Snowy Obstacles prompt
word count: 526 you don't have to match at all, i got carried away
The result of this fight was predetermined by Te Fiti and I.

Askan had been right that day, a storm had been on the horizon.

Howling winds whipped around the Selwyn was he stomped along, pushing through the snow like a squinty-plough. The conditions were shit, the worse he'd seen since he'd landed in Boreas, but as long as he didn't stay out too long he could handle it. Probably. The worst part of being a loner, beside from the hunger and uncertainty, was the boredom. He liked a midday nap as much as anyone else but if he had to spend a moment more stowed away in his little hidey hole he'd lose his mind. He didn't know where Raelyn was, after all they weren't joined at the hip and he wanted to keep it that way, but he couldn't help but idly wonder what she was up to. Much like him the snow didn't seem to bother her much, if anything she seemed at home in it. But winter wolf or not, these conditions were tough, especially in this sort of terrain.

Just ahead of him was Waterfall Peak, frozen over in a sheer white drop. He was standing beside the drop pool, his toes (safely) a few inches from the ice, and even then could barely make it out. He saw nothing but white and the occasional splodge of greyish brown. Perhaps it was foolish of him to be stumbling around in these conditions barely able to see anything beyond his nose, but he didn't intend to be out for too long. Or at least that was till his ears barely caught the sound of approaching footsteps.

He whirled around, teeth bared and hackles raised- and saw nothing. He breathed deep, nostrils flaring and with some alarm realised he smelled nothing too. The wind was coming from behind him, rolling over the peak and effectively cancelling out his most important sense. The hell was he supposed to do? He knew...or rather, felt as though someone was there but he just couldn't tell if his mind had been playing tricks on him. And then faintly, only just, he saw two glacier eyes shinning with mirth and he- his mind put two and two together and he snapped.

"You bitch!"

Even then he could barely make her out but he knew vaguely where she was and that was  more than enough for him. Lunging forward, Askan rammed his shoulder into her dainty frame, hard enough to knock the wind out of her but with no real intention to do any lasting harm. Sure he was pissed and was looking to vent, but as nasty as he could be he wouldn't take any satisfaction from making her bleed. Having a scuffle in these conditions, near blind and shin deep in snow, was hardly ideal but it added another layer of challenge to it. And besides, he wanted to see what Raelyn was capable of. Surely she could look after herself to some degree, she wouldn't be a loner otherwise.

"Fight me." He rumbled, just to make sure his intentions were clear.

And just to be nice(ish) he stayed put, waiting to see what her next move would be.

Seasonal Prompt; Winter, Year 14.
Word Count: 771

The storm was amazingly powerful, mirroring those that use to rampage her homeland during the peak of the season. While Raelyn was accustomed to the bitter cold, even the snow wolf had her limits. The temperature dropped as the impending storm rolled in, taking with it the warmth of the sun and bringing wild winds that whipped across the terrain with a fierceness she could only describe as a living beast. The wind roared as it slithered across the snow, picking up the frozen flakes and turning them into shards that ripped across the skin of any who dared to stand in their path. That was enough to deter most creatures, even those built for brutal winters like herself, but it would seem not all were getting the message Mother Nature was sending. Peaking out against the storm, Raelyn would find a shadow moving against the winds, against the storm, and immediately she knew who would be dumb enough to go for s stroll. Askan, her devilishly handsome, remarkably mal-mannered, burnt marshmallow partner for the season. No... partner wouldn't be the right word. A shaky alliance would be better suited.

A devilish grin would slip passed her lips as an idea struck her, playful glint in her icy gaze before she would slip out into the storm, her eyes trained on the wolf who came in and out of view with the passing winds. Using wide paws to stay along the top layers of the snow, she would turn to keep her frame downwind of the male, her body low and compact to the ground as she kept her strides long and slow. Raelyn would nearly make it, but it would seem the roaring winds could not conceal her footsteps that cracked under the snow, for the male would quickly turn back, snarling and unpleasant as unusual, but Raelyn had an advantage that Askan did not. She was in her element, and her pearly white hairs brought her camouflage in the dead of winter. She would watch with a massive amount of satisfaction as she brute seemed blind, unable to see her though she stood just feet from him. Raelyn would wonder, for just a moment, if this was how spirits felt.. and how much fun she would have toying with him. Her mind was reeling with the possibilities; taunting, pranks, haunting, and general insults. But all plotting came to a halt when the male's golden orbs latched onto her own icy blues, and his rage seemed to take over in a snap.

His insult was lost to her as the brute slammed roughly into her side, causing the woman to go tumbling to the ground in a heap, but it was the air that had been knocked free from her lungs, that truly surprised her. But not only that, in angered her. After all their banter, he had never dared to lay a single paw on the woman, but after a little spook he was ready to brawl? His call for battle only pissed the woman off further, because now he was the one taunting her. "You've got some nerve, Askan." She would growl, panting slightly from her loss of air, but quick to stand back onto her paws. The snow crunched and creaked under her weight. It was difficult to adjust her standings with the snow shifting between her paws, and it would be difficult to get a clear picture of the male to land effective hits, but damn it, he was literally asking for it!

"You're such a jerk!" she would snarl into air whipping around them, making her intentions known before she would extend the claws in her paws so they might be able to grip onto the snow and propel her forward, aiming to land two paws on the males shoulder and push him to the ground. Icy blue orbs would be forced into slits due to the brutal wind that combated against her frame, her ears tucked tightly against her crown to prevent frostbite. It was a gruesome weather condition to have this little brawl, but if his intentions were to come out here and pick a fight, she wouldn't be so cruel to deny him it. She wanted to make it clear that she would not be treated with such hostility, not even from a wolf with anger management issues. Raelyn was a manipulative wolf, that much was for sure, but she would not harm another out of the blue like this brute. No, she would never start a fight, but like hell, she would finish one.

"Speech"

Word count:454

Askan squinted against the snow stabbing at his eyes and huffed out a steadying breath. He'd only shoved her once but his legs were already starting to feel the strain, if he were a reasonable man he would have left it at that. But he wasn't and nor would he stop till he'd had his fill. He'd expected a retort of some kind but he didn't think Raelyn would throw a fit just cause he pushed her to the ground. He couldn't see her of course, his senses were blurred and hazy at best, but from the pissy snarl of her voice it was pretty damn obvious that she wasn't happy with him. Not by a long shot. Well boohoo, cry him a river. If she didn't want to get walloped then she shouldn't have snuck on him and besides maybe this was what she needed, to be taken down a peg or twenty. Maybe then she'd be tolerable company.

Jerk? Pfft, Askan would have rolled his eyes if he could.

"Yeah yeah what-ooof!"

Askan staggered back at the weight baring down on his shoulders, leaving deep trenches in the snow as he regained his footing. His joints ached as the cold latched onto them, their icy grip tight and unwavering. He'd been out long enough for the cold to start sinking beyond his coat and into his bones. If this went on for too long he'd run the risk of losing a toe or two, a thought that made him shudder just as much as the cold itself. Now that she was close and personal he could finally see her but there wasn't much to see, scathing blue eyes as she...stood on her hind legs in an attempt to push him over? With how light she was compared to him? Yeah...no that wasn't gonna work, not even in these conditions. Though if the winds got any stronger it'd blow them both over for sure.

With a growl, Askan used the distance he'd gained from stumbling earlier to his advantage and made to grab at her scruff. He missed at first bite, his jaws snapping on empty air, as his chin knocked against her shoulder blades. He'd blindly aimed too low. Second time was the charm as he tried again and grabbed a hold of her thick neck fur. His hold was firm, but not pinching, as held her in place then followed through with another shoulder check, this one harder than the last. As soon as he felt resistance, tugging on skin, he let go. He wouldn't have had to be so grabby if he could see what he was doing and where she was, but the Selwyn just had to make do.