Stella walked among the lightly wooded area, feeling a cool breeze wash over her. The day was strangely hot considering the season, and the cool atmosphere was comforting. She began to walk randomly, not heading in any direction. The grass was springy, making her steps lite enough to make no sound.

Today was the first day of the hunt. Stella was wearing somthing a little different day today. Her blue silken dress was replaced by a white dress, the side's black - contrasting. She also wore flat boots, also black. Her cloak adorned her on her back, the 5 coloured pebbles hidden deep within then pockets.

Removing a green stone, she rubbed her fingers over the smooth surface as she walked, the texture buffing her thumb. The sunlight breaking through the barrier of tree leaves cast her hair like a golden halo, the silver being replaced by blond. Her eyes shone bright with excitement, the coming games creating a slight buzz in her mood. Stopping in a area, she deemed it perfect. It held no particular feature, everything the same in every way from everything else. It would be VERY hard to find.

She placed the pebble under a little patch of moss, and began her walk to the very edge of the woods, where a fallen tree served as a seat for all the contestants. She went over, a smile lighting her face. "I have hidden the pebble in no special place. It could be anywhere. Good luck." That was her signal for them all to start.

OOC: Read original planning topic for the rules. Good luck! ~Star

It was hot today, and thank the gods for that. Nathaniel had experienced enough of the cold weather to make him want to curl up in a ball under some bed. It didn't help that he'd been forced to go outside in the cold weather of course, and his opinion of the season hadn't gotten any greater after the harsh beatings he'd taken as of late. Even though he'd done well in most of his battles, he certainly didn't walk away unscathed. There was still a painful bruise across his side from a well-aimed hit by a Malboro not that long ago. Damned Malboroes. It was that Malboro's fault he was here in the first place.

Imagine, trying to find different coloured rocks to win a prize. A child's game, to be sure. A very immature child's game. To what ends could seraching for rocks possibly serve? It niether made you more dexterous or skilled with a blade, and the stone were too small to simulate a hiding enemy. It was a scavenger's hunt, fit only for theives and scoundrels. Well... Stella fit more into the category of child than either of those two. Still, he felt his pride shrivel ever so slightly at being here, in broad daylight. He was thankful he didn't have a reputation to tarnish. Instead, he managed to throw a questioning glance to the female lupine also sat upon the log. They gave up hunting to look for rocks. He knew he should have convinced her to partake in his drinking offer. Hadn't his father always warned him to never let a woman issue a challenge? He rolled his eyes skyward while he awaited Stella's return.

"I have hidden the pebble in no special place. It could be anywhere. Good luck." Nathaniel glanced up at the sound of her voice, watching with all the fascination a cat bestows upon a stick. One which was apparently being waved around in his face. Still, as much as he may have disliked the werewolf (even moreso now, given that she'd technically saved his hide) he had no quarrel with Stella. Not a true one, anyhow. He offered the best I-Don't-Care-But-I'll-Pretend-I-Do smile, one that many would have thought only a parent was capable of, then rose from the fallen tree. He was more intigued by fellow living things than rocks, so commented, "That's a nice outfit you have there." Before walking off into the grasslands. He resisted running as fast as he could or looking to Quess, lest his competitive side rear up and he make an even bigger fool of himself.

Hmm... where would I hide a rock? Or... rather, where would a seventeen year old girl who can't hold her liquor hide a rock? Nathaniel wandered for some time, before giving a dutiful sigh and kneeling down in the grass. This was terribly embarressing, but even more so was his following action; to remove his shoes. He wore no socks, and the bottoms of his feet were cracked and dry. Hopefully Stella hadn't succumbed to any sadistic ideals and thrown glass into here. If she had, he couldn't be held responsible for his actions taken purely in defense and not at all vengeance. ..Well, maybe a little vengeance.

Nathaniel glanced around to the participants unsurely for a moment. They wouldn't steal his shoes, would they? Such games had finished since childhood ended, right? Then again, this was a child's game. He had an excuse, but what was their's? What if that wolf ate his shoes? Dogs commonly did that, so why not a wolf? Giving a deep sigh he dismissed the passing fear, pulling his pants up so that they rested above his knees. His legs were actually rather pale, implying he wasn't used to being out in the sun without pants on. They didn't blend in well with the dark green grass, and his dark-coloured hair on his legs were not the most pleasing sight, especially given it reached all the way down to almost one-third on the top of his foot. At least it stood as confirmation that he was indeed a male. Not that his thick goatee didn't imply as much.

"Where could she have hidden it?" After a short while his shirt followed the example of his black pants, the white sleeves rolled up to the elbows as he pressed his forearms and hands carefully through the grass, kneading it with his legs and feet as well. Whenever he came to a large patch of short grass he would simply walk through it to get to the next area of thick grass, where once more he would set down like a tiger and comb through it. For someone who had absolutely no interest he was startlingly determined, and even his usual grimace was replaced by a look of pure concentration, eyes sharp and hands sharper still.

He'd show that white wolf off yet!

"Aquis?"

Feet trampled through the undergrowth. There was a rustling sound as fallen leaves, pebbles and dead heartwood became obstacles to some rogue- and clearly distraught- traveler. Twigs, then small branches snapped and then scratched in return and blood was drawn on both sides. Whether either side cared enough to escalate matters seemed debatable and supremely uninteresting. Unless an Ent or an Entwife happened to be passing by, of course. Then it would be a bloodbath with no sap involved.

"Aquis??"

Of fear, anguish and confusion there was no trace in that single word, but panic? Yes, in that name of a word panic might take root. For all intents and purposes, it might already have been growing. For those who were lupine, finding that seed would have been difficult at best- the name had been uttered in the guttural and nigh-unknown tongue that the lupines had made and taught and kept entirely to themselves. Wolven some called it, Lupine yet others. It made no difference, in the lupine tongue it was merely 'The Tongue' and its accents were not made where furhead emotions would usually be associated... for those who were not lupine finding that seed would have been nigh impossible.

Still, the crescendo of breaking branches and disturbed forest upholstery spoke for itself even if the almost snarled words did not. This was not a dense forest, to be able to crash and smash so merrily indicated a certain lack of self-concern and self-propriety that was most unfortunate in the world of the living. Especially where the living were concerned. And moreso when one considered the locale- densely or sparsely wooded this was still a forest, and the laws of nature remained intact.

And Geis, lupine of the Coldfur clan and of the Everlight, was brutally reminded about this fact when he was attacked by an enraged badger.

V.V.V.V.V

The badger was strong.

Geis could have probably handled that. Despite being a rather emaciated and stunted lupine, his strength was considerable by fur-head standards- doubly so (hopefully!) for badger-kind. When the giant, slavering animal that was nearly half his weight had made a mad leap for his chest and went for his eyes the wandering loremaster had instinctively shoved it away, resulting in a rather painful wound as the badger latched onto his calf instead.

Make that a very, very painful wound.

But Geis could have handled that too. He was a healer, and part of his training had involved enduring pain. Knowing even a fraction of what others endured- that had been important. Pain he had felt and pain he had meted. Pain was a familiar face.

What Geis could not handle at all was the stench. The badger reeked like no creature- living or dead- should or deserved to smell. It was an indescribable experience that quite surpassed the black and white striped squirrel. It had almost knocked him out cold when he had first fallen into the badger's warren and explained both why the badger was attacking him and why he hadn't moved away from the badger in time to avoid the attack.

Geis' head swam with conflicting feelings- chief among them the need to get away, consequences be damned. Another part of him wished no ill will upon the creature (he had, it was to be admitted, stumbled upon its lair) and just wanted to get it to let go. He had kicked it a few times, trying to get its attention and to convince it that letting go would be the better part of valor but it seemed pigheadedly determined to stay put and actually clamped down harder. He kicked a few more times, half-heartedly, but then decided that if the bite got any stronger he'd actually be in danger of severing an artery.

Pain and nausea made visions dance in front of the loremaster, when, like some divine hammer descended from the heavens, his clan's guardian elemental- Aquis- made her appearance. And then proceeded to openly laugh at him and his plight.

"I was looking for you." He told the elemental, trying to distract himself from the pain. Whether it originated from his nose or his foot he couldn't tell and didn't want to. "Why were you hiding?"

The elemental considered this and then stuck out a tongue. Geis growled at her. She relented and then stuck a hand on his nose, freezing it- Geis sighed in relief as the world stopped spinning.

"Thank you," he said wheezily. Then, his mental faculties fast returning, he threatened the badger's eyes. It growled and clamped on (it didn't seem possible anymore) even harder. With a growl Geis bared his fangs, his claws and tried his darnedest to appear truly SCARY. It worked even worse than his last feeble attempt. With another plea he managed to get Aquis to solve the problem by kicking the badger in the rump. When the badger let go and turned on the sprite- the sprite giggled and started playing tag with the enraged beast and Geis left.

Or, as the word is used, fled.

V.V.V.V.V

He appeared in the small clearing. Geis would have liked to think that he arrived in a somewhat stately and sombre manner, as befitting a contestant in a tournament, but in reality he arrived quite the mess. His nose was still frozen and itched madly, his calf had stopped bleeding and his lovely white fur was in tatters in many places- evidence of fights lost against trees. Trees that did not grow in the North. Trees that were fast becoming mortal enemies.

Reining in his bloodlust, Geis took a quick peek of his surroundings. There was a lupine- another white-furred lupine!- but didn't seem to herald from the Everlight lands- her eyes were the wrong shade entirely and she felt like a southerner. The fur-heads were here, of course they were, they were everywhere.

And there was Aralishia. It had been her idea to come to this place though he had no idea what she wanted out of it. Riches? Power? Knowledge? Geis knew that all he wanted right now was a comfortable library, a primer on one's letters and a haunch of deer meat. He felt terribly out of shape after that romp through the forest. Terribly out of shape and terrifyingly ignorant. He was about to tell his wolven friend that this contest, this whole debacle, was not worth it when she hugged him.

(Hey, Nathan, let’s assume that Quess learns Nathan’s name prior to this)

As the lupine sat on the log, a seat ridiculously short of her, she fiddled about with two sticks, half-trying to create a spark; obviously Stella here was not the only one who was acting a bit underage. But to her credit, the white warrior knew not the definition of the word spoken so often by humans, by elves, by any race that wasn’t a war-loving bunch of beasts, the word play. Whereas the children of other races – even other lupines - had plenty of time for such frivolous activities, Quess’ personal clan had either trained from birth or perished in the harsh environment they had grown up in.

And that was why the lupine was now channeling her excitement, an emotion she could not comprehend in her world of sadness and happiness, anger and hunger, through playing with the two little twigs she’d found by the log. It was an odd feeling – not a bad one, but odd – to face Nathan, someone she was beginning to regard as less of an enemy and more of a rival, with no fear of death. And looking for stones certainly did have its advantages over say, Malboro hunting, in the “OMG that was just plain suicidal” department.

When she deemed it time, Quess abandoned the sticks back to the earthy sea beneath her, and cast a sharp eye over the other contestants in this competition. Nathan she didn’t give a second glance. As if he could ever trump her obviously superior senses! But the wolf woman didn’t get any farther than Nathan, when suddenly her eyes fell on a ghost of her past – or what appeared to be one. With a yelp, the wolven warrior jumped to her feet, surveying the other lupine that she had just know noticed. Could it be?...No…Impossible! But Quess calmed down momentarily when her judgment kicked in and she realized this other lupine, fur the color of snow, was not one of them , one of they who her race had slaughtered so long ago.

With embarrassment, especially in the face of Nathan – who was probably mentally adding this little slip-up of hers to his little collection of racist slander – the lupine retook her seat, rescuing the sticks from their less-than-watery grave for their ability to distract, once more. And when Stella, who’s destiny had been intertwined with her two times before, began to speak, Quess simply pocketed the sticks, seeing as they for some reason captivated her so. The lupine, in her battle garb, would not normally have pockets, but when Quess had been forced to rip her cloth in favor of a makeshift tourniquet – that Malboro had done quite a job on Quess as well – the wolf warrior had made a little pocket in the process.

And so began the third round in man versus beast – well, no doubt Nathan would label them as beasts. Abruptly the lupine rose to her full height, bumping Nathan out of the way almost playfully, and set off at once. The proud lupine believed she could simply track Stella’s scent and find the little pebble before the other’s, but she would have to be thorough in her search. The snag had appeared however, when the other lupine had shown up, meaning he could very possibly sniff out Stella’s scent as well.

“Here we go” Whispered the wolven warrior, to no one but herself. Except maybe her stick buddies. Whee sticks. Now Quess set off right away, sniffing the air, following Stella’s scent. But it was slowly that the white lupine moved, for her furry hands were feeling the ground with every half-step, checking carefully for any trace of the illustrious pebble she was now seeking.

You might search for an eternity before you find what you seek. Across that planet and back, for all of infinity, hunting your dreams. Let me tell you now that meeting thousands of men will not help you or your quest. Only one may soothe your condemned soul, and I beleive you might..already know him.

Mid-winter, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a day as hot or fair. The sun glowed in the bright sky above that was too bright to gaze towards. Ponds alight with life previously hibernated, grasses aglow and the winds tugging gently at the remaining leaves, one might send thanks to the god Curin for creating the pleasurable day.

Not this one.

Not to say that Aralishia was only bitter, oh no. She was going to an event today, full of people, ones she probably would hate. Perhaps she might see Valerik, that would be a love-filled reunion. She racked her brains for races and classes she hadn't insulted. She thought about what she had to look forward to in the day ahead of her. For hours on end she would be searching in the humid, overly thick weather. What fun it would be to confront thorns and brambles that even an intuitive, masterful traveler might get lost in. Bitterness was an undersatement.

-----

However bitter the elf may have been early in the day, her plight seemed to be lessened as she neared the forest. She would, at the very least, get to be near her true home among nature. She might see a fox or two, or an owl. She couldn't speak their tongue, but the fact she could speak elven seemed to calm down more wild beasts. Further and further she traveled, disheartened by the growing heat.


The hunter glanced at the skyline, and she realized she was approaching the Taurai woods. Her head hadn't left the horizon until she took a step and heard a splashing sound. She glanced down and realized she had reached a pond. A high pitched whistle emenated from her, and sure enough a wolf puppy came bolting from a small collection of trees against the west sky. He galloped towards Ara with his tongue lolling and paws prancing at each step. He surged forwards and, not pausing, ran straight into Ara and landed her in the pond. The off-beat behavior made her laugh, and her happiness was clear to Arestu, or, as she referred to him lovingly, Eifu (EE-fu), or 'love, lovely' in woodland elfish. He headbutted her again, his round head crashing into her theigh like a ram. She might've gotten a bruise, had it not been that Arestu was swimming at the time and thus the headbut was more of a ''headbump". All the same, she smiled and picked up her puppy. His soaking wet ears drooped, sagging under their own weight. He was endearing and lovable, and Ara couldn't help but give him a kiss on the nose. He looked crosseyed at his own nose, then sneezed. Ara grinned, stepped out of the pond, Arestu still in hand. When she first met him, he was only as big as her palm, and now she had to hold him in both hands. He was growing fairly quickly. She set him down, where the draggled pup shook vigorously before faithfully trailing after Ara. She considerably slowed down her pace and it was near midday when the cheerful Ara met her competetors in a clearing in Taurai Woods. It wasn't long before Geis straggled into the clearing.

She gave her friend a hug, hoping she wouldn't topple him over as Arestu did to her. She was now only slightly damp, her clothing dry and her hair falling in chunky bits.
"How are you?" She asked, then glanced down at the bloody fur. "What happened? Who did this?" she demanded. Arestu made his way into the clearing, the pup immediatly gravitating towards Geis and Ara. His tail gave a friendly wag, he kissed Geis near his calf-wound, and gave him a friendly and familiar sniff. Ara was happy that her pup loved him so. Arestu pranced over to the other lupine and danced about his feet. Seeing the other lupine, Ara felt jealous that Geis might be more interested in talking to his own kind.
"And, where is Aquis? How could she let this happen?"
Then, thinking of her encounters with Aquis, she reconsidered her comment. Even if she was his Tribe's guardian, she was pitifully helpless and unhelpfull.
She took another look at Geis. His fur looked uncared to, matted, and torn. His nose, she realized, was frozen and she had no idea, on the great green earth, how to help his plight.

He seemed very reluctant in being there. This put a dampering on her mood, it seemed that Geis would prefer to be....she studied him, then her neck thrust backwards as she was taken aback. He would rather be...indoors! She looked at him incredulously. Surely he had an unfavorable plight, but Ara was sure the lupine desired wilderness as much as she did. He was more intent on learning common, which Ara assured him several times she would help him with.

She heard a gasp, then looked back at the other lupine. Apparently he had noticed Geis. She gave him an angry stare, she, for some unknown reason, didn't want the two on speaking terms. He sat back down unpleasantly, but not in reply to her angry glance. This made her all the angrier, as if the other lupine found Geis unworthy of speaking to. She became bent then and there to learn at the very least the name of this unknown lupine. Her mind began to plot against him, which seemed at the very least strange that she had formed immediate enemies with her very own kin. And yet, she did.

"I have hidden the pebble in no special place. It could be anywhere. Good luck."

Geis looked very displeased, his face giving Ara the impression that he was about to say sacasticly, 'Oh joy.' It seemed that, for once, he was miserable, and she was actually trying to cheer him up. It was a strange notion, but somehow she liked that fact that she wasn't miserable. She searched his face, waiting for a fleeting moment to see if Geis was fit for the search. He seemed to change his mindset reluctantly, and Ara started to leave, when none other than the wolf pup Arestu halted in front of her. He pranced back to Ara, and she had determined that he hadn't spent another moment with the other lupine, which was to her pleasure. He had a dead bird in his mouth, and offered it to her, giving a friendly sniff as he looked up at her. His tongue still lolling and tail waving happily, Ara could tell he was proud at his accomplishment. She looked at the disgusting dead fowl at her feet.

"Its, okay, you can have it." she said in common. She could tell he understood, for he immediatly feasted on the bird, and in seconds what little meat was on the bird was devoured. He scraped some dirt over his kill with his paw, then plodded happily after Ara as she and Geis left the clearing.

Celena wrapped her cloak a little tighter around her small frame. The sun beat down on her face yet something was not right in the air. Her emerald eyes started searching the ground around her. The thanked the gods for her elven eyesight.

Celena saw a moment out of the corner of her eye but when she turned to look what ever it was disappeared. She sighed. 'How did i get myself into this?' She questioned herself. A few feet away she say a fallen tree and started to walk toward it. The animals seemed to be in an uproar so she took a longer way around fearing their nests were near. Finally she made her way to the the tree and started to search it over. Absentmindedly she reached into her pocket and brought out some bread. 'A bit of lunch sounds good right now.' She grinned to herself and pulled a piece off and started chewing on it. It was a bit stale but it was better then nothing. A breeze passed over her bring with it a putrid odor of blood. She gagged and broke the bread up and threw it on the ground for the birds in the trees and started searching the tree again. 'This is where i would put it.' She told herself as one of her boots slipped on a root and into some water. She caught herself and looked down. Cel was standing knee deep in water. She growled and started pulling herself out.



ooc: Cel is Celena's nickname incase anyone wanted to know..

Stella watched, using her special float ability to hover over them. Nathaniel was the closest, his unstoppable searching causing him to pull up him trousers and sleeves, and also remove his shoes. She laughed at the sight. It was time to make things a little more... difficult. She took out her wand, and grinned, then held her arm up towards the sky, her fingers pointing up, and closed her eyes.

"FALLING STARS!" She yelled, bring her arm down in a sweeping movement and the sky was lit up with hundreds of falling stars. The stars where tiny, and fell to the ground, where they layed scattered about the woods. Stella smiled mischievously. Each tiny fallen star resembled the pebble exactly, almost to a fault. Stella looked on, smiling. It would make this competition more fun, as no -one would no what rock was the real one.

The contest! Talkina woke up with a start. She completely forgot about the contest that was being held today. Stretching and yawning, she tied on her cape, her wings unfolded which was good after being stuffed in her shirt during working hours. The woods, just a ways from the camp, was filled with sounds, sights, and smells. It was nearly midmorning and Talkina was slow with her humongous, full length mace, a birthday present from her manager. At least her muscles were developing. Taking in big breaths, the 11-year old waitress pushed up her sleeves and began to drag the mace along. It would be hours until the girl would be in the woods.

* * *

The damp forest floor was extremely rough, slowing down Talkina even more. Rocks and pebbles weren't a problem, being merely crushed by the spikes and weight of the head. Dodging the animals that scampered across the floor was another thing. And the sheer strength it took was tiring. Finally, Talkina gave up and dropped the handle. She quickly dove into a pond, trying to get off all the dirt that caked the feathery wings and the small body. As she swam in her underwear, she disturbed many frogs, which simply leaped over her with ease. Talkina laughed with amusement and excitement. More minutes ticked by as Talkina stripped behind a large bush and threw on her clothes. Sighing again, she rolled up her sleeves and took the handle of her weapon, this time she slung it across her back, nearly falling over. "Oomph!" Grunting with effort, she made her way trough the almost-bare, cold forest.

* * *

Talkina arrived barely in time. She caught the end of Stella's phrase. "...Good luck." The contestants almost dashed off at once. The girl looked around wildly to try and follow where everyone was going. It was no use at all. Rubbing her cold shoulder, she looked behind her. There was nothing but grounded up leaves that came from dragging her mace. Her eyes brightened with an idea. She unhitched her mace from the strap on her back, nearly making everything in the forest jump, and gently lodged it in the ground. She ran as fast as she could with the mace, upturning everything behind her. Quickly, she got on her hands and knees and rooted through the upturned ground, looking for pebbles that haven't been accidentally crushed, pocketing the pretty ones. The only worry was crushing one of the special pebbles. Suddenly, it was raining pebbles. One stuck her on the head, making her head spin. That will leave a bruise. She groaned as more pebbles were scattered. Talkina could seriously hear laughter in the distance. Shaking her head, she lifted the mace just above her shoulder and threw it into a tree. After it wedged into a large oak tree, she dropped to her hands and knees again and started to pick up all the pebbles and through it into her cloak, which turned into a heavy load in seconds.

Cel looked up as she heard the spell cast. "What now Stella?" She sighed as the pebbles started falling and crawled into the tree and waited for it to end. Finally when she thought it was clear she crawled out and started looking at the rocks that had fallen. Cel scratched her head. "This is impossible." Cel knew none of the pebbles near her were the real ones since she had just searched the ground well. She shrugged her shoulders and dove into the water she had stepped in before after removing her cloak. She dove to the bottom and started searching the ground picking up every pebble she came across and placed it in her bag. After she believed she was done she made her way out of the water and donned her cloak. She started back through the woods heading in the direction she had seen Nathaniel go before.

OOC: I have slightly modified my post above to take into account actions that happened in the interim between my post and this one. @_@

IC:

Aralishia was as friendly as ever. Before Geis had time to even open his mouth and express his doubts about this entire event she tackled the lupine, her surprisingly strong arms encircling his back and her nose nuzzled into his chest-fur. A hug, a small part of his mind said, identifying the custom. An even smaller part of his mind was asking him why he wasn't giving voice to his rather low opinions of this event. A rather more significant portion of his mind was busy finding itself in a surprisingly relaxed state. All felt... all felt right again for some reason. Then the magic ended and Geis was once again subject to his various pains and aches caused by his prior and unintended romp through the forest. He winced, feeling his injured calve throb.

Aralishia must have noticed something for she broke away from the hug. Slightly broke away anyways. Geis admitted that he may have held on to her just a tiny little bit. An eensy, weensy bit. She began with a traditional fur-head greeting but then she must have caught sight of the blood. Looking him up and down and speaking in a voice that reminded him of his mother the young elf-maiden snapped:

"What happened? Who did this?" Geis wanted to answer but somehow the answer got lodged between his throat and his tongue. He felt something stir and realized that he was embarrassed. He tried to rationalize- yes, it was embarrassing, yes this was a permissible feeling- but utterly failed. For some reason he felt like he was back with his clan again. It was a pesky, annoying feeling that should not exist- an exile, even a self-imposed one had no business feeling these things.

"And, where is Aquis? How could she let this happen?"

Geis wished he could have raised an eyebrow like he had seen some fur-heads do and answer with an ironic 'Given her temperament how could she not?'. Aralishia knew Aquis almost as well as Geis did and- yes there it was, he could see realization dawn in her eyes- they were unique eyes he realized. He would have sworn they were blue but now they seemed to be subtly changing, as if that brief forage into her memories showed themselves in her eyes. Honest Eyes his clan would have called them. Extremely rare and also a sign of good luck.

For some reason that thought made him feel better about the game.

A gasp. Geis and his elf-friend's heads whirled almost at exactly the same moment. Likely as not that would tickle the humor of some that were present. His red eyes roamed before settling upon the lupine, yes it had been her. But why had she-? He saw shock settle through her features before the sentiment melted away and she sat back down. What had she seen? The question nagged at Geis' mind- something dark had been revealed in that look and Geis wasn't sure what it was but knew the nature of it, knew it instinctively.

Danger.

He was distracted from this revelation by a rather small wolf and a muttered phrase by the Gamemaster that he didn't pay much attention to. Judging from its (the pup's not the Gamemaster's!) contented expression he seemed to have made one of its first kills and was busy trying to hand it to Ara. Geis wondered briefly when the two had met and tried to catch the pup's eye but he seem firmly entranced by his charge. Geis shrugged, it was not unusual for pups to latch onto friendly presences but this one seemed almost abnormally friendly.

...and smart. Most pups couldn't hunt at that age. He was about to suggest that she accept the present when Ara firmly refused. Geis watched the small wolf intently, expecting some sort of negative reaction but none seemed particularly forthcoming. Interesting.

The two of them rushed forwards and Geis finally realized that the Game had started. He wished briefly for a moment that his nose hadn't frozen and leaped ahead himself and started foraging. They were looking for a pebble. Yes, a pebble. An odd token to be hunting for but then again this entire game was odd. What were they even playing this game for? He vaguely understood the fur-head notion of 'money' but knew that this usually involved an exchange of goods or of services. He saw neither goods nor services being exchanged and wondered if this were not some elaborate prank.

His keen mind though was already going through the possibilities though. Where would such a treasure be hidden? Given the Gamemaster's temperament it could really be anywhere and anyplace. He considered the trees darkly, would the gamemaster be spry enough- as if reading his thoughts, Aquis laughed merrily from some distance away, catching noticed that the Gamesmaster was actually floating and sighed. Yes, she would certainly be spry enough to hide her treasures in trees.

After what seemed like just a few moments the stars started raining down!

Or it seemed like stars. On second thought he realized what they were really were: pebbles. Hundreds upon hundreds of pebbles. Suspicion fermented and rushing towards a particularly leafy tree that seemed capable of weathering the unexpected hail he watched the gamesmaster intently- or as intently as he could through the shiny stones. Remembering her position he beckoned intently to Aralishia: he finally had a plan!

Together, each looking in a different direction as the others, the lupine, wolf, and half-wolf pillaged through the terrain and wildlife, and it seemed to the half wolf that when one looked in a tree, the next sniffed the earth playfully and dutifully and the third fingered through brush and the likes. Systematically searching inch by inch, the three-some moved through fluidly throughthe brambles and lichen. And when alas they reached a distinguished landmark- a termite mound- the half-wolf Ara concluded that while moving quickly through the inches, they were moving painfully slow compared to other singular searchers who had no doubt been halfway through the forest. They, too, were searching for the pebble. Even the other lupine.

It was at about this time that Ara began to nurse the idea that smell may come into play. While she didn't have as keen a nose, Geis and Arestu were pure in their species and might be able to sniff out the secret pebble, be it smelling of a special sort of magic or of the gamemaster Stella herself, Ara conclueded that the pebble aught to have a smell. Her ability to see far and in pitch black may also be of use. The gamemaster would likely hide the pebble where it aughtn't be found, which might also mean that it would be somewhere dark. However, Ara couldn't count on it. But she could count on the two black noses.

And it was around this revelation that they were attacked. By rain, by snow be it not, nor hail nor any other fleeting storm. Nay, it be by way of tiny, pebble-like stars. Aralishia managed to catch one in her palm- it was gray and nothing abnormal, smooth perhaps, but completely ordinary. She couldn't help but think they resembled what the group was looking for; the hidden pebble aught to be small, smooth, and ordinary. It was upsetting that each pebble might actually be the hidden one, that the so called hidden pebble might be laying on the ground, undisturbed. She made an attempt to distinguish the fallen from the ordinary stones. She rubbed it first, but the rock became neither warmer, nor colder. However, this particular stone seemed colder than the actual pebbles. She suspected this lack of heat wouldn't last and searched all the faster, coming upon what must have been thousands of miniscule, cold pebbles. She turned them in her hand, she deemed them typically to be round in shape. More stones fell from the clouds, shifting across the sky and each turning grayer in turn. Her Shuriken Sentinel escaped from the cuff of her sleeve and circled around her, almost in the likeness of a hawk around it's prey, but it blocked a fair few stones, and she was grateful for the small, golden disk. Its three prongs got a bit dirtied by the falling rocks; she grabbed it and attempted to clean it with her sleeve. It protested, flinging out of her grip just after and severing her cuff. While distracted, a small, circular stone hit her square in the back of her skull. She muttered a few choice curses as blood oozed from the wound. The turbulent crimson liquid rushed down her nose. She began to feel dizzied, light-headed, some called it. The term did seem to fit, but had a certain annoying irony. Her knees drooped, now out of her command. She was kneeling near the feet of a large oak. She could suddenly feel leaves on her face, had she fallen? She would imagine that she would have felt the impact, but no more blood oozed down her nose and her conclusion was that she was laying face up and now her face was the victim of the cruel, circular attackers. A particularly rough-looking rock darting downward, seemingly coming from nowhere. She braced herself for the impact, but before she could raise her bloodied hands to protect herself, the golden disc had warded off the dangerous pebble. Though Ara couldn't be sure if the gray blob was, in fact, a pebble. She wasn't used to this perspective. It might have been a boulder. It looked like it would have hurt like a boulder.

It seemed like hours that she was laying in agony upon the leafy floor. Seconds, she concluded, couldn't have been filled with as much pain. Her entire skull ached and the back throbbed particularly painfully. Not only this, but another stone had hit her theigh, leaving a nasty bruise that felt like it aught to be bloody. A grayish puppy played at her feet, pouncing on leaves. She couldn't tell if the pup was indeed Arestu through her half closed eyelids, but she muttered sternly to him to sit between the two large roots in wolfish. He nudged her, whined, and begrudingly sat. At least one of them would be safe.

What seemed like centuries later she heard a familiar voice, one that was considerably lighter and certainly pleased. Alas, she was once more the miserable one.

I knew she hated me. That was the only thought going through Nathaniel's mind, as he struggled with minor pain to his knees so that he could dart under a tree. The massive thing wasn't totally infallible; he got smacked a number of times as things fell between branches, but it served to keep his head protected.Thick chunks of stone were raining down from the sky, and if the ones that had pelted him when it initially began and even now were an indicator? They were pebbles. He wouldn't put it past the girl either. After fighting someone you learn to never be surprised by anything they can do, and even outside the ring of flame he was still wary of the other's abilities. So long as she didn't set this forest aflame he should be alright, though.

"I wonder how Quess is doing..." Nathan muttered to himself, as the storm(shower?) finished. His exposed forearms and legs were bruised, but nothing he couldn't tend to after this finished. Actually, he was worried about his shoes; likely buried after all of this. Kneeling down he slowly eased away from the tree trunk, a few pebbles still dropping from inbetween branches to pat against the grassy floor. He ignored them, not interested in pebbles that were clearly not the correct stone. At least, he assumed they weren't...

Nathaniel paused, massaging his feet against the cool stones. Their surface was smooth, and it was certainly a nice feeling after having stood pressed against that tree. For a good minute he stood, eyes closed and leaned slightly back, enjoying the sensation as he massaged his feet against their form. Then it occured to him that this perhaps was not the best way to spend his time during the competition; not when he had a werewolf to beat. With great regret he opened his eyes and kneeled down, lifting one of the stones carefully. He eyed it for but the briefest moment before tossing it to the side, moving forward so he could pick up one a little farther. A soft thwap! signalled one bouncing off his shoulder, and with irritation he picked it up off the pile and looked it over.

Small. Smooth. Just like all the others. It felt room temperature-- rather, forest temperature, and was indiscernable from any other pebble. He raised it to his nose, inhaling slowly. It didn't smell particularly odd either; given it'd just fallen from the sky, it likely should have had some scent. To the trained nose it likely did, but for a human with ordinary senses there was nothing unusual. Nathaniel's eyes closed, lids sealing as he once more inhaled deeply. Still nothing. Without the slightest hint of embaressment or humiliation he extended his tongue, trying to taste the thing. He knew that many rocks could be discerned from one another through such means.

his tongue, which looked startlingly pink against his dark goatee, flicked over the surface carefully. There were minor imperfections in the surface; pores littered about like a perfectly skewered foe, and the rock somewhat cold against his warm muscle. It tasted no more sweet nor sour than any other plain rock; perhaps a tad bitter but then that was to be expected. He withdrew his tongue from the pale stone and bit down on it with the front of his teeth, clenching as hard as he might. The stone failed to dent or snap, and he began to fear his teeth might shatter before he managed any such thing upon the item. Hastily he removed it from his mouth, examining it once more.

The faded green surface was now a dark green, bordering grey, along the front half of it. As he'd thought no dent nor break marred the perfect surface, and aside from it being slightly wet and more darker it didn't appear he'd done anything to it at all. Even as he held it the rock began to warm, the heat of his body combined with this warm day causing the stone to rise in temperature. Nothing painful or unusual, but that was just the problem. There was precisely nothing wrong with it, nothing that would make one realize it was not truly a pebble. In every sense of being it was.

As a last resort he raised it to his ear, the pebble pressed gently against his lobe as he tried to listen. Some stones were said to emit strange sounds, and magic always had a ring when used. An odd sort of ringing no less, as if the very fabric of reality were simply strings, and magic a great gong. Sadly, he heard nothing. No ringing nor gentle coasts, not even the soft rattle of a hollow interior. It was ordinary in the sense of sound as well, and merited treatment nor more special than any other stone he had come across.

In irritation he swung his arm, as if to throw it a far distance. When his limb reached its full extension he stopped though, a look of considerdation dawning on him as he pulled the stone back to his body. He thumbed the wet edge of it, drying it all the faster as the light and pores went to work absorbing his saliva. A soft pale green, like so many other stones scattered around his legs. He didn't even know if it were truly green or merely tinted that colour with the dome of green hues stretched out above. It wouldn't be the first time the odd light had bathed things with its amusing peculiarity.

This wasn't a time to consider those matters though. Nathaniel was far more interested in what he was discovering every time he rubbed the stone; or rather, what he wasn't. If this stone held no flaw, then there could be only two options. One; it was a perfect replica for the real one and Stellla would never know the difference. Two; the real pebble was flawed and irregular in some form. That meant he had to go about the task of discovering what these pebbles all had in common. A grin forming on his face, he tossed away the stone he had nursed close to himself and picked up another nearby. It was more square and less of an oval, but was smooth all the same.

Going by those alone, the pebble couldn't be smooth! But he wanted to be certain, so on his knees and hands he crawled again, this time examining every one of the pebbles. Nathaniel's examinations were as thorough as a jeweller, but his disposal was brute-ish; a strong toss to the left, as far out of sight as he could toss it. Soemtimes he fantasized it hit Quess, but he really had no manner of knowing such things and it was unlikely the wolf couldn't dodge the throws. The same arc, the same set place in the distance. One after another, with perfect precision and infinite patience.

Finally, after a very good length of time, all of the pebbles around him had been cleared. With them gone, he had a new idea in mind of what he was looking for. It served a better purpose, for as he rooted through things he knew which stones to throw with all his might and which ones to set aside for more careful examination. Hopefully his assumptions were right, and these stones were all different from the real one in some way. If not... well, he'd wasted a lot of time and lost this leg of the competition without doubt.

FWUMP! The loud noise made him jump, and his leg muscles coiled momentarily as if he might dash off like some athlete. When the sound came again he was more prepared though, and paused long enough to consider what it might be. It sounded like a tree hitting the ground, or something equally heavy. Many of the pebbles bounced up from the ground, and it was annoying to boot. He listened a little while later, but the sound failed to grow closer to him. With it fading, he quickly lost interest.

Probably just someone else in the competition. He muttered inwardly, resuming his task. Although he had only seen a few people in the beginning of the challenge, it didn't seem far fetched to believe a few more had shown up in the meanwhile. A shame, he would have liked to keep the numbers low. But more people meant more possibility of others winning; nto a prospect he was adverse to. After all, as long as Quess lost he was happy. Winning was just a bonus in this stage of the game.

Another sigh, and bruised fingers began to sift through the grass and moss carefully once more. It was a good thing none of the lads he had worked with were here; he'd never hear the end of their jeering and taunts.

“Ouch!” Yelped the supposed warrior, unprepared for such an impromptu barrage of stones. True, Quess’ all-purpose fur seemed to absorb a little of the pain, but the little stones stung nonetheless. What was more, her flawless – well, relatively flawless pelt was getting smeared with all sorts of dirt. Again. Irritable, the tall lupine simply stood began to seek the scent she was sniffing, because if one can out-walk the horizontal speed of any sort of rain, one gets less wet (or bruised) to walk instead of run she felt like it. Shaking her head to dislodge the pebbles buried in her fur, as if they were nothing more than drops of water, Quess continued her slow careful lumbering.

Some – most – would stop to ponder why a hail of stones suddenly plummeted from the heavens, but Quess had seen far more bizarre to really care. But she did lick her lips, with a hint of anticipation, when she caught the unmistakable scent that was Nathan’s. Her interest piqued, the tall wolf decided to find him, seeing as he was in the middle of the scent trail anyways. Stark white fur offered little to no camouflage anywhere outside of a snowstorm, but Quess decided to take her chances; it wasn’t as if Nathan could do much if he caught her anyways.

It was not difficult to pinpoint the location of the noisy human, Quess decided, as she used both hearing and scent to close in on him. She almost blew her (nonexistent, except for the veil of human’s own preoccupation) cover when she suddenly saw him sniffing a rock. She quickly snapped a hand to her muzzle, snuffing out any laughter that might have made it out of her mouth. What was he doing, smelling the pebble? Too amused to think straight, Quess, despite liking to think herself a cold and unfeeling warrior, felt her eyes water in mirth as Nathan suddenly began to lick – and then chomp into - the pebble. Not exploding with laughter was perhaps the most difficult thing she’d ever had to do, grappling with her own self-control.

Biting her lip, Quess tried to skirt around Nathan when suddenly, a pebble, one of the last ones Nathan had tossed, struck her right in between the eyes. With another grunted “Ow!” the unprepared lupine tumbled into the clearing, smooth little stones digging into her back; but she didn’t care, didn’t even feel the pain. Quess was simply laughing as she never had before – in fact, she could count on one hand how often she’d laughed so childishly – as she rolled about on the ground. The laughter continued – Quess only pausing to gasp more breath into her lungs – for what seemed like forever, before the giddiness finally died away and she looked at Nathan. He didn’t seem very pleased to see her, to say the least.

“Come here often?” Asked the lupine with as much exaggerated sincerity as she could muster, unable to resist snickering still.

This was... too easy. Trust the wolves to no her scent. It was time to make things.... harder. Floating slightly higher, she placed herself on a particulary high tree branch, so she could view everything. This would be perfect. On her back was her winters embrace, ready to be used.

Raising her Holy Barbed Staff, Stella's eyes closed as she concentrated, misty coming off her in streams. With a cry, she began to freeze the pebbles scattered about with a light layer of spray, washing away scents. With this task complete, she glanced around at her competitors. Two in particular - Quess and Nath, had met up. With a mischievous grin, she leaped down, landing in between them. There would be no fighting... without her help.

With a little grin on her face, she cocked her head to the side slightly. "Helloo.." She called cheerfully, her voice high and merry. With a swift move she raised her barbed staff she swung it first at Nath, then turned and swung it at Quess. With them distracted, she began to use her staff to muss up the pebbles around them, knocking some flying far away, and burying some in the mossy ground.

With this task complete, Stella once again used her float spell, and rose into the air, sitting back down on the high tree branch for some rest. She waited for a sign from the other competitors, so she could mess up their search too. Who said this competition was going to be easy? The closer they came, the more difficult Stella would make it. If need be, she was even set up to start fights.

Nathaniel's fingers made short work of the long strands of grass, prying them apart like an owner checks their dog for flees. His eyes had yet to catch anything of interest, but with every upturned rock and severed piece of moss he felt a rise of possibility. A chance that he might find it. Though far from an optimist, he tried to avoid pessimism when working. Usually his work involved a great deal more morally and physically demanding effort, so keeping determined was simple. This was only the first leg of the race, and he didn't doubt as time went on the others would be harder to find. But if he could snatch this victory for himself it would give him that one leg up, something he desperately needed considering the competition. Lifting another pebble he onced it over, then tossed it sharply and resumed his searching. With a neck craned he occasionally had to blow longer, more stubborn locks of black hair out of his eyes. Not long enough to truly blind him, just enough to irritate him and catch his easily won attention.

And then there was laughing. His back stiffened at the noise; he'd never heard Quess laugh before but the harshness of every breath was unmistakable. A gruff, feminine voice. Truly a perplexing thought, and one that may have distracted him if he hadn't been wary of such things. Pointedly he ignored her as she stalked by, continuing in his search. His dark eyes narrowed as he glared at the grass -- it was good he couldn't set things alight with his gaze-- and moved with a rigid, tense manner. Even after sleeping with the wolf he could bestow no trust; not when this competition was full swing anyways. She'd needed him then, anyways. This time around, well...

Then again, attacking a man while he was crawling around on all fours was pretty low. Even for a wolf.

When she showed no signs of leaving he cast her a slow glance. Nathaniel set back on his legs, so that he appeared to simply be sitting. He made a slow point of wiping his hands on his pants, then wiped the hair from his forehead, stuck from minor perspiration. He hadn't remember sweating, but perhaps he'd exerted himself more than expected when he'd tried to escape the rock storm? For a moment he hoped glaring at the white wolf would get the point across, but it didn't appear like that would happen anytime soon. So, adopting another tactic, he gave a haughty smirk. "Come to beg me to let you win? How very... submissive of you. Though I suppose if you admit I'm clearly the one going to win this, and all challenges, I can arrange something..."

She hadn't. Not if she was teasing him, anyways; the last time she'd asked him to do something she'd been very careful about not being begging or taunting. A decent balance that helped preserve one's honor while acquiring help at the same time. He preferred subtle manipulations himself. With less enthusiasm he asked, "So, why have you come to pester me today, wolf? Surely it isn't my winning personality you're after? I'd have thought you'd gotten enough of that the other night." The last half was muttered softly, a few sore wounds still remaining with the experience. Nathaniel was quick to dismiss it though, leaning back down and setting about trying to find the pebble once more. "You know," He began. "I once heard a story about a bird who wanted to propose to another with a pebble. The most spectacular pebble of all. He searched wide and far, all over the lands. I can't remember how it ended up," Fingers paused in their search so he could stare thoughtfully ahead, lips pursed. Then, "I'm sure it was happy, though."

Once again the machine went about its work. Over his shoulder he asked, "What of you, Quess? Raised on any stories? Or is that something only we humans partake in?" His voice was light, though only because it was difficult to maintain a mean exterior while you were snooping around. He was only half paying attention anyways, trying to concentrate on the rock. Pebble, rather. Rock would be too easy, wouldn't it? Quietly he waited for Quess to speak, though didn't halt in his search. The logical side of him reasoned that this could be a trick to get him to find it so she could snatch it. Or worse.

"Ack!" Caught up in paranoia, Nathaniel received quite the surprise when a cold mist suddenly sprung up out of nowhere. He leapt to his feet quickly, just about diving on top of Quess. Not only did he hate his cold, but his bare skin had been out! After such warm weather he'd hardly been expecting it, though his frustration died down as the rocks seemed to dry and the mist disappear. Someone... washed them? He was too simple to realize that the wolves could simply follow Stella's scent; it wasn't as if Quess had revealed her plan or showed signs of doing so anytime soon. Once the mist disappeared he went about his work though, like some mindless ant adhering to its master. No fear of getting blasted with the cold again, though only because his attention had bounced off of it and it was almost forgotten.

Fingers worked cold rock, rubbing the moisture in as he tried to remember them. Wet it was more difficult; the pores were more visible and thus imperfections were everywhere. He was close to complaining to the white wolf when a young girl approached. One of whom he knew, with blonde hair more silver than gold. "Hellooo..." She chimed, and he offered a smile from where he was working away. It fell to a frown though, as he asked slowly, "Someone hasn't already found it, have they?" Perhaps the cold had been a sign of that, a way of knowing to stop searching. Well, he felt like quite the idiot now. Nathaniel got ready to press up onto his legs again before standing, but the pointed mace end of Stella's staff smacked him. Halfway up he was knocked backwards, sprawled in quite the unflattering way.

Curses, shouts, general confusion, and a host of other things were spewed from his lips at such a rate it was hard to tell where one word started and another ended. Usually he tried to be reserved enough to maintain some dignity infront of polite company, and refrain from swearing. But it hurt! Blood was running down from his nose, every breath inbetween rants drew in collected blood, and he was sure other ares were bruised if not broken. Noses were always a smart place to attack; leave the opponent heaving between breaths because they could only breath through the mouth, and demoralize them because of the valves of blood that would spew forth. Not enough to kill a man; not usually, anyways, but still enough to make quite the messy sight.

What in "blazes" had he done?? Play some game?? If this was something common for the first leg, he was not at all interested to see what quest the last pebble would entail the adventurers doing. By the time he rolled onto his stomach and made himself look somewhat more decent (accomplished when he stopped using all the air in his lungs to swear and curse like his daddy had taught him), Stella was gone. He glowered, standing slowly and looking around with narrowed eyes. Well, eye. One hurt to open; thank the Gods there were no mirrors. He may not have been as conceited as the infamous Jupiter, but he certainly cared a great deal about his appearance. Typically, anyways. Now he was dirty, cold, half blind and without the pebble. Did he hate Stella? Choose to stop this scavenger hunt so he could go smack her a few times up the head?

No. Instead he turned on Quess, pointing at her with an accusatory finger. "You! You set this up... somehow!! Coward!" His voice wasn't nearly as intimidating when his nose sounded as clogged as it was, and looking like you were kicked in the face by a stray horse was never great for instilling fear, but something about his stance made him threatening anyways. Well, as threatening as he could look without magical aid. With a bleeding lip and flowing nose every breath was large and drenched his teeth, tinting them the same shade of red. Clearly it was getting to his head; why Quess would have anything to do with it was absurd. Even more was the idea she would get some small girl to attack him, instead of doing it herself. Nathaniel had never been known for being particularly logical when he was upset; clearly the type who threw tantrums as a child.

She watched as Nath rose, blooded up. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but for this competition to work, some people needed... holding back, specially when they where so far ahead. Standing on the tree branch, she heaved a sigh, and began floating over the scene, her eyes ever watchful. The forest was really peaceful, and green, specially the ground with all her little pebbles. By the end of this, they all would be too tired for the next round.

It was time for the others. Stella began to float over the scene, her eyes wide - watching, and spotting Aralishia and Geis,Sight distance away from Nath and Quess. Had they heard that disturbance? She hoped not anyway. and the little pup. Her eyes narrowed as she lowered herself to the ground, and began to put a slight mist on this ground.

The Pebbles in this area where wiped clean of her scent, and she cackled a little. Now... time to muss it all up! Raising her Barbed staff, she smiled, showing her inner demon. "SHOOTING STAR!" A light began to form in the palm of her hand, and she faced it at the group, at their feet/paws. The light grew lighter, becoming a white glow. Soon even she had to look away. Releasing the great mass of energy was a relief above relief's, and the motion felt soothing. The light blasted the ground below them, and in that slight distraction, she began hitting the mace on the floor, sending random pebbles flying in all directions, and some she even threw away herself.

With the distraction over, Stella leaped up into the tree again, and sat down, completely zonked of energy. She couldn't even float anymore! Leaning against the trunk, she sighed, and decided to just watch while she regained enough energy to make the competition harder still.

ooc: sorry i have not posted in a while... the posts were just so long... :'( :grr: it took me like 4 days to read them... lol... i just am a very busy woman...


ic: Cel looked up again. "Stella what are you doing now." She started out toward where she had heard the woman the last time. Her elven ears twitched as she stopped under a tree. "Stella, is that you?" She jumped with her agile body and was soon on the branch beside where Stella sat. "Are you ok? You look exhausted." She sat down and pulled some sweet bread and chocolate out of her cloak. "You want some lunch?" She offered.

Still bubbly with laughter, the warrior wolf picked herself up and leaned back against a tree coolly, far to giddy to pay any attention to his little insults. The wolf, content with life’s simpler pleasures, simply ignored the more derogatory comments, still breaking out in laughter at times. She nudged a little cluster of pebbles near her foot, as if by some miracle the right one would be resting there. But oh, she couldn’t care less now! Yes, she’d search, but she’d already won her personal battle against Nathan, watching him bite on the rock. And he makes fun of MY eating habits mused Quess, half-listening to the human rambling bout a bird or something.

“Ah, yes. When I was little, I’d sit around camp fires, listening to pretty little stories of sunshine and rainbows – of course not, you fool! We don’t have time to waste, listening to pointless tales. Other than the occasional about my kinfolk’s killings though. Why, once a fellow lupine was telling us of the time he killed a pair of “monster-hunters”! Their guts were strewn about the floor, their blood all over their place. One man’s head was shoved into his stomach…”

Letting the fictional picture rest in Nathan’s mind, Quess gave a smug smile; had she been human she’d have stuck her tongue out at him. In her own glee, the wolf warrior failed to notice the latest supernatural happenings – the cold and the washing. Absent-mindedly scratching the bark of the tree, the white-furred wolf was surprised to see Stella suddenly appear. After a startled yelp, the lupine quickly regained her composure, murmuring a polite greeting. She opened her mouth a second time, to make a mundane comment, when suddenly a barbed club was swung at her stomach. Yelping again, the unbalanced lupine tumbled backwards, head over heels.

Snarling herself into “battle mode”, Quess leapt to her feet, to find Stella gone, and a pwned sorry-looking Nathan instead. In that one moment, Quess’ anger cracked and melted away, seeing Nathan’s face. She forgot even her wounds as she fell down for the third time, overcome with laughter once more. The human just looked so ridiculous!

Nathaniel was all out ready to attack Quess, finger pointed and all. Sure his mouth was open like some slack-jawed fool and his goatee had highlights not available for a good number more of centuries, but shoulders drawn and back straight he was ready for battle. Which is why when the snarling wolf; (a fitting beast to fight) fell down laughing, he was left staring confused. This.. this THING was so confusing! And aggravating! Was she laughing at him?! How DARE she laugh at him! He should chop off her head, carry it around on a pike! The competition could recede to some insignificant corner as far as he was concerned, and the world would be a happier place with one less mutt wandering around.

Yet... it seemed somehow wrong to try and attack the wolf. The wolf, who was currently on the ground laughing. If it were human he didn't doubt it'd be crying; in fact, it was possible the wolf was even now given the hearty laugh. With a sneer he turned sharply away, stalking off in the opposite direction. Nathaniel couldn't even think of anything to say, and even if he had he didn't doubt the words would be no more than harsh snarls on his part as civilty escaped him, ones of which would fall on deaf ears. With legs built for long strides he quickly disappeared further in the trees, wondering if perhaps now he might be able to find the thing. Absently he raised his arm, moving his forearm harshly under his nose to wipe up the excess flow. The sharp burn from the area being touched made him pause in surprise, before his eyes narrowed.

Clearly ones nose was not meant to point in any direction other than straight ahead. Though not terribly twisted to the side, it was still clearly out of its location. With a moment's hesitation he placed his hands on either side of it, then snapped it forward once more with a harsh SNAP! Having not expected the pain he let out a yowl, crouching down to cradle his nose without actually touching it. Blood flowed anew from it, the passages once more aligned. Deep purples and swelling promised quite the sight tommorow, as well. His eye was equally dark, though it would be more apparent tommorow, and his cheek was also in the process of swelling. Like the rest, it would sport a bruise come tommorow. His lower lip could go either way; fine or worse. Bit into when he was hit, any damage was solely of his own doing. Which was unfuriating.

When the throbbing in his nose faded enough so the world was not a mass of throbbing red he once more rose to his feet, albeit shakily. Nathaniel eyed the place slwoly; the grass was thick here, entangling high on his ankles, and a fallen log nearby had collected a blanket of moss on top of it. A glimmer of light through the velveteen roofing shone upon it, lighting the log and giving away the sight of floating dust particles. It could have been holy, it looked so perfect. Instead of upturning what was no doubt a bug-infested log he turned and continued his trek, away from where he had been with Quess when Stella had struck him. It took a great deal of walking and thick, wheezy breaths but eventually he came upon something of a shallow pond. No more than five feet at most in circumference, with thick moss and lilypads having grown over the surface and obstructing it. Below it was no doubt a host of animals, all using it as an escape from the hot afternoon sun.

Nathaniel knelt down by the surface, cupping his hands and placing them in the water. When he drew them out a small amount of water was held betweenthem, dyed green from the algae and with the barest flickers of small life. It was filthy, unsanitary, and he splashed it onto his face before proceeding to wipe away the blood there. Hardened crusts of blood, now a dull and rusted brown, were quickly wiped off of his face. He was tender around his injured spots, but still tried to clean them as best he could. With the mud and blood gone a few lacerations could be seen along his cheek where the mace hit, and curiously he examined the sight in the pond. Merciless hands moved plant life away from the surface, until enough of a reflection to see himself by was offered. Small creatures with long tails darted out from the exposed areas, hiding once more in their comfortable blackness.

He was tempted to join them. He looked like a mess, even cleaned. Using the arm of his shirt (the one not stained from trying to wipe his nose earlier) he wiped and dabbed, drying his face and wiping away what plantlife had stayed there. It wasn't perfect, but only under close inspection would one notice anything amiss. Satisfied with his job he rose from the pond, wiping his now muddy knees and turning to face back in the direction he had come. The pebbles weren't around this pond, either because it was out of bounds or Stella's magic was not as widespread as it could be. With both hands raised Nathaniel swept wet fingers through his hair, slicking it back and away from his dark blue eyes. Then he rose, and stalked back to the area the log had been in. Though he had no intentions of being attacked by caterpillars and termites nesting within the rotted wood, the thick grass around it would hopefully yield pebbles.

Hopefully the pebble he was looking for, if the Pantheon had any mercy whatsoever. Later he would see about dealing with Stella.