you do not know who is your friend

or who is your enemy

until the   ICE breaks.

Thankfully, he wasn't looking at Marsh. As he streaked down to grab Kiche he didn't throw his Second a glance, the instincts to protect and survive surging through him. Likely, he would've stopped and doubted if he'd seen the looks crossing over Marsh's rugged face, the disbelief, confusion, anger. As it was he just plunged on, heading for the downed wolf and cursing his size. Even with his scruff firmly locked in his strong jaws, the fainted male was heavy. Briefly he wondered if it was a Tainn, and decided that, if it was, he'd have to set up a breeding program for them and diminish their sizes! They were impractical to save in life-threatening situations.


That was when a wraith of a wolf he'd not seen in a very, very long time streaked by, all snarls and flashing white and the wrong scent of fresh, untreated injury. Blinking his eyes and halting his advances on the forest, he watched the underweight she-wolf launch herself fearlessly at the damn hulking creature. He wished he could say she looked better than last time they'd met, but truth to be told, she looked about five thousand seven hundred and thirty four times worse. She'd just been a bit thin back in November, now she was all bones and stringy, slowly rebuilding muscles, and those injuries... They smelled and looked nasty, and Ice's lips curled back in distaste. He would've given anything to be able to plunge his nose into Kiche's urine to clear his nasal passages of the scent of her wounds. There was no doubt in his mind that it was the same wolf, though, her facial scars were far too rare. Hells, he didn't even know her name, but did it matter? She was the ex-Second of Grizzly Hollow, lost her fight, left the pack, and nearly got herself killed in the process. It looked like she'd made a habit of the latter... Ice gave a muffled snort around Kiche's scruff, backing another step and dragging the limp form over the uneven ground. "I hope chou wake up shoroughly bruished," he snarled under his breath, allowing his frustration to feed his strength.


The little female, so small, had finally managed to find her way out of the ferns, and with yet again did he obtest her to help. She was working on it, but not fast enough for his fraying nerves. Reality was catching up, and that was a damn bear right there toying with a russet wolf he wanted to live for a bit longer. Still, he gave a bark of laughter, muffled by the fur pushed into his mouth, at her face when she decided the wet ankle wasn't good for holding. She picked a front leg instead, and briefly Ice thought it'd be a damn shame if she accidentally cracked it. Here they were trying to save his life, giving him a limp would drastically reduce his chances of recover! Still - not his pack... After another yard or so, he let the limp wolf go, tongue lolling out for a moment as he watched the bear. If it wanted to eat Kiche, it didn't matter if they dragged him up into the Serpent's Pass - unless they dropped him into the lake, the damn creature would just stalk them until the ends of the earth. The brave trio of warriors needed to send that creature fleeing, and fast. Cursing, Ice renewed his grip, and redoubled his efforts, not caring if the skin on Kiche's neck broke. There was little to harm there, and he could do with a bit of bleeding. Might even bring him back to life, so he could escape properly. Ice wasn't sure how much of a dignified retreat being dragged away unconscious was.

.ice aesir

you do not know who is your friend

or who is your enemy

until the   ICE breaks.

Fuck it, and adrenaline kicked in full-force.


He couldn't be bothered to be killed by a bear because a stupid wolf had fainted, and he couldn't be bothered to have Marsh get killed either. So, there was only one thing to do (well, two, but leaving said idiot here to die - he wasn't desperate enough for that, yet). Ice sighed dramatically through Kiche's scruff, and scanned the ground. Full of roots. Uneven. No nearby water to dump him in. They had to get him away, and hope the bear lost interest, and.. they should get away from its downed prey. Breathing heavily he let go of the red wolf, freeing his mouth for verbal speech. "Get away from its prey!" he shouted, hoping the valiant wolves would scatter and leave him to deal with the unconscious idiot. Likely the bear would lose interest in them if they didn't challenge it for the bloody deer, and honestly, Ice had no interest at all in a mangy bear-bitten cervidae. He turned to Sibyl, motioning for her to keep helping, and dug his teeth sharply into Kiche's thick scruff, not caring if he broke the skin beneath. A little pain might help in waking him up, and Ice would certainly appreciate it if he could run away on his own.


But for now, he had to contend with being the knight in shining armor saving the damsel in distress. Grunting with the effort he turned his butt in the direction he wished to go and began to haul the Hollow male across logs and roots, not caring how hot he grew, how moist his paw pads became, or the way that his tongue comically flopped out against Kiche's scruff. He dug in his hind paws, pushed off, backed, dragged; the bear was getting covered by trees, and he hoped the others had scattered, leaving it to enjoy its deer in peace.


He also hoped "wolf" wasn't on the menu for desserts, because if that thing came after him, he wasn't going to risk his ass saving Kiche.

.ice aesir

you do not know who is your friend

or who is your enemy

until the   ICE breaks.

The sounds and smells were still thick and strong in ears and nose, but the bear was out of sight, together with the three wolves trying to distract it. His small helper stopped for a moment to peek over her shoulder, and Ice's movements ceased for a moment as he waited for her to say or do something. It came in a whisper, and he blinked. He mulled over it while he let go of the wet, red scruff, looking thoughtfully at the distance they'd come. The yips and yaps of the taunting wolves had quieted into snatches of rumbling growls. He guessed that meant they'd relented in their attack, and was more keen on protecting the path to the downed Kiche than actually trying to draw it into battle. "Probably. We should wait by him until the others say it's safe, though," he agreed, before biting down on the scruff again. They weren't exactly hidden as it was, but Ice wasn't going to ask the small female to drag Kiche the last yards. She'd done more than enough already, seeking to help where someone of her not so imposing height could, instead of barging into the combat like an easy meal. With a grunt, Ice began to haul the downed wolf aside again, forcing the thick branches of a snarly bush aside with his pale butt. Once inside it, he let go of the male, and wrestled his way out. To the best of his ability he tried to smooth the branches out, to provide a not so easy path in, if the bear should come looking for the red devil who'd started it all. When he was done, he turned around to face Sibyl. His tongue lolled outside of his jaws, sides heaving with the exertion of dragging the heavy male. "Thanks. I'm Ice. I hope someone shows up and gives us the go-ahead to scatter. I don't like being near that thing." The slight growl to his quiet voice implied that that thing was the giant, monstrous bear. Ears alert and eyes focused on the forest, he waited for one of the other wolves to show up.. or for the sounds of real fighting to break out.

.ice aesir