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 Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 7:02 pm
Quote: Biting Chill ( 18 ) : The cold is strangely harsh, and even the still wind is vicious enough to sting. But the cold isn't the worst part of tonight--it's what comes with it. Out of a swirl of blowing snow, a massive, wispy wolf takes shape, enormous and snarling, with fur spiked like jagged icicles. Its eyes glow with a cold, wild intelligence, and before you can even react, it lunges as though you’ve trespassed deep into its territory. Every strike it makes feels like the bite of winter itself. Wherever its claws slash, wherever its jaws snap, frost cakes over. Even if you're lucky enough not to take massive damage, the cold seeps bone deep. When you manage to land a hit, the creature bleeds a strange, clear blood--icy water that freezes instantly into slush on the ground. The more damage it takes, the more its form flickers, shredded like wind-torn snow. The wolf fights with the relentless instinct of a dire beast, but it is not invulnerable. It will never run. It will fight until its body is broken and flickering, then--finally--a sudden gust will rip through the air and carry its dissolving body away. Howls echo on the wind. The rest of its pack probably isn't too far behind.
For the third time this winter, Carterhaugh found himself caught out by unnatural cold. The chill had sunk into his bones, and yet this time, he found himself...angry. This damned monster--it kept targeting people, hunting them in the dark until they had to flee. Or until it caught them.
Had it caught someone? Some innocent, unsuspecting person, mauled in the dark by fang and claw?
The very thought of it enraged him. His little wisp companion appeared, ever so briefly, to nudge his shoulder in a gesture of comfort, and he smiled, s he watched the monster emerge from the fog.
"I'm not running from you this time," he told it. Not after he'd found new magic on his world. Not after he finally had a real way to fight, and the fury to want to do it after being mauled, then rescued, and now threatened again.
He could feel an Eternal Senshi in the dark, and he was glad for the possibility of backup--but he also wasn't afraid to fight for himself. He swung his flower, and a burst of sunlight flew from it, striking the beast directly in the nose as it leapt towards him.
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 7:30 pm
Fang still hated the winter. He was growing used to it, yes, the idea that the snow would eventually melt and spring would come again, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that winter was here to stay, permanently, each time it came around on Earth. The solstice had passed, so the days were technically getting a tiny bit longer, the light sticking around a tiny bit more each day, but it was imperceptible as of yet. The cold and the dark would always have a hold on him. He sensed a nearby Squire and hummed, curiosity as well as a desire not to be alone driving him to look for a new friend— Bitter cold ripped into him, wind whipping his braid against his face, and he stopped moving. A tiny gasp choked itself from his throat and he heard a howl in the dark, in the direction of the icy wind and the squire. Growling, he charged into the cold, dark night, a few nearby streetlights casting a feeble glow over the area. Then a burst of light from the creature itself. "Double Slash!" Fang roared, reaching immediately for his super magic. Ghostly claws extended, he lifted his hands and swiped down, ripping through the side of the icy beast. The shape of it almost made him stop, but he had to remind himself that this beast was not a chrysocyon, and even if it was, he still had to put a stop to a hostile creature. Noir Songbird Fang swipes at his target with both hands, and two ghostly paws of a Chrysocyon with claws extended spring forth. They leave the sensation and appearance of deeper, more burning cuts, slicing into skin like a hot knife through butter. He can attack the same target twice, or two different targets, but he only has one chance to hit someone once per swipe. The effects lasts for about thirty seconds, has two uses, and has a range of fifteen feet. The magic can tear through clothes or can cause lasting damage at player discretion.
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 7:42 pm
Ah, excellent. Backup, and backup with very little hesitation. Carterhaugh wasn't exactly violent, or battle hungry, or anything to that end, but there was something satisfying about knowing that he was definitely going to be able to drive this thing off, once again, and with the help of someone new.
"I've fought this thing before. Watch the teeth and claws," he said, though that hardly felt like a necessary warning, "they'll freeze whatever they touch." He danced away from a lunge, and swung his rose again, firing off another burst of sunlight that made the beast howl and recoil in pain.
And this time, his battle partner had openly offense-oriented magic; that meant that the damned thing would surely go down fast.
They would do this. Together.
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 7:51 pm
Ah. With clearer eyes, now Fang saw that the light came from the Squire he fought beside. He liked that, immensely. The warning, while pretty needless, was still nice to have. It was an affirmation of packhood, that they were working together to bring the vile beast down. And it still carried an important warning: that the teeth and claws were even less normal than might be expected of an ice creature, with powerful magic to freeze a person, perhaps to death, perhaps instantly. Not enough could be conveyed with a single sentence to know everything with surety, but enough was said to keep him extra wary. "Got," he said shortly in response, not perturbed, just efficient with his words. He pulled his arms down in another slash before his magic dissipated, watching as blood made of ice-water flowed from the wolf's numerous wounds. It flickered, wavering, and then collapsed in on itself, the wind ripping it to its final pieces and scattering them across the park. Distant howls sent a shiver up Fang's spine and he growled, eyes casting about for any hint of their presence. "Go. Here soon," he said, tone clipped. "Stay together." Turning, ears rotating, he chose the best direction to run to keep the most distance between the ice wolves and himself and Carterhaugh.
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 8:04 pm
Carterhaugh was glad for the assistance, and gladder still that the beast came apart easily under their attacks. It felt so much easier, with someone so strong on his side, to watch it collapse into nothing but wind, no longer a threat hanging over the night.
The howls in the distance, of course, were horrifically ominous, but...he'd yet to be caught by a pack. He liked to think he could outrun them.
"Righht, let's go," he agreed. He stuck close to the Senshi as they ran, putting some space between them and where they'd fought the monster, and when they came back to a lighted path, he let out a soft sigh of relief.
"Thank you," he said, simply. "I think I could have handled it alone, but not so swiftly."
A small smile crossed his face. "I'm Carterhaugh. Nice to meet you."
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 8:09 pm
Fang smiled as they found a safe point, panting and trying to cool down his body from the vigorous activity. He gave himself a shake, much like a dog, tail stiff and bottle-brushed until he fully relaxed. He inhaled deeply and leaned against a nearby wall, smiling a little wider. "Pack together strong. Kill faster. Hunt better. Enemies of pack, destroy. Alone... life much harder. Fang is Fang, of Chrysocyon. Nice to meet Carterhaugh." He laid his right fist over his heart and bowed briefly. "Good? No hurt?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2026 8:29 pm
Carterhaugh nodded. This Senshi--one of the ones from elsewhere--might have had a slightly odd manner of speaking, but it all made perfect sense. If anything, it was sort of refreshing. Fang was very straightforward, and there was nothing to pick apart.
"Very true," he agreed. "And I'm one more built to hunt in packs, anyway." There were those who could fight solo. Carterhaugh was not one of them.
"I'm fine. It didn't get me, fortunately." It had before. He was still glad for Murikabushi's interference, then. "Which makes this a very successful hunt, I think, as long as you're also alright."
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