"Well...I'm pretty sure it wasn't a bunny." She says as she looks around for the source of the sound as well.
Taking her crossbow off of her back she loads it and gets ready for whatever they might come across. Once loaded she looks up at the others, "Things are not always as they seem, so let us be careful. No telling what's out here running around."
Sig is barely aware of the large creature that moves in front of her, its candy cane striping the perfect camouflage. She instantly sees the wolf the size of a horse as it opens its jaws to attack.
Initiative:
Surprise Round: Sig, Thorgr, Frostine, Jerrica, Dire Wolf
As the wolf moves in to attack Sig begins a chant unlike any she's done before. The growling, jarring lyrics practically emanating menace as she punctuates the notes of her musical spell by hammering her metal bracer against the flat of her axe. Waves of fear wash over the wolf creature, the presence of an apex predator made manifest.
The dire wolf ignores Sig's song and attacks the skald with its fangs.
; ;
The beast rips a chunk out of the poetess, hungry for more blood.
Round 1: Sig, Thorgr, Frostine, Jerrica, Dire Wolf
A chill goes down her spine as she feels the beasts slobber on her skin, realizing just how close it came to tearing a chunk out of her. Reacting immediately, she takes a step forward bringing her axe crashing down onto the massive wolf's body.
Stepping away from the others, Frostine holds out her hands as dazzling lights of various colors dance in front of the beast.
The wolf overcomes Frostine's spell with ease.
Thorgr steps to the side to allow Jerrica to move in and he swings his massive sword.
;
Jerrica charges in, rapier at the ready.
;
Realizing the swordsman is its greatest threat, the dire wolf snaps its jaws at Thorgr.
; ;
The wolf tears flesh from Thorgr's shoulder and tosses him to the ground.
Round 2: Sig, Thorgr (prone), Frostine, Jerrica, Dire Wolf
Seeing Thorgr attacked and thrown to the ground she raises her readied crossbow at the beast and fires.
She curses loudly as her shot goes wide.
Moving between Frostine ad the wolf to draw its attention away from Thorg, Sig swings her axe with a primal scream.
Thorgr thrusts with his blade while on the ground.
;
Thorgr's blade goes through the skull of the beast, which collapses in a heap.
Gumdrop uses her healing powers on Thorgr.
"My power has improved," the fairy remarks.
Thorgr picks himself off the ground and wrenches his blade free from the wolf's head. "I can tell, Gumdrop. Let's move on."
"That's the biggest damn wolf I've ever seen." Sig mutters, Slinging her axe across her back.
"There's bigger out there, believe me," Thorgr says with a slowly-forming smile. "I've seen some great ones and I've heard of one that would rival Fenrir."
Giving the felled beast a satisfying kick in the ribs she says angrily, "Stupid mutt!"
Jerrica grabs Frostine under the arm. "Come on, leave the dead thing alone and let's keep moving. I wonder if Risque and Ishmael ran into this thing."
"I'm comin', I'm comin'" She says as she tries to get her arm free. Getting a look of concern on her face she looks around, "I don't know...I just hope they're okay." Using one of her more useful spells she gets the blood and dirt off of her boot.
Soon, the woods thin out and you find yourself facing a white desert. A small breeze picks up and you catch the scent of sugar. You see the tip of a tall structure in the distance.
"Uhm, do you think we should keep going this way?" Jerrica asks.
She shrugs, "Well...our choices are to keep going the way we're currently headed, or go back and try the west. I'm open to either."
"There's bigger out there, believe me," Thorgr says with a slowly-forming smile. "I've seen some great ones and I've heard of one that would rival Fenrir."
"Now that is something worthy of song." Sig replies with a grin.
Taking a deep breath she shrugs. Based on the strong sugar smell there's probably a change of terrain up ahead. I swear I'll be completely off sweets by the time this $#!+ is over." the skald mutters.
She shrugs, "We can keep going a little further to see what's ahead of us. I like chocolate too much to never eat it again, but I might need a little break from it."
Thorgr grunts. "We'll see if we can get to that tower or whatever it is over there, but we turn back once the sun starts setting."
"I'm alright with that," Jerrica says, taking Sig's arm.
She nods, "Yeah...I really don't wanna get lost out here." She says as she takes his hand.
Sig leans in, resting her head against the top of Jerrica's for a moment with a happy smile. "Definitely works for me. Let's get going."
The white sand (or is it sugar?) shifts beneath your feet as you set out. The temperature begins to rise slowly before becoming a sweltering heat. You figure you have enough time to turn back before the heat begins to fatigue you. The tall structure in the distance seems no nearer.
Sweating profusely she puts a hand up to her head to cool it a bit, "That's it...I give. Obviously whatever it is isn't ready for us to get to it yet and I really really don't like feeling this hot."
"There must be some sort of magic at work here. It doesn't seem like we've gotten any closer." Sig says with a frown.
She shrugs, "I suppose....I wouldn't really know. I never actually studied magic or anything...so I don't really know the mechanics of it. I was just sorta....born this way." She wipes her face with her cooled hands, "You're right though, we're definintely not getting any closer. I'm pretty sure someone....had it planned that way and if it is a spell thingy...I'm sure it would have to be pretty powerful and we probably wouldn't wanna deal with an a$$hole of that caliber yet."
"You're probably right, Frostine."
"Let's head back then."
You turn to head back and find that your footprints are gone.