Winter was upon Boreas. Snow that permanently covered the peaks of Fenrir Maw crept closer to the lower slopes. Burying pathways and hiding steep slopes, navigating the mountainside wasn't the brightest idea. Yet, the pup didn't want to be stuck inside. She wanted to be down on the Stone Steppe. Wanted to be out where it was at least slightly warmer and away from this cold shit. Yeah, she'd taken up swearing recently which was not welcomed by her parents. Not that she necessarily cared anymore. They couldn't stop her. Too busy dealing with their own lives and the other kids. Yep, just a forgotten little runt.

The sour thoughts are ripe in her mind as she stares out at the pelting snow. Filling every crevice and threatening to invade her space. Glancing over her shoulder to the tunnel that led down into the mountain where her siblings were hiding out, Delphi lets out a disgruntled rumble. She really didn't want to be stuck here. Looking back to the snow that got heavier as each minute passed, she concluded that she would brave it anyway. Quickly grabbing her satchel, as tattered as it was, and filling it with random supplies, and slipping a furred cloak over her shoulders, the pixie of a girl finally leaves.

Snow quickly covers her, wetting her fur and cloak, forcing her to squint through the whipping wind and forceful gales. Carefully, she picks her way down the thin trails through the building storm. Only minutes pass before hale is beginning to pelt her. The pings of hard rocks soon become painful. Hardly able to see and regretting her decision, Delphi tries to duck into a covered outcropping. Remnants of a fire smolder toward the back. Her eyes narrow as she spies someone else there too. "The fuck are you doing here?" She hisses as her ears instantly fold back against her head.

wc: 317/1500

Strai didn’t really have a proper den. Just an outcropping that protected him from the worst of the weather. It was better that way, really. It gave him less to hold onto, less to trick him into feeling as if he belonged. He wasn’t going to be sticking around here forever. Just until he was strong enough to challenge that black demon again, and win.

He ventured out into the weather with a grimace. He was familiar with weather like this, of course. A proper northern storm was almost like home. But that didn’t mean he enjoyed the way the hale beat at his coat, leaving little bruises across the white of his fur. He trotted quickly through the worst of it, and stole a few scattered pieces of dry wood. By the time he returned it to his outcropping, it was half drenched.

He couldn’t get more than a small flicker of flames, which lasted barely any time at all before it pitted out again. Leaving him with the scent of wet wood and ashes. He was about to venture out again to see if he could get a better haul, when a familiar form suddenly shoved its way into his home. Of course it was a wolf he knew. He gave the colourful wolf a sour expression. Who else would trott into his house like she owned the place, and then bitch about his presence there?

“What’s it to you, little weakling?”

he asked, pleased that he knew now which words left their mark on her. weakling she had responded well to that last time.

Wc: 276
Total: 593

"Speech"

There was that word again. Weakling. Knowing how she was raised, it really shouldn't have bothered her. None of her parents or any of her family ever made her feel small. No one ever bullied her, except maybe Hotate, but still, it had always been in a teasing manner. Words like that didn't usually get under her skin, but the way he glowered at her, the way he said it made her want to smack him across the face. Instead, as she stands there, shivering and wet, still feeling the hale pelt against her cloak, she growls. A fierce growl to her, but to others, it wasn't much.

"Old man not think you good enough to even get a den?" Delphi spits back as her fur begins to bristle. Stepping forward, closer to him, she kicks a lump of snow toward his fire. Whatever morsel of a flame he had conjured was now extinguished. "Cold? Figured someone like you wouldn't know what cold was considering how frozen your heart is," her words seethe through clenched teeth as her lip raises to reveal her elongated canines. Taking another step closer, all she could see was red. For some reason, whatever it was, the sight of this boy made her blood boil.

wc: 803/1500

“I don’t need anyone to give me anything, I’m not weak”

He snarled back at her as she mentioned Vidarr not giving him a den. Implying she needed people to give her things, that she couldn’t survive without charity. He could, and would, make it on his own. He would prove that to everyone here. That he would fight for every scrap he got. Just as he had fought for her satchel, and for the kill that the leaky pup had been standing over when he first came to this wretched mountain.

He snarled at her as she moved forward, and kicked snow over the tiny embers of his fire. He bared his fangs, lowering his head threateningly. There had been no way it was an accident, she had done that on purpose.

“You're going to build me another fire.”

he promised her, a small, malicious smile finding root on his muzzle.

Yeah, there was no way either of them were leaving this outcropping without a fight. He could see she was bristling with the need for one, and he just wanted to make her work for something. He wanted to see her do stupid, manual lifting. To try and coax a flame from nothing in a freeing, hailing day. He waited until she took another step, and then he moved. Lunging at her as he attempted first to ram his cheek-spurs down into her forehead. He knew better than to bite her, so instead he attempted to smack her shoulder with his paw at the same time.

Astraios vs Delphi for Reparations
Round 1/?
Age: Under 1
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Light
Mutation 1: Cheek Bone Spurs (Offensive)
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Beginner Hunter

Total: 1069

"Speech"

Delphi had not always been a troubled pup. There had been a time when she was bouncing ball of fun and energy. Now that that pup was diminished, all that was left was a husk of anger and petulance. She wanted to watch the world burn. Her first stop? The boy standing in front of her. She didn't even know his name and she didn't care to learn it either. Her cheek still burned from their previous encounter where his jagged bone spurs had dug into her skin. He would pay for that and everything else. Continuing to seethe with anger as he spat useless words at her, she scoffed in return. Build him a fire? He was insane to think she would ever do anything nice for him.

She took a step forward, ever closer to him, and in that same moment, he was lunging toward her. Taken by surprise, she barely leaps backward out of the way of his driving force toward her forehead. Instead, her binturong comes to her rescue and is successfully swatted out of the way. Delphi yelps as she watches Binti lay on the cold stone, knocked out, and now being hailed upon by the growing storm beside them. "You'll pay for that!" She screams over the wailing gust of wind that picks up around them. Moving to the side, she rockets forward, nearly slipping on the ice beneath her, to aim at his chest. Mouth wide open and paws reaching forward to grab ahold of him around the shoulders.

wc: 1318/1500

Delphi vs Astraios for Being an asshole
Round 1/2
Age: Over 6mo
Size: Extra small
Build: Light
Companion 1: Male Binturong, 22” - Battle
Mutation 1: Saber fangs (Offensive)
Mutation 2: Spicy blood (Defensive)
Skills: Advanced Healer & Intermediate Hunter

His blow strikes some weird raccoon - looking thing instead of the girl. He didn’t so much as give the creature a second glance. It was it’s own damn fault for getting in his way. As Delphi backed up, he moved forward. He no longer cared about the elements. He felt the hail pelt against his skull as his head emerged from the cave. The soft pricks of pain only further stirred the anger rising in his belly. This girl just didn’t get it, did she?

"Make me"

he hissed at her.

He turned, pulling the rest of his body into the hail as she launched herself at him. He felt his own paws scrambling on the slippery rock, and hunkered down for balance, and to brace himself for her attack. He still slid back a few steps despite his preparations. The ground was damn slippery, and filled with slowly melting hail. It was cold against the pads of his paw, the type of cold that burned. As she attempted to grab at his shoulder, he raised himself higher, making her work for it. At the same instant, he swiped his head down and across, attempting to scrape his cheek spurs across her head. He knew better now, he knew not to bite her. Weird bitch was poisonous, through and through.


Astraios vs Delphi for Reparations
Round 2/2
Age: Under 1
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Light
Mutation 1: Cheek Bone Spurs (Offensive)
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Beginner Hunter

Total: Met

"Speech"

He moves to dodge her. Body lifting, head swiping downward toward her. She is careening, front paws in the air and hind paws scrambling against ice and cold stone. There is nowhere else for her to go except for through. Ducking down out of the way of his cheek spurs, no way she was going to allow herself to get stuck by those things again. In the process, her hind legs slip, lose traction, her chin hits the ground. Front paws splay out and suddenly she is sliding through his legs and out past him. She tries to spin around and grab ahold of his own hind leg, but she doubts it'll happen. Snow and hail cover her as she continues to slide down the slope. Fully in the elements, she can barely see. Her binturong is still dazed and confused, unable to comprehend that Delphi is sliding straight for the edge. When she notices, her paws scramble, trying to find something to grab ahold of. "HELP!" Delphi screeches at the boy, her eyes wide and full of panic.

Delphi vs Astraios for Being an asshole
Round 2/2
Age: Over 6mo
Size: Extra small
Build: Light
Companion 1: Male Binturong, 22” - Battle
Mutation 1: Saber fangs (Offensive)
Mutation 2: Spicy blood (Defensive)
Skills: Advanced Healer & Intermediate Hunter

And the winner is...

ASTRAIOS

DELPHI must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: ASTRAIOS: Attack Roll: 8 Defense Roll: 69 Agility Roll: 68 Perception Roll: 59 Total: 204 Attack[8] + 20% Bonus[1.60]: 9.60 Defense[69] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 69.00 Agility[68] + 5% Bonus[3.40]: 71.40 Perception[59] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 59.00 Total[209.00] + -5% Bonus[-10.45]: 198.55 DELPHI: Attack Roll: 6 Defense Roll: 44 Agility Roll: 15 Perception Roll: 23 Total: 88 Attack[6] + 20% Bonus[1.20]: 7.20 Defense[44] + 25% Bonus[11.00]: 55.00 Agility[15] + 15% Bonus[2.25]: 17.25 Perception[23] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 23.00 Total[102.45] + -5% Bonus[-5.12]: 97.33

He watched as her chin collided with the ground. Feeling a sense of achievement as he beat the girl (again) and proved that it was no fluke that had led to him winning. He was simply better, stronger then she was. He turned to watch her as gravity pulled her across the slippery ice. Expecting her to get to her paws at any second. But she didn’t. It was almost like he was watching in slow motion as she failed to find her purchase in the slick, wet ice.

He continued to watch, and he too realised the ledge that stood behind her. A chance to lose his nemesis, exactly as he thought she should have when he had landed in the lake. He watched as she pulled closer, her sliding body picking up traction. He was going to let it all happen, when something lurched inside of him. The idea of no Delphi to terrarise, of how she had pulled him from the water when she stood to gain nothing.

Almost against his own will, he lurched forward. He had left it so late that he had to almost fly out of the outcropping. She was almost at the ledge, and he was still closing the distance between them. He saw her back leg start to slip off. Nothing but air beneath her, and then he was there. He grabbed at her with his paw, but he didn’t have enough leverage. He grabbed at her scruff, almost sliding off the ledge himself. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he struggled against the elements and gravity to keep her from falling. He felt his teeth slide into her skin, and draw blood. He tasted the shocking, painful zip of her blood and shuddered. Trying not to gag as he pulled his weight backwards, digging in with his back legs. He hauled her up and over, slipping on the ice more than once himself as he did so. Finally, shaking, panting, and almost retching, he had her back on the mountain. He released his grip on her and collapsed next to her, spitting out blood as he lay there, half tangled in her fur.

"Speech"

Delphi had only felt fear as terrible as this one time before. The day that other yearling had taken her tail from her. Oh, she had cried terrible tears that day from the pain. She had been young, so helpless. Now as she teeters over the edge, all four of her paws scrambling for purchase, she understands that this is wore. Her back paws feel nothing but air as she lets out another shriek. Her eyes are wide as she watches him stand there. He was seriously going to let her die…

She closes her eyes. If she were going to die, she did not want his face to be the last she sees. Instead, she quickly pulls up images of her mothers, her father, her siblings, all of her grandparents. Just when she is about to give up, to accept death, she feels a paw slam down onto her own. It grabs for her, quickly slipping and she cries out again. A garbled sad sort of cry that would rip her mother’s heart out.

In the next moment, as she is sure she is dead, she feels his teeth dig into her skin. Blood seeps out and she can feel him gag against her skin. Oh no, no, no, please! Her mind screams internally as she hopes he doesn’t throw up on her. With her paws still scraping against the slick ice, she tries to help him hoist her up and over the edge. Moments drag on until finally he is able to toss her up onto the ground beside him. Panting, breathing heavy, unsure if its snow or tears wetting her cheeks, she lets herself sob for a moment.

“Thanks for not throwing up on me,” she whispers, her voice hoarse and barely heard over the roar of the wind and the pelting sound of hale hitting the mountain.

He scraped ice along his mouth, trying to get rid of the weird bitter taste left behind from her blood, almost but not entirely ignoring the way one of his legs was half thrown over her from where he had dragged her up, and how she was half lying on top of him. His heart was still beating erratically and loud. He knew how close it had been to both of them tipping over. He had risked his life to save her, and that went against all of his beliefs. He could still hear his mothers voice, it was easy to imagine what she would say. He whispered it to himself now."Låt de svaga dö innan de drar dig med sig" He almost laughed, he wasn’t sure his mother had meant that to be quite so literal. Thanks for not throwing up on me He heard her whisper above the storm, only because of their close proximity, and then he was laughing. Great, heaps of laughter he could barely breath around. It was all just so ridiculous, he couldn’t help it. And once he had started, it was hard to stop. “Thanks for - for not throwing-” he wheezed it out through his laughter, tears rolling down his cheeks. “Fucking - hot - blooded - wolf.” he was shivering, half freezing to death, had scared a few years off his life, but he couldn’t stop laughing. "Speech"

Adrenaline finally settled down and she realized what had happened. Shivers run down her from both fear and cold. She could feel the heat radiating off of his body as she lay haphazardly across him. His fur is surprisingly soft. Her face scrunches as his sides begin to heave with his belly laughter. It is then that she feels the weight of his leg over her as well. As if they were a tangled mess of limbs and fur. Her face scrunches even more. Exhausted, slightly delirious, and unsure what to do, she doesn't move. Resting her cheek against his shoulder, she starts to laugh herself.

"Surprise, fucker. It's a pretty neat side effect," she heaves the words out as she continues to try to catch her breath between the laughter and emotion. Holy shit, what had they just gone through? Really, she should be getting up and making space between them. And Binti... Where was Binti? Fear races through her again as her eyes pop open. Both ears are alert as she scrambles to stand but all of her muscles are sore. Instead, she leans into the boy and raises her head, peering around through the storm to try and see her companion.

"Binti!" Delphi yells over the wind until her bi-colored gaze lands on the binturong. Alive and pretty pissed, the binturong sits in the back corner behind the dead fire. She mouths the word sorry as her ears fold backward. Turning her attention back to the boy, she leans around, still half on him, to look at his face. Were they really just lying out in this storm? "You saved me," she teased, a mischievous grin spreading across her lips.

He finally managed to catch his breath, his sides aching. He took in a few large lungfuls of air. “Your blood is as toxic as the rest of you” he sneered, though there was less venom in his sneer than usual, and a hint of laughter still in his voice also helped to ruin the effect. He grunted as she suddenly leaned hard against him. Her pointy elbows digging into his coat. He was tempted to throw her, but honestly he was too tired to put in much effort just then. The icy ground beneath him also helped to sap his strength, and she was a little strip of warmth across him. The urge to toss her came back to him when she looked down at him, and he could see her eyes were Heterochromic. How had he never noticed that before? “No need to rub it in” He scowled back at her, his lips pulling ever so slightly over his teeth in a threat. “And I still won” He reminded her, ”Again.” They should get out of this weather. His shaking was starting to get worse, and having so much of himself pressed against the icy stone was only making things worse. But he didn’t move, and made no effort to throw the stupid bitch off himself. "Speech"

A laugh leaves her as she digs her elbow into his fur just a little more. "You mean like that?" Delphi teases as she sticks her tongue out at him. Just then he is sneering back at her about winning. Twice. In a fucking row. Her ears fold back and her lip pulls up to show her own teeth in a silent threat. Too tired to snip back at him, she finally collapses back into his side. Shaking just as much as he is from the cold and adrenaline that seeped her energy, she looks around. An idea pops into her mind and she leans closer to his face so she doesn't have to speak up. "Want me to show you a cool hiding spot?" The sneaky grin is back on her lips as she waits for him to reply.

He hated how much he liked the warmth of her body as she collapsed back down on him. They were both a sodden mess, and their fur was clammy and stuck in places. A chill went through him as she pressed her face close to his, and he found himself holding his breath. She didn’t care much about personal space, did she? Luckily, she offered up an exciting distraction that pulled him from whatever whirlwind his mind was going down, and he grinned immediately. “Hel yes” he agreed, especially if it got them out of the rain. His own little alcove had been a poor substitute for a cave. He did shove her then, but it was more playful then mean as he pushed her back. He also wanted to get her face away from his, with those taunting heterochromic eyes of hers. "Speech"

Her grin widens as he replies with a hell yes. Suddenly, though she is tired, she feels a burst of energy and her shortened tail is thumping against his leg. Before she has a chance to get off of him, he is shoving her playfully away. "Aye!" Delphi yelped with a playful snap of her teeth that was followed up with a laugh. Tumbling off of his side as he finished shoving her off, she realized then just how much her body depended on his body heat to help keep her warm. Though she was now shivering, she flashed him another grin before heading off down the trail toward the bottom of the mountain. "It isn't far," she calls over her shoulder and motions for Binti to follow. The binturong is reluctant to follow but does anyway to make sure Delphi doesn't actually get herself killed.

And thankfully, as the sleet and hale begin to pick up again, Delphi comes to a stop at one of the tunnel entrances. Snow sweeps inside as the wind is tossed all around them. She glances at Strai to make sure he is following before going into the tunnel. Though it is dim, there are candles lit every so often to ensure everyone can find their way through the potentially dizzying maze. There is no hesitation in her steps as she takes him deeper down into the mountain. When they had first moved into the maw, Delphi had gone exploring with her sister, Aji, and found a special hidey hole. No one except for Aji and Vidarr knew about it and he had only known after following them one day down there.

Turn after turn, she slowly warmed as the ground grew slightly warmer. It wasn't as frozen this deep inside the mountain. After what felt like forever, Delphi finally stopped in front of a small entrance that would be barely large enough to fit Vidarr himself. The front of it was covered with a thick deer hide. "C'mon," she grins at him in the darkness of the tunnel. Dipping behind the hide, she pulls it aside so he can come inside and see the somewhat spacious cavern she and her sister had made for themselves. There is only one small crack at the back that is just wide enough for any smoke to filter out, otherwise, there are no other entrances or tunnels except the one they came in from.

At the back, by the crack, there are remnants of a small fire and a bundle of wood. Off to one side, there is a large pile of furs large enough for two adult wolves. In the center is a small wooden table with a mixture of... paraphernalia to put it simply. To the other side is a large pot full of drinkable water and a stash of snacks. "My sister and I come down here when we wanna get away from the adults," Delphi says as her tail begins to wag. Going over to the small fire at the back of the room, she starts to get wood piled and started so they can get warm.

She rolled off him easily enough, thank Odin. he really didn’t like the way she was starting to mess with his head. It left him feeling vulnerable, weak. Emotions that were better left alone, especially with the precariousness of his position. He had accepted that he was probably going to be in this pack for a while, but his intention had always been to leave. To fight for his freedom as soon as he was able. “I hope you're right, I’m freezing” he grumbled, but he trotted after her with surprising energy. He was sick of the feeling of hale and wind in his face, or just how damp and freezing his coat was. When they arrived at a tunnel, he followed in after her, if a little more cautiously. He let out a sigh of relief as the wind and rain was left behind them. No longer did it howl across his face. He sniffed at the candles, with their smokey warm scent as he investigated the tunnel he found himself in. He shook out his coat, letting it splatter the walls around him, and felt suddenly a great deal lighter. They stopped at a deer hide, and he squinted at it before Delphi pushed it aside to reveal a hidden place. He realised then that this really was a hidden spot. Somewhere safe that she knew of, and she was taking him there? The strangeness of that didn’t full escape him. The pup followed after her inside. It was cosy here, almost warm because of the small space, even without the fire. There was bedding that was a luxury to him, who had but a couple rabbit skins to call his own. There were snacks and he eyed them longingly. If she hadn’t given him a great honour by showing him this place, he would have already fallen on them. “You have this place all to yourselves?” he asked in wonder, standing awkwardly in the entryway, still dripping despite the earlier shake. "Speech"

Binti helps her get the fire started with some flint before wandering off to their own corner to curl up and go to sleep. Delphi hardly pays her companion any attention as she turns around to look at Strai who stands awkwardly in the doorway, dripping wet and looking... uncomfortable. Her head tilts softly at his question. Did he not like what she was showing him? No one else knew about this except Aji and Vidarr. Her brow furrows as she nods slowly. "Yeah... Aji and I found it so old man said we could keep it," she shrugs before making her way over to the pile of furs. Of course, most of the stuff in the room had been stolen from various rooms of others, but that was Delphi's secret to keep.

Sprawling out as the room began to warm up, she was thankful that she was no longer shivering. Finally beginning to feel her toes again, she looks at Strai. "Sit, eat, relax, but don't get too comfortable," her ears suddenly pull back as she remembers who he was. Emotions in her belly make the contents feel curdled. She was supposed to be hating him, right? The expression on her face flickers as the pup tries to figure out how she's supposed to feel. He had saved her from literally dying though so she could at least repay him with the room... "Don't be thinking you can come here without me though. Aji will be pissed if she knows I told someone else," Delphi waves a paw to motion at the room before shooting a glare in his direction.

He had no idea who Aji was. But then, he had been mostly keeping to himself - other than running into Delphi around every corner, it seemed. It did enter his mind that maybe she was stalking him, but he shrugged off the thought. Stupid toxic wolf couldn’t even win in a fight against him. At her invitation, he moved further into the little hideout. He grabbed a coat, and towelled off a little before finding somewhere to hand that coat, and grabbing another. He spread it out near the fire, and sprawled down on it with a sigh. He was also in reach of the snacks, of course. Because that’s who Strai was. He reached over and grabbed one, shoving it into his mouth. She treated food so casually, like it was something that would always be there. He hated her a little for that. He looked back at Delphi and gave her a sly smile. “What do you mean? I thought I was moving in here” He said, mostly to get a reaction. To see what she would say. This place was miles better then his stupid little alcove. "Speech"

Something inside of her finally relaxes when he moves inside the room and begins to towel himself off. Was she nervous he wouldn't like her hiding spot? No, that wasn't it. Was it? No, feelings suck. No feelings. Just appreciation for now. He saved her, this was her repayment. That's all this way. Stretching out her toes as he snags one of the snacks, she sees it from the corner of her eye. Does he never stop eating? Delphi thinks to herself as she begins to lay all the way down on her side to maybe close her eyes for a moment. Well, until his jabbing words make her head shoot straight up.

Glowering at him, it takes her a moment to realize that he merely poking fun at her. Snorting in his direction, she rolls her eyes. "As if gramps would ever let the likes of you have a den," she sneers back, lips pulling up and nose wrinkling in his direction with maybe a hint of a smirk. Delphi really couldn't help herself. Something about that boy made her stomach hot and icky in a bad? Good? Some kind of way.