Valkyrie watched apathetically as Inga goaded Balsam forward with a pointed stick. The diminutive climber had a cord looped around his neck like a leash. The loose end of it was weighed down with a large heavy stone. It wasn’t so heavy that he couldn’t drag it but the weight of it would keep him from getting anywhere quickly should he try to escape.

Once her captive was out in the open for the public to inspect, Valkyrie sat down and leaned languidly against the tree that marked her ‘stall’. For now she was content to simply let the curious circle but if any should approach she was ready to talk up Balsam’s many fine points.

""

she found this thing deplorable. capturing lost souls and selling them for a tidy profit... if she had the means, she would raze this market to the ground. Heloise would be telling Acere and the rest of Winterfell to watch for these barbarians, to protect their wolves from capture and remain safe. yet for now? she could play the part of a woman on a mission to obtain 'fine wares'. she had dragged the remnants of the cougar she had killed weeks ago, though she had her eye on someone to free already. this poor soul caught her eye as well, though she did not nearly have enough to buy him for true. Heloise passed a neutral look over the captured wolf before her eyes settled on the slaver. "what can you tell me of this one?" perhaps someone should give her an award for her play-acting. scouting this marketplace was her priority, and she would assist in the freeing of any slave from their ranks. if possible. she only hoped to do such a thing all by herself. ooc; heloise is ready to go in with someone else to buy balsam's freedom if need be!

She had a bad feeling for a while. Velvette returned to Auster for a while, but when many of the Songa she loved the most went missing she found herself returning to the land of giants. She had been hesitant, but it hadn’t taken long to find some scents that she recognized. She was brought here. The willows were not great to keep herself aloft within, so the Songa woman remained on the ground. She held her head high, her antlered cape resting easily on her crown as she made her move to approach once she managed to take sight of one she knew. Balsam had been captured.

She was even parts amused and horrified. She made her way up slowly, not wanting to look incredibly interested. Her purple blue gaze shifted from stall to stall as she meandered up to stand beside the white woman. She tried not to make eye contact with her friend, but likely because of her size the woman selling him had already figured they were somehow related. She remained silent though, perking her ears to Valkyrie to hear the answer to Heloisie’s question. The only emotion she might show was the raised brow pointed towards her fellow Songa.

Asvor's interest had immediately been piqued by the news of a blót to the east. Such things were integral to her family's culture - and it'd been a long while since she'd experienced a similar celebration. Beyond the celebration itself, she wondered if any of her siblings might come out of hiding for this one... if anything, that alone was enough to encourage her to make the trip there. Might as well see what all the fun was about, hm? What she really hadn't expected was to find - after the festivities had begun to unfold - was such a depraved market. Wolves.. for sale? Briefly, she wondered what Valdis would say if she came home dragging a runt like this one home. If anything, he might make a good test subject for her concoctions.. or even a fine sacrifice. Hmmm. Jormungandr accompanied her there, her snake companion woven loosely around her neck as she slowed to a halt. Valkyrie was unfamiliar to her, but she let her gaze drift to the large female, amusement flickering in her gaze. A few wolves were already lingering nearby - possible buyers, maybe? "What's this one's deal?" She reiterated the question she'd heard on her approach, maintaining a serious expression despite the amused gleam in her eyes. "Looks a bit deformed, if you ask me."

Seer had a lot to make up with Deathbelle at the moment. Her anger, and tears, stuck with him and haunted him through out the days that passed. He hadnt gone to this market to find something to make it up to her - but he had gone to win something in Ashens name. What he had to offer wasnt as creative as the contraptions he had seen some crafters make. He had strength, and the things he had taken down that showed his prowess his battle.

He wasnt certain yet what would be asked for in currency, but he felt certain he could find something for then to agree on. With this in mind, he passed the tree and saw the slaver woman with the small wolf. He flicked an ear, doing a double take on the welp. No.. not a welp, an actual full grown wolf, with the size of a child. Interesting.

Not wanting to appear to eager, he moved closer to the woman and her wares. "Seling halflings now? This one looks line it wouldnt survive a days labour" he commented dryly, but it wasnt the height he wanted him for - through that in itself was interesting. No, he was considering a companion slave for deathbelles children. Well, maybe the heigh kind of was a factor. He didnt look big enough to do a child real harm. "What's the going rate?"

Deity stood upon the roots of a gently swaying willow, her eyes locked on a large group of wolves clustered around something. She was passing through the area when a tangle of scents had hit her nose like a blow. Each scent was so different that it could only mean that their owners had come from far away for whatever this event was. Or, coincidentally, they’d all met up here and were making introductions. That was far less likely. Deity peered around the willow she was hiding behind, thinking. If these wolves had all come from different lands, it could mean anyone was welcome here. She could investigate whatever they were surrounding without repercussions. Potentially. Shaking her head to awaken her confidence, Deity sauntered towards the group, head held high. Though her exterior was cool and unconcerned, her eyes flicked from person to person, observing each motion. She noted a massive fanged wolf, which she made a point to stay a few steps away from. Quietly, she had worked her way to the crowd, and unconsciously gravitated toward another she-wolf who seemed to be rather... unsure of herself. Like she didn’t belong here. What she let show in her motions was in fact what Deity felt inside, though she attempted to mask it with an air of aloofness. The she-wolf Deity now stood beside was tiny, and... horned? She was horned. Odd. Her height reminded her of the other small wolf she’d met— Dutch, the tinkerer, if memory served— but this woman, impossibly, may be even smaller. Deity turned her attention to the thing that these strangers were clustered around, and waved her tail in surprise. A tiny wolf stood, looking terribly uncomfortable, weighted down by a cord and stone. A dark-furred she-wolf stood by its side, her icy blue eyes seeming to smirk as they surveyed the crowd. Deity recalled Dutch mentioning something about captives— could this be a captive? Fascinating. Tilting her head, Deity decided to stand and observe the interaction. ”Speech”

Balsam stood before the small group with his jaw set and his head held high. He appeared indifferent to the presence of the bidders, but that was by design and little more than a cover for his true feelings. In all honesty he was scared. When he'd set out for Boreas he'd had this grand idea that it would make him a man. That he would stand up to the giants and defeat them as his ancestors had. And now here he was. Only once did his expression change and that was when he caught sight of Velvette. His eyes widened before he could stop them. Immediately he was ashamed. He dropped his gaze. She'd never want him now.

Fracture had come along with some of the other Winterfell wolves - though his intention was not to buy and keep, but to rescue. The dark man strode through the stalls, looking for the most helpless that he could try for. He didn't come with much, upon his back were some snake skins and hanging off both his shoulders the rack from a deer. If he knew there would have been so many captives he would have brought more. He noticed Heloise within the crowd and his brow raised with interest. Seems he wouldn't be alone in the attempt. Fracture made his way towards her, shouldering in beside his ivory packmate and lowering his head to speak softly towards her - eyes still upon the captive. "I'm with you." He whispered to Heloise. If they would not win the auction there was always the risk that they might need to fight for the small thing, but Fracture was prepared to do so if it meant helping to defend those who needed it. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

 

Valkyrie watched with a hungry gleam in her eye as wolves began to creep closer to investigate. The first to arrive was an all white woman who was quickly followed by a little one with a horned cape and then a couple of others. They arrived one right after the other and many asked a similar question so she decided to answer them all at once.

She smirked and dismissed their misgivings with a toss of her head. "I suppose 'deformed' is one for it, but that deformity enables him to climbs trees." Enables was probably the wrong word. She had another tree climber without the mutated paws who could do it too. "As for his ability to work, take a closer look at his paws. I think you will find he is better suited to other things..."

She took a deep cleansing breath to mark the start of something new, then said, "I'll start the bidding off at four rabbits. The way this works is simple: interested parties will take turns offering something - each bid worth more than the last - until no one wished to outbid the other. Last one to bid gets Balsam here."

OOC: rules are simple. There is no post order, bids can be anything that is conceivably worth more than the last, auction automatically closes three days from the last post, anyone can pop in or drop out at any time.

""

Fracture lifted his head as the viking woman spoke, listening to the rules of the betting. The things he'd brought were worth more then four rabbits - in his opinion - and so he'd have to start off smaller. "Four rabbits." He repeated loudly, making his first bid that of which the woman started the auction with. The dark male cast a glance to his ivory friend. He did not bring four rabbits with him, but surely there would be time to acquire the goods and surely between himself and Heloise they could hunt them down in time. Regardless, was sure the gathered wolves would have a counter-offer. Fracture was convinced that if they were to win the captive's freedom, they'd be hunting a lot more then four rabbits when it was all said and done. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

She missed neither surprise or shame as Balsalm found her gaze. She lifted her dark brows as his eyes fell to his feet and the auctioneer started their bidding. A taller wolf than herself (almost all wolves were taller than her) took up the starting bid and offered four rabbits. That would be an easy enough number to get, but four? Maybe a single animal worth the same would also be a good bid. ”One capybara.” She offered, more usable meat than all four of the smaller rodents. Velvette was also much more proficient at catching the giant water pigs than rabbits anyway. She watched Valkyrie and her fellow Songa, and hoped the bidding would end quickly.

the bidding would start after more wolves showed. she could not afford to show weakness and mess this up. she'd turn to look at Fracture as he started the bid before boldly offering her own. she hoped to end this quickly and so would jump straight into it. "one tapir from Auster" Heloise could not know the relationship that the small woman had with the captive, else would feel bad that she bid against her. she knew Fracture would assist her in bringing down the tapir if she asked him. they were both invested in buying the freedom of this wolf. but if he did not assist her, she could always ask anyone else in Winterfell. they did not believe in slavery. ooc; edited cause i'm stupid

Sirius listened carefully to the rules, and the sellers opinion on her wares, before looking through the competition. The Titan towered over every last bidder, but had until that moment lingered in the background after asking his original question. Now, he stepped forward, bringing himself closer to Valk, and her wares, his voice soft despite his size, and his grin a little crooked. “The coat of a honey badger, and one Dominance challenge fought in your name.” he murmured, listening to the bidding so far of rabbits and the like.

He knew he was offering a lot, but he eyed the small climber with desire, knowing he badly wanted the little thing to bring home as a gift to Deathbelle. He fell silent again, looking to Valk, ears tilting to listen to what was going on around him.

Heloise bit back a sigh as the man who practiced with her weeks ago let his bid be known. Sirius, if she recalled his name. from Ashen. she did not know the driving force behind these people. to keep a being against their will was abhorent. life was about freedom, even if they had been weak enough to get captured. she could not hope to match a dominance challenge; she would not fight for the brunette slaver. not even to lie about it to secure the bidding. she would feel unclean, knowing she could help gain more for the woman's malicious mind. "I resign my bid" she spoke, shooting a glance at Fracture to not do anything foolish. he could not hope to take them all on in a camp full of slavers, and she would not waste both their lives for the sake of pride. anything else to offer was not known to her; she would try to free others, ones that the slave-keepers of Ashen did not bid too strongly on. Acere must be told, and therefore his allies must be told. to keep a look-out, to keep their loved ones close. Heloise turned away, her face a stone wall as she walked off. ooc; EXIT

The bidding continued until the saber-faced man stepped forward, his offer to be a dominance match in Valkyrie's name. Fracture's lips pulled back in a silent snarl, considering hard what he and Heloise could offer in return. Suddenly his ivory friend spoke up and resigned her bid, and Fracture's head whirled to face her with uncertainty. She gave him a look, and Fracture turned away from it. He knew her meaning, and disagreed. "This man, we sparred and I defeated him. Do not be fooled by his intimidating look; size and sabers do not make a warrior on their own. How silly would it be to accept this intangible bid and have him lose a dominance challenge in your name, hmm?" The dark man scoffed at the idea, and then stepped forward once more. "I offer a sheet of scrap metal from the S.S Antiox, as well as some baubles and chains for your crafting. Good steel is harder to find then the services of a wolf like him." He gave Sirius a pointed look. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The man got one lucky go at him back when he was still injured from the infection and his struggle to Ashen. The point of those spars had been to strengthen his body once more, and now the man thought himself an expert? Sirius laughed, rolling his shoulders as he grinned a toothy, fanged smile at the man. Here was what Valk needed, a sample of what she was gaining with his bid. “The coat of a Honey Badger, a Dominance Challenge fought in your name, a sample of what that looks like, and pieces of gems I found in the earth”

He said calmly, the quiet before the storm, before he exploded into motion, launching himself at Fracture in a bid to grab the man by the scruff and shove his face into the earth with his momentum, if he was able to.

Sirius versus Fracture for Dominance
Round one of ?
Size: Dire Wolf
Build: Medium
Companion One: Extra large companion, Battle Vulture (plus 10%)
Companion Two: Snow Leopard (plus 10%)
Battle Accessory (Offensive): Bracers
Battle Accessory (Defensive): Bracers
Mutation: Fangs
Fight Skill Level: Expert

Sirius' words had given him away, and Fracture tensed at the promise of showing Valk what it may look like. He knew what was coming, but he would not flee. He might have been more practiced of a warrior as of late then Fracture was - he'd spent too much time in Winterfell and too little at the battlefield - but Fracture would take his small chance for the act of potentially freeing a slave. The saber-fanged male went for his scruff, a predictable move. Fracture set his defenses and then angled his head upwards to meet the blow. Sirius aimed to use his momentum to slam Fracture into the dirt, and Fracture aimed to use instead their height difference coupled with Sirius' momentum to latch his jaws around the direwolf's throat as he came down upon him. Sirius versus Fracture for Dominance Round One of Two Size: Large Build: Light Fight Skill Level: Intermediate "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Fracture moved as Seer did, and the two would meet in battle. At the last moment, the Titan could see that his attack would not land as desired, and made to change it. He aimed to slam his face into Fractures, with the momentum of his run, with the hope his larger head could shove the mans to the side.

If the attack landed or not, he would tuck his chin to keep the smaller man for going for his throat, and instead aim to bring his paws around in an attempt to knock Fracture off balance, well baring his teeth and keeping them near Fractures face in warning for however the man might plan to use his fangs next.

Sirius versus Fracture for Dominance
Round two of two
Size: Dire Wolf
Build: Medium
Companion One: Extra large companion, Battle Vulture (plus 10%)
Companion Two: Snow Leopard (plus 10%)
Battle Accessory (Offensive): Bracers
Battle Accessory (Defensive): Bracers
Mutation: Fangs
Fight Skill Level: Expert

Sirius' face impacted hard against Fracture's and the smaller man found himself pushed to the side. He splayed his paws wide, absorbing the hit into his legs and knees so that he might not topple completely. A snarl tore from his throat as he felt the direwolf's legs come around to put pressure on his side. He needed to stay upright or the battle was lost, and Sirius was bearing his fangs dangerously close to Fracture's face. The intimidation tactic was ineffective on the dark man who would die for his honor, and as he felt his balance beginning to shift from Sirius' heavy paws, he did the first thing he could think of and struck forward. His intention was to fit his smaller muzzle head-on between Sirius' sabre fangs. He aimed to land his upper jaw upon Sirius' nose, and his lower jaw underneath his chin. Thankfully for the size difference, there was the possibility that he'd be able to avoid the saber fangs all together. Sirius versus Fracture for Dominance Round Two of Two Size: Large Build: Light Fight Skill Level: Intermediate "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Deity had watched each bidder closely, trying to understand their secret glances and furrowed brows. Each wolf had a different motive for purchasing the slave, and Deity wondered at them. The white female and the dark male were a conspicuous couple— they were clearly working together. And, Deity had earlier noted, their scents were similar— on top of their unique smells, there was a tang of the same woodsiness. It was hard to put into words, but she could tell there was some relation between them. The same pack, maybe? Her suspicions had been furthered by the glances they constantly shared, the frustration in their eyes each time they were outbid. Then, the dark male stepped up. His bid was unique— a dominance battle. Deity tilted her head a bit, thinking about the offer. It was powerful in theory, but in reality, how would it work? The slave trader would have to summon him, likely from afar, in advance. Deity was sure a summons wouldn’t be easy to manage even without the time constraint of a battle. A dominance battle may need to be fought on the spot, not scheduled in advance. And if the fanged wolf were to stick around the female... there was no telling when a dominance issue would arise. He would be strung along like a fish on a reel for stars knew how long. The white female then left, huffing, and her partner set his brow. Deity watched him closely— he looked as though he were about to do something reckless. What happened next was unexpected, to say the least. When the brawl broke out, Deity couldn’t help but take a small step back in surprise. The space was so small, and the larger wolf’s movement so sudden, she couldn’t help it. A moment after the initial shock, Deity set her posturing and expression back to normal, hoping the others hadn’t seen her falter. She couldn’t be seen as timid nor cowardly in the presence of these wolves. She was sure many of them had high status, as they belonged to packs, and didn’t want their perception of her to affect Deity in the future. The goddess made sure she was out of the way before calmly watching the brawl, wondering who would win and how it would affect the sale. ”Speech”