Heaving himself backwards, Valentine drug the hindquarters of a ram behind him. He held one of the limbs firmly by the hock, the shoulderless front end trailing away from him in a grisly display of innards and ribs. An unmistakeable crimson stain flecked with the occasional bit of gore marked the places that he'd been. The brute was exhausted and splashed from tip to toe in blood. His kill would not be wasted, though, and so he pressed through the fatigue. Reaching Imperium's border and knowing the finish line was in sight, the slate brute was suddenly rejuvenated. Gritting his teeth, Valentine picked up the pace. He was eager to be home, eager to be done with the long haul. Above all else, he was ready for a nap. He had half a mind to howl for the pack and then abandon them to the feast while he went somewhere quiet to recover. Huffing around his hold on the ram, Valentine rolled his eyes to the side as he tried to look over his shoulder and get an idea of how much farther he had to go. There was one knoll in particular that he had his sights on. "Speaking" "Thinking"

It was finally winter, the season of her birth. She was finally a year old, and feeling like she was settling into her skin at last. She was no longer awkwardly sized, she was fully proportioned and starting to look more like a woman and less like a child. Her curves were starting to show, and she was more aware of her body. She still had a bit of puppy fat on her, which was good for the change of season. She had grown that last little bit, and was not standing at full height. Mercy's white coat was silky and shining, healthy and well taken care of. And now when she looked at boys, she was starting to notice more things than she had when she was younger. Slowly her pup like antics were starting to fade away, replaced with more womanly charm. Hips swaying as she walked through the land, her elongated tail flowed out behind her. That was, until the scent of prey filled her nose. Ears pulled forward, nose quivering as the sweet scent filled her nostrils. Salmon hued tongue raked across her lips, hunger making her belly tang. Trotting up the slight rise to her right, the black marked girl looked down and saw their leader pulling food into the territory. Smirking, she shook her head. She was still rather convinced that the large wolf was still part bear. Mercy picked her way down the hill, her tail flowing behind her like a banner. As she neared the leader she slowed, dipping her head in a sign of respect. As she aged, she was also starting to understand more about what an alpha really was, and how they demanded and expected respect. So she was carefully working on it, even though it might be a little hard for her to still understand why. "Do you need some help with that, Valentine?" She asked softly, her voice losing his child-like whine. It was more soft, flowing and with a hint of spice to it. Yes, this girl was going to be quite the little flirt as she aged more. Eying the dead beast that the bear-wolf was dragging, she licked her lips once more. But she would help him before trying to eat it. Alpha did get first pick, after all.

The crunch of snow beneath the approaching creature caused the brute to relinquish his hold and straighten. He stretched, muscles tensing as he tried to work the knots out of his shoulders, and then tipped his head to the side to see who was behind him. "Mercy," he greeted her, surprise edging his voice. It wasn't often that he saw the rising Tribune without her little green bodyguard. Trying to be inconspicuous, Valentine slowly let his gaze rove over the surrounding terra to determine whether or not he was about to get sneak attacked or pelted with small prey animals. Seeing no silly little gremlin, his gaze returned to her adopted giant. "I'd appreciate some." He jerked his head in the direction of the knoll he'd been eyeballing. "See that hill over there? With the lightning struck tree?" Atop the knoll, one solitary tree stood. It was an odd mix of life and death, one half of the tree stood tall with branches outstretched while the other split from the base and lay on its side in obvious decay, its limbs broken beneath it. "That's where I'm taking it. Grab that leg." Reaching down, the brute picked up a limb just above the hoof, hoping that if Mercy took the opposing ankle in the same way that they'd be able to function without tripping over one another. "Speaking" "Thinking"

The girl couldn't help but let out a breathy giggle, seeing Valentine's eyes roam across the land. He was trying to hide it, but not very well. "Don't worry, you are safe from the tiny horned beast." She said teasingly, blinking those large purple eyes at him. It was funny, the relationship that she has been observing between Dione and Valentine. While it was true that she wasn't usually alone, she didn't spend every waking moment with her. It was obvious from his surprise that he wasn't expecting her to be by herself, either. It left her slightly irritated, she was no longer a pup that required to be supervised at all hours. Letting out a small huff, she ignored it and pushed the thought away, knowing that she was supposed to be sweet and nice to this bear-wolf. Because really, there was no reason for him to be that big. He had to be part bear. There was truly no other way.

He gave her simple directions, her gaze lifting up to look at the tree he spoke of. Her head tilted, admiring the look of it. She was called back to the task at hand when she heard his jaws sinking into the ram, and she hopped over it to get to the opposite ankle. She bent down, her mouth salivating as her teeth sank in. Her ears laid flat against her skull, ignoring the rumble in her belly and the need t tear into flesh. Nostrils flared as the scent tickled her mind, but she pulled alongside with Valentine. This was the first time that she had been alone with him, the first time that she had been given a task. It might be small, but she still felt special to help the leader of Imperium. She hadn't been her long, it was about time that she started to prove herself. Tugging as hard as she could, she easily kept pace with the larger male, neck scrunching as her muscles worked.

Mercy was quick to aid him, taking up position on the other limb. Valentine was hesitant to pull with all of his strength, but when the Tribune had no trouble keeping up with his relaxed pace he slowly increased his stride. They pulled as one and made short work of the distance. They crested the lightning struck knoll and Valen dropped the ankle. "This is far enough." Straightening with a groan, the brute tipped his head back and stretched, forelimbs stiffening as he stretched up on his toes. Tension ran the length of his spine, kinks dotting the strained musculature. He could already tell there was going to be a knot between his shoulders for days. Relaxing, he turned his attention to Mercy. "If you're hungry, you're more than welcome to eat." The brute himself was full, so instead of digging in he sank to his haunches. "How are you liking it here, Mercy?" "Speaking" "Thinking"

Once they reached the tree she dropped the animal, flexing her jaw. It had grown a bit stiff from all the effort, but she tried not to show it. She wanted her bear-wolf alpha to be proud of her, and to see her as strong. She no longer wanted to be just a child, she was a full year now and fully grown. It was time for her to start making a name of herself, to let the name Mercy be known as a girl who had none. She craved to be a strong fighter, to have wolves fear and respect her. That thread of darkness had been planted in her heart, and she clung to it as if it were life itself. Blinking, she realized that Valentine himself was sore, although he had seemed to drag the ram a lot farther than she had, and all by himself. She was beginning to learn what it was to respect other wolves, and she felt the emotion shine in her eyes as she watched him stretch out his stiff body. "Just how far did you drag this?" She asked, unable to hide the spark of wonderment that coloured her voice. Valentine extended an offer of eating towards her, and her ears fell back slightly. Had her belly been that loud? She glared down at it, huffing at it betrayed her with its loud noises. She didn't want to eat in front of him, but she couldn't deny her hunger. She was one of the youngest in the pack however, and sucking in a deep breath she looked back at her alpha. "I will wait until all others eat, winter is not an easy time for food." She said, nodding her head to convince herself that she would be able to wait. It was the right thing to do, right? Thankfully the larger brute asked her another question, something else to keep her mind off of her hunger. "I do like it, Dione has been teaching me about fighting. I want to become the best warrior, and I will proudly defend Imperium with my life." She said, puffing out her chest as she put on a serious face, strutting a few steps like a great soldier before letting out a soft giggle and taking a seat. Her gaze roamed back to his black marked face, seeing if that answer pleased him. She really wanted to do well here, to make her name known.

"Hmmmm," he rumbled in thought. How far exactly had he drug the ram? "Quite a ways," Valentine said vaguely. "I took it just outside Stylianos crypt." Sure, he could have left it there, but it seemed like such a waste, especially when he had a pack of wolves who would probably not object to a meal. Mercy's answers pleased him, her statement about defending Imperium in particular. Mischief brightened his countenance modestly as an idea struck him. "Combat training, huh?" He murmured, eying the Tribune playfully. He stepped away from the ram and turned to face Mercy head on. "Let's see it, then. Show me what you've learned so far." "Speaking" "Thinking"

Her eyes would grow wide when he said how far he dragged it from. Well, she didn't know where the crypt was but it sounded far away. She was very impressed with his bear-wolf. And then he stood up and faced her, telling her to show off what she had learned. A grin spread across her face as she stood up and turned to face him as well. He was bigger than she was, and to her she saw that as an advantage. Sizing him up she licked her lips, eyes narrowing in thought as she made a quick decision. Ears fell flat against her skull as she let out a growl, charging head first at Valentine. There had been about three feet between them, and she strove to close the distance. At the last moment Mercy ducked to the left, hopefully bringing herself to Valentine's right. She skid to a stop, jaws opening and hoping to sink into his right shoulder. She didn't try to bite too hard, she knew that this was just practice. She hoped that her quick dodge have the element of surprise, and lifted up her right front leg. Adjusting her weight to make up for standing on three legs, she tried to snake her wrist around his right front leg, pulling her own leg back in hopes to knock him off balance. Her teeth sought to stay locked on his shoulder, tail flagging out behind her to align with her spine. Shoulders rolled forward, she let out a few small growls.

ooc: We won't make this an official fight, just fun times!

Without hesitation, Mercy took up his challenge. In response the brute grinned wickedly before slipping into his defenses. His hackles rose; ears flattening, eyes narrowing and lips curling in an intimidating display. Valentine's head lowered, his shoulders hunching and his knees bending as he waited for her to make her move. This was just a test of her knowledge, not a real fight, so with that in mind he let her take the lead. Every move Mercy made was scrutinized heavily, for each action reflected on not only her ability to learn, but on Dione's ability to teach. The Tribune darted towards him and Valen tensed in anticipation. At the last second she moved to his right, her jaws parting as she attempted to bite into his right shoulder.  In response the brute attempted to swing his hips to the right and angle himself towards her so they were once more head on. From there he moved to jolt forward while throwing his right shoulder out. The goal was to hit her right in the nose with enough force to make her eyes water and possibly result in a nosebleed (counter! His damage will be mentioned in my next response). He felt his right forelimb get pulled out from under him, but in this instance his forward motion served him well. He followed his limb to the side, letting her dragging motion translate into a long wobbly stride for him. For a moment his balance was compromised, but once his right forepaw was on the ground again it was restored. Hoping to test her with an unexpected move, the brute continued his push forward, back legs kicking off as he attempted to ram his chest into Mercy's face in the hopes of forcing her chin into her chest and then, with the help of his superior size, bowl her over. "Speaking" "Thinking"