Beast of the Tundra [open]

[Ethereal-Star]

"I'll have an ale please." Adelaide told the bartender of the tavern. Two copper coins later, the ice mage received her drink and sat down in a chair over by the frost-covered window looking out at the small village of Hyoite. She sipped her drink quietly, thinking about her latest travels through the tundra.

There had been tales of late about some sort of large tundra beast. The creature had been described as most unnatural, with eyes like white diamonds, fur like the purest of snow and an aura of vileness surrounding it, complete with blood red claws that seemed too big for its body. Adelaide wasn't sure what to think of these stories as she had yet to come across any sort of beast of this nature. After all she had done a lot of exploring through the icy terrain. If it was out there and as dangerous as everyone claimed, she should have seen or heard something of it by now. The fact that she hadn't made her question the tale's believability.

But whatever. Adelaide wasn't here to think about such things. She was here to enjoy a drink and a respite from the cold. While she may be more used to the freezing climate than most, she was definitely not immune to it either. Being out and about amongst the ice and snow had since toughened up her endurance to the point that she rarely caught colds anymore. That was one benefit of her decision to travel among these parts. As a practicing ice mage, Adelaide's magic was stronger when she was in a climate that catered to this element. She could not just manipulate ice and snow but create it out of nothing too, although the effects here were much stronger. Her hair had changed color over the years as a result of her practice. It was fitting really she thought. It used to be brown, but was now a silvery-tinted white color. Being attuned to the nature of ice made it so. She was also more pale skinned as a result, almost ghost-like.

Adelaide took a deep breath, downing the last of her ale while listening to the talk of the local patrons here. None of them really captured her interest as most were discussing their home and family life and various possible hunting prospects, but one conversation in particular made her ears perk up. "I swear it, I saw the foul beastie! It was big and it was mean, ready to take a bite out of me!" Someone else asked "Then how did you escape its clutches?" "Ah, that my friend is what makes this tale so glorious! I was able to-"

Whatever else the man had been about to tell his comrade, was drowned out by the sound of the tavern door banging open, the harsh icy wind blowing in, followed by large snow covered boots in the doorway. Everyone turned their heads to look at the newcomer, including the ice mage.

[IcarusDescension]

The boots' owner, a 6' pale-skinned man buried beneath layers of primitive fur garments, shook off a layer of snow after stepping across the threshold. His hooded forest-green eyes took in the tavern's environs for a moment before landing on an unoccupied stool at the bar.

Paying no mind to the stares of the locals he headed for it at a casual pace. "Cider." He stated simply after reaching the bar. "Make sure it's hot."

The bartender's eyes scanned him for a second. "I'll see some coin first. Two coppers."

Aguta sighed, but took no offense. It was always this way. Outsiders were often treated with -if not outright distrust- a certain measure of caution. Especially those who tended to look down on their luck, like himself. He knew he must smell like cold sweat and dirt - and look little better. He made no reply, instead reaching beneath his furs to dig a couple of coins from his pouch and slap them on the counter.

The barkeep took them and shrugged, going for the cider.

"Hard winter." The man said as he returned with the steaming beverage. Technically a statement, but Aguta knew it was really meant as a question.

"I'm doing well enough." He lied. The truth was it had been a hard winter on Aguta, and not just the blasted cold weather. Normally he would have come to town with furs to sell, but this time he had been forced to this miserable shack just to seek shelter. He hated having to make more village stops than necessary, preferring instead the quiet peacefulness of the open tundra.

"Come to trade?" The other man asked with a nod at his favorite wolf-pelt.

He shook his head. He wouldn't have traded that particular pelt anyway, as it was special to him, but at the moment he wasn't willing to trade any of them. He had spent the last few weeks huddling in them against the cold. Spontaneously he decided to fish for a little information. "Somethin's been scaring the game away. I spent a week tracking a bear across the tundra but somethin' got to it first. Tore it up real good. I've never seen anything like it. Left the corpse half-eaten."

Rather than any useful information the barkeep only guffawed in response. "You and those loons over on table five. Don't worry lad I've heard it all before. The scary snow monster and all that. Save your tales to impress the ladies, and enjoy your cider." With that he walked away.

Aguta sighed again. Well what did I expect... It had happened though. Not for the first time he wishes he'd gone any other direction but the one he had picked. Curse this miserable little hole in the snow anyhow...

[Ethereal-Star]

When the man entered the tavern and went straight over to the bar, Adelaide observed him with a sort of detached interest. After all many sorts of types found their way here, so it wasn't like he was completely out of place in this tavern. She idly listened to the conversation between him and the barkeep, swirling her drink around a little before finishing it off.

At the mention of something scaring away the game, she rose an eyebrow but other than that, she didn't seem all that interested. It was probably nothing she surmised. The warmth of the tavern was nice and all, but soon Adelaide felt the need to be out in the cold air again. She was starting to feel a bit stifled here so she got up and left, reentering the village and letting the door close behind her with a secure click of its hinges.

Soon she had left the village of Hyoite and was now back in the tundra itself, cold fierce biting air whipping all around her as she walked onward, her focus rod in one hand, bag over her left shoulder. Her feet crunched over the snow on the ground as she traveled on, just content to see the sights and enjoy the cold. It was nice to be out in the open again, among the frozen terrain where freedom and a sense of adventure reigned. It was something that the ice mage would never tire of.

[IcarusDescension]

Aguta had been sipping his warm cider gratefully, savoring its warmth as it slid down his throat, before glancing around again at the tavern's other occupant's. His eyes had moved over them all without stopping until they reached the short, white-haired woman who had been sitting quietly by the window. Now that he noticed her he was surprised he had not done so immediately. Her delicate features and gentle curves seem to hook his gaze and he found he couldn't let go as he watched her casually exit the tavern. Coming back always made him remember acutely how many weeks he had spent alone on the tundra... Stop it. He scolded himself.

Refocusing on the present, he flagged down the barkeep again. "Where's the nearest inn?"

The man shrugged one shoulder. "Got a room out back you could have through tonight. Three silvers."

"Throw in a hot bath and we'll call it four," Aguta countered, knowing he should be thrifty but wanting his hot bath too much to care.

The barkeep nodded, and soon walked away four silver the richer.

As it turned out the room the man had been referring to was what appeared to be a small cabin out back of the tavern itself. It was offset of the main building and didn't appear to be much used, none the less it was in reasonably good condition and came furnished with a good supply of wood by its humble hearth and a real honest-to-goodness bed that made Aguta want to fall right in the moment he laid eyes on it.

Instead he waited patiently as a plump woman who he guessed to be the barkeep's wife brought in first an iron tub and then one bucket after another of steaming hot water. She was all business, never sparing him a smile. He didn't care, hardly sparing her a glance in return. He was practically salivating at the thought of his warm bath.

Once she had finished, leaving a brush, bar of soap, and a towel, he locked the door behind her and gratefully stripped off his clothes. The still-hot water felt indescribably good as he eased himself into it -the weeks of dirt and stiff muscles melting away.

As his body relaxed so too did his mind, and his gifts began to stretch out of their own accord, making him once more aware of the world beyond the one which could be seen. He let his senses open, noting the familiar presence of Sol – the wolf spirit who had befriended him more years ago than he could clearly remember. He wasn't sure why the wolf had been with him for so long. Did he simply long for the occasional chance to feel life again, unable to let go? Or was he Aguta's spirit guardian as his people believed in, or perhaps both?

Either way an idea came unbidden into his mind. He knew he shouldn't, but he also knew he would. The image of the white-haired woman had once again intruded upon his mind. Curiosity, he told himself, nothing more. Partly he knew it to be an excuse to take wolf form once more. The experience was not just pleasant for the wolf, and it had been days since he had indulged either of them.

Go outside. He told the wolf, a silent mental promise on the end of the statement. Once Sol had obliged -walking through walls came quite easy for the wolf spirit- Aguta began to channel energy from that place inside him as he had long ago learned to do, guiding it into the wolf, visualizing the wolf's physical form.

Then it happened. In an explosion of light and smell and sound the world came rushing in. Suddenly he was there, sharing the glorious experience of *being* with Sol – the elation of the sun on his fur, the plethora of smells delighting his nose, the blindingly bright and real daylight. They were free.

Sol bounded around in the snow for a time in pure pleasure like a pup fresh from the den. Aguta shared in his joy – the strength of his muscles, his agility and grace. Inside the cabin his human body still sat in the bathwater he knew. He could even still feel it, a second set of limbs with their own feelings and experiences, but he paid his human body only enough attention to keep from slipping into the bathwater and drowning or something, instead gorging himself in the elation of being a wolf. There had been a time the duality of the experience had confused him beyond what his mind could handle but he had long since learned to sort it out.

Find the human woman. Aguta directed. While he had some measure of direct control over Sol's body he tried to avoid curtailing the wolf's freedom more than necessary out of respect, besides he wasn't as good at controlling a wolf's body as, well, a wolf was.

Sol wagged his puffy tail like a dog, sharing in Aguta's mental image of the woman before putting nose to the ground in search of human scents. The wolf never minded when he sent him on errands and tasks. Just being alive again seemed enough for Sol.

They wandered around the nearby buildings, once startling a couple of patrons exiting the tavern. They moved away quickly, apparently deciding they were not in the mood to try and shoo away a large white arctic wolf.

One by one they continued sifting through the various scents both human and animal but none seemed right. Several small animals had been by, probably foraging for whatever tasty tidbits the humans might have discarded on their way out. Human scents went every direction from the tavern but most smelled of maleness and dingy feet almost as much in need of a bath as Aguta's.

Finally they found one that might have been right. The footprints left in the snow seemed about the right size and shape anyway. It was difficult to tell for certain without having smelled her scent before. Unexpectedly the trail did not go towards one of the other buildings though, but away from town towards the open tundra.

Let's follow, he directed again. Sol cocked his head and Aguta could feel the wolf's curiosity almost as his own.

Mate for you? The wolf inquired.

Back in the cabin he was sure his face had just flushed. No.

Prey? The wolf guessed next, excited by the prospect.

No! Just follow please... A voice in the back of his mind pointed out that the wolf was probably quite right to question his motives but he pushed the thoughts away.

With something that might have been the mental equivalent of a shrug the wolf again obliged, setting off on the trail. It took some time, the woman had a good lead on them, but neither of them cared for both of them were still enjoying every moment of being in the world. The cold tundra air soon smelled fresh as when the world was new once they left the settlement behind and the stench of humanity faded. The cold couldn't bother him anymore either, Sol's thickly furred wolf's body was well insulated against it.

Their progress was further slowed by Sol's occasional preoccupation with various scents or sights of the wildlife but Aguta let the wolf have his moments.

Eventually his patience was rewarded and a small dot ahead on the landscape turned into the vaguely discernible shape of what he was certain was the same human female he had seen in the tavern. He couldn't suppress a bout of worry. What was she thinking wondering out into the middle of the tundra all alone like this? His mind flashed back to the image of the mauled bear and the absence of wildlife.

Then again it might have been nothing. Perhaps simply some territorial dispute among bears turned especially violent or more likely the depraved act of human hunters more interested in killing for sport than for meat.

Still it bothered him.

Something pressed upon his mind – Sol was trying to get his attention. He let go of his distractions and listened, but it wasn't a sound but a smell that the wolf had noted. Something the wolf could not identify, and that was significant in and of itself. He tried to analyze the smell himself but it was just a whiff and his human mind was far less experienced at identifying odors than the wolf's. Then the wind shifted and it was gone.

Sol wanted to investigate, but he once again insisted on following the woman, hunkering down in the snow for a time lest they get too close and get spotted. Sol was right, stalking *was* fun, even if he didn't intend to actually kill his prey... In that moment Aguta knew all over again that he never wanted to return to his fragile and graceless human body.

Alarms were going off in the back of his mind and he knew he should break the connection right then but as usual he didn't. It was a beautiful day on the tundra, and he would enjoy his freedom and happiness a little longer. Just a little bit longer...

[Ethereal-Star]

Walking across the frozen ground, the ice mage continued on with the intention to stop at one of the shrines that were placed here and there throughout the tundra. These shrines being the locals way of praying to and venerating the spirits they called the 'manaia', whom all Sionadyaki honored in some form or fashion. Adelaide figured an offering to appease the spirits in lieu of safe travels would not be a bad idea. The ice mage was far from being a religious person, however a little luck on her side wouldn't hurt.

As Adelaide neared one of these shrines, hand shielding her eyes from the snow flurries that were blowing in front of her, she rummaged around in her bag for a coin to toss into the offering bowl which was supported by a figurine of one of these manaia spirits-that of a man's upper body, fish tail and the head of a bird. The whole structure sat on a simple beige-colored pedestal covered in snow and permafrost. The offering bowl itself had several coins and trinkets in there already from travelers past. It was considered bad taste to steal from a shrine and those who have usually had a run of bad fortune befall them for a time afterward. Adelaide was no thief although she couldn't really fault those that were. She only cared if it happened to her.

Her hand closed around a copper coin. Pulling it out of her bag, she flicked it into the waiting bowl. The coin made a clinking sound when it hit the other coins there. Closing up her bag, Adelaide moved on from the shrine and continued her icy trek across the tundra.

[ChocbreadMarshmallow]

Ilvenath sat near the fire, quietly playing the flute for the crowd of mostly uninterested costumers. The odd coin would be tossed his way as his song came to an end and he decided it was enough for the time. The people were too chatty to even need entertainment. As he packed his things and headed to his room, he overheard talks of a monster prowling the tundra. 'Tall as three men!', one said, 'two mouths with rows upon rows of teeth!', another claimed. The exaggerations tried one-up eachother in their storytelling, making the alleged beast seem more dangerous and otherworldly with every syllable.

The Danaan stepped up to the innkeep. "Y'heard the talks, Boss?", he murmured, to which the innkeep nodded mockingly. "Aye, what of it?"

"There any coin mentioned?", Ilvenath kept inquiring.

"None. Why don't ya go kill the "monster" and see what its pelt is worth?", the inkeep guffawed, waving the Danaan away with his hand. Ilvenath muttered curses under his breath and vanished into his room just as a new arrival entered the inn. He pulled a chest from below his bedding and retrieved various sheathed blades from it, checking their state and oiling them as he deemed necessary, then attaching them to his belt. Then there was his "big knife", a two handed, one edged blade, his entire pride aside from the living he enabled himself and his brother. He drew the blade from its sheath and pondered the dull reflection, then sheathed it again and slung it over his back. With new fervour he stepped back into the room and, throwing a last hostile look to the innkeep, exited out into the village.

Hyoite was quite at the moment. The village wasn't known for being bristling with tourism or trade, but it was unusually quiet. 'Beast prob'ly got them scared off their minds', he mused with a grin. Fastening the belt around his fur-vest, he continued his path out of the village, out into the tundra of Sionad.

He trodded along the path until he came across the local manaia-shrine, where he stood for a moment and considered praying to the good spirits. He didn't have any money on him, though, and no other means to pay respects to them, but he still took a moment to kneel and pray at the shrine, if only to remember his family and a ask for a sign. For the one-hundredth-and-whoknows time, he asked for a sign. He sighed in frustration, jumped up and kicked at a pile of snow before taking a look at the shrine, again. "Would it kill ya to give me just one vague wiggle of a finger? One little gust of wind carrying a whisper?! ANYTHING?!!", he shouted his anger at the stone.

Silence was his answer, as it always was. His face sunk into his palms and he muttered: "Why do I even try, anymore...?" He sniffled, his nose running from the cold he told himself, and angrily stepped away from the shrine and continuing his way. He soon came across the traces of human feet, followed by paw-prints. 'Must be a dog', he concluded, though wondered what breed it might've been. A suspicion came to his mind.

'What if that's the beast and it's hunting somebody?'

He drew a hunting knife from his belt and bolted after the traces. The cold air stung in his eyes and he winced at the winds cutting at his face, enhanced by his own running. After he climbed a small hill he could make out a moving spot in the distance. It seemed like the woman from the tavern earlier, he hadn't even seen her leave. "Hello! Hey! You there!", he shouted at the top of his lungs, waving his arms like a lunatic.

[Ethereal-Star]

As the ice mage made her way through the tundra, huge piles of snow everywhere, she refastened her bag over her shoulder as it started to droop, pushing a piece of her silvery-white hair out of her face as she walked. Adelaide was heading towards one of the smaller settlements in the Sionad, but first she wanted to make a stop at that ice cave she liked to visit so much. That's when she thought she heard shouting.

Stopping for a second, she paused looking around in confusion. Must be just the wind. she gathered, and started to continue on. Then the wind seemed to abate some and the shouting became clearer, although she couldn't make out what was being yelled. Turning around once again, the ice mage spotted a shape at the top of a hill she had gone over on her way here. It seemed to be waving its arms in her direction frantically and Adelaide was positive that person was the one shouting, and at her no less.

Gripping her focus rod in her hand tightly, Adelaide stared bewilderingly at the figure. Must he carry on like that? she wondered with a bit of irritation. Although it could have easily been a 'she' as Adelaide was too far to tell for sure. Pausing, she considered what to do. The person obviously wanted something, probably wondering what she was doing out here by herself. Adelaide could take care of herself, but others wouldn't necessarily know that. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Adelaide started walking again, figuring the person could catch up if they really wanted to. She certainly wasn't going to wait for them though. After all, she had places to go and everything...

[IcarusDescension]

The pale, open sky seemed more vast than the world was wide that day. Far below that clear sky was a word indescribably flat but no less small, and on it, enjoying its endless majesty, sat a lone white wolf.  The timeless wind spoke in a voice few bothered to listen to and the land seemed to echo with ages beyond human memory. Here a person -or wolf as the case may be- could breathe, could get lost in the magic of simply being.

Aguta had made Sol continue to follow as the woman had stopped at the shrine to manaia. The poor wolf continued to indulge him, although he had now grown quite bored of stalking this human. Aguta couldn't blame him.

The woman tossed a coin into the shrine and Aguta shook his head (his human head, back at the tavern, not Sol's.) He grew up among a very spiritual people and it had been into his late teens before the deception had been exposed to him. His own father -spiritual leader of his little clan- had been nothing more than a pretender. Ever since that day he had found little understanding or appreciation for his fellow human's need to worship their various deities.

Then the woman moved on and he asked Sol to follow one more time, still not sure why. The wolf trotted after her -keeping his distance- still happy just to have physicality for as long as it was given, although he was clearly much more interested in the myriad of scents the breeze brought their way than the human they were following.

He wasn't sure exactly where they were headed or why, but after a time Sol alerted him to a strange scent on the wind again. He examined it but knew already it would be up to the wolf's greater experience to properly identify it. But Sol seemed uncertain once more. It seemed human-like, but subtly different somehow. Well, more than he got out of him last time...

The mystery was answered on its own however when a distant voice shouted "Hello! Hey! You there!"

Instinctively Sol crouched further into the snow, his white coat blending in perfectly. Aguta shared his startled reaction, at first fearing he had been spotted, but then he dismissed the thought as foolish. Why would anyone try talking to a wolf?

The woman seemed uninterested in him however, and after turning to look at him she merely turned back and continued on her way.

You're lucky, he scolded himself sternly. If you had checked out the scent when Sol first spotted it like he wanted you to you wouldn't have risked being spotted... Then again, what did he care if he was spotted anyway? Perhaps because he was stalking some random woman through the tundra like a total creep? The thought sobered him and he knew with renewed finality he needed to stop this nonsense. Besides the strange scent turned out to be nothing... Besides another random stranger inexplicably following the poor woman across the tundra... Nothing...

Not my problem. What am I, the volunteer do-gooder of the tundra? Suddenly feeling the whole thing had been an act of monumental foolishness he forced himself to break the link.

Regret and sorrow flooded his mind from Sol, the poor wolf would be but spirit again. Aguta mentally flinched, feeling his own regret and inner conflict pile on top of the wolf's emotions. Do it now, it will only get harder...

Then the link was broken and all at once he was human again, sitting in now cold bath water - his body chilled nearly to the point of shivering. Quickly he finished what he had started, unwilling to walk another day in filth, and then just as quickly rushed to dry himself and put on his spare set of clothes. The furs he piled over the top of himself to warm up still smelled of sweat and days and days spent sleeping in them on the tundra, but at least he felt better... If cold. Time for some more hot cider, he decided.

He could not feel Sol's presence. Somewhere on the tundra he knew a wolf had vanished from physical form and a wolf spirit was once more left to wander, unable to experience the joy of the wind across its fur or the earth beneath its paws. Perhaps the spirit was staying away from him out of anger -but no. He knew Sol was not the bitter or petty type or he would have left Aguta behind countless years ago. No, he would be back...

After grabbing his meager possessions - consisting mainly of his sleeping roll, dagger, bow & quiver- he opened the front door to his rented shack and stepped into the frigid air.

The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't a wolf any more. Even under the furs his human body was not nearly so resilient to the cold, especially now that he had gotten a chill from his bath. Fortunately the sun shown and it wasn't as cold as it might have been.

The second thing he noticed was a fist going into his stomach - and *hard.* As he gasped for breath he noticed he was surrounded by two well-muscled men who had a look that showed they had probably been waiting out here for some time and wouldn't mind taking their boredom out on him.

"Good to see you again,"  the sandy-haired one who had punched him spoke up.

Aguta didn't recognize him. "Do I know you?"

The man laughed halfheartedly, as if Aguta was trying to be funny but wasn't. "Oh yeah- we're good friends... At least we were last time you came through town when you were runnin' up a good tab at the bar. It's been a while but don't worry I got a long memory. Seems to me you were bragging about all the furs you were gonna sell the next day to pay me back. -Funny thing is, I never saw you again..."

Aguta listened with skepticism, but the truth was the man's story wasn't implausible. Drinking... Another little vice of his he had always struggled to keep under control. In the past often with little success, as this man's story was evidence. He went over his options but they weren't many. There was no time to use his bow, and while he might be able to take one in a fist fight two was unlikely. Heck of a time for him to lose track of Sol...

"Hey you two! Didn't I say I didn't want to see you around here again?" The sudden loud voice was the barkeep, who had opened his back door for something and apparently spotted what was going on.

Thank goodness for *some* good timing, Aguta thought.

"Don't even think about leaving without paying me back." The collector threatened, but the two of them were moving off.

A few minutes later, once more in front of the bar, he asked the barkeep for another cider.

The man obliged, but leaned over as he did so. "Listen lad you don't want to get involved with their kind, trust me. They're nothin' but trouble."

Aguta nodded. I noticed. He assessed his state of affairs while he sipped at the deliciously warm cider. He had nothing to sell, his coffers were getting lighter by the day, and apparently he had managed to make enemies in town at some point then gotten far too drunk to even remember doing so but either way they clearly intended to take the debt out of his hide. All in all, he decided, it was probably time to be moving on.

What a pity. I was *really* looking forward to spending a night in a real bed... As he sipped at his cider he let his mind wander. The man two seats over was nursing an ale. He could smell it. How easy it would be to order one for himself and forget about his problems for a while...

No, it was definitely time to be moving on. He would go back to the tundra, at least there he would be at peace once more and away from temptation. Perhaps this time he could finally scare up some game or bring back some fish. There was always a market for fresh fish. It was obviously time to find somewhere new though, at least until whatever was scaring away the game around this place gave it up or got hunted down itself, but in which direction should he head?

For some reason his mind jumped back to the white-haired stranger. Where had she been headed? -Didn't matter, he decided, it was somewhere besides here. She had a good half-day's lead on him, but he could probably catch up.

It wasn't that he was still worried about her or anything certainly. -Since when did he care about other people's problems anyway? It was just simple polite curiosity - one traveler to another. That was all... Besides, one direction was as good as another...

Yes, he repeated to himself as he gathered up his things and set out from the tavern, that was as good a plan as any...

[Nexus]

The tundra was a harsh place, though for the polar bear, it was nothing he couldn't handle. He made his way towards the town that was noted on his map. Once upon a time, the polar bear lived on these plains of ice. Though he fled due to the hunters mistaking him for a beast. Pandor looked cautiously as he approached, noticing that those that saw him suddenly dropped what they were doing and fleeing towards any shelter.

'Typical reaction.' Thought Pandor as he continued towards the town. 'Always hiding, always afraid.'

Pandor had his usual sack of weapons and he figured that was what they were hiding from, though in reality Pandor was being delusional and they hid from him. Knowing nothing of this beast, Pandor was in town to gather information in hisissing brother, a warrior. Though with everyone hiding, he figured that the best place to gather information was at the local tavern. He calmly made his way there, trying not to give anyone a reason to attack him, for he would easily win the fight and get in trouble.

Finally making it to the tavern, Pandor hesitated. He knew that many hunters and trappers frequented these locations looking for the next big hunt, and he was no exception to them. He sat outside weighing his options, the cold doing little to him. He didn't want any trouble, so he decided to wait on the steps and wait for someone that may ow something of his older brother.

[IcarusDescension]

Aguta stepped out of the tavern and stopped a moment to stretch, taking in the sunlight on his face and the fresh tundra breeze rolling in towards town. The world seemed in many ways shallow as a human compared to those times with Sol. The breeze just wasn't as *alive.* It was as if a whole world of smell and sound was closed to him - or at least dimmed to an extreme.

Yet he had to admit, one thing he missed as a wolf were his human eyes. The world just seemed so much brighter- more full of color. Even if he couldn't pick out some things as easily -such as movement for example - there were so many other things to appreciate in the world.

He took in the portrait: The clear open sky (so much more blue now!) The brilliant white of the snow. The massive polar bear sitting calmly to his right...

...Wait... He looked back to his right. Yep, one massive polar bear sitting calmly on the bench as if it did so every day.

He looked back at the tundra, taking a moment to sniff his breath. He hadn't gotten himself drunk again had he? Breath smelled normal, so not drunk. Not unless he was already passed out on a floor somewhere...

He turned back to the bear. "So..." He said casually, although his brain was screaming alarm bells at the situation. "You some sort of a friendly spirit?" It didn't seem right. Normally he would feel the presence of spirits after all, not see them in broad daylight sitting on benches. -But it was worth the question.

[Nexus]

Pandor was confused. No human freely spoke to him unless they were in need of his talents. He looked at the strange man and saw the furs he wore. Pandor stood up to his full height and became agitated, assuming the man was a hunter.

"Spirit? That's a new one." Pandor growled angrily. "Trying to confuse me? Catch me off guard, hunter? Or is it that the bounty for my head is so great you have to skin me as proof of my death!" Pandor became more enraged as he continued talking.

_______________________________

In the open tundra, another like Pandor wandered aimlessly, though not of its own devices. A sickness held him and he became savage, as if he was the beast eveyone saw him as. Nearly nine feet tall at full height, Vandek Ironclaw was every bit the warrior he was trained to be. Though during battle a severe blow to the head caused him to become a killing machine. The gauntlet with five diamond claws was ideal for killing anything that moved. Needing to consume food, there was usually a slew of bodies of dead animals in his wake. He roared loudly and went off to seek his next meal.

[ChocbreadMarshmallow]

Ilvenath gave up. The woman, or who he thought was the woman from the tavern, had only briefly given him her attention and then simply continued her ways, unerred. "I'm trying to help you, you sodding, little, stupid, damned Idon'tevenknowwhyIdothis", he fumed. He quickly surveilled the tundra around him and after assuring himself that there was no immediate danger, he tucked his knife away and began to animatedly jog towards the figure in the open. The cold air stung in his lungs and the snow hid the odd sinking hole so he'd often stumble and have to catch himself, again.

It took him what felt like hours to catch up to the moving figure. He was now almost certain that he recognised them as the woman from the tavern. "Hey! Oi! Stop! For the love of Mother Earth, please stop!" he yelled breathlessly when he finally caught up with her. "You, ah... You don't happen to have a dog with you, do ya? I mean, I don't see one 'round, so... Hoo!...", he blurted forth, trying to find any trace of the animal whose traces he had seen following hers.

[IcarusDescension]

Oh sure, Aguta thought, start off the day getting mugged you might just as well follow it up by pissing off a huge armed polar bear. In any event the bear sure didn't seem like any spirit or figment of his imagination.

He held up his arms in a gesture of peace. "You got the wrong idea. I'm not a- well I am a hunter. But I don't hunt bear... Usually..." Oh hell... If there was one thing he had learned in life it was that it was usually better to depart with your bones intact than your pride.

Before the bear could decide to close the meager distance separating them Aguta leapt through the door from which he had come, coming to a roll that turned into a rather ungraceful crash landing into a chair. No time to spare he climbed back to his feet -once more ignoring the stares that accompanied his entrance- and made for the back door, looking over his shoulder to see if the bear was following.

It would be my luck to be the one to run into that blasted monster everyone's been talking about! Of course he didn't really have any proof that the bear was to blame, but after all it *was* a nine foot armed talking polar bear with a decidedly foul temper. What were the odds it wasn't the beast they were looking for?

"The Beast of the Tundra!" He shouted by way of warning to the tavern occupants who were still staring at him. He pointed towards the door for emphasis.

[Ethereal-Star]

Adelaide soon heard the crunch of snow from somewhere behind her and further shouting from whoever it was that was trying to get her attention before. She turned around and stopped, waiting until the man (for she could now see it was a man) had caught up to her. When he got close enough for the ice mage to get a good look at, she noticed he was dressed in furs and had a collection of knives attached to him in many places on his body, with one really large blade holstered behind his back. But the thing that caught her eyes the most was his left eye. For it was not a normal human eye, but similar to that of a cat's, yellow iris staring at her expectantly and with frustration present. His other eye seemed to be a normal brown.

Adelaide figured he may be some sort of shapeshifter, for those were seen from time to time about the tundra. In fact, at least one of the smaller settlements that she knew of were a collection of shapeshifter peoples that made themselves a living here. Then he had asked her a most ridiculous question, if she had a dog with her. She rose her eyebrow at him, whether in amusement or irritation Adelaide wasn't sure, but it was probably a bit of both. "Do you see a dog around here?" she asked him point-blank, staring at him evenly. Then more calmly she told him, "I travel alone, if that's what you're asking. So no dog or any animal for that matter is with me."

The ice mage looked him up and down, frowning. "Is there something you wanted?" she asked simply.

[ChocbreadMarshmallow]

Ilvenath startled as the white-haired woman answered, rather frankly. "I, uh, no... Uhm, but... Y'see, there was, and then, but...", he stammered, having to collect his thoughts, first.

He raised his hands, telling her to give him a moment, then he took a deep breath and explained himself as calm as he could. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I've been following your footsteps - Or more like stumbled over them as I passed the manaia shrine, near Hyoite. I didn't think much o' them, at first, but then some paw-prints caught my eye. Didn't make much of that, either, but then I thought, maybe some of the local wildlife might be after you. 'Specially now that folks're talkin' 'bout some monster prowling the tundra, I thought I'd better check and see for m'self if you were alright. I was still hopin', though, that you might've some sort of watchdog or somethin' with ya that was responsible for the extra traces." He ended with a sigh, eyeing her up and down.

He wasn't entirely sure what to make of somebody that travelled alone in the tundra and who didn't seem to have any armament on them, though Ilvenath thought the sheath of a dagger peaked from below her cloak. "Where're you headed? Maybe I should keep you company 'til we're at the next settlement."

[Ethereal-Star]

As the man stuttered, Adelaide merely rose an eyebrow as she waited for him to collect his thoughts and say something intelligent. When the stranger told her that he had more or less followed her after she had left the shrine because there seemed to be some kind of animal following her as well that he wanted to make sure she was alright, Adelaide considered his words carefully. He also brought up the mention of the 'beast' and the ice mage nearly rolled her eyes at this. She was about to say there was no beast, that it was all just tavern talk, but then decided what the heck, she wasn't going to waste her breath on it. If there was a beast, the tales of it were greatly blown out of proportion.

The yellow-eyed stranger then asked to accompany Adelaide on her travels toward the next village, asking where exactly she was headed. Adelaide shrugged her shoulders and told him, "It makes no difference to me what you do. As for where I am headed, there is a small settlement about a couple hours or so away from here." was all she said. Then, "I am perfectly able to take care of myself, in case you're worried about that. I'm tougher than I look." And with that she continued walking, not waiting to see if he followed or not.

[ChocbreadMarshmallow]

He was completely taken by the stern retort and he felt insulted. "Listen here, Ice Queen, I don't know who ruined your day, this mornin', but where I come from, you don't flip people the bird and walk off like nothing happened!", he growled, squinting his eyes to slits. "But hey, if it doesn't matter to you, fine! Then you surely won't mind if I trod along! Who knows, maybe I'll sing a song or whistle a tune while we're underway!", he loudly proclaimed and tramped after her. "Maybe I'll make a yellow drawing in the snow how some kind a' beast, or a whole horde of 'em, mauls yer face while 'nasty little me' who could've helped you is standing miiiiiiiles away!", Ilvenath fumed even more.

"Oh, and by the way: If it doesn't matter to you what I do, then it doesn't matter to me that you could 'take care of yourself'", he mocked her while making quotation marks with his fingers, "'cause out here, you can never have enough back up! Yeah, that's right! The moment you think you're better than the danger, guess what? You are in danger! Doesn't matter if you've got a fancy title or a nice robe or a way with sweet words! Doesn't matter if you've got a sword and a whole suit of plate-armour! This place is - Wha-what? Are you even listening to me, lady?"

[Ethereal-Star]

As the shapeshifter continued to rant, Adelaide had turned back around and waited until he was done with his venting, crossing her arms and not batting an eye. While insulted, she chose not to let that show on her features, instead gazing at him with the cool, icy expression that the ice mage was known for. "Are you done yet?" she snapped at him. "Cause I don't know about you, but I would rather keep moving and not stand here idle. Follow me if you want, just don't be all temperamental like this the whole blasted way either! Have a temper tantrum somewhere else, preferably away from me."

She turned back around, looking over her shoulder at him. "Are you coming?"

[ChocbreadMarshmallow]

Still flustered, Ilvenath nodded quietly and stepped up to the ice mage. "I still don't like your tone, Ice Queen, but alright, I'll keep it down", he complied and nodded onward. "Lead the way, then."

After a short while, he couldn't keep his curiousity, anymore. "So... What business do you have where we're headed? Lookin' at your fancy clothes, I'd wagered you'd be a merchant, but then you wouldn't be wandering without a caravan to keep your goods. You a healer, by any chance? A wandering soothsayer?"

[Ethereal-Star]

Without turning around, Adelaide replied to his question. "I'm a mage." she responded. "An ice mage, to be more specific." Now she turned around and gave him a glance. "Does that surprise you?"

Turning back around again, robe swishing about her ankles as she walked on, gray cloak positioned snugly about her shoulders, Adelaide answered the rest of his questions. "Merely going there to stock up on supplies. Y'know, that sort of thing. The last village didn't have what I was looking for." Hefting her bag over her shoulder again, the wind whipping at her silvery-white hair and cloak, the ice mage plowed onward looking very content to be amongst all the snow and ice. Adelaide neglected to mention the ice cave she had wanted to stop at first. Obviously, a change of route was in order here as she doubted he would want to go there and truth be told, Adelaide preferred going there alone. It was her sanctuary while there, no one else's. So it was onwards to the next village.