Ragnar did not often venture into Homewood. His family's home kept them comfortably secluded from the society and politics of the place, but the albino buck held an insatiable curiosity about it. There was structure here in a way that enabled the blossoming of great power, the ability granted to certain noulicorns to do as they needed and protect those that lived under their rules. That noulicorns could live in such safety and such order was endlessly fascinating to him.Today, he was responding to a call. He had heard some days prior that a stonesmith in Homewood had forged a new item imbued with magic - one that would help Ragnar on his quest to conquer countless threats to his family's safety. The task had been simple - defeat a catbeast in battle. It wasn't necessarily an easy task, but one that had proven to be no issue for Ragnar, whose fighting prowess and fearless attitude in the face of death were quickly spreading across his family's area in the Barrens.
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Ragnar strapped on his toolbelt and bracers with the help of the family's scuttle scale. A hatchet made of sharpened rock tied to a wooden handle slipped into the loop on the right side, and a round wooden shield on the left. It would help him minimize the amount of concern for his left flank when fighting the catbeast.
"I will go to the Ruins of Erli and hunt down one of these catbeasts," he said to his mother, who was watching nearby. "And I will return with this magical item from Homewood." The scuttle scale clambered onto his back, and he left without further ceremony.
The journey to the Ruins was long and blessedly uneventful. As the ominous, blocky shapes left behind by the Others loomed into view, Ragnar thanked the Grandfather for watching over them. He ducked into the shade of the old, decrepit buildings and began to search.
It was an odd feeling, hunting the hunter. Ragnar felt his senses heighten as adrenaline took hold. Atop his back, the scuttle scale whispered, "Fear not, Ragnar, for the path back to Vykeli is also the path of death. Should we meet her in death's embrace, so too will we meet the Grandfather and celebrate in his eternal glory."
Ragnar nodded. He zeroed in as the tracks of a catbeast caught his eye. They smelled fresh. The buck fell into step beside them, following the scent as it wound its way through the eerie Ruins.
"Ragnar, behind you-" The scuttle scale barely got the words out before Ragnar whipped about, just as the threatening yowl of the catbeast rang out. The buck whipped out the short-handled hatchet and swung. The beast twisted in the air and landed feet-first just paces away from him. The fight was on.
"Come and get me," Ragnar said through gritted teeth as he faced off against the catbeast, shoulders square to it and head held low to protect his chest and throat. "You must not let it get on my back, Iwon." The scuttle scale nodded, gripping him tightly.
The catbeast bunched itself up on its haunches and sprang. Ragnar whipped the hatchet through the air and the beast twisted once again away from him. It landed to his right, and the buck turned once again to face it.
"This will not work," Ragnar said, sheathing the hatchet back into its carrying loop. "We'll have to get in close."
He took a long breath, helping everything around him seem to slow. There was an odd sort of clarity in knowing that it could come down to a close-quarters fight. His eyes narrowed, and a smirk settled across his face as the catbeast launched forward again, claws at the ready. Ragnar waited, and then leaped out of the way just in time, kicking back at the beast as he did. His hooves connected, shoving the beast off balance. It fell and barely caught itself, angry. It threw itself at him again in a rage and this time, Ragnar caught the brunt of its impact on his shoulder. The claws sliced at him, tearing open his right shoulder even as he bodily shoved the thing to the ground. Moving quick, he brought his hooves down on it before it could turn and lash at his stomach, and jumped away.
The catbeast was hurting. His blow had knocked it hard in the head. When it attacked again, Ragnar swung his hindquarters into it, throwing it to the ground. He kicked at it again, wheeled, and stomped until it was clear that the creature would not rise again.
"Hmm..." Ragnar said, staring down at the predator with emotionless eyes. "Iwon. We will take the pelt with us as proof." The scuttle scale scurried down with the hatchet as set to work.
