A warm orange glow tinted the snowy ground and the long shadows of the trees danced with the wind. The setting sun painted a pretty picture in this antarctic land; a distant bison herd slowly made their way north, carving an easier path for the foxes to hunt in. Tahliz took a seconed to look back, his eyes flashed in the sunlight and his breath began to show a mist. His shoulders ached, the heavy bag that held at least a dozen cods sat over his shoulders and down his back.
He took a look down the hill, the sky line blocked by the trees and their shadows loomed over the land. "Would I make it back before sunset?" Tahliz mumbled before contacting to walk, his job was to bring dinner back for the children of the tribe. He didn't have time to rest! No matter how much his muscles complained. With a huff he held his head up and focused on a wider gate, keeping each stride consistent so he could kept going.
Canis-ferre limped beside him, an exhausted whine came with every other step. "I know boy, I know" Tahliz turned to pat his head, the hound licked his hand back. "We gotta keep moving and you can rest once we get back" Tahliz felt a wace of sympathy for Canis-ferre, after all he had cut his paw on a rock or whatever had hidden in the snow. As Tahliz kept his pace, his mind grew tired so did his shoulders but he couldn't stop.
Heavy steps snapped fallen twigs and the snow crunched with each step; Tahliz had his gaze forward and the thought of the children back at camp being able to eat a full meal gave him the strength to keep moving. He didn't know his own speed until he heard the desperate barks and yelps from Canis-ferre, the hound launched himself forward and tried to drag Tahliz back. Tahliz fell back and his sack of cods plopped of to the side and a few scattered from the bags entrance, "hey! Let go! Let go!". Tahliz pulled his arm free, huffing irritated and went to pick the fish back up. A much deeper huff blew cold air to his hands, sending an instinctual chill down his spine. Tahliz froze and reluctantly looked at what breathed on him, drool spilled on his back and dripped down his armour to the snow, freezing immediately.
A large snout growled down at him, white fur that began to molt into a rich brown, deep blue spikes on its chin brushed against Tahliz's head. Even larger, deep blue horns sat on the things head. He trembled, this beast that is easily twice the size of a polar bear growled softly at him but also jumped back like a nervous dog. Canis-ferre was already dashing towards the camp. This beast looked over at it, only to snap it's deep purple, reptilian eyes at Tahliz, the seocned it noticed any movement.
Tahliz stumbled back, gripping the back of cods as he tried to gain some distance. The beast only growled, its wings fluttered and it's head tilting back and forth. "It's all slashed like the bison" Tahliz thought, noticing older wounds that's still healing but it held its left paw off the ground. "This may not be the one from last night" Tahliz muttered, the beast jumped back when he did, whipping its tail between them. Five large, deep blue horns were at the end of that tail, the white fur molting brown, knotted and tangled.
Tahliz was about to grab his bow when the beast stopped growing, instead its whisker like fur on its cheeks twitched and it's nostrils opened and sniffed. It looked like a pup that had smelt cooked beef for the first time, a deep pur came from its throat, its eyes softened at the cod.
"Cod? Cod!" Tahliz looked at the fish in his hand then at the beast, he lifted up to it. The beasts gaze sharpened, it's growl returned and it backed up once more. "You" Tahliz hesitated, "you want this? No need to get... murdery?" He nervously chuckled. The beast crouched like a cat, slowly and hesitantly walking closer, it's wings tensed at it's side. The large claws were risen from the ground, this beast walked on its toe tips and it hesitantly sniffed the cod.
Tahliz shivered and just threw it to the beast, backing away. The beast in return sniffed the cod again then let out a deep pur and began to scoff the fish down in the matter of seconds. It then looked up at Tahliz, blinking slowly and sniffing in the direction of the bag. "I can't give it all the fish" Tahliz thought, "but what use would it be to the tribe if it kills me as well?" He hummed nervous but threw a second fish at it. The howler dragon purred deeply once more and scoffed it down again, it titled its head at Tahliz. The dragon narrowed its eyes and sniffed him from a distance before burrowing its nose in the snow and tunneling within the thick layers.
"So that's where it came from?" Tahliz looked at the disturbed snow pile curiously. No-one had an encounter with a beats like that and both survived, it was oddly cute. "It was also wounded, maybe that's why it didn't want to fight?" He thought but then began to head his way back to the tribe. Tahliz already knows that if their hound came running back frantically that they'll be expecting the worse already.
Thus he began to walk as fast as he could, through the forest and soon the trees broke and showed the camp up the small hill. Tahliz frowned when he saw the stars beginning to show in the sky and the fires of the camp where visible. He relaxed when he saw his hound had only just made it to the gates, the warriors already on guard until they saw Tahliz approaching with a bag of fish. "Sorry!" Tahliz greeted them, Vires and Agiles, a couple of warriors who had helped him in his sword stance. "Ran into trouble and Qahnaar would need help bringing the bison back, she's up the river, down the hill, you'll see where the river ice broke" Tahliz pointed to where he came from.
"On it" Vires and Agiles began to head to where he pointed.
With a sigh of relief, Tahliz walked through the gates, he was happy that the wall was almost fixed and the three houses were given new framework. "Ah, young Tahliz" Captin Glacies greeted, though he couldn't help but notice that Glacies had a judgmental tone. "What have I don't now?" Tahliz thought but put on a soft smile and greeted back.
"Captin Glacies" he looked up and went to his guarding stance that was like seconed nature for him now. Captin Glacies gave a quick but noticeable look up and down.
"Couldn't bring the bison back by yourself so you got fish instead?" Captin Glacies guessed, then pointed to where all the kids were sat around a campfire, resting and awaiting their dinner. "I'd hurry if I were you, they're not happy that you're late" Captin Glacies added.
"Understood" Tahliz felt his heart ache at the dissaprovel that Captin Glacies suddenly showed him. Glacies didn't trian him or his sister the way he did Gaylord or Toor but he also didn't seem upset with him either. Tahliz took his bag over to the kid, thanks to that dragon he only had ten fish left, it should be enough. "Thank you" one of the mothers took the bag and handed the fish out to the other families, along with some other rations to make a meal. Tahliz remembers being a small kid, playing and learning within the nursery with the other kids but that was a while ago and he now spend his days within the barracks.
Heading to the barracks, he realised just how bad the storm had hit the southen wall; the building didn't look as stable as it did but there were also people working on fixing it. With a yawn, Tahliz went to the armoury and took his armour off and put his weapons away, all whilst Canis-ferre limped behind him. "Should work on looking after your dog better" a more joyful voice sounded from behind him.
Tahliz looked up, putting his everyday clothes back on and looking at the door frame to see Ventus petting his dog. "Aww, what happened?" Ventus, Captin Glacies son, asked as he petted Canis-ferre.
"He was helping us pull the bison but his paw got cut" Tahliz replied, Ventus had always interested Tahliz. He was always in such high spirits despite the high expectations he has being a Captins son. It interested Tahliz since he always acted like he never cared what others thought, even when most waited to pull him down from his status but yet never got the chance, he acted carefree but yet excelled in his work.
"Aww, poor pups" Ventus petted Canis-ferre's head and in return the hunting hound wagged his tail excitedly and licked his hand. "Guess you wouldn't have a hunting dog for a while then, huh?" Ventus pointed out, leaning on the door frame now. Tahliz had to look up at him, the height difference obvious but Tahliz liked looking into those stormy grey eyes, it always made him feel like he too had no worries.
"No, not for a week at least" Tahliz shrugged, moving out of the armoury and into the barracks, setting down on his bed. His hound settling on his bed, between Tahliz's and Qahnaar's.
"You can borrow mine if he's free" Ventus offered, "I'd hate for you to loose any leaning experience because you don't have a hound at your side".
"Thanks" Tahliz smiled softly at him, thankful for the gesture. "What brings you here though? I mean, wouldn't you have some jobs to do with the blizzard and all?".
"Wouldn't you?" Ventus raised an eyebrow, sitting next to him. "I got some free time and thought it'll be interesting in here, far emptier than I had thought" Ventus furrowed his brows and looked around, disappointed.
Tahliz nodded in agreement, though this was the first time he was able to actually take a look at Ventus. People can be hard to see in the distance so most of the time Tahliz just couldn't tell the difference between elf and elf until he was face to face with them. Now that Ventus was here, not in some helmet, Tahliz could actually see his face.
Despite being twenty two, he had chubby cheeks, his cheek bones seemed to have complemented his jawline that belnded with his cheeks. Making him have more of a rounder face then most elves, his ears had a neat curve to them as they pointed up and his hazel hair was messy. "No need to stare" Ventus smirked, teasingly patted Tahliz's head.
"I ain't staring" Tahliz couldn't stop his pout and brushed Ventus off of his head.
"Right" Ventus spoke slowly, almost teasingly as Tahliz pouted up at him.
"You gonna head to bed or have jobs to do?" Tahliz asked, wanting to change the subject.
"You not going to eat?" Ventus asked but began to get up and off of Tahliz's bed.
"I'll eat in the morning" Tahliz yawned and began to get ready for a night's rest.
"Good night then" Ventus stood for a moment then left the barracks, a cool gust of wind blew in, causing Tahliz to curled up in his bed.
As Tahliz began to fall asleep, he kept thinking of the wounded howler dragon. A beast that's been told to be unpredictable and hyperagressive acted like a nervous dog or fox and was extremely hesitant to take a couple of fish. It fascinated Tahliz, thinking of how cat like the creature was and how gentle it had been, even when eating. Tahliz soon felt himself drift in a warm and sweet plane of sleep, feeling the inner peace.