Nova Peak Betta

Snow swirled down around the two young wolves.

Their plans had taken longer than had been expected. They had discussed a trip with each other, to explore the world beyond their seaside home. Swordfish had suggested that they tell the important members in their lives (leadership, family) before taking off. Even though he hadn’t planned to be gone for long, the conversation with his mother had been difficult.

Turning back to look for @Quennell, Swordfish squinted against the flurries. Winter would make their trip difficult. The mountain that loomed ahead of them was imposing and frightful – a stony peak covered in glistening white.

the boys had spoken about much on their way.

yet quen found himself wanting to talk about one thing in particular. boy-to-boy really! for he had no age-mate brother to indulge the conversation with — but swordfish was a good friend, much like an age-mate brother.

oi, sword! he huffed out as he rounded back up with the hunting boy, eyes squinted to keep the sting of the snow at bay best he could. i be havin' a question!

The other boy’s voice pulled Swordfish’s ears back. He had been called Fish by his mom, but had never experienced the shortening of his name to favor the first half. He didn’t mind it as much - it was better than being called a fish. 

What is it, Que? the young seafarer inquired with a drawl. 

While he waited for the other, Swordfish searched the upcoming mountain with interest. There would likely be caves where they could wait out the worst of the winter storm. An unfamiliar scent was carried on the wind. 

There was a bear, but Swordfish had never smelled one before. Without knowing the danger of it, he aimed himself toward a dark hole in the rock that looked large enough to hold half of Sapphique.

and they would forge on as one, towards the dark dank cave. for quen would know nothing of what laid ahead either!

besides, he would never be as focused. more fixed upon the question he had in mind.

you be t'inkin' girls...nice, yeah?

perhaps the emphasis on the word used might hint the other boy in on what quen (or rather que) wished to discuss.

Did he think girls were nice? 

Swordfish thought of Suzu and their time spent together. He thought of the way she filled the space with words - things he would never think to say. He thought of Stingray’s casual question about her being his girlfriend. The fluttering in his stomach was uncomfortable. 

Aye, ah do. Ya got one on yer mind? 

Better to divert the attention to Quennell. It was important enough for the other boy to have asked, after all.

it was not so embarrassing to discuss with another boy he found.

leelee-uh. she be visitin' not too long ago. he explained softly. she also not be livin' too far from 'ere! a soft chuckle in the back of his throat. slowly he managed to catch up so that he could stand side-by-side with the other boy.

what girl you be findin' nice?

Leelee was all he captured from the other boy. It seemed like he had been smitten. Swordfish hoped that he didn’t look so vulnerable when talking about such things. His cheeks burned with embarrassment. The young seafarer had no talent with expressing his feelings. Seeing Quennell talk so openly was frightening, amazing. He couldn’t help but gaze dumbfoundedly at his friend. 

Until the question was turned to Swordfish. 

There was no way to clock how quickly his heart raced. Talking about some cute girl from another pack was one thing… Swordfish couldn’t fathom telling Quen about even the possibility of liking Suzu. It felt like a nightmare. 

The boy gaped dumbly. 

Well, ah… all of ‘em. 

The daft expression shifted swiftly into a sharp smirk.

his jaw dropped slightly at the answer swordfish gave. dumbfounded all at once.

ALL? barked through laughter. sword you be a charmer? you din' tell me! c'mon. he prompted, hoping the boy might tell him some more.

then quennell might be able to pick up a tactic or two from the apparently secret charmer of sapphique.

The attention was momentarily diverted. At least, it didn’t sound like Quen wanted details on the who. He seemed shocked at the broad spectrum. Maybe it hadn’t been a good answer. Swordfish had no talent with charm. He was easygoing and simple. These were features that might capture a few, but certainly not all girls. 

Aha, I dunno ‘bout charmin’ nobody. Just that the girls catch my eye, s’all. 

The lean young wolf waved his tail. If he had to guess, Quennell had more charm in his left ear than Swordfish had in his whole body. If anyone was doing well with the ladies, it would most likely be the aspiring pirate.

well, what kinda girls do it be?

he finally inquired with a soft smirk and a gentle waggle of his brows.

i won't be tellin'! he assured his friend as he aimed to gently bump against the other boy. then he dared to pounce ahead just a bit. wondering if the cave might be nice to wait out the whipping winds and flurries that claimed the northern reaches.

but what was that stench?

It had only lasted so long. 

The smirk fell from his lips. Swordfish diverted his gaze with a sheepishness that swept him. He didn’t want to lie to Quen. He liked spending time with the other boy. He had a feeling Stingray would like Quennell, too. That gave the other boy bonus points, in Swordfish’s book. 

I dunno… Suzu’s pretty nice. A shrug was offered, but his words didn’t sound as carefree as he had intended them. 

They neared the cave. Swordfish looked at the dark mouth of it, nose crinkled. Whatever it was, he wasn’t interested in eating it. A grunt sounded from within the cave.

maybe the writing had been on the wall, but quen could not read. at all.

he turned his head over his shoulder as he looked away from the cave's mouth.

suzu?! bewildered, but not outright disturbed by the idea. she was a nice girl — but suzu?! his niece?! really she was even more like a sister to him!

he missed the sounds of disturbed slumbering in the cave for now.

Swordfish felt his mouth become dry. Quennell had spun around to face him. The other boy’s voice was sharp against the cut of snow and wind.

Big mistake, Swordfish…

Internal reprimand wouldn’t save him. He should have kept his yap shut. The young wolf wasn’t even sure! He just liked to spend time with her. He liked to listen to her talk… The more he’d thought about it all, the more it had seeped into his mind. It was a farfetched thing, though. It had never been meant to expose itself to Quen – not like this.

It’s nothin’ I- I haven’t said er- er… done nothin’.

A shadow formed behind Quennell, deeper than the dark that was the mouth of the cave. Swordfish squinted, realizing that the tangy scent had drawn nearer.

but you be wantin' right? ya —

he cut himself off when he realized that swordfish seemed to be looking beyond him at the cave. what on earth could be as interesting? nothing!

still he turned to look within and realized there was a grand shadow. one that seemed to moving. closer and closer.

uhhh....sword?

Want had nothing to do with it. Swordfish believed that Suzu was out of his league. Even with Stingray’s cheeky prompts, the red-tailed boy did not think that he had a chance. Crushing on a girl like Suzu made sense, to him. It was the reversing of those roles – the absurdity in the idea that she might return such feelings.

The shadow grew larger. Quennell had staggered to a halt with his questions. Swordfish felt the hairs along his neck and back stand tall. Unease filled his belly. The seafarer had never seen something quite so large and hairy in all his life.

The bear reared back onto its hind legs. Its thick paws were drawn toward its belly before it grunted out a noise into the snowy air. Swordfish was shocked, mesmerized, and stunned still. The young wolf’s legs were rigid, planted firmly against the ground.

Wh-What… is that thing?

The bear hungered.

Meat smell wafted in with the cold. The cave had grown frigid with the snowfall that lined the exterior stone and earth. Within the dark of the mountain cavern was a deep space. The bear had made his home there for several weeks. Remnants of the world eater’s kills were littered inside – bones and half-devoured bodies of gamey creatures.

The scent of fresh meat had drawn him into the cold.

Heimsætur rose onto his hind legs. The towering beast looked down at the wolves who had drawn so near to his den. With a pluming breath, the bear roared.

it was a nightmare come true.

all at once quennell's features fell, ears back and tail tucking harshly between his legs. the sharp scent of bear would be quickly paired with the sharp scent of urine. he would deny it intensely though, if ever asked or recalling the story.

SHARDIK!

this was horribly bellowed into the cold air.

MOVE!

he was prepared to tumble both of them down the mountainside if sword did not find his feet soon.

It roared, booming and fearsome. Swordfish’s ears fell flat to his head. His legs quaked beneath him. If he had it in him, the boy might have wet himself with fright.

Quennell responded with a shout – Shardik! The boy looked to his friend in distress, confusion. He didn’t know what that meant. The next word was clear, though. Move! Swordfish looked up to the towering beast and turned swiftly. The snow buffeted his face in a gust of wind. His eyes squinted against it, fighting the urge to cower, to hide.

Swordfish aimed to run. A paw struck his haunch and tossed him effortlessly against the stone. Darkness swam into his vision. A sharp pain in his ribs made rising feel impossible. His adrenaline had faltered in his dizziness.

The whelp barked. Heimsætur grunted.

The bear watched the other wolf turn. Fear scent overcame the world eater. He did not want this meal to escape him. Their stench urged him forward. One paw swung out and connected with the fleeing pup. The wolf’s body was tossed easily against stone. It faltered there. Heimsætur’s claws had left a raking mark across the prey’s ribs. Blood began to seep into the snow.

Dark eyes fixed on the red-naped whelp. Heimsætur roared, lunging toward Quennell with a snap of his teeth.

they were going to die.

he felt it all at once in his chest, solidified by watching the way the bear had so effortlessly tossed aside swordfish. bleeding, dying swordfish.

swordfish was going to die and it was going to be his fault.

quennell was going to die and it was going to be his own fault too.

he did not realize that he had started sobbing and wailing, mindless sounds trying to drown out the sound of the bear behind him. the bear who now had a hold on him too. it reminded him of when his sister used to bully him more, holding his tail so he couldn't run off.

then he thought of his sister, who had always been so nice even as a brat and how he missed her biting on his tail instead of this monster.

he was no pirate.

he was only a boy too small for this world still.

crying and screaming the same way he had come into it, dragging claws against stone until something gave. adrenaline meeting excruciating pain in awful ways.

Que?

The other boy’s screams had roused him. The smell of blood was fresh in the air. Swordfish blinked slowly, drawing his head up to look at what was taking place. The monster Shardik had grabbed hold of Quennell by his tail. The boy was churning his paws, kicking back snow in his efforts to escape the teeth of the horrifying animal.

Why did it smell like blood?

Swordfish glanced to the red that had stained the snow beneath him. The adrenaline spared him the pain until he realized that it was his own blood scent that filled his nose. His head swam with confusion and fear. There was a sickening popping sound from where the bear held Quennell. When the redtail boy looked up, it was to see that his friend had escaped! But the bear…

Regaining his feet, Swordfish pushed himself to stand. The ground spun around him. He could feel his legs quake and his head bob. It felt like he was swimming, and the tides were threatening to pull him under and sweep him away. He had to run, though.

A hiss slipped from his mouth as his paws began to churn. He could see that the bear had something in its teeth as he passed. The beast’s eyes captured his silver-flecked gaze. Swordfish’s heart sunk into his stomach. Those were the eyes of a demon.

The boy ran after Quennell, too afraid to glance back.

The noise! The damned noise!

Heimsætur grunted angrily into his hold of the whelp’s tail. It screamed and moaned and cried into the snow. The other whelp stirred beside the rock. Its blood smell had woken something within the world eater. He was hungry and he did not plan to leave the mortal world until he had satisfied that hunger. Sleep would wait. Heimsætur would be sated.

The wolves were swift. Once the tail had been wrenched free of the red-naped one, it had taken off. The bear stared coldly at the blood trail it left. Heimsætur shook his head. The tail was nothing more than a prize. It did nothing to appease him.

The whelp that had been thrown had found its footing. The bear turned his dark eyes on the lean figure. It did not look substantial on its own. The other would be a necessity. Hunger clawed from within.

Both bleeding wolves raced from him. Heimsætur did not hurry to follow. Their bloody trail would provide enough for him to track. Nose to the ground, the bear pursued on heavy paws.

i can make a follow-up from here if you'd like? :)

he did not think.

he only felt, and it was in grand jarring waves that he felt. hind awash in his own blood now, their trail would be a stark one through the snow. but quennell knew he could not bring shardik back to sapphique.

they had to go further, north into the nearby valley or the woods beyond there, too thick for the beast he hoped.

but he was heaving, exhausted with his own choked cries and his tears.

and the pain.

Please! Yes! <3 ^.^

The eyes remained with him. He could feel their dark image burned into his head. Fear-stricken, Swordfish chased after Quennell until their legs had turned miles beneath them. Even then, the thought of the massive beast was fresh in his mind. Those eyes…

Adrenaline fed his efforts for a remarkable distance before his wounds would overcome him. Until that time, Swordfish ran faster than he had ever run in his young life.