ice chills the air as they trot through the undergrowth, tail high and chin raised. despite the frosty temperature, however, their spirits are high, and there’s a bounce to their step, a hint of a smile tugging at their lips. they’re basking in the glow of their rescue, of Bas’ eyes as he’d called them ‘my kid.’ mine. after Her, they’d never thought that someone would care about them, would protect them and love them like Bas and Hazel have. it’s euphoric, like a dismissal of all their worst fears. maybe…maybe Ex-Mum had been the one with the problems. maybe it’d had nothing to do with them. perhaps it was a little foolish to stray so far from Armada lands after last time, but they were riding a wave of joy. besides, if anything happened to them, Bas would save them - right? "Speech"

Logically, she should not have been outside of Heidinn lands. She had gotten herself into enough trouble as of late and despite the protest from her companion, she slipped from the steppe anyway. Heading east but north of Valta lands (she wasn't ready to face Asla again, yet), Delphi made her way to a plain that lay along the eastern shore. Though winter had swept its way across the lands and finding any good plants was... difficult, she had hopes that she could still find something. Maybe hunt some small animals or pick some winter berries.

Crunching through the frost, she makes her way into the plains and is quickly drawn to a bush full of dark-colored berries. Elderberry! The berries would be good to keep as a snack once dried and she could strip the bark and use that to induce vomiting. A grin spreads across her lips as she begins to harvest. Shoving berries into her satchel, she is quickly distracted by her binturong alerting her to someone else. Not far off, a wolf slightly larger than her wanders around. "Hey! Yeah, you! C'mere!" Delphi calls, the stump of her tail wiggling slightly as she hopes the wolf will come over.

Araneae perks up at the sound of a voice, head swivelling as they strain to pick out its origin. their gaze lands on a girl about their age - one even smaller than them, eep! - and a pleasant smile tugs across their lips. "me?" they mouth, lifting a paw to indicate themselves. at the girl's confirming nod, Araneae, buoyed by their good mood, wastes no time approaching the girl. they practically bounce over in their enthusiasm, tail waving behind them like a striped flag. "hi, i'm Spider!" their gaze shifts to the berries, and curiosity steals across their face. "oh, are you picking berries? that's so cool! i've never had a berry before." they tilt their head, squinting considerably. "do you think these ones taste good?" "Speech"

Delphi nods a little too enthusiastically when the pup points to themself and mouths the word 'me.' Though her tail wags, she has an almost disgruntled expression on her face, but she tries to hide it with a toothy smile and one brow raised - really looks as if she's in some kind of pain. Watching the too-excited pup prance over to her, Delphi tries to wipe the mean girl's look off her face by turning back to the bush and plucking a few more berries to stash into her satchel. One ear turns to the pup as they introduce themself and ask about the berries and if they taste good. An idea runs through her mind, but... this Spider has done nothing to harm her. Honestly, the other pup was as energetic as she used to be. It kind of made her heart hurt. Dammit.

Collecting herself, Delphi hands a berry out to Spider. "Delphi," she hesitates but doesn't say her last name. Not everyone cared about that. "Yeah, these ones are some of the only kind that grows in winter," Delphi offers the information before turning back to start stripping the bark off the main branch. "Try it, they're not bad. Kind of tart though," she adds with a shrug as her claws scrape along the bush's branch. "Just uh, don't eat the bark," the advice is given begrudgingly. Lately, Delphi would have been happy to see someone vomit from something she gave them, but something about Spider's peppiness made her stomach curl at the thought of making them frown.

to their delight, the girl hands them a berry. carefully, they cup it in the center of their palm, examining it from all sides. their very first berry. “thank you,” they murmur, voice tinged with awe. they slip it onto their tongue, rolling it’s spherical shape around for a moment and giggling at it’s weird texture; it’s so smooth. then they sink their teeth down and relish the pop! as it’s tart flavour bathes their tongue. Delphi was right; it’s a little bitter, but they find they quite like the flavour. “that was…woah,” they exclaim, licking their lips to chase any lingering remnants. then they fix Delphi with an appraising look, admiration clear in their face. “how do you know so much about this stuff? that bark just looks like ordinary bark to me!” good thing the girl had told them; she was so nice! "Speech"

She doesn't pay attention as the other pup tastes the berry. After all, it was just a berry. Nothing special about it. Delphi ate them all the time, but from the reaction of Spider, she wasn't sure Spider ever had before. Her eyes glance over as Spider exclaims that it was woah. That almost gets a giggle, a whisper of a smile on her lips. Yeah, berries were tart at times and could get that reaction out of someone.

Finishing up her task of stripping the bark, an ear turns toward Spider as they ask how they knew all of this information. "Well, most bark is probably safe to ingest. Some can actually help you if you've poisoned yourself, but this bark is different," Delphi pauses as she shoves the bark and berries into her bag, steps back, and gets a good look at Spider. "I spend a lot of time with the master healers in my pack. They tell me anything I ask and don't usually question why I wanna know it," her shoulders shrug as if to say it was no big deal. "How 'bout you? Know anything cool?" She questions, her head tilting slightly to the side as she pulls a berry from the bush and pops it into her mouth.

they blink slowly as Delphi speaks, eyes widening with admiration. she knew so much! Araneae pokes about the bag while Delphi fills it, eyeing the (now dangerous) bark with a suspicious eye. they’d had no idea bark could be harmful; it’s definitely something to keep in mind. eager to show off their own knowledge, Araneae puffs up confidently and lifts their chin. “i can do a pretty good sparrow impression!” they purse their lips and attempt a series of high-pitched chirps, each more terrible than the last. the sounds are mangled on their tongue, disjointed and vaguely disturbing, but the end of it it’s clear Araneae believes they could’ve been an honorary avian. then they blink expectantly at Delphi, clearly anticipating praise. "Speech"

Delphi was not expecting in any way shape or form for Spider to offer an impression of a sparrow. Her eyes widen as her ears fold back at the atrocious noise. Her expression crumples as she squints and takes a step backward. The grimace on her face is obvious as she lifts a paw and waves it gently, hoping they will stop soon.

When Spider does, giving her that excited and eager look, Delphi’s heart wrenches. There was no way in Hell that she could lie to the poor pup. Maybe she could provide some tact though… “Uh, I think you might need some practice,” Delphi says gently as she places her paw back on the ground. “It was a good attempt though,” she adds on, even giving her tail a few wags to make sure Spider didn’t think it was all terrible.

Araneae giggles at Delphi’s reaction, turning to muffle their laughter in their fur. ”yeah, ok…maybe the world isn’t quite ready for my special talents just yet.” you couldn’t be good at too many things, after all - and Araneae was already going to be the best hunter and fighter in all of the packs. mastering a sparrow impression would probably make everyone too jealous. ”i’m good at fighting, too,” they offer, even though that wasn’t strictly true. but they’d won a fight. ”i beat this Astraios kid, so he had to play tag with me.” they smile proudly, beaming at the memory. their first victory! Kyanite better watch her back, because Araneae was only going to get better and better… “speech”

Delphi is glad that the other pup is not offended by her disgruntled expression. It was hard to hide the fact that Spider really needed to practice their bird noises some more. Her own little giggle follows Spider's because honestly, the pup's good mood was infectious and as much as Delphi wanted to be grumpy, she couldn't. Her interest is drawn back quickly though as Spider mentions that they're good at fighting because they had beat another kid named Astraios. Delphi's expression suddenly drops and she blinks at few times.

"You beat Astraios?" It had been the first time since meeting the boy that she had ever spoken his full name. Her mouth goes dry slightly as anger builds in her. If she beat this Spider pup then she could have bragging rights... A smirk flickers across her lips. "What would you say to fighting me?" Delphi's tone is devious as she takes a step back and shifts her body into a more appropriate fighting stance.

a mischievous grin tugs across their face, eyes lighting up at the challenge. there’s something almost sinister in the girl’s tone, an obvious desire to beat Araneae that they respect - and mirror. it only spurs them further as they take a fighting stance, shifting their legs apart with that familiar thrill of exhilaration. “i’d say…that i hope you’re ready to take a beating.” they flash a wink to bely the threat; it’s all in good fun, after all. once they’ve ascertained that Delphi is ready and they’ve taken up a proper fighting stance, Araneae rushes at her with chin lowered over their throat and ears flattened, aiming to protect their most vulnerable areas. using their shoulder, they aim to knock Delphi off-course, hoping the impact will leave her distracted enough for a second attack. Araneae (Spider) vs Delphi for Dominance Round 1/2 Age: under 1 year Size: Extra small Build: Light Offensive Battle Accessory: Small dagger engraved w/ "Spider Fatalis" Skills: Beginner Hunter & Intermediate Fighter “speech”

Delphi scoffs! "You beat me? Unlikely!" She calls out as her own paws spread slightly and her fur bristles along her spine. Flexing her toes and preparing herself, Delphi waits for Spider. When the other pup begins to rush forward, Delphi does the same. Legs stretching out and eating up the ground, her shoulder moving forward and chin tucking down toward her chest, ready for impact. And impact they did. Both of their shoulders collide together and Delphi's expression scrunches in pain. But she doesn't relent! She wouldn't let Spider beat her! Digging her paws down into the frozen ground and throwing her weight forward, she hoped to be the winning force in their clash of bodies.

Delphi vs Spider for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Under 1 Year
Size: Extra small
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Leather bracers with cougar claws
Defensive Battle Accessory: Spiked collar of bear teeth
Companion 1: Male Binturong, 22” - Battle
Companion 2: Tasmanian Devil, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Saber fangs (Offensive)
Mutation 2: Spicy blood (Defensive)
Skills: Expert Healer & Intermediate Fighter

Spider winces as their shoulders connect, teeth gritting as pain radiates through the bone. the force of it knocks them backward a few steps, and throw their weight to the side, spinning on a heel to reposition themselves. lunging forward, they snap at Delphi’s throat, aiming to establish a purchase with their teeth. ”ready to give up yet, Delph?” they tease, grinning with the adrenaline of the spar.

Araneae (Spider) vs Delphi for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: under 1 year
Size: Extra small
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Small dagger engraved w/ "Spider Fatalis"
Skills: Novice Hunter & Intermediate Fighter

"Speech"

Spider stumbles backward and Delphi loses her footing. Not expecting the other pup to give away so quickly, Delphi tries to catch and recollect herself. Her paws go slipping against the frosty ground. A little yelp leaves her as she watches Spider spin and dive for her throat. Pushing her paws forward to prevent herself from falling and to avoid her skin being punctured, she feels the fur along her throat get pulled. Delphi growls and flattens her ears. "Never!" She spits back as she steps back and gets her weight back under her. Lunging forward, she aims to nip at Spider's cheek in retaliation.

Delphi vs Spider for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Under 1 Year
Size: Extra small
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Leather bracers with cougar claws
Defensive Battle Accessory: Spiked collar of bear teeth
Companion 1: Male Binturong, 22” - Battle
Companion 2: Tasmanian Devil, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Saber fangs (Offensive)
Mutation 2: Spicy blood (Defensive)
Skills: Expert Healer & Intermediate Fighter

And the winner is...

Araneae

Delphi must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Araneae: Attack Roll: 80 Defense Roll: 8 Agility Roll: 82 Perception Roll: 72 Total: 242 Attack[80] + 10% Bonus[8.00]: 88.00 Defense[8] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 8.00 Agility[82] + 15% Bonus[12.30]: 94.30 Perception[72] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 72.00 Total[262.30] + -5% Bonus[-13.12]: 249.19 Delphi : Attack Roll: 37 Defense Roll: 34 Agility Roll: 24 Perception Roll: 64 Total: 159 Attack[37] + 40% Bonus[14.80]: 51.80 Defense[34] + 40% Bonus[13.60]: 47.60 Agility[24] + 15% Bonus[3.60]: 27.60 Perception[64] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 64.00 Total[191.00] + -5% Bonus[-9.55]: 181.45