As the days grew shorter and northern winds whipped sleet and snow across the mountainside, Ida had continued south. She had no concrete destination in mind, simply turning her back to the frigid winds and plodding forth until the solemn pines and stone faded to brown grassland and gnarled, naked oaks. The many strange creatures she'd initially encountered seemed to vanish with the oncoming snow, leaving her only company the snowflakes collecting on her elytra and the puffs of hot air escaping her jowls as she grumbled and bitched under her breath. It was better here at least than further north, where the only upsides she'd determined being the cooler air and plentiful quarries. She hated the trees and the altitude and the scent of other packs wafting past her nostrils, and with winter fully here, she didn't need to stay there to experience the cold weather.
With a huff, Ida stamped her heavy paws into the snow and trodded in a lopsided circle, flattening the slush into a proper divot for her to flop ungracefully into. She rested her chin on the cool earth beneath one of the many naked trees and split her jaws into a yawn, stretching her mandibles until they popped and released the tension building at her temples. It was only midday, but it was quiet, and the great dog was never one to pass the opportunity for a quick nap before the journey continued. Through half-lidded eyes she watched the afternoon sun glitter on the snow, the sky cloudless and blue and serene in the way only a still winter's day could be.
That was until something brayed in the distance, and suddenly the blanket of white was disturbed.
Ida's head lurched upwards off the snow, nostrils flaring and eyes snapping towards the new motion. She caught fluffy shapes cresting the hill, darting out behind the twisted trees and churning clouds of white beneath their hooves. Ida's own heart surprised her with the surge of longing which crashed against her at the sight, recognizing the creatures as sheep. Just like home.
Unlike the sheep however, their attackers were not familiar to her. They almost appeared to be cats, but much, much larger than any the dame had seen before. Likely not as tasty, either.
Perhaps Ida should have stayed then and left the strange cats to their own devices, but her greedy eyes caught sight of their catch, and her interest was officially peaked. As much as she was glad to have left the pine forests, she couldn't deny she missed the easy quarries she could feed from along the mountain's base. Good stone was much harder to find here on flat land; perhaps some meat would soften the hunger's edge. She rose to her paws, not bothering to shake the snow from her pelt as she charged forwards through the snow. Adrenaline pulsed through her muscles as her lungs heaved against the cold air, sucking in the growing scent of fear and blood as she sprinted closer and closer to the scene. Around her, fleeing sheep brayed and parted at the sight, but Ida's focus was settled solely on the fat ewe the two cats were desperately wrestling against. It seemed they were trying to down it, and as the great dog rounded on the struggling trio, her jowls split into a blocky, sneering grin as the elytra on her backside raised.
"That th' best yuh got?"
If the cats couldn't do it overgrown as they were, she certainly could. She skidded to a halt and reared upwards, slamming her front half down into the snow and beating her wings as the snow around her sprayed. Her focus settled on the earth beneath the ewe as it struggled, gritting her rounded fangs until they creaked and the dirt beneath them rumbled with the overpowering drone of her wings.
--
DICE ROLL: Strength
Succeed: The earth beneath the ewe shakes and buckles, causing it to lose its balance and topple over for the kill.
Failure: The earth trembles but does not split, possibly unbalancing/distracting the three.
With a huff, Ida stamped her heavy paws into the snow and trodded in a lopsided circle, flattening the slush into a proper divot for her to flop ungracefully into. She rested her chin on the cool earth beneath one of the many naked trees and split her jaws into a yawn, stretching her mandibles until they popped and released the tension building at her temples. It was only midday, but it was quiet, and the great dog was never one to pass the opportunity for a quick nap before the journey continued. Through half-lidded eyes she watched the afternoon sun glitter on the snow, the sky cloudless and blue and serene in the way only a still winter's day could be.
That was until something brayed in the distance, and suddenly the blanket of white was disturbed.
Ida's head lurched upwards off the snow, nostrils flaring and eyes snapping towards the new motion. She caught fluffy shapes cresting the hill, darting out behind the twisted trees and churning clouds of white beneath their hooves. Ida's own heart surprised her with the surge of longing which crashed against her at the sight, recognizing the creatures as sheep. Just like home.
Unlike the sheep however, their attackers were not familiar to her. They almost appeared to be cats, but much, much larger than any the dame had seen before. Likely not as tasty, either.
Perhaps Ida should have stayed then and left the strange cats to their own devices, but her greedy eyes caught sight of their catch, and her interest was officially peaked. As much as she was glad to have left the pine forests, she couldn't deny she missed the easy quarries she could feed from along the mountain's base. Good stone was much harder to find here on flat land; perhaps some meat would soften the hunger's edge. She rose to her paws, not bothering to shake the snow from her pelt as she charged forwards through the snow. Adrenaline pulsed through her muscles as her lungs heaved against the cold air, sucking in the growing scent of fear and blood as she sprinted closer and closer to the scene. Around her, fleeing sheep brayed and parted at the sight, but Ida's focus was settled solely on the fat ewe the two cats were desperately wrestling against. It seemed they were trying to down it, and as the great dog rounded on the struggling trio, her jowls split into a blocky, sneering grin as the elytra on her backside raised.
"That th' best yuh got?"
If the cats couldn't do it overgrown as they were, she certainly could. She skidded to a halt and reared upwards, slamming her front half down into the snow and beating her wings as the snow around her sprayed. Her focus settled on the earth beneath the ewe as it struggled, gritting her rounded fangs until they creaked and the dirt beneath them rumbled with the overpowering drone of her wings.
--
DICE ROLL: Strength
Succeed: The earth beneath the ewe shakes and buckles, causing it to lose its balance and topple over for the kill.
Failure: The earth trembles but does not split, possibly unbalancing/distracting the three.