The Few, The Proud, The Bears [Valkyrie]

by **Sliver** on July 5th, 2012, 9:41 pm

Even cautious as she was, Sliver could not avoid his elbow when the two of them were so close together. She gasped, her hold loosening just enough to release her charge. She glanced over, glad to see the woman was in safe hands before a sharp pain was sent up her leg by his kick. That would leave a bruise. The Kelvic growled, a low guttural sound that emerged from the back of her throat. His surprise was her clear advantage, even now he still had no idea he was dealing with an animal and not a human. He had no weapons that she could see, and she was well fed.

She took stock of these advantages and wasted no time in closing the gap between them, filling her lungs with new found air, and jumping from all four on top of the man, knees aimed to weigh down upon his arms, hopefully lessening his mobility. She didn't know how long she might have this upper hand, and drew her arm back to send a vicious blow aimed for the man's jaw, her black eyes deadpan, her mouth set in concentration.

by **Valkyrie** on July 8th, 2012, 7:06 pm

The man guffawed as Sliver winced in pain from his kick. He looked away for an avenue of escape when she pounced upon the man. Hi stale breath whooshed out of his mouth and into her face as he eyes widened in surprise at the sudden impact. He immediately began to struggle and wriggle, desperate to be free of Sliver’s grasp. The man knew his freedom was at stake if he could not escape the woman and the city in general. He was running out of options and knew it, which made him only the more dangerous in his desperation.

As Sliver’s fist collided with the ragged man’s jaw his head snapped back onto the ground. His eyes rolled around in his skull as dizziness descended on him for several seconds. As the blackness faded from his vision and Sliver’s face filled his view he thrust his head forward and spat full in her face. The foul smelling saliva would coat Sliver’s face and the man struggled even harder to be free of her. He crowed in triumph as his struggles freed his right arm. With a huff the man put all of his strength behind a cruel jab to Sliver’s ribs. The pain would flare instantly as she felt a crunch in her torso and every movement would become difficult and send aches through her chest. The man tried to use the moment to his advantage and attempted to push Sliver off of his body. He managed to free the right side of his body and scrabbled frantically to pull himself away from the woman.

by **Sliver** on July 8th, 2012, 9:05 pm

Her upper hand was lost in an instant, one eye kept out the saliva, but the stinging quickly showed her reactions hadn't been fast enough, and she snorts and grunts at the foul liquid. He was strong, not strong enough to break her ribs, but something seemed to have cracked, she could feel it. She yowled in pain, once again allowing him to escape her grasp, rage fueling her body.

She was a well maintained creature. Her anger was quick to rise, but only to some, only when it was needed. Right here, right now, she snarled viciously: it was needed again. Every breath caught in her throat, pain aching in the side he had jabbed into. The longer this fight lasted, the less of a chance she was going to have in incapacitating the man. While she was animal first, human second, she had still imagined this fight could end with minimal injury, knock him unconscious, ferry him back to the prison. Suddenly Sliver realized that this was no longer an option. This man was going to escape or die trying, and while the wolverine could always respect that, she was not dying today, and she was not failing in capturing him.

The noises of the people watching them died out, even the rough breeze that ruffled her hair dissipated in the background, every other detail a pinprick of insignificant light in comparison to that man, fighting for his freedom. She sucked in a deep breath, one that hurt more than the others, muscles bunching, tensing, readying themselves. Then she lunged. She was not as effective in this form as the animal one, but even one instant of wasted time could lose this encounter for her. Her fingers sank viciously into his skin, nails sharper than a human's grabbing and piercing flesh to ensure he was hers as mouth opened and she plunged her head into the depth of his neck, biting down as hard as she could on the vital vein. Just like the finishing blow in killing a deer, a rabbit, or a wolf. It must have been a gruesome sight, seeing a human in appearance, animal in reality, trying to rip a man apart, but her sights were set, her goal clear.

by **Valkyrie** on July 11th, 2012, 5:34 pm

The man gasped as Sliver’s fingernails bit into his skin and locked him into her grasp. As her head swiftly lowered to his neck he managed to emit a strangled scream as his airway closed. As Sliver’s teeth punctured the man’s skin she would feel a gentle hand grasp her shoulder. It was not an aggressive or warning grasp the hand was only alerting her of the presence of others. It allowed her the choice of ripping out the man’s throat or ceasing her actions. Whatever she chose, when she looked up at the owner of the hand she would meet the orange and gold eyes of a short man. The man gazed at her calmly without betraying an emotion. The man offered Sliver a hand to help her up as a few other men approached to drag away the ragged man, dead or unconscious.

“Sliver, I have heard that you sought entrance to Icewatch. My name is Senari, I am Jedara Whitevine’s mount. Do you still seek entrance our ranks?” he asked quietly. Even if Sliver did not recognize Senari’s name she would surely recognize the name of Jedara, head commander of the Icewatch. He was not a man of many words and was more thoughtful then the pair that had greeted Sliver earlier that day. He would not scrutinize or interrogate Sliver but instead allow her to speak truthfully and from her heart.

by **Sliver** on July 11th, 2012, 6:54 pm

She snarled and whipped her head around to see who was interrupting her, but the sound stopped mid way up her throat. The Icewatch. She had to blink a couple times, let her mind clear the animal instinct to finish her kille, but her fingers loosened on the prisoner: he would live today. Her dark gaze drifted from strange orange eyes to her prey, locking with him for a long instant. She wanted him to know he would have died bleeding and screaming if not for the considerable amount of will she just exerted upon herself. She knew this was a day the prisoner would not soon forget.

It took the Kelvic a longer moment to rise, even with Senari's aid, wincing at the pain, her free hand gingerly holding her injured ribs. Dark eyes met the surprisingly vibrant ones sizing up the man who was about her height. No she didn't recognize his name, but his standing was clear just by the way the other's gazes would not meet his own, not of fear, but respective deference of an Alpha. Sliver nodded at his words.

"My goal to join the Icewatch has not wavered. I was foolish when I first entered, but I stand here, asking for the chance to prove myself in your order...and to Morwen."

The Kelvic stood proudly, blood dripping from her mouth and hands, disheveled from her fight, but stalwart in her resolve.

by **Valkyrie** on July 15th, 2012, 12:15 am

Senari nodded quietly at Sliver as she expressed her desire to join. He was quiet a few moments as he considered the Kelvic woman’s request. Normally, the only Kelvics allowed in were dire polar bears like himself. But times were hard now and things had changed. Perhaps the rigid Icewatch needed to change with the times as well.

“I respect your resolve and desire to serve the city. Alright Sliver, we will take you on as an Icewatch guard. Normally we require a trial in the wilderness, but the wilderness isn’t as it ought to be and we need our guards here, in the city to keep the people safe. Perhaps when the snow comes we will revisit the idea. Welcome aboard Sliver, let’s get you set up in the barracks.” Senari said and reached out again to shake Sliver’s hand. A few of the other Icewatch members approached and clapped Sliver on the shoulder, murmuring their congratulations.

“Get that prisoner back to what remains of Svanhildur. You two come with me and help get the new recruit settled in. The rest of you, back to your patrols.” Senari issued the orders and the group of trained guards dispersed immediately. Sliver would follow Senari and two other guards back to the barracks. They were her comrades now, she was one of them. They would watch her back and she would watch theirs until Dira welcomed her into her the goddesses embrace.

by **Valkyrie** on July 15th, 2012, 12:15 am

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Sliver :

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