CH vs Lily Round 1: Wolf vs Leaf

[Tobias Stalt]

The frozen wasteland stretches for miles in each direcrtion. Once crisp blades of grass stand rigid, cursed by the breath of eternal winter. High as the knees, the preserved green makes it hard to maneuver in some places.

You have 48 hours until the battle starts, and 2 weeks until it ends. No time-frame on daily posts.

[Leaf]

It was certainly no place for piglets.

The grasses were like stout trees themselves, covered with spindly hoarfrost. In some places they had been crudely shean, cut down with swift strikes of a scythe to create paths. Two of these ran side by side, with the vegetation between them slanted in a diagonal fashion as if something had forced them down. The best assumption was a wagon, pulled by hardy ponies or oxen, who fought this bitter climate and squashed the grass down hard as it lumbered by.

Along the left track the faun trudged, his long coat pulled tight around him, his hand firmly tightened around the hilt of his sickle. Though the grass here had been shortened, it still caused a problem for the three small pigs who followed him, whose snouts were covered in icicles. In silence they trotted after him, far too depressed and cold to even come up with anything remotely cheeky to say, all in single file in order of oldest to youngest. Every so often Leaf glanced back to look in guilt at the saddened eyes of the beasts, and then he would sigh and turn back around, and they would continue their trudge. Their trudge along this cart and blade made path that led nowhere, just deeper into the wilderness, heading further and further into the distance.

They had left The Feisty Fox that morning, a darkness in their hearts and no smiles on their lips. Philomel had already gone two days before, letting stragglers and a thin army to guard the ship, including her brother. When this mission, this war, had first ever been mentioned to Leaf via pigeon, he had known there was no choice but to go with her. For she was his sister, his blood, albeit half blood. Long ago, almost two years now, Leaf had left his wider family - Marigold, Lily, Bloom - and decided to travel to Radasanth in search of a new life. And he had found it in the spirit of his mad, whorish, murderous sister, but who was the most passionate individual he had ever known. An inspiration, many said, a leader. He had given up the idea of ever returning back to Paradisia, because he had a new home, he had a new life and a new family. He had new hope. So he had to fight with her, for her, for her crazy dreams and her desires. Though she might be insane, Leaf truly felt love for the faun people called the Matriarch, a deep-seated kind love which woke within him the one think that for years he had been without:

Hope.

Hope of change, hope of a future, hope of something other than the endless walk of friendless quiet existence.

Oh yes, he had his pigs. Cookie and Thor and Popsy were adorable, they were his devotion and personal joy. In a way they were the family he had been without for a long time, the true family he had never felt, but they were more like children. Small foolish things who got into far too much trouble, far too much danger, who rolled in mud and burped and farted and still found it all so terribly hilarious.

No, they were so much different than the way he felt for Philomel. They followed him on this path, silent and frozen, but with a loyalty that was born from a need for care and guidance.

A thick matted section of grasses crossed in their path, heavy with freshly fallen hailstones, and Leaf swiftly cleaved it down with his damascus sickle. It was simple, then, to pass on by the new clear space, and continue this long walk to nowhere, but just deeper into the arms of Salvar. Love, care, passion. These three things and many more wove around Leaf's heart and bade him to soldier on.

To where? He did not know. For how long? He did not know. A fight? He did not know. But he hoped to find some rest soon, some adversary to take on and slay. All he knew was to head west, for that was the direction that the Seventh Sanctum and Philomel's enemies lay. And any enemies that his sister might have today were his.

[Wolf Oden Luka Frekad]

“What??? Am I some baby sitter or something?” I could help but scoff at the new mission orders. Sure my recent record was a bit ‘bare’ but asking me to fight against a farmer to see if he was worthy was an insult to a warrior.

“Pff, I should just kill this guy and take those pigs or whatever in the report as dinner. A normal farmer is obviously far inferior to a skilled warrior, even more so a werewolf.” I silently visualized ripping the man’s throat out and eating his animals in front of the farmer’s corpse in disrespect. I would show my superiors that such simple enemies were many levels beneath me. For this type of simple mission, I didn’t need to really plan things out. I would rest in the city for a day and then head out in the wilderness in my wolf form.

---

A day later, I headed out at the crack of dawn. The weather was miserably cold as usual but my thick fur coat would protect me from freezing. Too many people heard those stupid ‘fairy tales’ of the ‘big bad wolf’. Those stories didn’t do justice to the true terror and power of wolfs much less the werewolves as I would educate this young farmer.

I only hoped that the information in the report was accurate so I would be able to ambush him in the grass forest and not waste days, weeks, or even months hunting down this person. The thick tall grass in that place really limited visibility not to mention smugglers loved that place to carry out their ‘transactions’. Running into one of those groups wouldn’t be fun especially for bigger orders since they had much more powerful guards and the clients rather not be seen.

[Leaf]

It was around ten minutes later down the road when quite suddenly, Popsy stopped.

He being the youngest she was at the end of the line, and as all four in the company were mentally linked, they all paused in procession when she did. Leaf, being the head of all and the head of the parade, turned sharply, and looked straight over the two boars to gaze at her. Curiously she was pattering her front trotters, and had her snout raised in the air. Sniffing sharply she was tasting some scent that the others had apparently failed to find; a scent that was strange, new, but also testing.

Concerned, the faun pig-father moved, stepping carefully over the other two pigs to get closer to the sow. Passing the ginger Cookie and the speckled brown Thor, he made only eye contact with her splotchy greatness and when he had space he bent down and gazed directly into her patient black eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, quietly. Not taking any chances in this frozen tundra he tightened ever further his hold on his sickle, the knuckles now turning as white as the snow.

Ducking her head down, moving from straight in the air to gaze at him, she blinked. Into his mind she gave a soft reply.

Someone, Leaf-daddy. Strange smell, strange someone. Close. Close.

Leaf nodded, and smiled at her gently before stretching out his free hand and scratching her behind her ears. Finding this comforting, she oinked, before nudging him with her snout - a sign of tender appreciation. The boys, impatient and feeling lonely without being privy to what passed between the faun and the sow, pattered up, and squealed a demand for attention.

Their father-figure patted their heads also, briefly, before standing. He tugged his coat as if it could go any further around him, before drawing his damascus sickle from its rudimentary sheath on his coat's belt. Immediately the herd set themselves to high alert, with Leaf commanding. The cold - oh yes it still bit, and oh yes there was still dislike for this world, but no longer were they lost. There was a smell, a strange smell, and it meant danger, it meant action.

Thor roared in defiance before kicking his back trotters and disappearing into the long grass. Cookie too gave a snort before hopping away into the opposite direction, all of them linked still with Leaf, so he knew where they were going. But they were ready not, they were alive, full of energy and bounding, darting between the stems of grass that their lithe bodies could dance around, spanning off to find whatever it was that was a threat. Leaf and Popsy still remained on the path, though he now scanned the area as she continued sniffing, trying to find a sure direction for whatever it was. An attacker? A rogue? A hidden trap? Either way, the troupe was now prepared and ready.

[Wolf Oden Luka Frekad]

It was a pig. But to a hungry hunter like myself, this object appeared to be dinner on legs. "Ha! What wonderful luck. Rarely does dinner find you," I could barely contain my laughter to my head as I loosened the iron weapon on my back.

I seriously had no idea how a furless creature could survive the harsh environment. Maybe it was someone's pet. That would explain why my human appearance didn't immediately send it bolting away. Still I wasn't going to over-think this opportunity and let my meal escape.

3... 2... 1... "Dinnertime!" I roared to stun this foolish creature as I hurled my body through the air to delivery a fierce overhead slash.

[Leaf]

They heard the bloodcurdling scream from the piglet, echoing through the tough blades like a savage whistle through haunted trees. Immediately as it came, Leaf's heart stopped and he gasped as he spun on the spot.

Out loud he yelled.

"Cookie!!!"

Leaafff-daaaddyyy ...

"Shoot." The farmer faun cursed to himself and twisted on single hoof. Gestering quickly to Popsy, the sow who had remained with him, he faced to the rough east; where Cookie had disappeared to and where the scream was coming from. Bouncing on his own two hooves he threw himself in between the blades of frozen foliage as the battle began.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the vegetation, Cookie heard the roar of the ready beast, and turned literal tail. Knowing Leaf was headed his way, the boar twisted and headed in a panicked run ahead of the fanged enemy back towards him. The wolf would meet the faun and one more piglet, the faun especially who was more of a threat. Cookie would run until his little trotters gave out, and that would still be some time. Thor - he was sighing as he was forced to end his own exciting journey of discovery before heading back. Hearts racing all four of the family ran with instinct and piggy panic, trying now to flee this loud, raucous enemy.

[Tobias Stalt]

Closed for judging.

[Tobias Stalt]

Not enough posts for full judgment.

Leaf wins by default.