The World Has Grown Cold
Acere
Master Fighter (275)
Master Intellectual (245)
Knight
13+ Years
Male
126
Dragon Mod
Acere had been gone for a few days with Ignis to teach the young boy some valuable tracking lessons. The boy had done well, and would grow to be a promising young wolf that his brother would no doubt be proud of. Marching proudly back to Ruina, Ace led the boy home with the thought of seeking out Elias to let him know. However, as the two approached the borders, something was incredibly wrong. He signaled to Ignis to remain on alert, and carefully the pair would make their way towards the base of the maw. Ace's fur prickled as he approached the borders, and he noticed that Ruina's scent was growing stale. Had something happened while he was gone? Did Ruina get attacked? Observation told him it wasn't an attack though...and when he investigated further, he noticed that Elias' scent was growing stale as well. What the fuck is going on? Where was Elias? Where was the rest of the pack? "Uncle...? What's going on? Why do the borders smell different than when we left?" Ears flicked back towards his nephew, a sigh escaping his lips. "I don't know...but we're going to find out. Follow me, stay close, and stay alert." Something didn't feel right. He felt on edge. And he could feel it coming off of Ignis as well.
Bounding further up the mountain, the scents of the pack members weren't any stronger than down below. Had the pack moved? He led the way towards the den site where Elias and his pups usually were, but upon approaching he stopped. He heard voices up ahead, but they weren't familiar to him. A low growl emanated from his chest as the wind blew the scents his way. Coyotes. A large group of them. Nothing he couldn't handle, he was sure. But Ignis? The boy wasn't strong enough to fight off a pack of them just yet. "I can smell Actaea!" What! his head whipped back towards the scents, and he knew he needed to act before the coyotes found her! He could hear the mongrels chatting up ahead, and they sounded pretty close to the den site. "Stay here, and stay low. Don't come out until I say so."
Once he made sure that Ignis did as he was told, Ace bounded up the rest of the way until he spotted a few of the coyotes. The titan didn't hesitate as they closed in on the den where he assumed Actaea was. He charged in with a fierce snarl, hurtling towards them like a bowling ball. The coyotes yelped in surprise, promptly scattering save for one that was already halfway into the den. Charging towards it, Ace threw his full weight into the hindquarters of the smaller beast, bowling it over onto its side. Surprised, the coyote sought to fight back, its head whipping around to land a bite on Ace's face. Ace snarled as he felt teeth dig into his chest, but he didn't let that stop him. Lunging forward, he grabbed the coyote by the throat and vigorously shook it until he heard the audible snap of its neck. Breathing hard through the coyotes fur for a moment, he tossed it to the side before catching his breath.
Now that that was over, it was time to find out what the hell was going on. Returning to the den, he stood outside and softly called for his niece. "Actaea? It's safe to come out now." No more than a moment after, Ignis came running forward with his fur bristled in all directions as he ran into the den.
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