He returned to the swamp lands, a place he found intriguing and oddly enough, comforting. With it's dark canopy and eerie air, it made him feel...well, it reminded him of himself. Secluded. Alone. Often bypassed for more...favorable places. The young dwarf walked quietly beneath the hanging branches, slipping beneath gnarled roots, sloshing through the thick mud. He could hear the croaking of frogs and toads, the occasional shaking of the tree tops as a creature roamed to higher branches. Amber gaze was accustomed to the darkness here, amd he had learned to navigate better thanks to his feline companion who had fantastic night vision, or so he was told. Despite the creepy, eerie feel of the swamp...he felt...tranquility here. It was the place he had first met the viking priestess, and from that meeting he had learned alot. His mother had been of the same culture, but she had left before teaching him about it. But now he knew more of who he was, and he didn't feel so empty anymore.

He did wonder where his mom and siblings had gone to...if any of them would ever come back. He couldn't say he didn't miss them if he was being honest with himself. He started to think about the predator he and Godbrand had fought. The way the pair of them had worked so well together to chase if away. How they worked so well together during that...he sighed with sadness. He felt alone despite having a whole pack of wolves to live with, but he wasn't close to any of them. He wanted to be, but he wasn't sure how to go about doing that. He wasn't sure if they disliked them as much as Recluse did...what was her problem anyway? He never did a thing to her save for defend himself whenever she attacked him. He didn't understand it. His father had many kids. But she seemed to take it out on him the most from what she could see. He was just as much a Klein as she was, even though he followed after his mother's heritage more than theirs. Was that why? Did she see him that differently? Or was it because he was so much smaller than most of the other Kleins? Whatever the case, he'd still strive to prove he was just as good - or better.

It was admittedly one of her hobbies to bully her younger brother, or well at least keep an eye on him and then strike when she felt he was most vulnerable. So when she spotted the tiny bastard leaving the pack lands Recluse had known what she was going to do that day. With her serpent coiled around her neck the wraith slunk after her brother, tracking him more than following, she had no desire to tip her hand too early by being found before he let his guard down. She slid up beside a tree, peering around the trunk and spotting her brother, it seemed his travel had slowed. A small soft growl rumbled in her throat and she hunkered down for a moment, bunching her muscles and crouching, one second, two, three... then she sprang from her hiding spot, pounding towards her brother, hoping to surprise him and bowl him over. At the same time, she extended her neck, jaws pulling apart as she aimed her grip downwards, hoping to grab onto the back of the smaller wolf's neck and try to scruff her brother. The truth was she was taking her anger out on him, though even if she was aware of that she wasn't about to stop, after all it was about the only outlet she had, and if nothing else she needed that outlet. She'd spent so much time the last few seasons simmering in her anger, in her sadness. And that was all coming to a head with her new siblings on the horizons, obviously, since her anger was all about how her father had simply abandoned her to her horrible sickly fate. So maybe it was misplaced, but at least it made some amount of sense in the yearling's mind. WC: 297 (468/1500) Recluse Ithuriel-Klein vs Gimli for Minor Maim (Torn ear) Round 1/? Age: 1 year Size: Large Build: Light Companion 1: Black-necked spitting cobra, Female - Attack Skills: Beginner Intellectual & Advanced Fighter Specialty: N/A speech think action

Art by Akage-Kitsu

He felt at peace here in a sense...the quietness and solitude of the swamp giving him a feeling of tranquility for the most part. He sat down, unaware that he was being followed. At least...until he heard someone rushing at him. He turned in time to see a much larger, pale figure speeding towards him and he was suddenly knocked over. He went crashing into the mud with a hard thud, the breath nearly knocked out of him as he tried to gather what the hell just happened. In the moment between him being knocked over and his thought, he spared a glance and realized it was Recluse! What the hell was her problem and why did she keep picking on him!? As she aimed to grab his scruff, he heard a crash in the brush and a fierce yowl as he felt another body fly over him, and he realized it was his companion. The forest cat had been nearby and heard the scuffle, and now she had sought to score her teeth and claws across Recluse's muzzle so he could recover.

With a snarl, Gimli quickly got to his feet to face the albino bitch, amber gaze fierce as he narrowed his eyes at her. He thought about saying something, but he'd let his teeth do the talking, first. He snarled as he darted towards her while his companion hopefully had her distracted, the yearling dwarf aiming to slam his body straight into her rear legs to force her off balance and knock her into the mud. His own teeth snapped towards her tail then as he aimed to clamp them over the appendage in the hopes of biting down hard enough and breaking it!

Gimli Ahlberg-Klein vs Recluse for Maim (muzzle scarring)
Round 1/2
Age: 1yr
Size: Small
Build: Heavy
Companion 1: Norwegian forest cat, Male - Battle - Boosted
Skills: Expert Fighter & Beginner Navigator
Specialty: N/A

Gimli rolled as she crashed into him and Recluse felt a flood of smug satisfaction. But as she was lowering her head to try and scruff the puny wolf she heard something crashing through the undergrowth towards her. She lifted her head and saw a bundle of dark fur coming flying at her. She felt claws rake across her muzzle and the girl roared in pain. Recluse tossed her head, trying to dislodge the feline currently scoring her face. She spotted Gimli rising to his paws and dashing towards her, Recluse would pivot, bending her torso and craining her neck, jaws wide as she attempted to make a grab for his closest ear, at the same time Lilith was extending from her usual position to dart out and grab hold of what ever was closest when the boy drew close enough. Then she made a choice, a sacrifice. Recluse snarled as she felt her brother's teeth clamp onto her tail, but instead of trying to shake him off, she lifted her right hindpaw and aimed a fierce kick right at the boy's throat. Her tail would likely be sore and if she wasn't careful, broken after this but if she could manage to hit him in that very sensitive spot it would be worth it. She grit her teeth against the pain, hoping in the end it would pay off. Recluse was feeling particularly malicious now, her pretty face would probably be marred by his fleabag of a cat, and she'd never let him stop paying for it if that was true, but more than that it helped to drive the anger and the need for vengence she felt inside her. WC: 281 (1012/1500) Recluse Ithuriel-Klein vs Gimli for Minor Maim (Torn ear) Round 2/2 Age: 1 Year Size: Large Build: Light Companion 1: Black-necked spitting cobra, Female - Attack Skills: Beginner Intellectual & Advanced Fighter Specialty: N/A speech think action

Art by Akage-Kitsu

Thank the heavens for his larger companion! While he was confident he could handle her on his own, he didn't trust she wouldn't try to do some dirty trick. And if you asked him, the snake that always clung to her was as dirty as tricks could get. As he slipped towards her tail, Recluse had managed to grab his ear though Gimli didn't quite let her keep a hold on it, and instead tilted his head away, risking a tear if he had to. From the corner of his eye he saw that damn snake strike at him, though luckily for Gimli, his tangled and muddy fur prevented the snake from fully sinking its fangs in, and instead, he barely felt the faintest of pinpricks and he hoped that damned creatures fangs got tangled up enough to where it couldn't bite anymore. His focus was on that tail of hers, and fortunately for him, he managed to grab hold of it. The moment he had it in his grasp, he viciously shook his head in his bid to break it.

He was surprised though, that she actually let him get to it. What he didn't expect, however, was for her to try and kick him. With her tail in his jaws, he felt her hind foot slam hard against his lower throat, causing the yearling to sputter and cough, but he did not relinquish his hold. Instead, he bit down harder, waiting to hear the crack of breaking bones as he did so. He felt out of breath from the kick, but he forced himself to persevere no matter what it took. As he sought to mangle her tail, he'd reach out with a hefty paw in an effort to sweep her other, non-kicking hind leg out from under her in an effort to compromise her balance so she'd fall to the ground.

Gimli Ahlberg-Klein vs Recluse for Muzzle scarring
Round 2/2
Age: 1yr
Size: Small
Build: Heavy
Companion 1: Norwegian forest cat, Male - Battle - Boosted
Skills: Expert Fighter & Beginner Navigator
Specialty: N/A

And the winner is...

RECLUSE

GIMLI must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. RECLUSE'S maim (torn ear) is successful! Totals: Recluse: 246.56 Rolls: 80 20 48 55 Adjusted Rolls: 88 21 50.4 55 Gimli: 225.24 Rolls: 71 39 11 50 Adjusted Rolls: 85.2 40.95 11.55 50

- nyx