They were off on their adventures once more. Now that things had settled down among the Pirates after the old lady's funeral, they were free to travel a bit more. As long as they returned home by the end of the day, they wouldn't get in too much trouble. So Scald was taking advantage of it as he heard someone mention that it had started to snow. Unlike other areas of Boreas, the beach didn't often see snow. The warm winds off the ocean kept the frozen water at bay, but Scald really wanted to see it. He had heard it was fun to play in and you could build things with it! Curious and curiouser, Scald dragged Rexx along for the journey into the depths of Fern Gulley. The afternoon rolled on as they walked through ankle-deep snow. It was really cold and clung to his fur which he wasn't a huge fan of. Slimmer than most of his siblings, Scald didn't produce much body heat and so he shivered rather furiously. "Gosh, why is it so cold when it snows!" He hissed through chattering teeth as he shot a glance back at Rexx. Releasing a huff of frustration as they continued to look for the best spot to build a snowwolf, a ruckus of sound caught his attention. Freezing in place, Scald's bi-colored gaze turned toward the trees to see a pack of coyotes cornering an animal. Normally, Scald wouldn't care to save anyone but himself or his brother, but he wanted to try something out this time. "Let's see if we can lob this snow at them," he whispered to Rexx with a mischievous grin on his lips. Leading his brother over to a tall enough embankment to hide behind, he began scooping the snow toward him to make rather odd-shaped snowballs. "Once we get enough made, we can start throwing them!" He looked to his brother with that grin growing as he continued to make their ammo. word count: 331 / 1500

Rexx was all for an adventure, especially with his brother. Once the old lady bit the dust (or perhaps sand - seeing as they lived on a beach), it appeared to give the young yearlings the all-clear to venture out again. This time, it didn’t feel so secretive, something they had to slip past under their parents’ noses. They were young adults now, or almost to it; they were well and capable of traveling by themselves and fending for themselves. Whatever came their way, the brothers could tackle it together. Rexx grinned as he trotted by his quilled sibling, his tusked lips curved into his signature cocky grin as Scald shivered and complained about the snow. Snow didn’t bother the burly boy at all, his thick pelt not only shielded him from the chilly gusts of Fern Gulley, but his crystal spikes provided some form of windbreaker as well. Therefore, the wintery elements in this valley barely shook him. He didn’t even shiver as he plodded through the snow, his muscular limbs churning through it with incredible ease. "Sucks to be you, then!” Rexx barked jokingly, a chuckle falling from his lips with his words. It really didn’t bug him to be outdoors..except if it was boiling hot. Maybe Scald would have the upper hand then. They had agreed to build a snowwolf, and Rexx began to clump some snowballs together in his large paws when he, too noticed the commotion nearby. Ears perked, the tusked yearling turned his head as Scald did, towards the trees. A pack of coyotes, several at least, all cornering some poor creature no doubt. He tilted his head softly, his own purple gaze flickering to his brother to see what he would suggest. They were capsble of taking them on. All of them. Right? Then Scald whispered to him sbout lobbing snowballs, and Rexx grinned, nodding softly in agreement. "Sounds good to me!” He whispered back. He followed his quilled brother to the enbankment, just out of view but putting them in the direct line of the coyotes. ”Hell yeah, let’s make the biggest pile we can!” He said in agreement to building the pile, and the boy busily began making as many snowballs as he could, his burly paws an advantage in that he could make them big and quickly. "speech"

His gaze lifted momentarily from their task. Even though he and his brother had not lived very long lives, they both had been taught about different animals. It was how they survived. While Scald was not the best hunter around, he at least paid enough attention to know that a fawn shouldn't be out alone during the winter. With how deep the snow got at times, there was no way for the small creatures to survive. Scald took a second to scan the surroundings. Was the fawn truly alone or was there a family hiding not far off? Truthfully the pack of coyotes could easily carry the little thing off, but if a stag was around... Scald wasn't so sure how well they would fare. He also didn't really want to go toe to toe with one either. Once he was sure that the fawn was truly alone as it backed itself against a tree, Scald became slightly more determined to ruin the coyote pack's day. Maybe afterward, if there was no hope left for the fawn, he and Rexx could take it back to the beach for a snack. Not that they were keen on killing young animals, but it would be worse to leave it to die by itself too. Empathy wasn't his strong suit and as his stomach growled quietly under the noise of him and his brother creating crude-looking snowballs, Scald decided that it ultimately would be a better fate for the poor thing if it were to die by their paws. When he looked at those coyotes, he noticed how much their fur appear and how much their bones jutted out from beneath their skin. It was as if they hadn't eaten in days. Weeks even. Again, empathy wasn't his strong suit so he didn't really care if they died or not. Coyotes were more of a nuisance than anything. Except for that one kid that was hanging around Calico Jack. What was that guy up to nowadays? Anyway, they were busy making snowballs. Right. Pulling clumps of snow toward him, Scald hurriedly sculpted the frosty powder into lumpy balls. He would hastily pile them up along with his brother's growing pile until it nearly touched the top of the embankment. Thankfully there was an embankment for them to hide behind or they too would be tussling with some coyotes. As he started to lose feeling in his paws from handling so much frozen water, Scald grinned at Rexx. "I believe it is time to get some coyotes!" He hissed under his breath as his bi-colored eyes shifted over to the yowling pack of hungry coyotes. From the high-pitched squeals of the fawn, Scald could tell they were running out of time. "Alright, on my count, we start throwing as hard as we can," his gaze flickered back to his brother who would nod in agreement back at him. How wolves threw snowballs without thumbs or human-like shoulder joints and sockets is a question better left answered later. They would manage. If one looked from the outside, one would notice that Scald and Rexx were not far from this pack of coyotes and the poor little fawn. Mere feet really, but the mangy mutts were so captivated by a potential meal that they hardly noticed the giggling boys hiding not far off. So on Scald's count of three, they began to chuck the lumps of snow as hard as they could. Some Rexx even managed to lob with his growing tusks. Their laughter peeled through the air as the balls of ice pelted the starving coyotes. Beady eyes quickly turned on them as lips raised and released terrifying snarls. It only took moments for the pack to turn on the boys. The fawn took its chance to dart off into the distance without a single look behind it. So much for their tasty meal afterward. No one ever said the boys were smart, okay? Because as they looked at the pack of coyotes dodging and slipping their way closer to them, Scald began to worry they had made a stupid decision. Thankfully there were only six of them, but that was their six to two. His eyes darted to Rexx as they continued to hit the coyotes with snowballs, slowly deterring the oncoming attack. Their pile was running out quicker than they expected though and not a few moments later, Scald and Rexx were face-to-face with the coyotes. He could see them shivering and moving sluggishly. This would be their chance. If they got the jump on the coyotes, they would be able to hopefully take down all six. "We can take them!" Scald barked to Rexx, his lips bracing into a tentative grin as he leaped out from behind the embankment. Raising the quills along his spine in preparation, Scald charged headfirst at the pack. His brother wasn't far behind. Unlike the coyotes, they were strong, agile, and well-fed. Teeth revealed themselves from behind lips as the boys chomped down on the coyotes. Ripples of yelps lit the air as crazed coyotes landed on quills and sharp crystals that lined the boys' backs. Blood stained the snow around them as they flung the lightweight coyotes away from them. Tufts of fur sprinkled the air as they continued to push the pack back. One by one the coyotes fell until the two youngsters came out victorious. Scald watched the coyotes retreat with his brother by his side. Through thick and thin, he knew he could count on his brother. As the adrenaline faded from his body, it was soon replaced by extreme shivers. His own body shook as blood continued to trickle from his lips. Bruised and a little busted, it would be a story they would tell for years to come. They were only a year old after all and they had taken on a whole pack of coyotes! By themselves! Not that it mattered if the coyotes were skinny, near death, and only slightly deranged. Those were semantics after all. What mattered is that the boys had been successful and even saved a life. Well, hopefully, saved a life. They couldn't be too sure of the fawn's condition, but it had at least escaped and that was good enough for them. "And they say pirates can't do good deeds," Scald barked another laugh as he gave Rexx a good shoulder bump. "Lets get home, I'm freezing," he added on with a chattering grin. Soon the two boys would head away from the gulley and back toward the beach. word count: 1095 (this post count) + 718 (my fault we ran out of time so minor PP approved by tal)