இ۵Ŗace Ågainst ₦atureஇ۵

[BlackJaguar]

Attican

73 - Brute - Keeper

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Attican watched with Resin as each wolf slowly made their way across. So far so good anyways. He couldn't help but be nervous, after all he considered nearly everyone here as his family. Even a few stragglers such as Curse he felt partially responsible and cared for already. However the light was beginning to worry the brute. With every minute and every group of wolves that crossed, the sun continued to dip lower in the sky. Already it was halfway hidden below the horizon, in another six to seven minutes it would be dissapated altogether. After that the residual light would not last long and the nighttime darkness would set in.

As the brute kept to his thoughts River and some straggler began to cross. From the first moment of it he had a feeling in his stomach that this was not a good pairing. Sure enough the straggler gave no regards to the pup, nearly knocking her over the edge at least once. He gasped, Resin quickly taking charge over the situation. "Once I'm across, send the rest. We're losing light."

"Of course." He replied, the Alphess already well on her way to assist the pup the rest of the way across. Have mercy on that male, Attican knew that he essentially now carried a target on his back.

...

The situation decently resolved, the Elder had the wolves continue on their turns to make their way across. He squinted in the dimming light, finding it harder and harder for himself to see the other side of the bridge anymore. Soon he had wolves bark when they were completely across, allowing him assurance that they in fact had. He craned his head towards the direction the sun had left, only a faintly glowing aura left in its place of decent. He blinked, as if wishing away the darkness. No, not yet please, they hadn't finished crossing... But at the same time no one else seemed to be having trouble like he was with seeing. He grumbled to himself, walking in a quick nervous circle. "Make sure you have a partner before you cross." He spoke again, more than anything trying to use his voice to take his nervousness away and mask it. There were only 3 or 4 couples left to cross at all, and soon they were too making their way to the other side.

It was something the brute could not deny no matter how he'd like to, the loss of light caused his aging eyes to simply not see as well as the younger wolves in the dark. It could not be helped, and unfortunately, it grounded him. He could not see well enough to ever safely cross the thin passage to the other side tonight. He sat in the snow with this revelation, just hardly spying Layak in his darkness. "Go with the last two, so you'll go as three okay? You'll make it just fine." He sighed, smiling briefly at the fae, trying to give her encouragement.

[Resin]

Resin-Alpha Female-30 Summers

She waited patiently, watching as each pair landed safely on the other side. Night had indeed fallen. Xani and Layak had been the last two to cross. It was impossible to see the other side so she couldn't tell if anyone was left, so she did a quick count. Twenty wolves had started the journey and, including herself she now counted eighteen. Ash was on his own, guarding the meal, of course.

Attican. He was the one left on the other side. "Xani. I trust you. March South. Follow the scent of food and take the pack to Ash. He's waiting for everyone with a big, big surprise." Turning her attention to the blackened bridge, she shook out her coat. "I'm going back across for Attican."

Fear rested like a rock in her stomach. Not fear of the dark, but fear that the old wolf had already tried to cross and had fallen. If he still waited on the other side, she would be his partner and cross again with him. It hadn't crossed her mind that he wouldn't be able to see, although it should have.

Going back, she moved even more slowly than she had before. The night was so dark that she could barely see where to place her paws with each step. More than once she slipped and almost plummeted into the black water below. The warm pads of the wolves had melted the bridge a little and the wind had frozen it anew, creating bumps and ridges. Due to that, it was a little easier to get a grip, if you didn't step over the edge, that is.

The other side was like reaching heaven. Stepping off of the treacherous bridge, she welcomed the feel of the powdery snow beneath her feet. Relief spread through her when she picked Attican out of the darkness. "Thank the ancestors." She sighed loudly. "I thought you had fallen over the side." She padded closer and, although it was dark, she could see the worry on his face.

"I had Xani lead the pack to their meal. They've earned it. Would you cross with me or would you like to wait until morning? Either way, I won't leave your side." She nestled against the big male, sharing her warmth with him and taking some in return. "You could hold my tail in your mouth or you could rest your cheek against my hip. We'll have to walk very, very slowly, but if you're hungry, we can cross and go eat."

[Only_Sky]

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Ｌａｙａｋ - Capable
Fighter Fae ☽ Twenty Two ☽ Single ☽ Crush on Dionysus

Turning to Attican, Layak shivered '' I don't know.. Three will probably be to much for the bridge.. What if it broke? '' She said gently, her voice growing quieter and quieter. Swallowing slowly, the fae sat a couple meters away from the bridge '' Uhh, maybe i'll wait till the moon comes out.. '' She whispered to herself, shaking at the thought of crossing. You see, Layak was not a fan fan of confined spaces, heights or ice even, and the bridge was pretty much all her fears frozen together into a great big, untrustworthy bridge. Closing her amber eyes, the fae lay down and curled up into a ball, watching the wolves leave two by two. ' Oh lord, I am a huge coward, but I just can't help being afraid. I wish I was like Resin or Ash, fearless and proud.. But I'm not. ' She thought, shaking her head sadly.

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[BlackJaguar]

Attican

73 - Brute - Keeper

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Attican squinted into the last of the light that there was to be seen, the tails of the last group disappearing from his view as they crossed. He sighed, alone now. Quickly the brute put himself back to work, once again digging himself a pit in the snow and laying down in it. His plan was to rest on this side for the duration of the night, then get up the moment that the sun cracked dawn upon the horizon and once again gave light to the ground so he could catch up before they all left. He hoped that everyone was doing well on the other side, all together... his shoulders sagged involuntarily at the thought, separated from his pack.

Some time passed, the Elder just nodding off when sounds caught trail to his ears. He was awake and alert in a flash, a low growl emitting from his throat at the unknown source.

"Thank the ancestors." It was Resin. Every ounce of hostility immediately drained from Attican, instead immediately replaced with guilt. His ears pressed back into his skull, nearly feeling like a pup again. "It might've been best huh? I'm so sorry Resin, I just.. can't see." His voice faltered and got lower at the last two words. It was hard to admit his impairments, the Keeper always tried so hard to be up to par with everyone. He prided himself in his fitness levels. "I made sure everyone else was across, you don't need to worry about that." He figured that she already knew it, but he felt the need to say it anyways.

Her questions floated around in his mind for a moment, weighing his options. Her warm fur was welcoming, sharing heat for them both. Resin was too kind, she shouldn't have to be worrying about him like this, she needed to be with her pack. For that reason alone he felt like he needed to try to cross. Yet at the same time he would quite literally be crossing the bridge essentially blind, also creating danger for the Alpha that the pack needed the most. Should anything happen it'd be his fault alone. "The pack needs you, I cannot put your safety at risk like that. I am just an old brute Resin, I can take care of myself for the night." He sighed. "Go back with your brother and everyone and eat, you need it the most out of them all." His eyes searched for hers in the darkness while curled up, just hardly making her silhouette out.

[Hannah Elise]

River
4 summers; female grey wolf pup

River's heart was pounding with fear although she tried to scramble back up, she kept slipping not able to get back up onto the bridge. Looking down River whimpered at seeing the water below crashing against the ice braking it up into little pieces eventually River heard her name being carried on the wind "River. Just stay there. Let him cross, but stay there." although she wanted to keep trying to climb up and away from the danger below her instincts told her to stay and listen to the voice that called out although she didn't know who called out River hoped she could hold on for long enough.

The moment River closed her eyes and decided to give up holding on for dear life, she felt someone pull her up glad for being rescued but still scared for her life River snuggled closer to the wolf who rescued her and whimpered keeping her ears and tail down and shivering due to the cold ... Not really hearing the next words River felt being picked up at first she yelped scared that she was going to be dropped over the terrifying bridge but instead River swayed back and forth while being carried the rest of the way.

After being placed safely on the ground River stayed crouched down still breath quite hard, her tail still in between her legs although she was abandoned at a young age and chased by big bears River had never felt like this before. She watched the bridge in front of her with fear in her eyes whimpering after remembering flashes from what happened, River curled up into a protective ball stayed put.

Grimshaw
27 year old Male Loner Wolf

Grimshaw didn't like the idea of walking across already small bridge with a stupid little pup who would probably have thought it was a game anyway ... Half way across the bridge Grimshaw noticed the pup slip slightly growling with annoyances he didn't bother to wait and just kept going forward "The pup will just have to move besides it should be with it's mother" he said to himself so instead of aiding the helpless pup he ignored it's whimpers and continue across the bridge.

Suddenly Grimshaw was knocked over looking up he could see the Alpha of the pack he was traveling with baring down on him, "If you ever pull a stunt like that while in the company of my pack, I won't hesitate to chase you off" after noticing the glare Grimshaw was about to growled back before realizing that if he was chased of there goes his ticket to the way south so instead he submitted after hearing her finally words Grimshaw wanted to lunge out at her but instead he bowed his head the only movement he made was the end of his tail flicking slightly. When he was released Grimshaw turned to move away vowing to teach that pup a lesson when suddenly he yelped as teeth sunk into his hindquarters ... keeping his head down he kept moving away from the group of wolves before licking his fresh wound.

[Only_Sky]

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Ｌａｙａｋ - Capable
Fighter Fae ☽ Twenty Two ☽ Single ☽ Crush on Dionysus

Feeling the air grow colder, Layak whined and slowly stood on shaky legs. Shaking her head the fae marched over to the bridge, forcing herself not to turn tail and run back to where she was born; the old camp. ' No, home is gone, I must go on or else I will perish like the ice around me. ' She thought, taking slow steps onto the bridge before her. Fear washed over Layak, but she fought to keep herself steady, making her way across the beginning of the bridge at an easy pace. Thoughts whizzed around in Layaks mind: ' The bridge could break, I could slip off, I might slip and make some wolf fall off. Oh shut up! ' She almost yelled aloud, shaking her head lightly, trotting forward, eyes closed as she made her way over the bridge.

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[Resin]

Resin-Alpha Female-30 summers

She listened to Attican apologize and she rolled her bright yellow eyes, but she doubted that he'd be able to see. Despite being an elder, he did and said silly things sometimes. She was the one that felt guilty. His lack of sight should have been something that she thought about before she gave him the job of directing everyone across first. In essence, this was her fault.

"For someone that's known me my entire life, you don't seem to know me very well." Using her large black paws, she began digging a bowl out of the snow where she would rest for the night. "In all of the years that I've been Alpha, have I ever left anyone behind? Why would I start now? Especially with someone that means so much to me."

She curled up in the snow bowl, but didn't lay her head down yet. Instead she stared at the land across the ice bridge, obviously thinking. "We haven't even come that far yet and already we're having troubles." As was her way, she flicked that one ear.

"The male straggler that crossed with River... he's going to be a problem. I can smell it on him. He doesn't care about authority and I wouldn't put it past him to endanger us. I've let him know where he stands and he'll have a nice mark for a while to remind him." What she had said to the brute was true. If he was the reason that one of her wolves became injured or was killed, she would kill him. Resin liked to believe that Great Wolves were better than that, but you had bad apples in every species.

Treat your wolves with respect and they'll respect you in turn. That's how she had always thought. However, some of them still chose to act like their lesser relatives. They weren't dummied down canines. They were Great Wolves. Why they acted so base and simple was beyond her. She was proud that the ancestors had given her species their intelligence and made a point to constantly use it.

Realizing she'd spaced out with her inner monologue, she turned her attention back to the old male beside her. "In the morning we'll cross. Hopefully they've left us a bit of mammoth." Her stomach growled at the thought.

[BlackJaguar]

Attican

73 - Brute - Keeper

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He sighed, pretty much already knowing that his words protesting Resin to stay with him were nothing but futile. His head shook softly in residual disagreement to her stay, but a hidden small smile was left unseen in the darkness. No matter what he said, in all honesty he was glad for the company. "I only know you too well my golden girl, you can't blame an old wolf for trying." His head stretched backwards, his forehead momentarily rubbing against her shoulder when she laid down. He hated the thought of being a nuisance, but it could not be helped.

The brute listened to the Alphess speak about the male straggler. "As far as my thoughts are concerned, he is a rogue and should be treated as such. We'll keep an eye out for him, especially for the pups." His eyes blinked in the darkness as he thought. "You are spot on in your actions, another slip up and there is no way we can keep him around. The liabilities for him are too high."

Resin laid in silence for some time, no doubtedly thinking. Just when Attican had thought for her to have dozed off she spoke up again, telling him they'd cross in the morning. "A mammoth??" His voice sounded surprised. The siblings had taken down such a large beast such as that. "Res- .. you know, you really are just something else. You amaze me everyday."

The air around them grew quiet as he finished talking, only the gentle sound of the snow to be heard at all. Attican still felt bad about keeping the female away from a hearty meal she deserved, but he knew that there was no way that he could convince her to do anything otherwise than be here with him. Slowly his head came to rest on his paws, his broad shoulders an open invitation for her to rest hers upon if she so wished. His eyelids drooped, sleep starting to overcome him. His breathing slowed and became more methodical, each rise and fall getting even. With a final shudder to his body he fell asleep.

[Resin]

Ash- Beta Male- 30 Summers

He'd been waiting entirely too long, he felt. After a while he took a few bites of the mammoth. Just to get a little taste of something in his belly. Then, after sitting there staring at it for a while longer, he decided to eat his entire share. He was going to end up eating it anyway, right? Might as well eat it while the thing was still bloody and warm.

After he'd stuffed his belly, he curled up in front of the mammoth, using it as a shield against the wind. He was surprisingly warm. If they could build a wall of mammoths, they'd never freeze again. Ash laughed to himself and rolled around on his back, itching his spine.

The crunch of snow ripped him from his thoughts and he vaulted to his paws, puffing up his coat to warn off anything that would try to steal his kill. His white ears flicked this way and that, pinpointing the direction of the sound. North. The crunching was coming from the North.

When he heard tired voices on the wind, he calmed a bit. Some of the voices he recognized. Apparently everyone had made it across and they were ready to eat. The mammoth was big enough for everyone to fill their stomachs. They could possible have some meat left over.

As the wolves poured in, he looked for his sister. He waited and when the wolves stopped arriving, he canted his head, obviously puzzled. Nudging a random wolf, he asked about Resin. "She went to find the Keeper. That's the last I saw of her."

Worry coursed through Ash. He wanted to go find her and make sure that neither she nor Attican had fallen off of the ice bridge and into the icey water below. However, he was needed here. If she didn't return, it would be up to him to lead the wolves South. He was torn between feelings and duty but in the end, he chose duty. It's what his sister would expect of him.

Resin- Alpha Female- 30 Summers

A grin spread over her face when he, again, used his nickname for her. She took a certain pleasure in it. Other than Ash, Attican was the only one able to give her cutesy names like that. At least they were the only one's she'd tolerate saying them out loud.

The words that he spoke about the straggler were true. He was a liability. Everything that Attican said was everything that she felt and she chuckled lightly. Since it was just the two of them, she loosened up a bit and acted as a wolf rather than an alpha. "Your mind is like mine, Attican. If you were a few years younger or I was a few years older, we'd be perfect for one another."

Having trailed off for a while, she told him about the mammoth. She gave a genuine laugh at his reaction. "Ash and I are the same wolf when we hunt. We know what the other will do before they even do it. I hung on and hoped that I didn't get killed and he went for the belly. I came out a little worse for wear this time, but it was worth it. Everyone will be very well fed." In truth, staying here with him and resting was exactly what she needed. Her ribs ached terribly and her jaws weren't feeling the greatest either.

After a time of silence, she heard the deeps breaths of sleep. Leaning against him to share warmth, Resin placed her head upon her paws as well and after staring into nothingness for a short while, fell into a deep, restful sleep.

[Hannah Elise]

River
4 summers; female grey wolf pup

Looking up River noticed the whole group started to move North towards the nice scent drifting towards them, taking a few big breaths she stood up and started to follow the group keeping her distance any from everyone scared that she might get knocked or hurt ... although no-one saw it River remembered the evil glint in the lone wolf's eyes when he crossed that bridge and honestly River was keen on trusting anyone while the all journeyed south not after what happened. Eventually the scent got stronger and River yipped in excitement at seeing the big creature in front of them full of meat, looking around she had a feeling there might be some fights so River bounded straight towards the food and pulled a every big piece of meat from the belly ... looking around carefully River moved slowly backwards keeping her guard up.

With a big sigh River laided down a couple of bounds away from everyone else and slowly ate her meal glad to get another full belly before there journey south again, looking up into the night sky River was glad there was a good omen looking down on them. To have given them too whole and filling meals ment good things are coming for River and the pack she belonged to, seeing she finished her meal River watched the others getting their fills when all of a sudden the big mean and horrible brute who had pushed her off that bridge had knocked another wolf on its back before taking it's meal.

Growling out of anger River bolted forward with her ears flat no actually thinking of what might happen, opening her mouth she sunk her teeth into the Male's wolves leg and pulled hard. Not letting go River looked up slightly and flinched at seeing the male wolf showing his teeth whilst lunging down 'I should have thought before I acted, how stupid am i' she thought to the herself while she thought River got lifted into the air whimpering she was shaken before flying through the air and landed a couple of large bounds away. River was shaken and had two gashes on her side and although they looked deep that wasn't the case luckily they were only gazes as she tried to stand up her legs failed and River landed on her belly 'Now i know why my mother abandoned me it's because i'm so weak and really stupid' River left her head up and howled sorrowfully before blacking out abit.

Grimshaw
27 year old Male Loner Wolf

Seeing the big Mammoth before them Grimshaw had to be impress of a great find, looking around he also noticed the fierce and annoy Alpha of the packs were no where in sight, flicking his ear slightly he made his way towards the Mammoth luckily the wolves closer to him looked weak enough to fight of. Not really wanting to get his own meal and push his way into the group to get to the Mammoth he sat down and waited patiently for a bit and eventually that waiting paid off with warning Grimshaw lunge at a loner wolf who hadn't done so well keeping up during the day snarling he knock the wolf to the ground showing his teeth before moving backwards and picking up the bone covered with meat the wolf was carrying then suddenly Grimshaw felt a bite on his back leg and a even hard tug, turning around he growled dropping the bone and watching out of the corner of his eye it slide back to the wolf he had taken it from.

Looking down Grimshaw noticed the little pup who he had knocked of the bridge before, chuckling he went for the lunge ready to sink his teeth into the little pup 'This will teach you some manners' he growl before grapping the pup into his mouth shook River before flinging her across the ice ... but still his injury was really deep and bleeding alot making it hard for him to walk or even stand on it. Growling still he crouched down ready for the stupid young wolf to come at him again although he was fighting a pup Grimshaw still consider it a fight regardless of their age and if a pup picked a fight with him and got really injured.

In Grimshaw's eyes they shouldn't have picked the fight in the first place, after hearing the upsetting howl Grimshaw could help but chuckle.