Raseri's eyes open in surprise when Kaveri nudges her chin. She lets out a surprised laugh when the wolf begins to nuzzle up against her neck.
"Well, you know me. I've always preferred to sleep out here, so imagine my surprise when I got back from town and the whole damned woods were snowing. Snowing! In the middle of Erastus, no less!" He shakes a fresh coat of snowflakes off his shoulders. "Good thing I held onto a few pelts, otherwise I likely would be freezing half to death. At least Kaveri's been keeping me nice and warm - though he appears to like your friend, here," he grins, rubbing the back of the wolf's neck.
Raseri, cheered up by the sudden appearance of the friendly wolf scratches the top of Kaveri's head and behind his ears while burying her face in the soft warm fur. It's obvious the feeling's mutual.
"So what brings you out here? If it's these strange happenings, perhaps you'd be so kind as to tell me what you've found?" He makes himself comfortable by the fire, fumbling about in his pack. He eventually produces a beaten pot, and a small sack filled with a fine powder with a bitter aroma. "How about a hot drink? I'm guessing someone took a tumble," he adds sympathetically, glancing sideways at Raseri. "Can't say whether it'll help much, as I've never gone swimming in a frozen lake myself, but it might help somewhat. Taste'll keep you alert, at least." Kaveri, for his part, lays his head back against the woman's collarbone, apparently attempting to keep her warm.
The young woman looks up, sobering some.
"The ice wasn't as thick as I thought," she says, her voice soft and lilting, her accent likely very familiar to Tobias, "Mable here had tied a rope around me before I tried to cross, and probably saved my life. I pray you never find out what it's like, friend."
She looks at the hunter curiously before asking, "When were you last in Heldren? There was a man called Yuln there that was a part of a young lady's guard. His sword is there, so I may carry on in his task of saving and protecting the young lady, who was taken by bandits and is hjarta fey. Why did they not ask for your help if you were there not long ago?"
"Sumir grimmur rándýr þú ert," the man mutters, shaking his head at the wolf. "If you want to repay him for the warmth, he loves it when you scratch behind his ears." Kaveri turns his head to face him, giving a warning growl. "Oh, come off it! We all know you're as soft as a noble's pampered lap-dog!" Tobias exclaims, throwing his hands up in annoyance.
Raseri laughs as she leans in close and whispers in Kaveri's ear, just loudly enough for the others to hear, "Ekki hlusta á hann. Ég veit að þú ert mikill veiðimaður og grimmur félagi. Ég myndi aldrei bera þig við einn þessara hávær hluti."
When Lies appears, Raseri's shivering had almost gone away, she looks to the fox, one of her eyebrows arced in a silent question.
"Well, met, both of you," she says nodding to Tobias and Lies in turn, "I am Raseri Whitescale of Kalsgard. Might I ask what you are doing in a place that's beginning to look more like the realm of the Old Hag's daughters than the warm and sunny playground of Taldor?"
All the while, her hands are busy scratching, petting, and rubbing Kaveri. Though she seems more serious than when she found the wolf trying to warm her up, a small grin never quite goes away.
Raseri is completely dry by this point and her shivers are indeed subsiding. Mabs (the WitchCrow) seems to be weary of the two new adventurers, but seems to like the fox's dance. However, if the wolf tries to get near her, she will get flee and get to higher ground (usually on someones shoulder).
"Why are you traveling with such a... beast young'un?" Mabs asks Tobias... and to Kaveri, "Stay away you brute... I am not to be trifled with... and I'm not food for that matter," she adds under her breath.
"Crow's too stringy to eat when you've got other game anyway," Raseri says, grinning at Mabs before looking down at Kaveri again.
"Kaveri, my friend, I think I'm going to enjoy having you around."
"Why of course why don't you both join us. Maybe together we can figure out what is causing the winter weather!"
Grandma Mable looks over a Mabs with a smile
"Mabs what do you want to eat? I have some bread or some cooked meat. I am not sure what you would prefer."
Kaveri looks up as Lucine approaches, easily smelling her in the snow. He lets out a soft growl that rumbles in his chest, beginning to bare his teeth. He eyes Lies cautiously as she makes her presence known, but snorts once when Tobias warns him, instead arching his head back onto Raseri's shoulder for more scratches.
He pays little attention to the conversation - after all, the general tones sound casual enough - happy to simply be scratched and petted, licking Raseri's hand at odd intervals. The dancing fox catches his attention again, however, and without moving, he watches Lucine's performance curiously, ears cocked. Other than the occasional contented sound, he growls once at Mabs, but doesn't go near her - after all, that would require moving away from the scratchy-hands.
"Ah! Thought I'd lost you there for a minute!" Tobias grins at Lies. "Don't worry, he won't harm your pet. Nei, Kaveri!" he barks as the wolf growls at Lucine. "Sorry, sometimes I need to tell him twice." He nods in response to the address, smiling warmly. "That's a nice trick your friend has. Don't suppose she can sing as well?"
He watches Raseri bury her face in Kaveri's sleek coat, rolling his eyes when he sees the wolf's tongue lolling out of his mouth. The girl's accent stirs memories of his childhood, of his father's booming voice echoing through his Opparan home, of days spent practising the art of swordplay. It's a familiar sound, and despite the unusual circumstances, he instantly takes a liking to her. "Well, thank the gods for Mable's quick thinking," he says quietly. "That must have been terrifying." He considers reaching out to rub her shoulder, to offer some small comfort, but then Kaveri licks her cheek, and he figures the wolf has things well in hand - or paw, as it were.
"No need for this 'friend' talk, yet. Bit soon and all. I'm Tobias Johansen, and this is Kaveri." He glances at the wolf, currently craning his head back for chin scratches. "I was last in Heldren..." He pauses, counting on his fingers. "Five days ago, that's right. I mostly keep to myself - I sold my wares, bought some new tools, and moved on. I saw no sign of this Yuln, I'm afraid - I was eager to get back out here. After so long, town just feels wrong." He shrugs, pouring some of the brown powder from the sack into the beaten pot, before waving a hand over it to fill it with water. "So what's this about bandits and fey? I've seen no sign of them, and little passes through these parts without m notice."
At Raseri's murmurings to Kaveri, he laughs. "He may have a mean bite, but trust me, he's the softest creature you ever met. Though he seems to be demonstrating that aptly enough on his own!" He places the pot in the fire, packing away the rest of his things. "You're far from home, Raseri. May I ask what brings a child of the north this far south?" Glancing from her to Mabs, he adds, "I've been in these woods for several years now, plying my trade. Never seen them like this, though, and frankly, it's rather unsettling. As for how I came to travel with Kaveri here? The short answer is, he found me. The long answer, well... I'd need more time for that, hopefully under more ideal circumstances." He reaches across Raseri to scratch briefly under the beast's chin, before straightening again.
"So you're looking for a woman beset by bandits and fey, and trying to find out why my home is suddenly colder than a hag's teat?" he repeats, just to get all the information. "Well, that sounds like some adventure. Seems you might need someone who knows these woods, and I doubt you'll find one who knows them better than myself." There's no arrogance in his tone, as if he's merely stating facts.
He watches Raseri bury her face in Kaveri's sleek coat, rolling his eyes when he sees the wolf's tongue lolling out of his mouth. The girl's accent stirs memories of his childhood, of his father's booming voice echoing through his Opparan home, of days spent practising the art of swordplay. It's a familiar sound, and despite the unusual circumstances, he instantly takes a liking to her. "Well, thank the gods for Mable's quick thinking," he says quietly. "That must have been terrifying." He considers reaching out to rub her shoulder, to offer some small comfort, but then Kaveri licks her cheek, and he figures the wolf has things well in hand - or paw, as it were.
"I've never been more scared in my life," she says, "I pray that you never have to find out for yourself, any of you."
"No need for this 'friend' talk, yet. Bit soon and all. I'm Tobias Johansen, and this is Kaveri." He glances at the wolf, currently craning his head back for chin scratches. "I was last in Heldren..." He pauses, counting on his fingers. "Five days ago, that's right. I mostly keep to myself - I sold my wares, bought some new tools, and moved on. I saw no sign of this Yuln, I'm afraid - I was eager to get back out here. After so long, town just feels wrong." He shrugs, pouring some of the brown powder from the sack into the beaten pot, before waving a hand over it to fill it with water. "So what's this about bandits and fey? I've seen no sign of them, and little passes through these parts without my notice."
"You may have not run into them yet. We've already been greeted by the Witch Queen's tiny lap dogs, but we were following the trail that leads to a lodge where the bandits are supposed to be hiding out," she tells Tobias, "Yuln came to Heldren about two days ago, covered in the frost's bites. I took up his oath and in return he loaned me his sword," she nods to the dark-bladed longsword by the fire where it can dry.
"As for being friends, my mother always taught me that I should welcome anyone I shared a fire with. You've let me spoil your friend here, so it's only right that I find some way to make my appreciation known. Besides," Her grin grows wider and brighter, the light in her eyes dancing devilishly, "You've been in Taldor too long, someone needs to remind you of how an ulfen acts."
At Raseri's murmurings to Kaveri, he laughs. "He may have a mean bite, but trust me, he's the softest creature you ever met. Though he seems to be demonstrating that aptly enough on his own!" He places the pot in the fire, packing away the rest of his things.
"Perhaps, but he seems to be rather well-behaved," she says as she begins rubbing his belly, "Remind me to tell you about the time I had to stand guard while my charge was visiting some empty-headed noble girl. She had this dog that looked like a mop and just yapped all the time."
"You're far from home, Raseri. May I ask what brings a child of the north this far south?"
"I was hoping to join the Ulfen Guard, then take thrice my weight in gold after I'd served my term," a bemused smirk crosses her face as she continues, "Unfortunately, my mother gave me an apt name, and I decked some minor noble that I was guarding as a test after he got a little handsy. Sad to say that punching his lights out also punched out my chance at joining. Still, I'll cherish the memory of the look on his face when he realized that oath or no, he'd just gone too far."
"So you're looking for a woman beset by bandits and fey, and trying to find out why my home is suddenly colder than a hag's teat?" he repeats, just to get all the information. "Well, that sounds like some adventure. Seems you might need someone who knows these woods, and I doubt you'll find one who knows them better than myself." There's no arrogance in his tone, as if he's merely stating facts.
"Yes, that would be a great boon. I'd be more than happy to have you, though I can't speak for the others," Raseri begins to wrestle playfully with Kaveri, tickling the wolf on his chest and bellywith one hand while the other continues to rub and scratch his ears.
Tobias flicks his eyes to the drying longsword, nodding slowly. "Aye, that would help, indeed. Looks to be a fine blade. Either he trusted you, or he was desperate... or both," he concedes, his tone grim, only to lighten again as the conversation continues onward. "Speaking of sharing, I think this is well and truly ready now." He draws the pot from the fire, pours himself a cupful of coffee and passes the rest around. He cradles his drink in both hands as he continues.
"I suppose there's an easy explanation for my forgetting - I never learned in the first place! I lived half my life in Oppara, and the rest here, in these woods. My father was a member of the very Ulfen Guard you speak of - I simply picked up his tongue, his accent, and his mannnerisms." Indeed, his own accent is less pronounced - not so heavy on the tongue, a bit softer on the consonants. "If you think I don't live up to my heritage, well, perhaps you'll have to teach an old dog some new tricks." Kaveri turns to look at him, ears twitching, and he sighs. "Not you, bjáni."
Taking a sip of his drink, he chuckles. "Remind me not to get on your bad side. I hope you gave him what he well and trruly deserved, though. Nobility should never be an excuse degenerates hide behind to excuse their behaviour."
Kaveri yelps in surprise, but joins in the play-wrestling with gusto, nipping at Raseri's hair and fingers. Then the belly rubs begin, and he lays there submissively in canine heaven.
Grandma watches Kaveri and Raseri play and laughs.
"I do believe you have made a friend!. Tobias we have some warms soup, have some. Lucine please join us there is enough for everyone and in this cold a warm meal is important!"
"Let see you wanted to know what we have dealt with so far. Well we investigated the site where the noble was taken. There were skeletons there! I mean the kind that actually move on their own! That was enough to scare the life out of you! After we had taken care of them we meet Mabs here. Mabs is leading us to the cabin where they are holding the noble."
Grandma pulls out some bread and offers it to Mabs.
"We have also dealt with some fey creatures, they were very small and hard to find let alone hit. Oh yes lets not forget about that giant weasel. That creature appeared to belong more to my land than anywhere around here. The white coat was designed for snow I tell you! Finally we found a snowman that exploded when we approached it and Raseri fell into the water."
Grandma begins to stir the soup. "Does anyone want some more soup we have more and it would be a shame to let such a fine soup go to waste!"
"Soup?" Tobias pauses mid-sip to consider a moment, before fishing a bowl from his pack and passing it to Mable with a wolfish grin. "Well, I suppose I can't just live on bread, cheese, and wild game. I'll take you up on that offer!"
As he eats and drinks, occasionally giving encouragement to his partner (who, for his part, is content with the belly rubs), he listens to the story with more and more amazement. "Walking skeletons? Exploding snowmen? A giant white weasel? How giant?" He barely manages to contain his excitement. "I don't suppose anyone thought to keep the pelt? That would have made a magnificent cloak!" He realizes he's let his trade get the better of him, he coughs, swallows another spoonful of soup, and adds, "I mean, that must have been a tough creature to take down. The small ones can be nasty enough. Kaveri got bitten on the nose by one once; he still has a scar from it!"
"There was also the elk and that cold fey," Raseri adds as she hands her bowl to Mable, "I would like some more. Good food should never be wasted."
"The elk's hanging from the trees down the path," She says as she sniffs at the strange drink before pouring herself a cup and taking a sip. She recoils as the bitter tasting drink hits her tongue.
"Galar taka það! That's bitter," she half-yells, "Is there a way to make it taste less like troll bile?"
Lucine looks at Grandma Mable questioningly, and Elizabeth laughs a little.
"What exactly is this soup made of, and please don't say giant weasel." Lies then asks as her fox walks over to sniff it, curiosity getting the best of the tiny creature.
As Raseri eats, Kaveri sits quietly between her and Tobias, yawning widely before laying down, head on his paws. He sniffs at Lucine again as she walks in front of him, placing a large paw over her and sniffing at her more closely, nose snuffling at the back of her neck. Tobias watches, ready to bark at him if he goes too far, but the wolf just nudges her with his nose a couple of times before letting her go.
The hunter laughs at Raseri's reaction to the drink, taking another sip of his own. "Well, I hear some add milk or sugar to it, but such things are hard to keep out here, so I get by. You should see your face, though!" He chuckles again, going back to his soup. "No weasel here; it isn't stringy enough. Wait... Were you joking?" he asks, turning to look at Lies briefly. "Ah, no matter. You may want to keep an eye on your friend; she's a curious thing. Blends in well out here, though, I'll give her that."
The young ulfen woman sighs and shakes her head. He accent getting much thicker through her laugh.
"Lemme guess, it's the kind o' face that yer mum would warn you not to make lest it stayed like that, aye?"
She chuckles before eating another spoonful of soup. Her smile fades as she sits looking int the fire.
"The two things I miss the most are my clan and the mead," she says wistfully, "I have an uncle that raised hunting dogs, some of which were closer to wolves than the hounds they have here. Kaveri was a nice reminder of him, and the rest of my family."
Her face twist in disgust, "but I can't seem to find any decent mead down here. The Ulfen guard buys up what comes from Kalsgard and asking for mead 'round here gets you troll or hag piss. You'd think with all the skalds they have down here, they'd have a decent meadery somewhere!"
Red hair bounces as she laughs at the irony, which was likely only clear to her.
Lucine looks at Grandma Mable questioningly, and Elizabeth laughs a little.
"What exactly is this soup made of, and please don't say giant weasel." Lies then asks as her fox walks over to sniff it, curiosity getting the best of the tiny creature.
"Tobias is right, we didn't use the weasel, we used the fey," Raseri says with a wicked grin.
Mabs looks over at Lies and cocks her head, "She definitive has a weird aura about her, but it isn't malevolent in nature. I think you should trust her... at least to keep her secrets about her and to keep yours just as well."
By now the river has "repaired" the hole in it's flank with the frozen water that welled up within it, leaving a scar of slightly lumpy ice on its surface. You can start to hear random human voices across the river, but they seem far off and don't seem to be getting closer.
Kaveri's ears twitch at the mention of his name, and he bumps his large head against Raseri's thigh. Tobias reaches down to scratch the back of his neck, and the wolf relaxes again, resting his head back on his paws, panting softly.
"Well, maybe there's a decent meadery somewhere further north," Tobias shrugs, finishing his coffee. "When you find it, let me know - I've never tried the good stuff." He stands, stretching his broad shoulders; Kaveri rises as well, yawning once before standing by his side.
"Well, the river's frozen back over, and it sounds like there's someone over there. Shall we be off?"
Grandma looks over the river then at Mabs.
"I bet if we had something light and long enough Mabs could fly it across and around a tree. We could then pull to rope across the river and back. We could use the rope to climb over the river.
Just in case someone like me falls in, we could try a second rope around them to pull them out. Does anyone have a thin rope, string or something like that?"
Mabs cocks her head, [b]"I guess I can try something like that deary... but I can't tie a rope. Do you have something long enough to go there and back? Or should I try to wedge it or something?" she says thinking aloud, tapping her claws.
"Lucine might have better luck, she cannot fly, but she doesn't weigh much either, and paws and teeth may succeed where talons and a beak would fail, speaking of which, how does this bird speak anyway?" Lies suggested, as she choose not to have any of the fey stew, and neither did Lucine.
Grandma chuckles as she see Lucine fear of the stew.
"Its nothing bad dear. We killed an elk a little ways back. Elk stew is quite tasty.
Mabs, Mabs speaks for herself, she is ... what did you call yourself dear, a witch crow I believe?" Mab asks Mabs
Tobias squints as he looks over the stream, estimating the distance. As he crouches, rummaging in the bags strapped across Kaveri's flanks, he thinks out loud. "I've got rope, and... Mabs?" he confirms, glancing up at the crow, "can get across without fail. Lucine could probably balance across it - ah, here we go," he grins, producing the silken rope, "but how strong is she? Would she be able to tie knots that would hold? Maybe if she and Mabs went across, or maybe Kaveri could jump it, and the others could- hey, that wasn't an order!" he calls helplessly, watching as the wolf, one end of the rope in his mouth, makes a sudden dash for the frozen bank, before taking a sudden leap and sailing across.
"... góður drengur," he manages finally, giving a pleased nod. "Well. That may help."
Kaveri sits patiently as his friend goes through his bags, bringing out the rope. He tilts his head, watching as the man stares at the other side of the frozen river, picking up one end of the rope in his mouth out of habit, remembering how they used to play tug-of-war with it. His two-legged friend seemed to be wanting to get to the other side. He distinctly hears the words Kaveri and jump. He could help.
He trots back a way, his friend seeming not to notice, before running, taking a flying leap as if he were bringing down prey, faintly hearing a cry from his friend. He lands effortlessly, paws sinking into the soft snow, before turning back to face the two-legged ones, sitting, and dropping the rope. He barks once, expectantly, tail thumping softly against the snowy ground.
Seeing the wolf grab the rope and jump over to the other side, Lucine looks over with excitement.
Taking a quick glance at the ice, Lucine will run across after the wolf.
Of course, the ice is slippery and Lucine ends up sliding across.
"Well, I don't think she's very strong, but certainly if she manages to tie up the rope your wolf can tighten the knot." Lies says as her fox goes across.
Grandma waits patiently until it is safe for her to cross.
"Oh dear me that water looks cold!"
Both the wolf and the fox manage to tie the rope to a tree. How tightly, you don't know, but it looks safe enough. Mabs impatiently taps her talons waiting for the other animals to finish their work and then flies over to the knot work and checks it over.
"Looks good enough... but I've never tied a knot before... so don't get mad at me if any of you fall in again!"
"You know, we could just check up or down stream," Raseri says as she checks her things and begins to pack them up.
After she finishes, she tests the ice, and slowly makes her way across.
The rope holds and helps you make it across without too much difficulty.
"Looks like that worked then." Lies says as Raseri makes her way across the river before Lies slowly makes her way across as well.
The rope sways a little bit on your over, but hold just as well, allowing you to keep your footing.
"I've always been the adventurous type," Tobias grins to Raseri, pulling the rope taut as she and the others make their way across. After Mable, Lies, and the unusually silent elf, he goes last, taking his time to balance in his bulky furs and hides.
Grandma Mable looks at the rope then at the ice/
"Oh my such a long way across!" she grabs the rope and makes her way across the ice.
"Oh dear, Oh my.... she exclaims as she crosses the river.
As all of you successfully make it across you see the legs and feet of a frozen corpse jut from a pile of snow next to the trees here. The voices you heard earlier are also louder, but still indistinct.
"It's a little odd to see a body this far from town." Lies says as she investigates the body before adding, "Does anyone recognize them?"
Raseri puts a finger to her lips as she looks back at Lies and the others, she slowly makes her way forward to see what became of those poor men.
The body is of Old Man Dansby, a farmer from Heldren. Those who spent more that an week in Heldren remember him as a kind, straight forward old fellow. He would treat those who visited him like family and tell old stories about his days as a soldier.
"F*#!," Tobias hisses through gritted teeth, crouched over the body he's unearthed. "That's Dansby. Never spoke to 'im much, but he was good enough. Gave me a spot on the floor once, and often had a few old bones for Kaveri." He shakes his head sadly. "Poor bastard."
He glances across at Kaveri. "Well done, old boy," he chuckles, pulling the wolf close to his side and scratching his neck. "But don't scare me like that again, eh?" He goes to retrieve his rope.
"I don't particularly want to take anything from 'im, but we should try to bring 'im back to town when we get the chance. Old soldier deserves it." He stows his rope, rolling his shoulders and looking over the others. "Shall we?"
Kaveri bounds over to his friend's side, sitting and watching as he inspects the body. He sniffs at the boots before pulling back and waiting. He gives a pleased bark at the sound of his name, licking his human's face in thanks for the scratches. When the group prepares to move again, he jumps in front of Lucine, watching the fox closely, front legs low to the ground. He taps her once with a paw before bounding off into the snow, dodging around the people to the other side of the group.
Grandma looks upon an old friend lost to the winter.
"I will miss the old coot! He we a sweet man. I don't think he had any family, poor thing."
Grandma walks off the road and begins to dig into the snow and dirt.
"He deserves a proper burial. He lived a good life!"
"If he was a warrior, then we should build a warrior's pyre," Raseri says, then sighs, "I'm afraid we don't have time for that, however."
She helps Mable dig before looking for rocks to build a cairn. Before they bury him, the ulfen lays the axe and dagger across his chest and puts two coins over his eyes.
"Farewell, may the life after be one of joy for you."
"What do you suppose he was doing so far from town?" Lies questions glancing over the body one more.
"Poor fella must've frozen to death." Lies decides thinking aloud, that being the most obvious thing that could've killed him.
Mable looks surprised at Lies comment then begins to examine the body.
Claw marks, swords and all sorts of other weapon marks mar his body. The skin around the claw marks seems to be less bloody and the blood seems to have frozen as it was exiting his body.
You also notice multiple defensive wounds and that blood has frozen to the blades of his axe and knife.
"He was in a terrible fight. See these marks here and here. Just look at the blood on his blades he was fighting for his life. Poor dear he lost." Grandma quietly lays him to rest in the ground.
"May Cayden carry you way to the eternal party. May you find the finest ale and mead to enjoy for eternity."
Grandma begins to return the dirt to the ground covering the body of an old sweet man.
Tobias and his friend assist in the burial process, the wolf digging, the man gathering rocks for the cairn. He stays silent, not rattled, but disturbed - he's used to death; it comes with the trade, but there was a difference between finally slitting the throat of the prey you'd been stalking for days, and seeing someone you'd shared a drink and a tale with dead in the snow, bloodied and torn.
As Grandma says her prayer over the body, he crouches silently, one hand on the hilt of his sword, one hand absently rubbing Kaveri's head. The wolf may not understand the small ceremony, but he picks up on his friend's sadness, staying close and warm, trying to reassure him with his presence.
"We should move," Tobias says finally. "We seem to be getting closer to those voices." When he goes to move, Kaveri stays at his side, like a well-trained dog. "Go on," he sighs, gesturing. "Go on ahead, and let me know if you find anything."
At the command, Kaveri slinks quietly ahead, some twenty feet before the group, keeping an eye out for anything that moves.
The voices are getting louder but still seem a little ways off. The speech isn't understandable at this distance, but seems to have the inflections of the common tongue.
Elizabeth will follow along as Lucine climbs up onto her shoulder.
Raseri follows close behind Tobias, a grin sneaking its way onto her face.
"Heh, wonder if we'll get the drop on them?"