The moon shone brightly overhead, casting the earthen-toned girl in a shimmering light as she flopped, not unlike a wet, gasping fish, out of one of the wider streams located in the northernmost part of the forest of willows. The elk blanket laid out there was a warm respite from the stinging cold of the stream. She could feel the pins and needles in her paws, but she wrapped the pelt over herself and kept moving.

The rules for the game were simple. Mortis was "it," and he had to find her. She wasn't technically "found" unless Mortis actually, physically tagged her. And the spot where she had left him, a tree with an elk skull at the base, was "home base." He could guard the area around home, if he wanted. But then, he still wouldn't win unless he tagged her.

If she managed to make it back to the tree, without Mortis tagging her, she won the game. If he tagged her before she reached it, he would win.

This was the first of three games. Best two out of three won the tournament.

Loser had to roll in a fresh cow paddie.

So Mal had given him a count of one hundred before she bolted away, leaving him on the southern-most edge of the woods.

When she played, she played to win. Malalia had submitted herself to an icy bath in the waters to remove her scent, and then waded northwest, heading upstream. She got out on the other side, moved away from the shore, and headed downstream, weaving through the willows for a time before crossing the stream for a second time, and making her way east. A good three or four inches of snow blanketed the ground, making a perfect crunching noise as she loped across the earth, curving east around the border of the wood. She panted lightly, trying to keep her voice down, as she dove inside the upturned roots of a willow where a fox had long ago made its home. She would hide there, and rest awhile, before beginning phase two.

"Speech"

Mortis kept his head hidden against the base of the tree, his tail flicking behind him in motion to his counting, as he at first spoke them out, then whispered then, then uttered them in his mind. One hundred... Ninety nine... and so on, until finally he hit ‘one’ One he did, he raised his head, and looked about him, and found of course no evidence of hide or hair of her. Well not terribly hopeful, he followed her scent trail. It took him to the stream, and when he waddled in, wincing and pulling faces, to the other wise, he walked up and down it, looking for her exit scent. He didn’t find it anywhere close by, and he knew her scent trail wasn’t going to help him much here. Frowning thoughtfully, he called to his companions, who were still waiting by the tree, head turned so they could not see which way she had gone. “Alright, Saph, head upstream” he told the Kea, “And Osiris, stay by the tree, keep your eyes peeled.” he told the leopard He searched for any sign of disturbance, any indication that a prey animal had run from something. He found her scent again some miles downstream, quite by accident. He had made good time, and hadn’t wasted it wading through water. He paused, listening to the woods, and heard the sound of a bird as it flew suddenly through the trees, disturbed by something. He moved cautiously in the direction it had emerged, scenting and searching for her. "Mortis"

It was a long time before she felt comfortable enough to move, and she did so with the utmost caution, green eyes glinting in the moonlight as she peeked out of the old fox den, spying through the roots and the undergrowth that surrounded the tree. She was lucky -- this was one of the few trees whose leaves still clung to the trailing tendrils. bright orange and complimenting her pelt and the elk pelt well. The rest of the willows weren't so well-dressed.

Taking a chance, she crept out of her hiding place, the elk pelt clinging in her mouth. The fox stench clung well to her fur, and she was glad for the cover as she made her way south, keeping low to the trees. Unluckily, a particularly loud crunch of snow caused a nearby bird to take flight, its chatter echoing around the trees. Shit. Shit shit shit. She froze where she stood. What could she do?

Malalia took as many quick and silent steps as possible until she reached the nearest rivulet. Further downstream and further into the woods, this stream was a mere two feet wide and went up to just below her hock -- it wouldn't hide her scent as well, but its what she had to make do with. She tossed the elk pelt, laden with her own scent and the fox's, to the other side of the stream. She stepped into the stream with all four paws -- and then carefully back tracked, stepping backwards into the paw prints she had made before.

When she was satisfied, she turned and began to lope southward, focused less on speed and more on concealing her sound within the wood.

"Speech"

The bird was long gone now, but he stepped slowly in the direction it had left. He thought he heard sounds of movement, but all he could smell was everything but wolf. Perhaps he was hearing the fox he could so easily smell. He was going to be very disappointed if it had just been a fox that had disturbed the bird. The young boy continued to creep forward, and it wasn’t until he was sticking his nose in the crevice, and finding, mixed in with the fox, and.. Elk? Was that of Malalia. She had been here! He backtracked out of her hiding spot, and found Saph waiting for him. The clever Kea bobbed her head, and flapped a wing, indicating for him to follow. He took off after the bird, still trying to move quietly himself, but quickly. Together, they would head Southward, where the bird had last seen Malalia, moving back towards the tree. He picked up his pace when he finally caught a hint of brown through the trees, until he was outright running towards her. “Trip her, Osiris!” he yelled, hoping the Leopard could hear him and would come running. "Mortis"

The blood was roaring in her ears, the only sound other than the crunch of snow beneath her pads as she made her way towards the tree, still a long way off. But it wasn't long before she heard the fast footfalls behind her, casting her eyes back to see the winged pup springing for her. Damn it! She put on a burst of speed and shot across the earth, kicking up flurries of snow in her path.

Her trick with the elk pelt hadn't worked too well, then.... of course, it was the kind of elaborate double bluff that worked extraordinarily well one percent of the time, and failed for the other ninety-nine percent. Still, that didn't answer how had he caught up with her so freaking fast?!

But it was soon revealed when the boy called out to his leopard, and her blood ran cold. Are you kidding me??? So he had his companions with him... honestly, she should've expected it, though. Mort came to play. She knew she was faster than him, and she spent enough time in these woods to have a great handle on the terrain. She didn't know if she was faster than a leopard, though.

Malalia veered sharply, diagonally to the right. She'd been hanging on the eastern-most border of the woods, but her path now would lead directly to the tree. It was also more difficult to traverse. Tossing a quick glance behind her, she saw that the leopard still hadn't caught up yet. She hopped over and scrambled under the upturned willow roots, splashing through the crossing streams, muscles burning with the effort. Hopefully she could gain some time in the tangle of the trees....


"Speech"

The leopard did go tearing forward, but Malalia picked up her pace, racing forward. Mal went running through the difficult terrain, the leopard racing behind her, kicking up a storm. Mortis took a different path, an easier path, that allowed him an open gallop. His wings were partly spread, catching the wind as he raced along at neck-breaking speeds. He had no care for his own safety, only for winning. He hoped she would hear only the leopard, and not him, not realise that he had taken a different path, and was gaining on the girl. As they were nearing the trees, his cheeky Kea would drop from the sky in a flurry of wings, and scream abruptly at her face. In the same instant, Mortis darted to his side, with the goal of cutting her off, and crashing into her before she could reach the tree. "Mortis"

Nails on a chalkboard had nothing on the angry screech of a kea directly into her face.

But Malalia had a few, seconds of precious innocence before she experienced that particular flavor of pain. Racing through the willows, the leopard on her tail, she was blissfully unaware that Mort, the clever boy, had taken an easier, clearer route, soaring along to cut her off from the side. She was focused only on the feel of the earth and the scratchy roots and the gray, icy slush at her own paws, as she scrambled through the maze of trees.

And then she was running free.

Mal did her runs every morning, and even for her size, she was fast. The girl could sprint, and here? She was flying. Her paws barely touched the ground as she headed straight for the home tree -- tongue lolling, a growl of victory bubbling up in her jaws. She didn't feel the burn in her muscles anymore, only euphoria at the inevitable win, and the chance to kick Mort's ass. Victory was in sight!

That gods-awful bird screamed into her face. Her hindlegs instinctively slammed the breaks, forepaws rearing upwards to protect her face. And then Mortis slammed like a freight train into her side, sending them tumbling into the snow.


"Speech"

Round 1/3 - Winner = Mortis!!!!

He hit her cleanly upon the side, and the two of them went careening into the snow. His wings flared above him, catching air and slowing his descent as he landed upon her. At least they didn’t fall into a roll, he’d had enough of those lately. He looked down at Malalia, trapped beneath him, laughing softly as he grabbed for a ball of snow, and smeared it on her forehead. “Got you, Reaper-girl” he teased, but his jesting was only meant in good light. The heir got to his feet, shaking snow from his coat with a vigorous shake, and offered her a shoulder up. “Your turn to find me. Same rules apply, Pachou can’t look either, if you want to call him over” Mortis said, already heading over to the tree. She had been so close to reaching it too, his win had been by the hair on his teeth. “Did you want to borrow Saph, to make it even?” he wanted to give her every chance, too. "Mortis"

Her legs splayed beneath her, she growled good-naturedly as Mortis smashed the snow onto her forehead. "Don't jinx it," she muttered, ears leveled, but a smile on her lips as he helped her up. Once on her feet, she scooped a paw in the snow to fling the stuff his way.

With a shake of her pelt, she made her way towards the tree before tilting her head back to howl for Pach. She smiled gently at his offer. "Sure, thank you." Once he had actually called for Saph, though, her smile would become a touch wicked. "That was nice... too nice." Her tail waved as she gave a chuff of laughter, not mocking, but rather light. "You're not supposed to be helping me out, y'know. You're just making sure your ass gets kicked harder." So what if she just lost? Didn't mean she couldn't talk shit.

Eventually, Pachou scrambled up to her side. She bumped the little guy, still growing, to say hello and relayed the game to him, eye flicking over to Mortis. He chittered, then stuck his tongue out at the Heir.


"Speech"

Her scoop of snow hit him right on the muzzle, and he playfully growled at her, snarling as he curled back his lips, to show teeth and gums, and the beginning of his saber teeth. He lost the snarl, and replaced it with a grin as he shook the snow from his face. Saph, having heard the rules, knew she was to obey Malalia. The Kea came when she called, and settled on the girls back, green wings spread as she landed gently. “You talk big for a girl who lost.” Mortis shot back, but he was also all for things being even, and knew he had made the right call lending her his bird. You need more eyes when you were searching, then when you were hiding. When the Wolverine stuck his tongue out, Mortis returned the gesture, and wiggled his ears for good measure. “Alright, start counting” the boy called, already turning, and dashing out of view. "Mortis"

She rolled her eyes at his comment. “Uh huh, tell me that when you’ve won the tournament.” One loss here was easy to shrug off. And after all, mort had only won by a hair. if she pushed harder, it shouldn’t have been a problem to win the tournament. Get ready to roll.

Mal began counting down from 100… And when she reached one, she had Saph and Pach move in circular motions outward from the tree, making sure he wasn’t hiding nearby. It seemed too obvious a strategy, but if he’d hidden well, it wasn’t impossible to hang around the edges and then touch the tree when she went to look elsewhere.

By now, he’d be far ahead of her. Malalia sent Kea to search above the west stretch of the woods. Each would take the East, while Malalia hung back, taking the middle. The trio combed slowly, but deliberately through the willows, looking for any sign and scent of Mortis.


"Speech"

The bright side was, Mortis had colours that would fit in very well with midnight. Mostly dark, with hints of blue, and subtle silvers, he was like an echo of the shadows that stretched around them. He considered that deeply as he darted away from the tree, and let her count. Like she did, he moved towards the river, following his early path into it, in the hopes she would struggle to differentiate between old and new. He had whispered to Bast earlier to find him some peppers, and the Leopard held them wrapped in a leaf. He broke them open, careful not to get them on his paws, and scattered them across the path he had taken. The strong scent would also mask his own, and make it more difficult for her to pick up the path. He tossed the peppers aside, half hoping she thought he had rolled in it, and would follow the scent of them in the wrong direction. When he reached the river, he plunged into it, gasping at the cold, his teeth chittering. He moved further up it, just in case she did manage to follow his scent this far, and then got to work. He found a high bank, and dug into the soft mud, until he could press himself up against the side of it. Half of his body in the water, the rest buried in the mud, with just his dark muzzle poking out. His wings, he wrapped about himself in an effort to hold in some of his warmth. The biggest danger was if his chattering teeth gave him away. Bast, meanwhile, would enter the stream, exit it, and continue onwards. Mal would be welcome to follow him on a wild goose chase… well he froze his ass off waiting for her to look far and wide for him. "Mortis"

She stumbled upon his first trail without much trouble, suddenly catching a whiff of something pungent and spicy. Mal reared her head, nose wrinkling with the sting, eyes narrowing when she realized he’d essentially covered his trail. She could barely smell anything with that stuff up her nose!

But it was best to ditch the pepper trail, anyway. The imprint of his paws, the snow around the prints glinting in the moonlight, told a different story, and one that led to the river. So he’s got the same idea as me. Bury his scent in the water.

What to do, what to do? She called Saph, and when the Kea appeared, Mal told her to fly ahead to the river and come back if she happened to spy the boy. In the meantime, she would takeover the companion’s section of the woods.

Slow and steady won the race. Mal and Pach moved even slower now, ears and eyes open for any sound of the boy. They would move through every inch of the forest, ruling out a patch of willows before steadily moving forward, closing in. Really, it was a waiting game. It was inevitable that the boy would come out.


"Speech"

He stuck close to the river, and he heard the sound of fluttering wings, and soft chipring as an inquisitive Kea got closer. He held still, scarcely dearing to breathe. Oh hells, but it was cold. Who decided to sit in the river, at night, in winter? He was out of his mind. Only good thing was, surely Mal wouldn’t even consider it, it was so silly a thing to do. His smile was hidden by mud and darkness at his thoughts. Silly could win the day yet. He no longer could hear the bird, and could only assume she had gone past. He listened out for the sounds of Mal’s steps, assuming her to be following the bird. His breath began to mist the air in front of his face, like small vapors of grey. He held his wings even tighter to his body. He was freezing, and quickly turning from scheming to miserable. Come on Mal he thought. His plan hinged on hearing her pass. If she even went as far as Bast had gone, the leopard would howl, and he would be home-free to make it to the tree. Panting softly, the frozen icicle waited. "Mortis"

After a good while, the Kea came flying back to her, landing on her back. She thanked Saph, then turned her eyes towards the river. What should she do? The girl was almost certain that he'd gone there, but what he would do after was anyone's guess. And so far, neither Pach nor Saph had seen or heard or scented out any sign of the boy. She hummed, picking up her pace as she made her was north, the trickling offshoots bubbling louder and louder as she moved upstream.

There, behind a gnarled willow, she would wait and hide, with the actual river several lengths ahead of her. Unless she was extremely unlucky, Mortis couldn't have passed by the trio, so he must have been somewhere nearby. The question was, where? She sent Kea to do another sweep of the river -- but this time, Pach would travel in the opposite direction along the southern shore, searching for footprints along the edge of the water to see if he'd waded in and then made his way back. Where are you?


"Speech"

Saph took her orders well, flying out by the stream again as she was told. It was pure luck that the soaking-wet muddy ghost of a boy sneezed just as she was passing silently near. She turned in the sky, but didn’t get any closer. No point ruining the game and letting it be known he had been spotted. She returned to the girl, and landed upon the tawny wolf's back, wiping her beak across her fur and making a crackling noise with her beach that could be considered a laugh. “Boy is in the water. Boy is in the mud. Quiet, Sneaky, and we win” the bird suggested, raising a green-tinged wing upwards, and in the direction she had seen him sneeze, and give away the game. "Mortis"

Mal snickered softly after the Kea, her tail whipping with satisfaction. She'd been daring enough to face an icy bath in the river, but getting down in the muck of the mud? She had to give the boy credit for commitment, that was for sure. It's a shame we found you anyway. "Thanks, Saph." She considered calling Pachou back over, but that was just another chance to alert the boy.

Instead, she padded slowly and quietly out of the woods, following the path that the bird had pointed out to her. Further down, Pach glanced up at her, but she gestured for the wolverine to stay silent. The river rushed on only a length beside her, and as glanced around, all she could see was the rushing water... until she came to a high bank. There, in the moonlight, was the faintest hint of a cloud of warm air... Saph silently motioned her towards it.

Poking her head over the bank, she saw Mort's snout sticking up out of the mud, and grinned. As soon as she spied it, Mal booped his muzzle with her forepaw, tagging him. "Come on out!"

"Speech"

Round 2/3 - Winner = Malalia!!!

Man he was cold, and Malalia wasn’t playing the game like he wanted her to. He needed her to get out of the way, so he could sneak back to the tree without even encountaring her. If he managed to wash off the mud quick as could be, and just say the water was from crossing.. She would never know his trick. The thought of his victory as the only thing keeping him in the water. At least the mud was starting to feel like an insulation, taking away some of the bite of the cold. Or perhaps he was just losing feeling in his body… He was about to pull himself free, and risk crossing paths with her, when her snout suddenly appeared in front of him, and bopped him. He howled his displeasure, tearing himself free of the mud with effort. Dripping, brown, soggy and in utter disarray, the boy freed himself with a ‘plop’ and went catapulting forward at full speed, with the intent of knocking Mal off her feet and covering her in as much mus as possible. "Mortis"

Oooof, that boy could howl, and she winced, pulling away as the sound rung in her ears. But she was laughing all the while, tail whipping freely behind her. "Pfffffft, you got in the mud? We don't even need a cow paddy at this point—"

But alas, distracted as she was, she didn't expect the boy to come careening into her. The Kea managed to lift off her back just before Mortis knocked her backwards, dousing her with dark mud and river water as a yelp of utter surprise was ripped from her throat. They rolled head over tail towards the treeline before Malalia broke free and collapsed alongside him, half on her side. The girl was not quite as waterlogged as the winged wolf, but definitely pretty dirty, now. She growled, leaping up and darting forward to -- lightly -- smash the boy's face in the snow.

"Speech"

She could say what she will, she never would have thought to look in his hiding spot. It had been ingenious, even if it hadn’t worked out quite as well as he pleased. He would also neglect to point out that he hadn’t gotten anywhere near the tree, like Malalia had. When he tackled her, the sound of her surprise fueled him, and he was laughing as they rolled through the cool snow, slimy by the splatters of his muddy coat. He kept his wings tightly to his body, not looking for another sprain to incapacitate him. He didn’t bother trying to slow their rolling. He got dizzy as his back hit the ground and then the weight of Malalia was pushing him forward again. When they came to a stop, he fell back against the snow, laughing, and half choking. He could taste mud on his tongue, mingled with the coolness of snow. He wasn’t prepared for Mal’s retaliation, as she got up. He started to rise himself, so much slower than her. When she reached him, he had no defenses, and she shoved his head into the snow. He fell flat into it. When he pulled his head free it dripped slushy coolness. He shoved a paw, skimming it across the top of the snow in an attempt to spray her with it "Mortis"