A Dire Warning (Open)

by **Rengar** on March 26th, 2013, 5:47 pm

Timestamp: Spring 12, 497 AV

Rengar and several other Snowsongs were well outside of the city staring up at a very large pine tree. Many of these were not seasoned woodcutters, but rather young men who'd hoped to learn from Rengar's years of experience. They each had their own axes, just as Rengar held his over his shoulder, and several others, in their covers, nearby. In a loud, booming voice, "Now, what is the first step to bringing down this tree?"

"Chopping it down!" "Clearing the snow!" "Study the tree!"

"Ah, there we go, we study the tree. And what is it we are looking for?"

There was no answer, so Rengar continued. "The first thing is which direction it leans. You can determine this by looking at it from afar, or getting right beneath the tree and looking up. Tell me now, which way is this tree leaning, and why?"

Some of his students backed up, while others got beneath it, and they began calling out answers, the most common of which was east. "East is correct, because of the winds that blow from the west, caused by the waters there."

"Did anyone bother to check the branches? See if any are in danger of falling on us if we chop? And which way do we wish the tree to fall?"

His students began scrambling to collect this information. "No dangerous branches, and we want it to fall south, for there are no obstacles that will block its fall."

"Good good, now come close, we will examine the base of the tree." He pointed down, "Now, due to us being so far north, there aren't many fungi or blights that could damage the tree, nor is there rot. Now, if this were near a stream or river, you'd have to extra care, for you could upset the entire thing, possibly damming the river, or causing the tree to fall prematurely. This is a fine example of a tree, because none of its roots are exposed. If they are, take note of them, for they will help determine the dangers of the tree. Also be sure to take note of the wind, however, since there is none today, we need not worry about it. So, what is next?" He waited, looking around at his pupils, wandering if any of them would truly come up with the correct answer.

by **Svasra** on March 26th, 2013, 11:50 pm

Age: 5 years old

Svasra watched as Avanthal slipped off into the distance, cuddled up on her stomach in a blanket on the wood. The gentle sway of the sled was lulling, but the young girl forced herself to stay alert and awake. She would make it all day today! Playing with a piece of ice, Svasra shifted it into some whimsical forms to keep herself occupied, anxious for when they reached their destination. The horse behind her blocked the view of the tiny Avanthal, so Svasra had to content herself with making mini snowflakes to show her parents later.

Minara was settled on top of a lovely Frostmarch mare, passive, and calm as she plodded through the snows. Tied to her was one Avanthalian Sleigh Horse that clomped after, pulling a large open sled with a few piles of ropes - and little Miss Svasra. Attached to that horse was another Sleigh Horse, pulling another large sled. Though Minara was a Snowsong now, she had come from a Frostfawn family, raised with taking care and keeping calm animals, horses especially. Seeing as many of the Snowsong Hold would be out today to contribute to their portion of society - which was woodworking - Minara seemed obvious candidate to bring along to guide the horses as she sat confidently within the saddle.

"How are you, little snowflake?" Minara asked, turning slightly in the saddle to crane her head in an attempt to make out Svasra's tiny frame. Her head the only thing peeking out of the blanket, Svasra grinned up at her mother.
"I'm'a makin' snowf'akes!" she chirped happily, spreading her hands to present a multitude of half-melted and disproportional figures, that if you squinted enough, might make snowflakes.
"That's lovely, dear, just stay still on that," Minara said, suppressing a laugh as she turned back to face the front and guided the trail of horses around a small hill in the ground that the sleds might ram in to and get stuck.

Some parents might not bring their five-year old little girl out into the vast expanse of wilderness to watch men throw logs onto the very sled she was settled on. The dangers of her getting in the way, getting crushed, getting lost, were quite large. Yet, her parents had asked her to come along. Svasra suspected it was to help her mother calm the horses with the loud topples of trees, and to generally get her out of the house for once. Much an Avanthal-body, Svasra had to be dragged out of the city. "Go get some fresh air! Those boys will keep you safe, just stay out of the way!" Havok had said in farewell, as he felt logging was not his forte and thus wouldn't come. With a promise to stay by Minara, not sit on the sleds once they'd stopped, and stay by the horses and not the trees, Svasra found herself on the way to a lovely adventure! Imagine all the stories she could tell everyone when she returned!

Svasra felt the sled bump lightly into the hind legs of the horse that pulled it, causing him to startle slightly with a displeased nicker. Minara was there to unhook the sled from the two Sled Horses and guide them away from the trees, letting their halters trail on the ground as they wandered nearby. With a gesture from Minara, Svasra hopped off herself, hurrying over. The Vantha woman took her blanket and spread it ontop of one of the Sleigh horses, cooing nonsense words to each one as she went around.

"Mommy! Can I'a go see t'big purple guy!!" Svasra asked, looking up from where she'd flopped down to make a snowangel. Minara glanced at her and nodded.
"Come back when he's done his lessen and they start chopping the tree down, alright?"
"Okie! Promise pr'mise!!" Svasra said as she trotted off to the large purple-hued man that stood teaching those Snowsongs on the proper way to chop down a tree. Don't get in the way, don't be annoying, and don't die, or else you won't be allowed to come on these trips anymore!! As much as Svasra had to be dragged out here, she did love coming on small expeditions past Avanthal's gates, finding a lovely amount of freedom in the endless horizon.

"The first thing is which direction it leans ... " he was saying as she came close. He spoke in Common though, so the young Vantha had no idea what he was saying at all. Svasra peeked up at the tree they planned on cutting down, feeling quite short indeed! As she wormed her way into the crowd, Svasra huffed in annoyance, now only able to see a bunch of coats and legs! She tugged on a young man's jacket, and pulled on his hand until he glanced down.
"Up!" she whispered furiously, hands raising with an encouraging nod. The man seemed torn for a moment, looking back towards the oddly colored person for a moment before hoisting her up and settling her promptly on his shoulders.
"I'll have to take you back when we start cutting it down, alright, Svasra?" he said with a tinge of humor, briefly tilting his head back to peer up at the curious little girl before turning his full attention back to the teacher.

" ... Also be sure to take note of the wind, however, since there is none today, we need not worry about it. So, what is next?" the teacher asked the crowd after some more instructions Svasra didn't pay attention to.
"What would be next?" the young man Svasra was on muttered to himself in a dialect Svasra did understand. She looked up from the piece of red hair she'd been fiddling with on the man's head - some of his hair turned red and some of it turned purple in the sunlight!! - and thought for a moment, going over what the others had been scurrying around doing.
"You'a ma'ke sh'ure no ani'mal'ies are liv'in in t'tree!" Svasra piped up, a few heads turning as though they were surprised she was allowed over here. The man who had obliged her seemed embarrassed, and laughed slightly to hide it. "Hey!" Svasra said indignately, "Don't'a lau'f at my ide'a! It was p'erf'tly 'onest!" she huffed, crossing her arms over the man's head and settled her chin in the crook with an obvious look of five-year old angst.

by **Rengar** on March 31st, 2013, 10:36 pm

Rengar heard the little girl yell out in Vani some reply to his teachings, followed by a few chuckles from the crowd. He asked one of the men to translate, and when he did, Rengar and Garren both boomed in laughter. "That would be a wise thing to do, Little Snowball. Why don't you come up here with your friend? I promise it is perfectly safe, we won't start cutting quite yet." He then realized that the girl may not know the common tongue, and rather than have someone translate his words, he simply asked a man how to say it, which he then repeated. He decided he'd give all his lessons from this point on in both Common and Vani. "Istatle kova lemens araya, Morweya Hioa. Quiola ni garanha qin te Holdano? Ya menuaja ses pelementa jafre, yanas ni gatenosh aja." His tongue was heavy like the Tukant language he was used to, and didn't quite produce the lyrical sounds of many of the Vantha's speech.

Then he heard a man shout for help from behind the tree he was teaching with. Reaction to emergencies was a specialty of his people, and he wasted no time. He quickly shouted orders to the men of the group, telling some to take the child and those who couldn't fight back to the horses. Those who could fight, save a couple to guard the remainder. Rengar let his brother take over the body, for he relished for this sort of thing. He grabbed his throwing axe from his belt, swapped his hatchet for a battle axe, gripped both tight and ran around the tree, his eyes switching to pick up heat signatures, so that none could hide from him. He saw a few men, bright red, running, and pulling a sled, with another man upon it, his heat a much duller, fading pink compared to his compatriots. And chasing them were two massive Dire Wolves.

Garren, and a handful of the young men charged forward, to save the men, who they identified as Vantha. Garren pointed to a couple of men, "Get these men to safety, the rest with me, we will hold the wolves off! Be brave young ones, but be smart! Dira will claim none of us this day!"

Garren darted through the injured men, noting several bites and claw wounds on all of them. Tanroa seemed to slow the flow of time when he saw the man on the sled though. He was missing an arm, and had large chunks of his legs missing. He focused his eyes forward, "All of you stick together, understand? No separating!" His legs pumped, his boots kicking up snow as the gap between wolves and warriors closed. He drew back his throwing axe to behind his ear, waiting until he was closer. Then he chucked it at the dog, hoping to imbed the blade between its eyes. But the canine leapt swiftly left, then back to the right, the axe sinking into the snow. The two were close now, and Garren swung his axe at chest high, for the wolf was the size of a small horse. The wolf jumped over the slash, so Garren shifted the handle through his hands, then punched up and backwards, striking a rib with the bottom of the wood. It threw the wolf off balance, and possibly cracked a rib, but did little more than annoyed the creature, who landed with ease, turned and snarled at this challenger.

The second wolf approached the group of Snowsong men, staying out of reach, but snapping and snarling at them. Many of the boys were pale in the face at seeing such a large creature, standing as tall as some of the younger males. Garren's challenger bounded toward him, and Rengar stood his ground, axe held in front from hip to shoulder, his body weight lowering, his knees crouched. He'd fought Glassbeaks, Zith, and other creatures, this was just another monster ready to become a meal. He waited until it was right upon him, jaws snapping toward his throat. He brought his axe handle up into the creature's furred wind pipe, then allowed his body to fall into a backwards roll. He kicked up at the creature's abdomen as its clawed feet smashed into the ground on either side of his head. Keeping the backwards momentum, Garren pushed up with his back, abs, and legs, planting them just beneath the creature's rib cage and shooting upwards. The beast was heavy, but its own momentum carried it into a half flip past Garren, landing on its back, painfully yelping. Garren felt the bite of claws in his shoulders though, and saw streaks crimson gouged there. He could hear snarls and grunts from behind him, and couldn't make out who was winning in the other group.

The wolf was much more careful in its approach now, circling Garren, looking for an opening. It was hurt, not severely so, but enough to pay attention. Garren glared into the wolf's golden eyes, letting it know who the real predator was, which he followed with a bestial roar. The wolf answered back with a guttural snarl. A loud yelp from the other wolf distracted it though, for its companion had just taken an axe to the hip. Garren took that moment to charge forward, swinging the head, rather than the blade. The dog reacted by flinching, but the head still caught it on the snout. The wolf's head snapped sideways, and rather than fight back, it turned and ran. It's partner was quickly dispatched by the young men. Garren's wolf, however, was running toward the group with the horses. He quickly found his throwing axe in the snow, and ran after the wolf, who was quickly distancing itself from the purple warrior. There was no way he could catch up to it in time.

by **Svasra** on April 12th, 2013, 10:27 pm

In response to the little girl's outburst, a few ripples of mirth ran towards the teacher who was given a translation - lisp and all. The man boomed with a laughter that made Svasra look at him, wondering how such a loud noise can come from one person. He looked her straight in the eye though, addressing her in a language that sounded almost primal compared to the music of Vani. The man - was he a man? Svasra knew no one blessed by Morwen that was purple ... maybe it was because he had such little hair? Morwen blessed the rest of his body with interesting colors ... and he changed in the sunlight? Svasra's little brow furrowed as she struggled to remember if Purple Man ever changed from ... purple. "That would be a wise thing to do, Little Snowball," he was saying though, now in Vani though it was strongly accented. Svasra beamed at him, basking eagerly under the approval as the man began to step forwards with her.

That was the moment this fun trip turned into something much more dangerous. "Help!" a weak voice screamed, quickly followed by a gutteral snarl that made Svasra shrink. Her companion froze, and in a swift movement she found herself in his arms instead. The men responded a moment after Purple Man darted away, calling orders in that odd language of his. Her friend - he would be Nice Guy! - tightened his grip on her and immediately began to run the other way. A few others followed, creating a tight circle with Svasra protectively in the middle. "What - what's going on?!" she asked, voice high and nervous as she felt the tension of everyone as her mother took her and leaped into saddle. The horse paced underneath her, whinnying, only soothed by Minara's gentle coaxing as it pranced anxiously.
"Don't worry, little snowflake," her mother soothed, though the arm that kept her secured was tense and her voice a tad more strained.

When people tell you not to worry, Svasra found it hard to believe them. She wasn't worried, so why tell her to not be worried? Obviously there was something to worry about!! Svasra looked towards the men that surrounded the horses, holding onto halters, trying to calm their anxious nickers. "Shh, there's a good girl, be a good role-model for the hard-working Sleigh Horses, eh?" Minara crooned, stroking the mare's neck as she watched something Svasra couldn't really make out from the bobbing head of the horse.

The noise was enough though. Svasra's eyes squished close, and she shrunk against her mother. Why was there so much growling? It wasn't the playful growl of the puppies she was allowed to play with when she was with the Frostfawns when she went to go see Grandma! They .... they sounded mean!! "What's wrong, Mama, why does everyone have their shiny pointy stuff out?" Svasra asked. The few men that had weapons on them had them drawn, making a loose circle around the females.
"Why don't you take Svasra back to Avanthal, Minara," one said, though he never turned to look at the woman as his gaze stayed pinned on the source of the snarling, whimpering, and screeches.
"If I run, one of the wolves may bolt towards us. I'm not sure even Diamond could outrun a Dire Wolf," Minara muttered, though her tone gave away she obviously thought of that - and wished she could. Even when the men of her Hold were in danger, Minara felt nothing more than the need to get her daughter to safety first. Anyways, if she went back, she could send the Icewatch as backup. The thought of two Dire Wolves distracted from the men fighting by a fleeing horse though - maybe three if the other two instinctively followed her - was enough to stay her hold on the reins.

"Dire Wolf?" Svasra chirped, struggling against the grip of her mother to peer at the scene her mother's coat blocked.
"Nothing, just a big dog. And dogs can be tamed, remember," her mother said swiftly, her arm now more of a restraint than protective around her daughter. "Just stay still, Svasra." The five year old responded to the order of Minara - she's using her angry voice ... - and settled in the saddle, nervous and becoming more scared.

For a few anxious chimes, the only thing she could decipher was something big was attacking the men. "Oh dear Morwen!" came a weak voice of one of the men surrounding them as the men with the sled approached, out of breath and wounded. Minara took one look at them and paled, pulling Svasra into her coat even further before she could get a glimpse. Svasra huffed as she snuffed against the fur on the inside of her mother's coat, figure beginning to shake.
"Get him onto a bigger sled, all three of them, they need to see a Whitevine," she ordered. The men paused as they scrambled to perform her order, hesitating to move the man, looking at each other with wild looks of desperation and confusion. Minara muttered something quite vile under her breath as she cut them off. "Svasra, sit here, head down, don't look up. You remember how I taught you how to stay on the horse? Hold onto the pommel, reins in your hands, weight forwards? Good girl, just like that. Stay still." Her mother's heat left as she slipped off and quickly began grumbling in Vani.

As Minara firmly directed the panicked men and helped move the dying man onto a larger sled that his other companions could also jump onto, she ordered the men to hold the mare. "Hold your ground!!" came a panicked voice, and men surrounded Svasra's horse that began to whinny and try to rear.
"Mama!" Svasra cried, looking up as she tried to find her mother.

She didn't see her mother though. She saw a ... thing. A really really big shaggy animal racing towards her, snarling and huge. A lot bigger than she was! Svasra's face paled, as she froze in complete shock and fear. "M... mama!! Mama!" she screamed, the horse under her now pulling even more fiercely, beginning to buck in its struggle to run. The two Sleigh Horses were being held down also, though there were much stronger and larger than the sleek mare that tried to fight against the hold of the men who determinedly kept her down.
"Stay away from behind them! They'll buck. Hold them!" Minara ordered, worried if they fled the wolves would follow.

Meanwhile, Svasra was clinging to a mix of the pommel and Diamond's flowing mane as the mare whinnied in distress and tried to shake off her holders which were the men that came out with no weapons. The others surrounded them were finicky and seemed about as ready to leave as Diamond was it not for the practically sobbing Svasra in the middle. The wolves attacked the front men first, which were battered back with a weak melody of arms and hits and some yelling in spite of it all. Minara suddenly tugged Svasra off the saddle and, Svasra cried in confusion. "Doggy! Stop! Mean d'g! Bad! Bad!" she screamed, snuggling close to her mother as she tried to grasp why the wolf was trying to hurt her friends. "Where's Pu'ple Man? He's'a big! He save us! Aah! PU'PLE NEEDS T'HELP TAME DOGGY!" she screeched, though Minara silenced her as she lowered Svasra to the ground.
"Stay low, Svasra, alright? Shh, doggy won't hurt you if you stay near the ground. He won't see you ... think of it like a game. When we play melting snowflake? Remember? You have to stay hidden for as long as the snowflake melts, if he finds you before then, then you lose. Don't let him find you!" she whispered.
"Melting snowflake? Why are the men so loud though?" Svasra echoed, and Minara nodded, quickly reaving a thick ice snowflake and setting it on the ground.
"There, don't let the snowflake melt after he finds you! They're just noisy because ... they were found! The snowflake they're playing with hasn't melted yet. But your game just started!"
"Will he play with me after?" Svasra asked, wondering if the wolf was just a rambunctious puppy.
"...Go and hide, Svasra, and stay there."

If they were just playing a game though ... why was everyone so scared looking? Svasra frowned and got down on her hands and knees, scrambling through the crowds of men before finding a blanket that had dropped off Diamond in her panicked movements. Crawling under one of the sleds, Svasra tucked herself into the blanket, eyes wide as she tried to block out the noises of the wolf and the men. It was just a game right? Afterwards the puppy would play with them. Play nice. He could be tamed. It was just a game, and he was just a big puppy! Right?

by **Rengar** on May 14th, 2013, 12:35 am

Garren was chasing behind the wolf, as he saw it try and charge through the lines, toward the horses and the little child. He thought he was about to witness his worst nightmare, failing to save a child. But the men held the line. But they weren't the most skilled warriors, those were behind Garren after having taken down the other wolf. The lines began to waiver, and one man was too slow to get get his guard back up. The wolf lunged forward, and chomped down on the man's thigh. Everyone nearby could hear the crunching bones and tearing of flesh, as well as the screams of pain from the poor man. Finally after several long moments, the other men, stunned at first, reacted. The lunged at it with weapons, but the wolf had already hopped away, as sprays of blood gushed from the man, who'd already gone eerily silent.

Garren's arms pumped furiously, snow kicking up everywhere. Too many were getting injured because he'd failed to kill it the first time. He let loose a bestial roar that might have stopped the fiercest Zith midflight, and the canine looked up at him. Garren had no prospects of thinking he could hit it with his throwing axe, while at a dead run, but he tried to aim for its back haunches. He guessed that would cause it to leap to the side and away from the group. Quickly, axe up to his ear, then shot forward, with only a minor stutter in his running. The wolf leapt forward to miss the axe, which would've hit it in the hip had he not evaded. But now Garren was upon it, lowered his shoulder, and collided with the beast. Shoulder met ribs, blood from Garren's wounds stained its fur, and the two flew to the ground. They rolled, and Garren felt a deep clawing in his upper thigh. He rolled side over side, trying to quickly distance himself, having somehow managed to hold onto his battle axe.

He managed to quickly assume a crouch, the creature having gotten to its feet at the same time. Garren gripped his axe handle harder, when he felt a searing pain in his shoulder. Something was broken, and it felt like it might be his collar bone. After all, tackling it felt like he'd smashed into a wall with a light layer of fur over it.

PU'PLE NEEDS T'HELP TAME DOGGY!"

Garren heard the cry of the girl and knew he needed to finish this soon, lest she become the eventual victim. He rushed forward, wincing at the burning in his thigh and shoulders, and the wolf charged to meet him. He swung his axe back, ignoring the bone on bone grinding in his shoulder. As they nearly met, Garren hopped to the side, a half twist of his body, and he swung the axe downward, as he'd done to chop firewood thousands upon thousands of times. And was rewarded with a meaty resistance and a whimpering cry. He'd sunk his axe head deep into the creature's front shoulder, but it wasn't a killing blow. But he could live with a crippling one. The wolf pulled away, and the axe was yanked from his hands, lodge in the beast. It couldn't run though, it's leg unable to move, stuck in a raised position.

Garren gave chase, yelling first, "It's over, attend to the wounded!" The wolf couldn't escape fast enough on three legs, and Garren leapt on its back, hooking an arm around its thick throat. His weight threw the creature off balance, and it crashed into the ground on its right side. Garren could just barely get his left arm all the way around the neck, and snaked his right arm beneath it, and began squeezing with all of his strength, trying to suffocate it. The wolf was squirming, trying to escape, but without its one leg, and Garren's formidable weight, it couldn't do much more than scramble at the ground with its hind legs. The Akalak continued to increase the pressure on his hold, feeling the creature panic, starting to tire. And there he was found, chimes later, with a dead wolf in his arms.

Garren hadn't felt so tired in a long, long time. He looked up at the first men who'd approached, who did the right thing and stabbed the damn creature with a spear just to make sure it was dead. "The child... is the child okay?" He hurt all over. He had deep grooves in both shoulders, and his left thigh, and his collar bone was most certainly snapped. "Send word to the city, get everyone back inside. We'll need healers, hunters, and need to talk to those men who came back from the hunt. Quickly, I'll be fine on my own."

Rengar stood up, while he let his brother take a breather within, and he nearly fell over. He reached down and wrenched the axe from the dead wolf. Now, it looked no different from a dead dog, albeit bigger. Using his axe as a crutch he limped back to the main group, slowly, scooping up his throwing axe. He saw that one of the younger men had gathered the rest of his stuff, and was at his side. "Thanks lad, I'm so very tired. Is the child around? Is she okay?" He kept scanning the dispersing group, looking for the little girl that loved animals so much.

by **Svasra** on May 18th, 2013, 6:41 pm

"It's just'a game, a game wit' a'doggy, he'll play nice ... I just have t'hide," Svasra whispered to herself as she cringed, drawing the blanket closer and around her head. A whimper drew her attention, and Svasra was tempted to glance from underneath the sled, though she remembered her mother reminding her not to be found - then she'd lose the game! A strangled cry ripped past her ears soon after, and Svasra let out a small noise of distess, wanting to comfort the poor dog. She hoped they weren't hurting him because he lost! Wiping tears from her vision, Svasra wished her mother had hid with her. Then she wouldn't feel so ... scared.

"It's just'a game t'ough!" Svasra scolded herself. Just a loud ... and big game, with dogs. The noise died down though. It grew quiet except some orders yelled in that weird language that only Purple Man seemed to talk. Was he the winner? Was he looking for her now? With the silence, Svasra could almost believe this was all a game, and covered her head with the blanket, shivering underneath its meek warmth.

Outside, Minara was frantically calming the horses, cooing, stroking, and letting they pace. The sled horses were fine after they were allowed to roam and ease out their nerves, though Minara had let a spry Snowsong take Diamond out farther. "Is the child around? Is she okay?" the Akalak was asking, and Minara knew scattered Common to get the meaning. She had seen Svasra disappear in the middle of it all, and knew she was close-by, hidden away.
"Svasra? Svasra!"
"Svasra where are you?"
"It's okay! Nothing will hurt you now!" The men began to call, spreading out to cover the surrounding area.

Svasra heard them begin to call her where she hid, and peeked her head out of the blanket. Hurt her? Why would something hurt her? Was the game over? Did she win?

"Stop stop, I told her we were playing Melting Snowflake," Minara said quickly to the men that had begun to anxiously roam farther, thinking the young girl fled into the woods. Understanding sparked in their faces as they nodded, and Minara called out, "Winter has come, the Snowflake melted, what will the water reveal?"

Her mother's voice rang clearly over the silence that had fallen, and Svasra slowly crept out from underneath a sled. She clung to the blanket as her mother turned to see her, the men looking over their shoulders to see the young girl with wide eyes staring at them. "Svasra! Are you alright?" Minara asked, hurrying over with a few others that split from the group.

Svasra soon wasn't looking at them though. Her eyes went to ... the snow. The sleds. The three men on one that seemed ... sleeping? "Red," she whispered. It was so red. Bright bright red against such perfect snow. "It is'a l'ke M'rwen's Light fell from t'sky ..." Men had cuts, bruises, and bloody weapons. They immediately tried to hide some of it as weapons disappeared behind backs, and a quick hand over their faces wiped clear some of the bloody pigment. She looked at them, their concern now turning to unease as her eyes flickered shades that ran over each face, eyes, and body. They couldn't hide the fallen wolves behind them, covered in blood and obviously dead.

That was when she saw Purple Man. He looked worse of them all, pain practically tangible around him, leaning on his blood-soaked axe, bloodied all over his lean body. Svasra walked up to him, tilting her head back to look at his face, as he was quite tall. She blinked, once, and looked around herself once more. "Than'ya." Her tone was sincere, but blunt and she had no smile to offer as she said it.

Svasra was young, yes, could be a bit naive, and could be a bit silly. Yet, she knew when harm was meant towards her. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, friendly about the snarl that rippled over the ears of the party, and nothing playful about all of these marks on the men. This was a fight. Perhaps not like she was read about, or the ones that she had with a friend. There was something more ... primitive about it. This Purple Man had something to do with the fact they were alive, if his wounds were any bearing. Svasra hugged his leg - as it was the only place she could reach - and looked towards the wolf.

Venturing closely, Svasra looked at its bloodstained coat and felt a pang of sorrow, coming up to the corpse. The wolf was huge, much bigger than the young Vantha, yet she knew ... in this state, it was harmless. Unaware of the men that shadowed her, wary of even the dead wolf, Svasra touched its cold coat with a sniffle, and pat its large snout, closing its eyes gingerly. "You ... you were goin' t'hurt us ... so, this 'appened. Mama says dyin' isn't bad, t'ough, and it can ... remove your sins, though I don't really know what that means," she murmured, sitting down in front of the corpse's head. "Maybe you were ju't protectin' y'r friend, or you ne'ded food, or .... protectin' children." She pat the snout once more. "In ... the afterlife, you get t'be whomever and whatever y'wish. Be somef'in' g'd, and don't attack people wif spike-y things," Svasra continued as she reassured the corpse.

Rising, Svasra moved to the other, and repeated the ritual, saying good-bye, and reassuring the spirit that it didn't have to be a bad doggy when it died. "You can be wh'tev'a you wanna be."

A small silence spread over the camp as they watched the young one with the corpses, Svasra glancing at their surprised expressions with an innocent smile they could only reciprocate. "Come on, Svasra ... we have to go home."
"What about Purple Man?" she piped up, looking over to the large towering man.
"Everyone is coming with us," she said, hitching the sleds and hopping onto Diamond, taking Svasra to sit in front of her. Taking a breath, Minara looked at the men in the sled and quickly began to move, leaving the men behind with one sleigh horse, while Diamond and the other began the pressing journey back to Avanthal.

End.

by **Noblesse** on August 14th, 2013, 5:45 pm

Svasra Snowsong :

True nobility lies in being superior to your former self

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

Flashback A Dire Warning (Open)