland, his face contorted in concentration. He, too, was fighting, trying to regain control.

Freya watched us silently, her green eyes filled with hope. We felt a pull, an urge to fight back.

We fought against the wildness, the anger, the instinct to chase. We clung to our memories, our identities.

Slowly, the frothing in our mouths subsided. Our eyes returned to their normal hues. We were becoming ourselves again.

Denmark and Norway watched us, their expressions filled with relief. We were back, but the journey was not over.

We had to cure Sweden. Freya nodded at us, “You’ve come this far. You can do it,” she assured.

We approached Sweden, who was still snarling. We spoke to him, reminding him of who he was, of our friendships.

It was a struggle, but slowly, Sweden began to calm down. His eyes cleared and he seemed to recognize us.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice hoarse. We smiled at him, relieved. We had made it through together.

Freya disappeared with a smile. “Remember, your bond is your strength,” were her parting words. We nodded, understanding.

We were exhausted but relieved. We had faced a terrifying ordeal, but we had come out stronger.

We returned home, knowing that our bond had saved us. We were the Nordic 5, and we were unbreakable.

That night, we sat together, recounting our adventure. We laughed, we cried, and we felt grateful for each other.

As I looked at my friends, my family, I knew we could face anything together. We were not just the Nordic 5, we were a team.

And so, our journey ended, but our bond remained strong. We were ready for whatever came next. We were the Nordic 5.