We Will Not Know The World
Three sets of eyes peered into the darkness as the moon rose round and full to illuminate their path. Naudir walked in silence as she continued her way south, diverging slightly, chasing the mists of dreams and visions that she hoped were guiding her to purpose. Branwen took to the sky followed shortly by Balthazaar. No doubt they intended to scout ahead and Naudir continued to pick her way through the misty moor. She'd seen a ring, a solid ring of starlight. Something deep in her chest told her this was the right direction but she couldn't be sure. What if her visions were meaningless? She'd been wandering all autumn and still had yet to find any confirmation of the nightmares that plagued her.
"Naudir! This way, hurry!" Naudir felt her heart hammer in her chest as she dove towards Balthazaar's voice. She raced through the moor, paws scrambling over moss wrapped stones and bursting through heather only to fall into a ring of stones. Upon the north stone perched Branwen. Upon the south perched Balthazaar. Slowly getting to her feet she found herself frozen in awe.
Naudir gets a trick!
Lurking in the shadow of the rocks is a hungry wolf. There has hardly been any food for it to eat, making it easily agitated. The crashing sound of Naudir has alerted the wolf to her presence, and it peeks out from behind one of the rocks to see the yearling. The wolf steps out from its hiding place, parting it's jaws to let out a terrifying growl. Driven mad by hunger, it sees Naudir as easy prey. Not wasting any time, it ignores the birds and charges headlong at the other wolf. Naudir gets a bad event!
Akemi had decided, by chance, to wander away from the Gully. She’d naturally told Ravine and left Tiny behind at the den, knowing that the little one would be safe there. The femme hadn’t been looking for trouble, though sometimes trouble had a way of finding her instead. She surely hadn’t expected to come to the moor to be part of what was about to occur.
Her single red eye caught the sight of rushed movement ahead. She’d been picking her way through the mists, at the opposite side of the stones than Naudir, when the terrifying growl of another wolf sent a shiver down her spine. She could barely make out the form of another creature… and it seemed more canine than anything else. Without thinking much more on the matter Akemi called out to get the other’s attention, in case the growl hadn’t been obvious enough. “Oi!”
As for the other wolf it seemed intent to attack the other. That was craziness! She acted, rather than waited to see what would happen. The scarred female lunged forward, tiny body propelling her across the slick ground. She was either going to crash into the crazed wolf or go under it, but either way she was looking to kick some tail. |
Towering above her Naudir was certain the ring of stones were linked to the gods. There was no other explanation in her mind for why they could exist in such a way but her wonder quickly fell at the rustling of leaves. Someone else was here… Naudir narrowed her eyes but kept silent. Could it be one of the gods? Fear seized her gut as she wonder if it might be Loki here to trick her, surely the others wouldn't take to skulking around like this. "LEFT NAUDIR!" Branwen's cries alerted her to her emaciated attacker. The wolf parted his jaws and let out a ferocious growl as he dove for her. With the crunch of autumns leaves and the warning growl Naudir had plenty of time to shuffle back out of the way of her attacker as his jaws clamped on solid air. He was half-mad, she could see that and she intended to use his weak body and mind against him like a true viking!
The wolf turned on her as she set her defenses and prepared to attack but at that moment a small…. bear thing attacked the wolf. So she had an ally? Either way though its focus was still on Naudir and as he charged Naudir would as well, aiming to coming at him nearly head-on but slightly to her own left as she sought to ram her right shoulder blade into the brute's larynx, her head twisting to her right as she aiming to pierce his left eye with her top fangs and shred the muscles of his jaw with her lower ones. While it was true Naudir preferred other arts to fighting Katja made sure that all her children were well taught in the arts of battle. Above her Balthazaar dived for the brutes left eye, seeking to pierce that while Branwen sought to rip off his right ear. If the gods demanded it she would put the brute out of his misery and leave him as a sacrifice in the ring of stones.
The wolf would shift as her jaws connected, she could tell he was trying to shift to her right and away from her jaws and because of that her upper fangs would snag him right behind his right eye as her lower fangs caught the corner of his maw her jaws ripping flesh and coming together with a snap. Her right shoulder had collided with the right side of his neck, no doubt leaving severe bruising as he stumbled away with a high-pitched yelp. Branwen took off into a tree with a chunk of the man's ear and while Balthazaar missed the man's other eye he did succeed in leaving a nice gash in the middle of the man's forehead. The wolf yelped and whined while Naudir growled, tail aloft. "Be gone fool! This foolishness will cost you your life." Really though what was she thinking talking to a mad man? He didn't seem to have heard her words at all and instead turned on the woman that had come to help Naudir. Diving for the smaller wolf with another ferocious growl it was clear his intent was to rip and shred until he had no strength.
The female wasn’t sure what she was doing anymore. Everything seemed to be spur of the moment and she was running on complete adrenaline as she attacked this other wolf. Maybe deep down inside Akemi still longed for some sort of blood from opponents. She was small yes, but not completely helpless. Well, usually anyway. Besides she wasn’t the only one fighting this wolf right now. Together the could surely take him, crazed or not!
Akemi had successfully crashed into the mans back legs, though that only through off the attack the other wolfess was aiming for. Akemi had to catch her breath as she righted herself. ‘I’m rusty…’ The female thought. If one good slam into a larger opponent could wind her like this…
But Akemi didn’t have long to dwell on the fact, for the crazed wolf turned it’s attention to her instead. The already damaged she-wolf dove between the man’s front legs as he snapped his jaws downward. His fangs found purchase before her left rear leg, clamping down on the skin closer to her back. Akemi let out a yelp, stumbling on the earth as the man locked his jaws. He was attempting to yank her back out, though as he did so Akemi released another snarl of her own. Pain flared up and blood reaching her nose. If she got got lucky… maybe she’d have a chance for his throat with her smaller size.
…and what of the other wolf? Would she help her or run? Akemi didn’t have time to consider that as the male released her, aiming to snap at her smaller body again. Using what strength she could Akemi threw her head in the direction of the man’s jaws, hoping to intercept them with her own. |
Naudir had never seen such madness and part of her felt a strong pity for the ravenous beast. Clearly fate had not favored him. Had he been delivered to them so that they might put him out of his misery? Resetting her defenses she turned and sized up the man as he fought with the smaller woman. The woman dove between his forelegs only to have his fangs latch onto her but when he let go the woman attacked again and Naudir saw the moment she was waiting for. With a viscious snarl she leapt on the mans back, her forelegs straddling his shoulders, her hind legs his hips so that the force of her weight was on him, her fangs ripped into his good ear as she attempted to jerk his head back so the other woman could get a clear shot at his throat. It was time to end this. Above her she could see Branwen and Balthazaar circling and preparing to dive down at a moments notice.
The female shouldn’t have worried. In fluid movements the other she wolf came to her aid, and thank goodness she had. The other had leapt upon the mad beast, straddling him and yanking his head back away from Akemi’s body. This gave the smaller female a better chance not only at the man’s throat but at escaping without further injury. She was sure that she was going to have to explain this one to Ravine… but for now what mattered was surviving.
Akemi leapt forth, jaws reopening and clamping down upon the brute’s throat. There was no mercy… she could not afford to be merciful. Not with a wolf like this. His blood seeped into her mouth, a tainted taste that the she wolf immediately spat out upon releasing the male. She dropped to the earth, backing off as she waited for him to bleed out. Hopefully the other female and her companions could be on their way after all of this. |
Naudir held tight as the smaller woman made her move, jaws latching around the throat of their struggling attack and soon it was over. The fool hit the ground, bleeding out rapidly as Naudir dismounted and shook out her coat. Branwen landing on her right shoulder, Balthazaar on her left. She gazed down at the man and felt a stab of pity but the wound was mortal and even if she applied all her healing knowledge to his treatment she knew there was nothing she could do to save him from Hel and so instead she turned to the smaller woman. "You fight well, what is your name?"