Sheepeater Cliff Outrunning karma, that boy, he's such a charmer

He recognized this stretch of desolate mountain. He remembered traipsing across the rolling clifftop in search of Euron, and finding a dark specter instead. Euron had been there too, in the end, but he didn't look back on their reunion warmly. Instead, the recollection left him feeling cold, for they had been asked about their sister, whose whereabouts Ramsay still didn't know. What had become of her? He hoped that the black-hearted man searching for Maegi hadn't found her. He was safe in knowing he hadn't supplied any information, but he felt guilty all the same, and loathed the ridge for reminding him of it.

So he wanted a way off, and tracked along the edge with his eyes cast down and scanning. A towpath, a jagged crevice he could gingerly pick his way through. Something. Anything. He didn't want to think of his family—being his two littermates and his father, and all the others could get fucked—or the aching gap their absences left in his heart. It was easier to pretend he didn't have one. So focused was he on escaping this unexpected reminder of his past that he didn't notice the ornery ram nearby, eyeing him and pawing at the snowy ground with impatience.

Though the Blackfeather Woods were no longer enough to solidify a claim after their caretaker's departure, the spirit lingered around it still. She was still of the opinion to eat the body of the caretaker for it would provide them sustenance through the harsh winter months. She did not know that this was part of the seasons and warmth would come; for all she knew, this might last a lifetime. Time meant little to her and so did her body, but it was a useful tool nonetheless, this mortal coil. Being a spirit, it would be more difficult to ghost around.

A funny being caught her eye as she wandered around the mountain ridge. Oversized ears filled with frail, ragged hairs lifted and she watched with interest the ram. But it was not paying attention to her. Following its gaze, the pale youth saw an even funnier being. A wolf, but with some pieces missing, it seemed. Oddly shaped. For a moment she contemplated whether to warn the wretched being from the ram. She was not even sure why she did so when she barked sharply in his direction. To further distract the ram she started moving towards it, arrogantly thinking she was much more nimble than No Neck over there and seeing a challenge there if the animal did foolishly decide to take on not one, but two wolves (albeit a smallish one and oddly shaped one).

He cupped his ears abruptly to his rear when Averna's shrill bark echoed out across the ridge, and swung around nearly as quickly. Age had only lent to his ability to make up for his deformity—now he could turn with the slightest flicker of his paws, giving the impression that, rather than rotating, Ramsay simply inverted his entire stunted body through itself. He hardly noted the ram as he went, too intent on finding whoever had made that noise.

It was impossible to miss the bright white coat of the caller, even against a backdrop of snow. His indigo eyes fixed on her and he knew, instantly, that there was something weird about her. It came from a lifetime of essentially fending for himself, this perceptiveness; he'd had to be highly alert at all times, especially once Cicero had left them, to survive. But the airiness that was the mark of a wolf with one paw in the mortal world and one outside it, Ramsay mistook to mean Averna was rather unintelligent, and that was only confirmed when she suddenly started moving toward the ram.

He didn't know why he intervened. He didn't care about wolves besides himself and his siblings, and ordinarily felt a thrill when others were in fearful predicaments that he got to witness. Maybe it was because she wasn't afraid at all. Whatever the case, Ramsay threw himself in a run, intent on intercepting the little ghost before she could get herself—or him—hurt or killed. By now the ram had likely detected a threat and was preparing to charge, or had already, but his eyes were on Averna rather than the heavy ungulate, leaving him open to being butted.

Of course, he completely misunderstood her plan. A frustrated growl rumbled in the spirit's throat as he drew closer, and only as he came in her direction did he seem to notice the ram, which had by then turned its attention to the pale youth instead. She barked sharply to avert No Neck's attention, but instead he kept running towards her. The spirit tried to avoid him, but considering the angle he came running at her, the only way to avoid him would have been to put him in harm's way once more.

The ram meanwhile seemed unimpressed by the two wolves' lack of proper communication and it came running towards them horns-first.

The last thing the pale youth saw before the world tumbled upside down was the ram headed their way as No Neck pushed her out of its path. She couldn't see whether or not No Neck would get hit by the ram or if he'd tumbled after her in the snow. Her face plopped comically -- if the situation wasn't so dire -- into the snow after a tumble to the side.

A medium size figurine with shades of black and white was padding through in the snowy coated terrain slope. A cold frost of air escaped from the fae’s maw as she came to a halt. Her soft hazel hues gazed up to the grayish sky, with deformed shaped clouds slowing rolly by. She was collected in her thoughts. A loner she was, who enjoyed the wondrous ways of nature and life. Hanako has heard of golden eagles that soars in this certain area, which she has never seen one herself. They were a rare bird of species. From her travels, everything of life from the lera to plants made her a curious one since her puphood. By coming here, she was hoping to see one. A wishful thinking it was, for most birds will soar in flocks to go somewhere warm during the cold times.

Her black twin peaks arose instantly above her crania, hearing a bark that echoed close nearby. Hanako looked around in her snowy surroundings, seeing which direction the bark came from. The similarity of the tone from the bark must be from another fae. She quickly made her way through the snow and reached to the mountain ridge. Hanako was at a greater distance where she caught sight of a heavy ram charging towards at two other wolves. A black, seemingly odd shaped brute pushed the other pale fae away and both have tumbled to the snowy floor.

The bighorn sheep took it’s ground and turned his attention towards the vargs. It’s angry eyes took hold as it’s strong back legs reared up, going in for another charge. With no hesitation, Hanako swiftly dashes through the snow and came at a distance behind the bighorn sheep, distracting it with her loud snarls. There wasn’t a way she could take this bighorn out alone, but to distract it away from those two and get themselves a quick moment to recuperate.

The pale cub was easy enough to bowl out of the way, leaving just Ramsay exposed to the ram's horns. He spun around to face it head on, futilely preparing himself to try deflecting its blow with his jaws, but before it reached him it stopped and turned about, distracted by another. The broad-shouldered wolf let his ears prick forward when Hanako's snarls reached them. Without waiting to know what was going on, as he wasn't altruistic by nature, Ramsay turned as if to leave the scene. Averna blended into the snow and could easily get away, and he didn't even know why he gave a damn about her. He definitely didn't about the other one.

The ram had other plans. Hanako distracted it, but it caught the motion of the black-furred cur from the corner of its gaze and within an instant it had charged once more. Ramsay had only a split second to react before it collided with his side, producing a sickening thud and sending him tumbling over the side of the cliff.

By the time the spirit came to, she was just in time to see the ram hit No Neck while she went unnoticed by the ram due to her fur blending into the snow. She saw a grey wolf somewhere not too far off -- where had that come from? -- and looked over her shoulder as No Neck tumbled down the cliff. She would have liked to have gone after him, but there were two things left on this cliff to deal with: The ram and the other wolf. Besides, what were the odds that she'd really find him, and if she did, what would she even do with him? He intrigued her, but did he really matter?

The pale youth waited, still blended into the snow enough not to trigger the ram, to see what the other wolf would do first.

The dwarf was lucky that day. The drop wasn't too far and upon landing, Ramsay didn't roll enough to plunge over the much higher cliff waiting below. Fire blossomed along his flank where the ram's rack had hit him and with a quiet groan he blacked out, oblivious from that point on to what was transpiring above. His last conscious thought was that he hoped the slight white wolf got clear of here. He would hate to have done something rash for no reason.

With the other wolf off distracting the ram, the pale youth decided to make a dash for it. She didn't look back to see what happened from there on -- she didn't really care, and if she stayed, it seemed like there would just be an endless line of wolves swooping in to rescue other wolves and it was getting stale. She was the OG rescue wolf.

As she took off, the youth looked around for No Neck. Once clear of the ram she let out a chuff along the side of the cliffs and searched. But, since she looked further down than the ledge he had fallen onto -- thinking he'd fallen all the way down -- the spirit could not so easily find him, and at some point gave up her search and returned home to the woods (Unless she received an answer of some sort to her calls).