Frost Hide (Bandit!)

[Listenbeastie]

Unfortunately for the woman the fun session was far from over. As they spoke the wolf peered up at them quietly, waiting for some form of action to take place. So when Fetter began walking off the beast was inclined to follow him. The animal limped along carelessly, rumbling a bit as he viewed the parchment upside down.

Something clicked for the wolf. It tried to stop the boy by nipping at his pants gently. Whether or not it worked he kept up, up on his hind legs and changing.

While the transformation itself took place in a matter of seconds and the visual was fluid the sounds of bones cracking and moving were loud. A pale arm reached forward while the other slung around the boy's shoulder, reaching to flip the map quickly. Then its index finger trailed over the spot the woman designated.

The wolf-man hummed simply, not seeming fazed at all by the fact that he was naked in the middle of the tundra. His pelt was around his shoulders, leaving everything else hanging in the open.

Have fun, Fetter. Have fun.

[A Quixotic Knight]

The woman peered outside of the tent flap for a moment as Fetter walked away, turning to enter the tent seconds after, only to run into the enormous wolf as he made his way after the boy. She wobbled a bit before righting herself and glancing back over to the two.

Fetter had managed a few steps in the snow by the time the wolf began to nip at his pants. He laughed cheerfully, meandering forward in spite of the beasts protests. "Stappit'," he chided, no trace of command in his voice, "Stapp!" The request seemed to get through to the large tundra creature, and the boy continued on, glancing about towards the line of the forest until an arm shot out before him and righted the map in his hands.

"Uhwuh --" He blurted out gracelessly, nearly dropping the map at the sight of the sudden (very bare) masculine limb in front of him. He halted, the gears of his mind turning slowly before at last coming to a realization - 'Thas' na' a girl arm!' his thoughts protested, but his hands moved of their own accord. He collected the map, squinting at it thoughtfully, at last able to decipher the map now that the names didn't appear written in some strange, foreign language. "Ah!" His eyes lit up, warmly, and he turned around in a quick whirl to face the one who had helped him.

"Thankee kindly, sir, I--" his gaze dipped down suddenly, eyes growing to near the size of dinner plates. "Whu- uh - huh - Golly, sir, yer missus must be a 'appy lady!" He caught himself a moment too late, babbling rapidly and tearing his gaze away from the goods. " -- Erp, 'scuse me, I been awful rude - Ma' always told me t'wasn't right ta' stare! M' sorry!" He dropped into a quick bow, squeezing his eyes shut tight to avoid any unpleasant mishaps while trying to clutch the map to his chest.

Behind the two, the pale haired woman quickly backstepped and closed the flap of the tent, her eyes filled with what could easily be described as 'nope'.

[Listenbeastie]

"Nil bjo! Opehscu barat n'gorro." The "wolf" replied happily. Then, as soon as it was done the fellow turned away and proceeded to once again take the form of a beast. The animal trotted back towards the tent, ears perked and eyes wide with curiosity as to why the woman closed the tent. Once reaching the small structure he paused and waited for the woman to show her face agin.

[A Quixotic Knight]

Fetter righted himself as the naked man spoke, blinking as he spoke. He lifted a hand to wave awkwardly at him as he turned to transform and leave. After a moment of staring, he seemed to snap out of whatever spell had held him in it's grasp, and returned to trying to make sense of the map in his hands. Murmuring something under his breath, he began to wander out into the cold, set on finding his way back home.


Back inside of the tent, the woman had sat in the center of her bedroll with her legs crossed neatly. She had pulled the scruff of fur that hung beneath her jaw up over her mouth and ears once more, and hunched where she was, staring directly at the flap of the tent. The flap wasn't fastened shut presently, but the heavier leathers of the makeshift door worked well enough to keep the chill winds out, even so.

If her mind was racing, the mask prevented any indicators. She shifted slightly, halting the whining pangs of one of her feet before she could lose feeling in it. She listened to the sound of conversation outside of her tent, moving very little save for the rise and fall of her chest.

[Listenbeastie]

When a moment passed and the woman was unwilling to leave the beast whined quietly and walked back into the tent, nudging the heavy leather flap out of the way with his snout. The beast approached the woman, ears still lifted high as it looked at her.

[A Quixotic Knight]

The woman sat with her back stiff and her legs folded still, her gaze locking on to the beast. The stare was unwavering save for the slightest narrowing of her eyes as the creature approached. She glanced to the side of the massive wolf and sighed, steadily rising to her feet and trying to open the flap behind him to peer back outside.

[Listenbeastie]

Without a twinge of hesitation the beast shifted to brush against the woman while she went to look out from the tent. His ears pressed flat against her abdomen as he attempted to sniff her thoroughly, eyes wide with curiosity despite the fact that he had already done this some time recently.

[A Quixotic Knight]

One of the woman's hands hovered mid-air above the beasts head as she peered outside, watching the shape of the boy's retreating back. A thread of footprints trailed out behind him, like a chain connecting him to the small encampment. Once more, the androgynous stranger sighed, allowing the breath to spill out as a cloud in the chilly air.

She lowered the hand, trying to place it atop the head of the wolf as he sniffed her.

'The town is still too close... I'll need to move camp soon, then.'

[Listenbeastie]

Whining softly, the beast lapped at her fingertips, trying to pick up any remaining hints of food that still clung to her dark skin. His tail wagged slowly, bumping into her leg as it swayed toward her.

[A Quixotic Knight]

She flexed her fingertips experimentally, allowing the large beast to sniff and lick at them as he pleased. The wanderer withdrew the hand that had been holding the flap open, preventing the release of what little precious warmth the tent still held in. She tried to lift an arm, scratching the wolf behind an ear before moving further into the tent.

She bent to the ground, crouching down in the furs, and began to rummage through her bags as she took stock. They seemed to be doing decently with food, but if things kept up the way they were, she would need to begin hunting in a few days time to prevent using her emergency rations. The young woman then began to pack away what she had withdrawn, leaving a small bundle of wrapped paper that smelled faintly of meat, resting atop her lap.

[Listenbeastie]

The wolf moved around his companion, eyes trained upon the bundle. Despite it sitting out in the open the beast showed admirable restraint, glancing occasionally at her after a moment of her packing.

[A Quixotic Knight]

She finished repacking the bag and sat back with a small sigh. Her vision drew towards the large wolf, and she watched him for a moment, one of her hands rising to rest over the parcel. "...You  hungry, boy?" She tested, hesitantly.

[Listenbeastie]

Her only response was a glance in her direction before all of the animal's attention was returned to the parcel.

[A Quixotic Knight]

The woman snorted quietly and reached out a hand towards the beast, beckoning him closer with small scratches of her fingertips beneath his jaw. Her free hand remained atop the parcel and plucked at the twine that bound the butchers paper shut, unwrapping it with deft motions. When the package was unwrapped, four slabs of salted bears meat rested against leaves bound in the paper. The scent was oddly sweet, as though something else had been kneaded into the pink flesh. Collecting the food in the cradle of an arm, she made to rise to her feet.

[Listenbeastie]

The animal did lean in to the woman's hand, rumbling a deep, non-aggressive growl. His eyes persisted on studying the meat, even as he stood back while she rose. Licking his chops, the beast made a garbled sound, stepping around her to settle further back in the tent.

[A Quixotic Knight]

Cold whipped the young woman in the face, drawing strands of silver into her eyes and causing her to wince faintly from discomfort. She lifted a hand and pushed the hair irritably out of her eyes as she strode through the snow.

Her feet carried her to the half-buried fire pit from the night before, snow building up well past her ankles. Sighing once more, she knelt in the frost and began to clear out the pit, scooping large handfuls of snow from the center, and allowing it to pile up just outside of the ring of stones she had lain down. Her fingers touched ash and it collected against her chill fingers strangely as she worked. There was still wood left from the night before, and stupidly she had chosen to leave her tinder box out aside the fire in her distraction. She leaned forwards, the leather of her armor groaning as she gathered her tools, and set to work building the fire, sending a small prayer heavenward that the tinder had not been wetted.

A small while later, the fire had risen beneath the logs, licking at the knotted wood and spitting small sparks into the air with pleasure. The woman had once again erected the rotisserie that had been knocked astray by Fetter's earlier fumblings. She now sat before the fire, knelt against a short, squat log, and sliced hunks of the meat she had gathered into small chunks, each of which she fed along a sharpened metal stake. The fingers of her gloves had become slick with meat and salt as she worked, rapidly losing herself in the rhythm she had set.

[Listenbeastie]

By the time the fire had kicked up the beast was no longer in the tent. Instead, it lay quietly in the snow, curled around her where she sat. Snow collected around his legs and body as he rested, still focusing on the meat which cooked over the fire.