[WiSPer] The Hunters Have Been Hunted

by **Valkyrie** on September 24th, 2012, 11:57 pm

WiSPer Event: Fall 8, 512
Event Group: 3
Closing Date: September 29

Let this baby polar bear distract you from the fact that the WiSPer is gone

by **Jynx** on September 25th, 2012, 2:54 am

The hawk wheeled around in tight circles, watching the crowd far below waiting at the gate for the return of the Icewatch squad. From his vantage point high over the city Jynx had watched the Icewatch guards do battle with the wolves, eventually driving them away from the bloody corpses. The Icewatch examined each of the hunters to verify that they were in fact dead, and then carefully laid them on the stretchers they had brought with them for that purpose. Kelvic polar bears dragged the stretchers back to the city, accompanied by the somber soldiers.

A wailing sound arose from the city below. Then another. And another. Not far from the gate, three wolves sat under a snow-laden tree overlooking the scene of the carnage they had wrought. Jynx fluffed his feathers and cried out a long, descending kee-ree.

by **Sliver** on September 25th, 2012, 3:19 am

Not so hushed whispers became anxious murmuring. Anxious murmuring evolved into open discontent. The fear that had already been there, lingering at the back of everyone's minds, seemed to drift like a pervasive fog into the amassed crowd, letting loose a torrent of despair just as the first woman called out.

Sliver did not need to push by the crowd this time, she was standing with her comrades as they waited for the patrol. She had desperately wanted to go out with them, wanted to explore the wilderness and find whatever thing had made the wilderness so feral. Was it some lingering aspect of the storm? Some evil entity lurking beyond City? She imagined a shadowy figure that she could rip apart with her claws, visceral and real for her to tear asunder and be satisfied that revenge had been had. That was silly, however, and an unlikely conclusion to whatever was causing the problem.

So she cleared these fantasies from her mind and focused on the reality. She took in every wail and moan. Sobs wracked the heaving mass of people and she bore it like a rock takes the pummeling of waves over eternity. She tried to tell herself that one day she would prevent this kind of thing. She would get stronger and she would protect this city from pain. Not all of it, that was surely impossible, but some. Some like this. The sounds shook her confidence, however, and all she was left with was an empty feeling in her stomach and this level of dread at what was to come.

It was much later when she awoke from her somber thoughts. Nearly everyone was gone and darkness had consumed the area, a fitting gesture considering the events that had just transpired. She shivered as the realization of the cold set in, and began the long walk back to the barracks, shoulders slumped, outlook grim.

by **Coren** on September 28th, 2012, 8:01 pm

Once more coren was at the gate when an icewatch hunting party returned back to the city. This time dira had claimed 5 other souls of the city's guard. Coren felt strangly apathic when he watched the entire spectacle. He knew he should feel something at the loss of five lives. But he just couldn't care less about them at all.
He was about to turn around and get out of here, before somebody noticed his apathy and even worse rumors began to circulate about how he engineered the death of those icewatch or something worse. He sometimes was amazed how the rumor mill made something small out to be something massive,
He stopped in his tracks though when he noticed a few familiar faces among the sobbing crowd. Skyglow. He couldn't help himself, a small smile twitched on his face as he saw the misery a member of the skyglow was experiencing and before he knew it a small snicker escaped his lips which he quickly tried to mask as a chocked sob. Coren gave a few quick looks around, but it didn't seem as if anybody else had noticed him and disappeared from the crowd.

by **Lixue** on September 29th, 2012, 3:37 pm

Ly had easily reestablished his place in the Frostfawn Hold. They took him back with open arms, just like the Whitevine had taken Lixue back. His family had been ecstatic to see him, his mother even cried as she hugged her son. Ly seemed so much more joyful when he was with his hold than with Lixue and when he asked to go hunting with them Lixue had said yes. After all, once more for last time's sake before he officially shifted to the Whitevine Hold. Ly would then have to find a Whitevine job, something he had dreaded.

Lixue was waiting with the rest of the Frostfawn Hold at the Icewall Gates. Ly's mother had informed her of the Icewatch squad quickly making their way out into the wilderness and of what had happened only days before. Ly had not known of the earlier event, Lixue told herself, so he would not knowingly risk his life. Besides, he would come back fine. Luck enjoyed hanging around Ly.

As the patrol quietly entered the city again, Lixue's breath caught. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for Ly's messy mop of hair. For his bright smile, for him to recognize her and come and wrap his arms around her. Tell her he had ended up staying with his family, even if most of his family was standing around her.

Lixue did not find him.

Taking a shallow breath, Lixue stuffed away the panic. Surely, he must be there! Ly was not foolish enough to die on her, they still had plenty to do! Have a child, grow old, fight and then make up, and so much more. Where was he?! Were they playing a joke? A cruel, mean joke bullies like to do? Steeling herself, keeping her spine straighter than was safe, Lixue clenched her fists at her side. Bit down on her lips to keep it from trembling and blinked away the tears threatening to erupt.

Where was he!

Ly's mother gently placed her calloused hands on Lixue's shoulders and it was all Lixue could handle. A half scream of denial and half sob erupted from her mouth without warning. Only Ly's mother and her nearly painful grip kept Lixue standing. As everyone went to touch the corpses, to lay their hands on the sheets and show respect, Lixue stayed behind. As did Ly's family, as shocked as she had been.

A patrolman went past and Lixue's icy fingers reached out to grip his arm. A first attempt at speaking came out hoarse and Lixue tried again. "H-how?"

"It was wolves. Only three of the beasts but they took the hunting party by surprise. We chased the wolves off and brought back what hadn't been chewed on." A silent nod and the patrolman left.

Why hadn't they stayed in the Spires?

by **Ilhor Skyglow** on September 29th, 2012, 8:40 pm

For the past four days Ilhor was trying to discover everything he could about the Sabretooth attack and the resulting death of an Icewatch guard. The more he searched for answers the more he realized that his actions were not motivated by mere curiosity, but by a deep, instinctive sense of imminent danger. Immediately after the first attack, he started walking past the gates at every opportunity. Till now, nothing of interest happened, but today was destined to be different.

Nearing the gates, he noticed a crowd already gathering around the gates, and he immediately realized that something was about to happen. He picked up his pace and fell in with the crowd, managing to swiftly make his way to the front. After a small delay, the gates opened slowly, revealing a sight much like the one four days before, but magnified to alarming proportions. This time not one, but six Icewatch guards were carrying an equal number of stretchers covered in what should have been white cloths, but which, by now, have turned almost totally red form the soaked blood.

Although the sight was bitter and gruesome, Ilhor just couldn’t help but look, an alarming sense that his worst fears might come true rapidly growing inside him. It seemed everyone around him was paralyzed by fear as well, since, for a few long moments, no one was talking and a weird, outworldy silence was covering everything around. Yet this couldn’t last for long, and people all around him started crying, whispering in fear, yelling in terror, the very air feeling with grief and sorrow.

Ilhor quickly started moving away, trying to find a more quiet place where he could calm down long enough to focus his thoughts. As he was moving away, he heard a whisper spreading through the crowd about a ravage wolf attack on a full group of Icewatch guards. “That is too much”, he thought in agony, instinctively quickening his pace as if to run away from an unknown threat that was following him.

by **Valkyrie** on September 29th, 2012, 10:51 pm

Jynx :

Sliver :

Coren :

Lixue :

Ilhor Skyglow :

You Will Be Collected if Worthy

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.