The plague that had gripped the land and sickened creatures far and wide had done a number on Fireside and its inhabitants. Many were sickened, some died, and the herd that was the pack's lifeblood had broken apart. Most had been easy to round up thanks to their conditioning, but there were a few stubborn holdouts. Today he was after an oddball loner. The singleton was a bit unusual as most holdouts were small breakaway bands who felt safe enough together to roam. But this girl? Well, she had literally been dropped on her head as a baby so he couldn't say he was surprised. There. A flash of white in a gully some distance away gave her away. As she crossed more bare ground the sheep's telltale crooked head confirmed her identity. "Oh, dear Nelly," he muttered to himself with a sigh. Now, how to get to her without flailing his way through a bog? With a frown Tyrian began to mentally map the terrain out. This was going to be a challenge... ""

Come down, come down sweet reverence

The return of the sun put a bounce in Jynn's step that had been missing for far too long. She was headed across Boreas, taking in how the land was progressing. She pranced through the swamplands in the late afternoon sun, bouncing from one mostly solid globule of land to another. The melting snow had really saturated the ground. Her large ears flicked forward at the sound of movement and she quickly picked out a fluffy white form of something that looked like a sheep. It wasn't any kind of sheep she'd ever seen before but she was up for trying new foods. She stalked forward then spied a large, fanged man. He was a Fireside wolf, that much she remembered. She grinned, and gestured to the sheep before whispering. "Hey, want to work together for some dinner?"

Tyrian was still scrutinizing the mucky distance when a vaguely familiar voice broke his concentration. He turned to see Jynn, the strange dog-fox creature who had been attacked with Alarr. That event had just happened but it felt like ages ago. It was kind of weird to think about now, all things considered. But now that he was Tyrian was irked all over again. Not at Jynn, of course, but the Armadans. His irritation distracted him for a second so at first he was confused by Jynn's question. "What?" he whispered in confusion. He'd been thinking about catching the beast, not eating her. Finally it clicked and he chuckled. "Oh. She's not for eating, I'm afraid." Though plenty of his sheep were, Nelly, unlucky as she was in other ways, had lucked out by sporting a quality coat. Her quirks would have gotten her eaten ages ago were it not for that. ""

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn snuck closer, finally placing the man's face as Álarr's brother. Crap, what was his name… ugh! She felt terrible embarrassment over that fact but there was little she could do about it now. One of her ears flicked back as the man stated that the sheep thing was not for eating. She cocked her head to the side. Why didn't he want to eat the sheep? She hadn't caught the scent of Fireside on the sheep and assumed Tyrian was just declaring a random prey animal not for eating. Well, they'd see about that. She grinned mischievously. "That probably depends on who gets there first." With a whoop she bounded forward toward the sheep. She bounded from solid patch to solid patch to- oops! She splashed hard in the muck but kicked off hard with her back legs. She didn't intend to kill it but she did want to beat the other wolf and tackle it.

Jynn vs Tyrian for Race (and sheep tackling)
Round 1/?
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Master Navigator & Master Fighter
Specialty: Scout or Knight

"Ah shit!" Alarm had just enough time to spread across Tyrian's face before he bolted after her. She'd smiled, yes, but he couldn't be certain where her intentions lay and he wasn't foolhardy enough to leave the fate of his sheep in her paws. All he could go off of was what she'd said so far; and what she'd said implied she was going to eat his sheep if she got to it first. The odds were against him. The woman was small and light and he was...well, he was not, that was for sure. Tyrian was the opposite of those things. He was about as heavy as one could get without being unhealthy and while he wasn't the tallest wolf to walk Ardent he was up there. One thing he knew for sure as he leaped over boggy patches and skirted suspicious puddles was that, Alarr's friend or not, if he got close to Jynn he was going to tackle her. Tyrian vs Jynn for Race (and Jynn tackling) Round 1 of 2 Age: 1+ Size: Extra large Build: Heavy Skills: Master Intellectual & Master Fighter Specialty: Bard or Juggernaut ""

Come down, come down sweet reverence

"Yahoo!" Jynn yelled as she raced forward, mud flying off her legs as she ran. It was truly exhilarating to be in a race and to feel the rush of air through her fur. If she dared to close her eyes it would almost feel like flying but she knew from previous experience that that would be a bad idea. Best to keep her eye out. Especially in a swamp! Jynn stumbled again as she hit a particularly marshy spot. The soft ground squelched around her ankle but she pushed forward, seeking to make up for the time she lost with her long and graceful legs. She could really use a win. If felt like a good long while since she'd won a race and she was eager to regain her mojo.

Jynn vs Tyrian for Race (and sheep tackling)
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Master Navigator & Master Fighter
Specialty: Scout or Knight

If it wouldn't have cost him air Tyrian would have been cursing as he ran. She was a zippy little thing and as he watched her russet rump bobbing ahead of him in the swamp he was reminded of the last time he'd chased a rabbit - an event that stood out to him because of its rarity. He didn't chase rabbits often for a reason. If asked about it Tyrian would say it was because with livestock it was a waste of energy, and that was somewhat true, but his lack of success, in truth, was a bigger factor. A much bigger factor. Ask him to wrestle something and he'd be all over it. Ask him to chase it and well, he'd defer to faster creatures. Jynn stumbled causing Tyrian to light up with hope. He renewed his efforts to catch up with her and felt, as he bounded over boggy puddle after boggy puddle, that maybe he stood a chance. If only her tiny feet would find more potholes. Tyrian vs Jynn for Race (and Jynn tackling) Round 2 of 2 Age: 1+ Size: Extra large Build: Heavy Skills: Master Intellectual & Master Fighter Specialty: Bard or Juggernaut ""

And the winner is...

Jynn

Tyrian was left in the dust!! Totals: Tyrian : Speed Roll: 72 Stamina Roll: 22 Balance Roll: 9 Total: 103 Speed[72] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 72.00 Stamina[22] + 15% Bonus[3.30]: 25.30 Balance[9] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 9.00 Total[106.30] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 106.30 Jynn: Speed Roll: 38 Stamina Roll: 99 Balance Roll: 59 Total: 196 Speed[38] + 5% Bonus[1.90]: 39.90 Stamina[99] + 5% Bonus[4.95]: 103.95 Balance[59] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 59.00 Total[202.85] + 25% Bonus[50.71]: 253.56