A mountain river flows into a large, stunning lake. The waters reflect silver in the day and under moonlight. A plain of gentle hills and forests surround the lake. Herds of elk are native here.
Eon rolled over, feeling the cold air lapping at the entrance of his cave. It bit at his nose and made him shiver. He huffed, uncertain if he really wanted to leave his den, but he knew he needed to at some point. He couldn’t spend the whole winter sleeping; he wasn’t a bear, or any of those creatures that hibernated during the cold months, as nice as that sounded. Letting out a yawn, he stretched his front paws out in front of him. Why was he so tired all the time? Was it just a part of growing older?
Standing to his feet, the small wolf faced the entrance of his den, gazing out at the snowy landscape. The white snow blanketed everything, even the trees, sparkling in the sunlight with a golden sheen and casting wavering shadows on the dappled ground below. It felt as if the atmosphere were trying to lure him in with some sort of enchantment. He huffed again. Maybe he’d enjoy the snow if it weren’t so cold… Maybe he should just go back to sleep. It was warm and cozy in the corner of his den with his fluffy tail wrapped around him.
Still, he eyed the shimmering snow. He used to shimmer like that too. He supposed he still did, but not in the same way. He used to shimmer from the inside. Once upon a time, he would have happily plunged into the snow, even if it was cold. Now, just the thought of it made him shiver.
He shook his head and spread his wings, hoping they wouldn’t get frostbitten if he went for a fly. The snow was falling in gentle flurries, and the wind was cold but gentle. He flew above the landscape, watching as the rocky mountains turned to flat ground as he neared the lake. He landed beside it, noticing it was completely frozen solid. Gently, he stepped onto the snowy ground and approached the frozen water. Peering down, he saw his reflection staring back at him like it was a frozen mirror.
Perhaps all the stress lately had really gotten to him after all. He couldn’t deny there was still a spark deep inside him that wanted so badly to bubble to the surface, yet he suppressed it. What would others think of him if he started jumping through the snow, singing carols like some puppy? He was a noble now; he had duties and an image to uphold.
The snow began to clump up in his fur and he eventually had to shake it off. He didn’t realize how slippery the ground was beneath him, and soon found himself skidding across the ice, face-planting onto the frozen lake. Well, if anyone had been around, he certainly looked foolish now. Still, what escaped him wasn’t annoyance or embarrassment, but rather laughter as he struggled to get back to his paws. It took a bit of effort, but he eventually found his footing and slid himself back toward the snowbank—only to crash into it, unable to stop in time.
Normally, winter brought peace along with it for the Viper. Snow had long settled across the northern expanse of their territory, the mountains thick with layers left behind by storms. Even the southern most regions had been coated, the large lake in the kingdom frozen over. Despite the season shifting to her favorite, she found it hard to find awe in the landscape and see joy in it. Her responsibilities weighed heavy on her and worry kept her awake at night. When around others, she did her best to hide her exhaustion, instead replacing it by forcing energy into each step and action. When she was alone, each step was slow and deliberate.
The threat from Verdantis still lingered in the back of her mind, especially now more than ever with the thing roaming the lands, wherever it may be. She felt like she'd hit a dead end and frustration swelled inside her for it. Each day that passed by, each day that Her followers showed up empty pawed, it made her feel like a failure. She wondered about Verdantis day and night, fretting over whether or not they were closer to the creature than her. Hell, it was possible that Ohr already had it and the mission had already failed.
"No" she muttered to herself through gritted teeth as she worked her jaw on a large root at the base of a tall oak tree. The root held firm in its spot, despite Enya tugging and yanking, her paws splayed and dug down into the mucky soil. "I. Refuse. To Believe it." Each part of the sentence broken up by another tug. "Fucking root" she cursed as she let go of it and glared at the growth. All she wanted to do was something nice. She knew Caedwyn was absolutely miserable in the cold so she wanted to surprise him with a den in the southern region of their kingdom. It was still cold down here, but it was considerably warmer than their home near the base of the mountains. "I wish I could just burn you". Behind and around the root was the beginning of a den's entrance. The angle of the entrance was perfect. It had a nice view of the clearing which ended with the lake. Forests lined the clearing. Unfortunately for her, the root went right across the middle of the entrance."I just might freeze you instead" she threatened before turning away with a huff. She'd worked up a thirst and wanted to get the taste of wood out of her mouth.
She worked her way down the clearing and to the edge, picking her steps carefully as she traversed the snow and ice. She had planned to work a hole into the ice to drink from, but her plan changed when movement caught her eye. Enya looked up to see Eon sliding across the ice before slipping and falling onto his face. Enya watched and winced, but remained still, not yet revealing herself to her Noble, curious what he was doing out there. She heard laughter coming from him and felt a smile come to her. He got back to his paws after some effort and once more took to sliding across the ice, only to crash into the bank of snow.
As he recovered from his tumble, Enya approached with a casual walk, a swaying tail, and a smile on her face. "Hey Eon" she called out, trying to add energy and a pep to each action to hide her own worry and fatigue. "Whatchya doin on the ice?"
Eon quickly dug himself out of the snowbank and shook the snow from his fur. Unfortunately, it didn’t help much, as another flurry swept by and covered him in snow once more. A familiar voice caught his attention, and he opened his eyes to see Enya approaching.
“I was just—um,” he paused, trying to come up with an explanation for his clumsiness and a reason for being here in the first place. He didn’t want to lie; that wouldn't end well. Enya could read minds, anyway, so lying would be pointless, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what the consequences for lying to a Monarch would be.
“I’ve been cooped up in the den for a while and felt the need to stretch my wings,” he finally admitted. “Though part of me wishes I hadn’t; it’s so cold! Winter is really not my season. My wings and paws are numb.” He stretched out his wingspan, checking to see if he could still move them. Luckily, they fluttered up and down without any trouble. Perhaps he was making a bigger deal out of the weather than necessary.
“But since I’m out here, did you need help with anything?” he asked. He felt increasingly guilty for neglecting his duties as the weather grew colder, and he wanted to prove that he was still worthy of his noble title.
Eon fumbled over his words and her smile grew to encourage him to speak. She was a friend, not just his Monarch. He then went on to explain what had happened - he'd felt cooped up as of late and had spread his wings to escape the feeling. It wasn't a surprise to her that he did not enjoy winter. Most didn't.
As he tested his wings Enya took a step back, turning her head as the winds shifted and the gentle snow was blown her way. Unintentional, she was sure, but it gave her an idea. "Actually, I do, now that you mention it." She lowered herself into a bow and stretched her front limbs and back, then lifted and leaned forward to stretch each of her back legs. She finished her stretch off with a shake, then turned to Eon. "I've been feeling a bit heated myself, and I think it might do some good to let that steam out. You know a good way to keep warm? Good ol' fashin exercise."
She motioned with her head for Eon to join her at the side of the bank where snow ended and ice began. She looked out towards the center of the lake. In the middle was a small patch of water, but otherwise, the lake was frozen solid. "You gave me an idea. What do ya say we make it from this bank to that one as fast as we can. Not a race, but the both of us, together. I betchya it'll be fun." She tossed her head towards the left side of the lake where she was confident the ice would be solid and they wouldn't risk falling through. "Oh, and no magic." That would be too easy. "What do ya say?" She nipped, then, in Eon's general direction and turned to fall down into a second bow, her tail wagging. This one was meant to entice him into saying yes to her request.
Ooc: the nip is a friendly 'hey lets play' nip and is not intended to make contact with Eon
"Actually, I do, now that you mention it." Eon's ears perked up as he listened to her request, even though it wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. "You gave me an idea. What do ya say we make it from this bank to that one as fast as we can. Not a race, but the both of us, together. I betchya it'll be fun."
Eon's gaze returned to the ice he had just struggled to climb out of. Enya had mentioned no magic, but she seemed to have forgotten something else important—he had wings. Eon would give a them a flap, dodging out of the way of Enyas playful nip and hovering on the other side of her. “I take it you don’t want me to use these either,"he replied, settling his paws back on the ground. “Fine, but I can’t say my footwork is very good, especially on ice. The downside of having wings is that I don’t do much walking.”
He paced back over to the lake and leapt out onto the ice. He skidded a bit forward but managed to keep his balance. Maybe this would be fun; as long as he didn’t fall flat on his face again.
As Eon dodged away from her nip, she chuckled and danced backwards, springing back up onto all four paws from her playful bow. He fluttered around her as elegant as ever and teased her with his wings, hovering up just out of her reach in the sky. Then, just as quickly as he fluttered up into the sky around her, he settled gently on the snow once more. "You can use those if you want, but it could be good to work your unused muscles instead. Fancy up that footwork in case you ever find your wings useless."
Eon leapt out onto the ice and maintained his footing. Enya smiled, lowered herself into a crouched coil, then leapt out onto the ice to slide on all four paws. Her momentum carried her out past Eon on the lake and she spun in a circle once, twice, before her momentum waned. She laughed as she slid, not bothering to dig nails into the smooth texture. At the end of her slide she swayed as she began to lose her balance. All four paws began to suddenly slip and slide out from beneath her as she desperately tried to reign them back in one at a time. For a moment, she looked like she was running in place. Then, before she knew it, she fell with a splat on her stomach and all four of her legs splayed out around her. She had grunted when she hit the ice, but now she was laughing loudly, her tail swaying as she wagged it behind her. "Eon!" she called out as she turned to her friend, "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!"
Eon hadn’t planned to use his wings, just as Enya had advised. He needed to start relying more on his feet in case he ever found his wings injured and unusable. Additionally, flying directly to the bank on the other side of the ice would take away all the fun of the journey. So, he focused on keeping his balance on the ice. He moved slowly but, at least for now, he hadn’t fallen—yet.
However, his plans changed when he heard his name being called. His head perked up, and his eyes scanned the lake until he spotted that Enya had fallen. She was far enough away that sliding over to her would take too long, so he decided to spread his wings to glide and cover the distance more quickly. When he reached her, he was relieved to see her laughing, which meant she likely hadn’t injured herself.
Eon landed beside her, assessing how to help her back onto her feet. His gaze wandered around the lake until it landed on a tree branch that had fallen under the weight of the snow. “Hold on,” he said, spreading his wings once again and fluttering toward the branch.
Fortunately, the branch wasn’t too big or heavy, and he hoped it would be sturdy enough to help Enya stand. He picked it up in his claws and dragged it back toward her. Holding the branch in a diagonal position above her, he encouraged her to grab onto it, hoping she could use it to pull herself back to her paws.
Eon approached her on wing, settled for a moment to observe her in her sprawled state, then took wing once again only to return with a branch between his jaws. Ah, smart thinking! Her laughter subsided, but she remained in a light mood. She was feeling giddy after such a slip and fall. "I'd forgotten what it was like to walk on ice. It's so fun sliding across it." With her sway over the various forms of water, it became common for her to secure her footing by manipulating the surface. Muscle memory, really.
Enya leaned forward, digging her claws into the ice as she made an attempt to gather her paws beneath herself. She reached up and grabbed at the branch Eon had brought, giving it a tug as she did so. A glint of mischief shined in Enya's eyes. She tugged the branch again, harder this time, as she used her grip she had acquired to pull against Eon. She tried to pull him towards her while simultaneously pushing herself away to slide off to the side.
Strength Roll: Tries to pull Eon past her to slide him towards the bank they're trying to reach
Success: Hurrah! Eon is an ice skater!
Failure: Your choice of what happens
Dexterity Roll: Enya tries to move out of Eon's way after pulling him
Success: Slides off to the side in a sit
Failure: Doesn't move. Gets smacked by the branch in her attempt. That's what u get, enya.
Character Diceroll 1: Success Diceroll must be above 500 to be successful.
0 was added for Strength.
562 was added for Level 4.
0 was added for A. No Enchantment.
5 was added for B. Homeland Buff.
Character Diceroll 2: Success Diceroll must be above 500 to be successful.
0 was added for Dexterity.
537 was added for Level 4.
0 was added for A. No Enchantment.
9 was added for B. Homeland Buff.
