Well, things were going terribly! For all her efforts to distract the beast and be of some use, it didn't amount to much. Maybe they weren't even capable of dealing with this, should they just run? Well, Hanako certainly wanted to, but she wasn't in a state to go anywhere fast. There were a lot of wolves present and even more chaos, she couldn't exactly be blamed that she hadn't noticed Makara, until that was no longer an option. She blinked, a little baffled that her daughter was down there too, only to let out a pained hiss as she was hoisted up onto the larger wolf's back.

She had a point, they were due a conversation, but now wasn't the time for it. Domestics could wait but the worm likely wouldn't.

That and Hanako was loosing a lot of blood, the ice must have nicked an artery or something; the blood flow just wouldn't stop.

"She's going to get us all killed." She muttered under her breath to Makara, speaking of the girl who wanted peace. As if this creature could be reasoned with. But frankly there was so much going on at once she was having a hard time focusing, let alone thinking of something smart they could all do. "What if- could we lead it down a narrower passage?" She was just making stabs in the dark, no option seemed like a good one right now.

Paw snapped, the old, blind woman curls up on the stone floor. Gem is with her a moment later, telling her what's surrounding them and pushing her in a certain direction. Gypsy rises and begins slowly limping her way in the direction that she's herded, but things go very, very wrong.

Gem screams, eliciting a yelp from the purple and white fae. She's pushed to the side and told to stay put, which she does. Blind eyes go wide as she waits to find out what's happening. From her place, she hears Gem talking to the giant worm. No, no, no! "Gem! Don't go near it. Get away from it!" Rising from the stone floor, Gypsy calls out, taking a few hesitant steps towards the sound of the girl's voice.
"Gypsy"

**Gypsy's past is full of some extreme abuse. Be warned.**

Indigo may enter any of Gypsy's threads as he sees fit.

Something strange had happened, and before he knew it a sinister looking creature had emerged from the roof of the cavern. Shortly after that, it began to attack, ripping off ears and pummeling others, those nasty looking teeth shredding whatever was in reach. It took him some time to react with anything other than shock and "what the fuck is going on!?" but when he finally did, he had to force his limbs to move as the others dove into action. Some attacked, others cowered. He would not cower despite the fear that had settled in. Throughout the whole thing, he did notice the red boy that looked...oddly similar to the other red boy he had fought that one time. Though he didn't have time to focus enough to get a whiff to see if he held his fathers scent, he was pretty sure that was yet another damn kid from Ignis. Growling with irritation, he decided to turn that into fuel for the worm.

He wasn't sure how he'd reach it on the ceiling, so he followed the lead of another and picked up an icicle, his finger-like paw having a firm grasp on it just before he hurled it at the worm like a spear, hoping to pierce it or maybe, hit some sort of mark on the worm.

"Speech"

The worm only hesitates for a moment. Still, waiting, sensing its next target.

Let me be your distraction, Iris calls out to it, and the worm's dangling head angles itself toward her.

In a flash it dives, slitted maw lined with teeth suddenly gnashing together as Iris is completely consumed.

She's gone. All that's left is a spray of fur and blood, cascading down on the wolves below.

At least her death isn't in vain- it gives the others an opportunity to strike. Wade and Barghest launched themselves at it, Ciaran sending a blade digging into its hardened exterior. It's finally enough to make a dent in the frozen beast, and it lets out a cry of anguish, only worsened by Eldi's attempt to shove a shard of ice between its teeth.

Gem catches its attention, temporarily distracting it from its rampage. But if it understands her words, it makes no sign of it. It pauses, hesitates as if listening.

And then it sends its head barreling towards her, icy shards slashing across Gem's muzzle. Layers of flesh peel away, blood gushing from the wound that will no doubt scar.

The beast is enraged.

It thrashes wildly, its massive bulk sent crashing down on the ice cavern's floor. The sound is deafening, a symphony of shattering ice and creaking of the frozen earth below. Each impact sends shockwaves rippling outward, sending shards of ice raining down from the ceiling.

One falls with terrifying precision, striking Gypsy's left eye. Already unseeing, though the pain is sharp and excruciating, sending blood streaming down her face.

At the edges of the chaos, Makara braces herself, but she isn't strong enough to withstand the tremors. Her paw slips just as another shard of ice crashes down nearby, the impact sending her sprawling- her front left paw lands at a terrible angle, and the bone breaks with a sickening snap.

The worm roars again, a primal sound that sends more ice and rock crashing down from the ice cave's ceiling. Its petals flare wide, head swinging in a wide arc as it searches for its next victim. Their attacks have begun to penetrate it- the worm is visibly wounded, its frozen exterior beginning to crack and ooze clear, viscous liquid- but its rage is obvious.

The worst has just begun.

A scream was ripped from Gypsy as she slowly and painstakingly made her way towards where she believed Gem to be. Pain lanced through her skull as a chunk of ice struck her, its jaggedly pointed tip slicing straight through her brow and eyelid to impale her left eye. The heat of the pouring blood was stark against the chill of the ice cave. It wasn't all just blood, though there was a massive deal of that. The warm, gooey center of Gypsy's unseeing eye leaked out as her eye deflated, its creamy contents mixing with the rich, red blood, turning it into something akin to strawberry milk. Delicious. For a moment, the old wolf was still, her body in shock. She'd experienced similar pain to this though, hadn't she? Her own father had sliced her tail clean off when she wasn't even a year. He'd used, abused and sold her for his own gain. Surely that sort of pain was worse than this. That thought was what finally got her to move. Creeping across the cavern floor, it was difficult to discern where one persons blood ended and another began. In time though, she made her way to Gem, sticking her bloodied nose in the girls fur to make sure that it was her scent. Little jaws opened and she grabbed at the larger wolfs scruff. Planting tiny paws, Gypsy fought to pull Gem backwards, away from the horror that was killing the wolves around her. She tried so, so hard, but... being old and being wounded, the going was very, very slow. "Gypsy"

The ice shattered as the worm's jaws clapped over it, causing it pain but barely slowing it down. The moment his makeshift weapon was destroyed the old wolf scrambled away from the worm to regroup. Its attention was held by yet another wolf. He panted, struggling to catch his breath as his mind raced. There wasn't time to think as the creature thrashed, bringing the ceiling crashing down around them as the worm fell to the cavern's floor. Ice fell in about them, one piece striking his back and causing his hind legs to slip and splay out from him. He cursed as he righted himself. Smaller shards fell upon him before he focus back on the worm and charged once more, hoping to use the falling ice to muffle the sound of his claws. He leapt for the underside of the beast, just below the orb that formed its head, seeking to latch onto the flesh there.

At the same time as he approached his raven dove down, seeking to strike the top of the beasts head and draw its attention up to make the throat-like area more vulnerable.

The worm was hanging from the ceiling, the frozen walls around it reflecting a cold, blue light that shimmered with the slightest movement. It was waiting, watching- assessing the wolves congregating below it. Clove felt suspended in time- as if the world around her would erupt into chaos at a moment's notice. And it did. Some bystanders took action, and her brother Ciaran, was one of them. “Ciaran!” Clove screamed out, fearing for her brother’s life, as the worm ruthlessly threw its attackers to the side. The sickening crack of bones splintering beneath its weight echoed throughout the cavern, sheets of ice cracking and splintering apart in jagged lines, as the cave started to bend to the will of the monstrosity. The smell of blood filled the air, the sound of panicked screams and claws scraping against ice filling her ears. Wolves were being thrown against the walls, one of them may have had his spine crushed, and her brother… he seemed like he was moving in slow motion, trying to drive his sword into the beast amid the chaos. But this was just the beginning. Clove could not have imagined the horrors she was about to witness- the consumption of a young woman, as the worm grabbed her in its maw, rolling her across its teeth to split her body in half. Blood sprayed out from the monster’s jaws, creating a macabre mist of red in the air. It trickled down onto Clove, misting her face as she stared at where Iris had just been, completely in disbelief. Gone. Gone. Gone. All around her, wolves were scrambling, their voices rising in fear, their paws slipping on the slick ice. Others were still trying to attack it, but their attempts were futile. The ceiling above them was starting to buckle inward, ice tumbling down, as tremors shook the ground beneath them. The air was becoming thick with freezing fog, though it was stained red from the mist of blood that lingered in the wake of the girl’s death. Everything was happening so fast- all Clove could do was hold herself against the cavern wall, paralyzed by fear, and trembling so hard she almost lost her footing. "Speech"

Barghest barely registered the chaos—her focus narrowed to the creature before her. Someone had died. A sacrifice burned in her mind, fueling her fury all the more. She snarled low, each sound tearing from her throat like a chainsaw.

The worm thrashed, its rage shaking the cavern, but Barghest didn’t flinch. She saw the cracks forming in its frozen hide, the telltale glint of weakness beneath the hardened surface. It was bleeding. Good.

Using the chaos to her advantage, she launched herself at the beast’s flank again, claws extended to grip its ice-slick hide. Her teeth snapped down, aiming for one of the fissures in its armor. She twisted violently, tearing with all the strength in her body, her claws scrabbling for purchase.

Let it rage. Let it thrash. She was all rage. All vengeance.

""

The worm disregards Hazel entirely, striking at the child behind her. There's something about this bastard, something she really isn't liking. Another strike to the old woman, and a third to Makara. Her heart pounding in her chest, Hazel refuses to hold. Snarling, she lunges. Fixating on an opening, the only one she sees.

With the beast already wounded, she'd strike for the same spot. Something already oozing something clear and... ew. Sticky? Something like that. She strikes recklessly, too much pent up aggression coming to the surface. The worst of the beast has just taken over, but something horrible is taking hold in her as well. Hazel has to. She just has to. Compelled to rip and tear and bite, crystalline teeth shining in the eerie light of the cave.


"Speech"

The worm strikes, consuming a wolf in a blink of an eye and blood sprays him as he uses the ramp, forcing Wade to blink away the red as he paws slip for a second on the suddenly slicker ice. Getting his paws back under him, the ramp works again and, again, Wade sails through the air to bite into the hinged flap that he already attacked. Dangling for a moment, he growls and let’s go, hitting the ground and skittering out of the way as the worm strikes out, injuring several more. Huffing indigently at the worm, he stomps a paw and shouts, “Would you get your ass down here already?!”

‘Oh, he angry.’ Sly coos in his mind and Loki sniggers which has the red boy scowling deeply. It roars, the primal sound cracking the ice and sending things crashing down from the ceiling even as a thick, viscous liquid oozes from the beast and Wade realizes that they are actually injuring it. He grins manically at the crystal worm as its rage is almost palpable and his pale eyes scan the ground, finding a nice, big chunk of ice that he can use as a kind of spear.

Fat paws send up to the piece of ice and he is quick to grab it and send it hurtling toward the hanging worm, aiming for the body as he shouts, “Take that!” Loki groans loudly and he feels Sly shaking his head… which is weird since ya know, he doesn’t have a body. They might not approve of his antics but that is too bad! They have to live with him!

A wild is on his maw as he goes.


"Wade Preator" 'Thinking'| 'Sly' | 'Loki'

the city looks so pretty
do you want to burn it with me?

As he approached the ceiling on Wades back, he felt as the rough skin of the worm cut his throat after just narrowly missing with its flared face. He could only laugh maniacally and smile, the pain making him feel a l i v e. Adrenaline coursed through him, driving him to go in for another attack but with everyone rushing around him and being smaller than most everyone, he had to wait for his chance to strike again. Without Wade to stand on anymore, he would have to carefully plan his next attack.

Dodging as the rocks and ice fell from the ceiling, he could tell that it was oozing a liquid from their attacks. It didn't look like blood, but maybe it was to the icy monster. Certainly anything it would be leaking would mean it was getting weaker, and if it was getting weaker than they were winning, right? While the roar was meant to me menacing, it hardly threatened him. Even as his own blood soaked his throat he wasn't swayed from giving it his all to jump and reach for one of the flared out petals, aiming to sink his teeth into it and give it a good shake in hopes of ripping it, or some of it, off.

Speech ─ Think

─ by Skelle !

There's a loud ringing in her ear that's practically missing. Could she even hear out of it? Not that it mattered currently. She held her breath, standing firmly before the worm. Nothing but her and the worm existed in those few moments. Gem could see it hesitate, stilling as if it understood her. A feeling blew into her chest, warming her body. It was hope. Yes, hope. The worm understood her! They still had a ch- Gem's scream fills the cavern, echoing off the crystalline walls. Her muzzle is shredding from the tendril lashing at her. Skin peels away in strips, blood spraying in every direction, blinding her. Unadulterated fear rips through her as she instinctually clambers backward. Her dull claws scrape against the ice. She barely registers Gypsy trying to pull her backward, nose glancing against her fur. The rain of ice falling from the ceiling barely misses her and instead lances across Gypsy's eye. Through the blood and chips of ice, Gem screams again at the sight. More blood, gore, and words she can't think of right now. All she knew was that they needed to escape. "Gypsy, lets go!" Gem's voice is hoarse from the screaming, but she gets the words out. There's no care that the older woman is blind anymore. Her head urgently pushes against Gypsy's shoulder and then her side and then her haunches. "WE HAVE TO GO! EVERYONE RUN! PLEASE!" The words are lost in the clamoring of the rest of the group trying to do something. Tears well in her eyes as she spies her sister. No, no, no. Gem Klein

following her slow and distrustful proceed into the cave where everyone went, cyra hoped to find answers. what was going on in the land of boreas? with watchful eyes, she came to perch alongside the crowd that faced something.. and as she pushed her way forward- it broke out in a brawl. it was a worm like thing- shrieking nosies she's never heard before rang in the air, the shockwaves causing glaciers to fall and the cave tremble. she whimpers, looking up as she saw the many large pieces of ice fall. one lands near her tail then and she's pushed forward in her own attempt to dodge it- and she barley does. she gathered herself and began to help in the group effort to bring this thing down! coming toward the side of the ice worm, cyra bared her teeth and dove for the back of the creature before quickly reclining back to a safe distance again. she did her best to avoid being hit by both the worm and ice!

Hanako fell hard and cried out in pain as Makara collapsed beneath her. Her gashed open leg slammed against the ice, sharp splinters of it dug into the wound and out of fear of it getting worse Hanako quickly tried to brush them off with a shaking paw. She'd tumbled away a little, but she could see Makara laying some distance away, a bone protruding from her ankle. Hanako was no healer, had never cared to learn but- this was bad, for both of them. Even as her head throbbed and vision wobbled a little at the corners, she dragged herself along, leaving a smeared blood trail in her wake.

"Someone help us!" She hissed, though frankly it didn't seem like anyone was paying attention. Everyone was out for themselves.

She had to agree with the little chimera one, leaving was certainly an appealing thought, but how? They had fallen, where could they even go?

Kicking a shard of ice at the creature she slumped, it was getting harder to move. The cold felt like it was sinking beyond her fur, into her bones, deeper and deeper till it was a part of her. Stumbling to Makara's side, she nosed at her shoulder, hoping Makara would have an easier time moving than she did.

"Quickly, before it spots you."

The ice worm's rage only builds. Its thrashing doesn't subside, sending tremors through the ice.

In a flash, the worm lashes icy tendrils out toward Gem and Gypsy. Gypsy quietly crumbles under the worm's attack, her death instantaneous and swift. A deservedly merciful end.

Battery doesn't manage to avoid one chunk of falling ice, that gouges a deep gash along his right hip; likewise, Cyra is hit by a sliver of ice that punctures through the side of her left front leg.

The beast swiveled its head upward, distracted by the attacks from Eldi's ravens; when it finally lunges back down, it swipes hard and fast, lacerating Hanako's throat, a wound that will no doubt scar, as well as slashing across Diablo's right brow, temporarily blinding him in that eye.

Colliding with the ground, sending a rippling tremor through the ice cavern, Ciaran goes tumbling, a searing sharp pain shooting through his left front leg, the bone slightly fracturing.

The worm's rage grows, though its body is slick with liquid that dribbles down to the ice, now mixed with the blood of its victims. Strange pockets of shimmering, viscous flesh begin to ooze out from its wounds, reaching down to the ice below.

Atticus has been hearing of strange happenings, right outside his door steps. Ears flicked upon his skull, the journey hasn't been easy for him. Scents of others lingered although hard to detect. However he drew silent, yelling down below. For help, a growl stolen away. He needed to help, The regal masculine just had the help. Shifting with all of his weight, lifting the front of his body up slamming it down into the ice. He did this a few more times hearing cries from others seep out. His body wanting to turn and run. But, wait. Gem, Gems voice echoed out the loudest to him. Atticus wasn't about to give up at all. His voice loud enough he'd cry to them hoping they'd hear him. "Hold on, I need to find a way.. How many? What's happening." The words more demanding than he ever was before. He started to dig into the ice.

One moment, Gem is attempting to push Gypsy away from the worm. In the next moment, the worm is descending upon them. A scream rips from her as she scrambles out of the way. She attempts to grab onto Gypsy and drag her with, but the worm is far faster. One tendril whips down upon Gypsy, smooshing the old woman instantly as if she were the bug beneath a paw. Shock radiates through Gem. Hopelessness surges as she fights down the bile rising in her throat. Blood and gore drip from not only her own injuries, but from the death she just witnessed. They were all going to die, weren't they? Tears threaten to fall as she turns to the worm. How dare it kill so senselessly? She had tried to befriend it! Why couldn't it just be NICE? A fury that Gem had never felt before built up from her toes into her garbled mind. None of it made sense anymore. If they couldn't run from it, couldn't fight it, what were they supposed to do? Her eyes frantically look around, shooting up toward the ceiling where the sound of someone scratching catches her attention. Huh? Was that a familiar voice? "Down here!" Gem calls, hoping the wolf can hear her through the thick ice they stood beneath. When her gaze retreats to the worm she faces, she begins to see the shimmering viscous liquid that drizzles from its wounds. Was that a weakness? Did they just need to continue harming it until it oozed out all that gunk from its body? There wasn't anything else left to try, was there? Frazzled, looking around wildly, she sees a large chunk of ice. Okay, that was a possibility. Racing across slick ice, she skids as she grasps the sharp chunk of ice between her jaw. Pain was nothing to her in that moment. Barely able to see through the blood smeared across her eyes, Gem charges forward. Aiming to stab the beast with the chunk of ice in an already open wound, she hopes that tearing the wound farther would help quicken its death. Gem Klein

Amidst the raging and roiling of the icy cavern around the worm, the thundering of heavy pass racing across the ice and leaping from jagged ledge to jagged ledge echoed from the distance. He had followed them after they’d left Hearthstone amidst the calamity of the red sky and the shifting earth. Call it intuition or paranoia, but with the world in its current state, one couldn’t be too careful. As it turned out, he had been right. He heard the roaring of the monstrous worm from down in the cavern, followed Ciaran and Clove’s scents down into the arctic abyss, heard Clove’s scream and Ciaran’s cry of pain. A howl of righteous fury responded. He was coming.

A father always knew when his children needed him.

A flash of black and white as two ravens swooped into the cavern, and then the Lord of Cinder leaped down onto an icy ledge. Enraged amber eyes burned like blazing coals as he took in the scene. The massive ice worm, the wounded and dead wolves, his children, Ciaran injured, blood everywhere… Most of the wolves were young—far too young to be witnessing this. The only instinct running in Artorias’ body was the innate drive to protect his children and the other young wolves at any cost, his only thought preserving their lives. That was his purpose. So he did what he had to.

Claws gripping into the ice for stability, Artorias leaped down from ledge to ledge until he hit the battlefield below and raced towards the worm. Years of athletics and acrobatics in his explorations navigating difficult terrain gave him agility and speed as he sprinted over the frozen floor and leapt over cracks and crags in the ice. "Corbin, Eira!" At his call, the ravens swooped down alongside their master, then shot towards the worm, aiming to encircle the great beast with shrill croaks and slashing talons intended to distract and break its attention from the wolves.

Sprinting closer to the worm, Artorias drew his sword and ran alongside the worm, snarling as he sought to drive the sharpened point of the sword into carapace and flesh as deep as he could. He would then attempt to continue to run and carve his sword along the grounded worm’s body as far as he could go. He showed no fear, no hesitation, only rage at the creature that had harmed his son. This was not the first time Artorias had fought such a beast before and he’d killed it before and he’d kill it again. It was made of ice and he was born of fire.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Things were happening quickly. The worm had eaten someone, and while it was jarring to see, he couldn't say he cared. It was a stranger, after all. A nobody to him. The attacks from the gathered seem to be working, only it just served to enrage the monstrous creature as it lashed out at others and crashed wildly around, sending shards of ice flying every which way. He ducked and dodged what he could, getting pelted with smaller bits though they'd glance off him with nothing more than minor scratches. So much was going on, anything said by anyone else was drowned out by the worms deafening sounds and his own focus on keeping himself fucking alive!

Others continued to attack, and while he prepared himself for another go at the beast, it suddenly lashed out again, taking down another wolf for good and injuring more. Two of the freshly injured that he suspected to be related had distracted him enough that he didn't notice it was lashing out at him until it hit. A stinging pain across his right brow that suddenly gushed blood, blinding him for the time being. He snarled in pain as he held his eye for a few moments, teeth bared as his hackles bristled. Without a word, his three dobermans went running toward the worm, snarling as the trio launched their attacks against the now wounded worm.

Despite his injury, he wiped away what blood he could, keeping his eye closed as he raced in to aid his companions, grabbing an ice shard on the way as he leapt to stab the damned thing with all the strength he had.

"Speech"