Seasonal Skill Prompt (Fighting) - Word Count: 497

The day was young, the weather mild, and Malleus was eager to finish his patrol outside the wall and move onto more interesting things. There was a horde of children running around and he'd been thinking about putting their youthful energy to use. The little firefly contraption Shaye had brought him had sparked an interest in the godling. What else could be made with a little ingenuity? What other ways could life be made easier? Back to the kids. They were young and energetic. He could get them to do all the grunt work for whatever project he settled on. Pottery was a good option. Something to store dried herbs and premixed concoctions in. The kids could dig clay, gather firewood and dig a big hole for the kiln. A forceful hiss from the reeds to his left brought Malleus' musing to an immediate halt. He recoiled out of a instinct. His nostrils flared and his hackles rose in agitation, but he wasn't one to be cowed so easily. No, he just needed a new approach. Malleus warily circled the reeds where the hiss had come from. All was silent as he did so, and that emboldened him. He crept closer and managed to catch a glimpse of the hisser before it turned suddenly with an explosive hiss. Malleus had just enough time to leap back before massive reptilian jaws lurched out of the reeds towards him. The crocodile snapped its jaws at him and then held them open so he could get a good look at its many teeth. He eyed it skeptically. Never before had he seen such a creature. At least not one of such size. The largest lizard he'd seen before this one could easily sit on the snout of the crocodile that now threatened him. It wouldn't do to have such a large and - he eyed its teeth - dangerous creature so close to home. Any of his kids - all of them, really - could stumble upon this creature and, as they were wont to do, throw caution to the wind. The size and speed of the reptile made it something he couldn't in good conscience tackle alone. No, doing that would be foolish to say the least. With a couple of the fighters at his side, though? The danger would be spread among them and the odds of success in their favor. Malleus retreated under the watchful gaze of the crocodile. To drive home its point it hissed at him again and then, in a blase show of fearlessness, it lay down and let itself become partially submerged by the water and reeds around its waist. The rest of it was on solid ground and its willingness to be seen struck Malleus as a bold and impertinent assertion of superiority. Well, he would have to show it, wouldn't he? In a strong voice Malleus called to the fighters in his pack. Any who were willing and able could come and help him deal with the reptile.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ She liked this new place. It was refreshing to see new things that she had never seen before and felt even better to be away from old haunts. The memories of what her mother had done were locked away, and she was starting to not think about it anymore. Now, she had a new family. Her cousin Malleus and his mate Serene along with their little wildlings were great company, and she enjoyed watching them and spending time with them. She was a bit behind on her training, but she didn't mind. She would catch up soon enough and prove to the rest of the Abraxas that she could be great. She always felt the need to prove herself. To go above and beyond because she was parentless. Whether or not she needed to prove herself, it was something she wanted to do. She wanted to make a name for herself. And today would be the start of that. She was coming back from the plains next door, a little irritated that her solo hunt had failed. She had tried to go after a large buck, but he proved to be difficult and she knew that if she kept trying, she would get hurt or killed in the process. As she returned to the castle, she heard Malleus' howl. It sounded urgent, calling for someone to aid him. Without further thought, she immediately responded to his call and moved at a swift pace to reach him as quickly as she could. She was there in a few, short minutes. And as she headed towards Malleus to inquire what was wrong, she heard a loud hiss sound not too far from them which caused her to jump back in surprise. Pale eyes grew wide, her fur bristling as she laid eyes on the giant creature. What in the hell was that!? Its mouth was agape and many teeth lined its enormous jaws. The creature looked dangerous, so the young woman didn't take her eyes off of it as she cautiously moved closer to her cousin. "Wh-what is that?" She questioned, her stance on guard as she prepared to leap away should this thing come charging. She didn't know what it was. Didn't know how fast it could move. So she wanted to be prepared. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Seasonal Skill Prompt - (fighting) Word count: 381 "Speech"

Her father’s voice called out, summoning fighters to his side. She tensed, head cocked and listening. She wasn’t very far away, his call had sounded loud and close. She was a fighter, wasn’t she? That was the profession she had chosen. She was going to learn to be a big fighter, and had even learnt a few things from Malleus himself.

As every child knew, she knew she was immortal and the idea of a fight didn't phase her, it invigorated her. She would answer her father's call, she would prove herself before him and the rest of the pack. Then Malleus would promote her to one of the main fighter ranks.

It was a perfect idea, there wasn’t a single thing that could go wrong. She approached as quickly as she could, and was apparently the second to the scene. She creeped through the undergrowth and eyed the scene. There was a white woman she had seen before, and her father. Other then that, what was the threat? It was the woman’s reaction that clued Felicity in. the white wolf responded to something in the undergrowth on the opposite side of the part to where Fel crouched. If she peered upwards, she could just see the hint of something big and scaly. Apparently the older woman didn’t know what it was. Fel crept closer, determined to be the one to identify this threat.

She moved forward until her head just poked out of her hiding spot, and then froze. She couldn’t quite convince herself that Mal wouldn’t send her home, and didn’t want to run the risk of losing this chance to prove herself. She could just see its row of teeth, and parted her lips in astonishment. She could sit inside that creature’s mouth! She huffed a very quiet breath and coiled her muscles in her back paws. She would get her chance to pounce, and make the killing blow. She would prove her mettle as a warrior of the Risen Empire.

Seasonal Skill Prompt - (fighting)
Word count: 336

OOC: Total's already at 1,653!

Quick as a flash Proserpina was there. Malleus was pleased with the fast response. He didn't know how long the creature would rest there and he wasn't willing to give it a chance to get away. The last thing they needed was a monster lurking on the outskirts of the pack lands. To his cousin, he said, "I don't know, but I don't want it here. It appears to wait in the waters and leap out at those who pass too close, and I will not have it catch any of us unaware." Movements out of the corner of his eye briefly pulled Malleus' attention from the crocodile. He swore as he recognized who had crept onto the scene. "Felicity!" he snapped, "Keep your distance!" While he would have preferred that none of the pups be present, perhaps he could use this as a teaching moment. Felicity showed promise as a fighter. She was tenacious and brave, and he would do well to foster those traits, so while Malleus didn't relish the danger Felicity had found herself in, he decided not to send her away. Watching how they handled a threat would do her some good. A gurgling hiss drew his attention back to the crocodile. The beast stood, water and silt streaming down its sides, and menaced him with its jaws. Malleus scowled at it. It seemed they were out of time and that it was up to the two of them to handle this threat. To Proserpina, he said, "I think our best bet is to overpower it. If you'll distract it I'll jump onto its back and hold it down." Pascal appeared with grass rope while he was talking and Malleus spared his companion an approving nod before continuing. "Once I'm on its back I want you to come in from the side - right beside me - and hold its head down so Pascal can tie its mouth shut. Watch its tail as you do; I think it has a pretty good range on it." The lizard's tail was spiked and he was certain it could be used with great success as a weapon. "Ready?" An idea was forming. If all went according to plan they could capture this beast. Perhaps if the need to kill it didn't rise immediately, it could be of some use to the Abraxas. To Felicity, he said, "I want you to keep your distance, Fel. Just watch, see how we handle it." He thought for a second, envisioning a scenario where they had everything under control, then said, "And if we need you, I'll tell you to come closer. But only if you listen, okay?"