Fel chuckled as she arrived at Borealis Bay in the evening. It was summer, the only time her dingo apprentice could probably withstand the still-frigid temperatures of these waters. Fel wouldn’t let her die… No wait, she would definitely let her die. Ah, damn. The grin faded from her onyx lips. The beta could not let a warrior die for nothing. The fire she saw burning around her would have to retreat into the background, making way for ice. Fel would hide her match and torch, for now. The bay itself was essentially a sheet of ice over almost freezing waters, but the beginning of the territory had ice scattered around as white boulders along a gravel beach with a thinner surface of ice. Pausing in mid-stride, the fae exhaled into the air, seeing a puff of heat come from her snout. The tickling cold that bit and nibbled at her cracked paw pads was the most pleasant thing she’d felt since the promotion had sunken in. She sat down next to a particular rock of ice and waited for her apprentice to arrive with the setting of the sun. Their training was making good progress thus far, and today they would work on a combination of strength and balance… A test before entering the battle phase of their training.

Narla spent her days with large ears perked for the first sign of a call. As directed by her mentor she stayed away from the rest of the pack, isolated and alone until she was deemed fit for presentation. She slept in a den far from the others, she trained alone in a dark corner of the forest no one dared travel, she ate well after the rest of the pack had departed from the kill pile with the choice pieces. Sometimes her mentor would call for her and she was expected to arrive swiftly and silently. She was an oddity, ill-advised and unsure on the laws of this land. It was logical, then, that she should wait before introducing herself to the pack. Fel was a good teacher, harsh and honest. She forced her apprentice to improve herself, she trained her as the Wolf she needed to be, not the Dingo she was. It made some things difficult, as her smaller stature could be a hindrance, but otherwise the method was sound. Their previous session had concluded with the Beta telling her underling that their next event would be at sunset in a place called Borealis Bay. The Warrior knew the name suggested a body of water, but she had no idea where this place was. Her Beta had given no direction as to where she should go, so it was up to her to find her way. The simplest and most logical way would be to follow Fel's scent, so she did. The sky was blood-orange and midnight as those final rays struggled to make themselves known. She quickened her pace, feeling the child of this place set into her bones. In the northernmost part of Agavos' territory, this icy bay clung to winter year round. The rock and weed beneath her paws turned to ice and snow. Her thinner coat wasn't designed for such frigid temperatures. You must adapt, she thought. Adapt to survive. Ahead it was easy to pick out the shadow that was the demon. Eyes akin to the ice that surrounded, the cold female sat regally. She should be Alphess, thought the Warrior. This beautiful fae has wisdom and cunning worthy of a Queen. The Dingo slowed her pace, approaching carefully. Remaining a respectful distance from her mentor, she lowered her tail behind her and flattened her ears to her skull. Her head dipped low without resurfacing, holding it's position until instructed. Brown eyes remind downcast in act of submission. Wordless respect had been her first lesson.

An onyx tail tip twitched rhythmically, keeping the time as it rested on the demon’s paws. Fel waited patiently for her apprentice to arrive on time. And there she was, that scrawny-looking thing in the distance. Fel could have smirked, but she did not allow it to break her statuesque pose. As her creature approached, the beta noticed its gaining bulk. Narla had been coming along quite nicely, increasing in both body and mind. Fel was hardening her muscles and her manners, shaping her into something that could survive here. The way the dingo showed respect reflected her training as well, something commendable in and of itself. The demonic fae dipped her maw in greeting before rumbling, “Today you’ll be working on strength and agility, as well as endurance. Survive this, and you will progress to sparring with me and my other apprentice.” In her pause, Fel rose to her full height, making directional gestures with her nose. “You will shove this chunk of ice to that break in the ice there. From that point, I expect you to use the icy platform you created to cross the water. It is not that far of a distance, no, but it won’t be easy on you anyway.” Ambling off to the side, Fel watched her pupil move into position. The boulder she had chosen was not unmanageable, but it was still large enough to support Narla’s body mass and therefore would prove to be a challenge. Pausing in her walk, the fae swung her head towards the dingo. “If you break or lose your boulder, or if you fall into the water, you have failed me. And a piece of advice… You are not bred for these temperatures. Keep your body moving. Begin.” The beta stood and watched as her apprentice initiated the task, wondering how long it would take her to find the rhythm of pushing with her shoulder or to figure out to use her claws as traction. Fel herself moved in a particular way, knowing how to walk on ice as naturally as she knew how to walk on snow. Her hind claws clicked and scraped the ground, and each paw was secured before another moved.

The push to the abrupt edge of the ice was not incredibly long, but the icy surface was covered in imperfections that would likely slow Narla down. Little did she know Fel would be one of those many imperfections. Or perhaps she did? It would be safe for the dingo to assume her mentor had a few obstacles planned that had gone unmentioned. Fel watched her silently, observing her technique develop and evolve while also monitoring her body. The fae was nowhere near showing signs of hypothermia. If she began to, the lesson would be called off, and Fel would warm her before delivering her to Sofiel. But for now, she was fine.

Without warning, the beta darted at the smaller canine, aiming to ram her shoulder squarely into, albeit the top, of the other’s. Fel had used more of a leap than a run, digging in her hind claws to give her a base from which to push. In one and a half rapid “strides,” she would be there to either make contact or miss. If Narla was clever, she would have found a way to dodge. If she wasn’t, Fel could send her skidding. In any case, it would be enough to increase her heart rate and body heat. This was good. This was necessary.

The Warrior hung her head low, brown eyes never seeing the respectful greeting her mentor offered. Brown eyes never met blue as they glared at the ice beneath her paws. Her instructions were clear: send the lump of ice into the water and use it as a stepping stone to get across. Out here felt like being in the Snowy Mountains back home. It was severely cold, but not unbearable. Although, she'd never dared even attempt o enter the water there. It would freeze her to the core and hypothermia would set in. She'd seen it happen. The shakes, some called it. It seemed like a terrible way to go. But Narla was determined not to fail. She had to prove herself to the Beta, prove she was strong enough. She couldn't fail her, the shame would be unbearable. The First wolf to actually take an interest in her, to want to help make her better, if she failed it would have all been for nothing. She might as well have died out in the ocean. She didn't like the idea of drowning, it seemed so suffocating - she didn't like being suffocated. So the Dingo raised her head and nodded, accepting her challenge. Her paws were not the most stable on the ice and slipped a few times as she approached the large lump. She braced her shoulders - newly muscled from her increased diet and training regime - and pushed forward into the great block. She knew her muscles would never amount to the massive strength of her mentor, but she could become better.

She pushed with all her might but couldn't feel any real progress. The boulder moved at a glacial pace, barely shifting millimetres in minutes. She started to worry, thinking ahead. If she managed  to get this frozen boulder into the water, she'd then have to use it to get across the water. If it wasn't too big a gap she could simply jump from one to the other to the other. But, what if it was wide? She would need a running start, she'd have to use her momentum to set the hunk of ice sailing to get her closer. She wasn't built to run on ice, her paws would slip and struggle or she might not not have a strong enough lunge, she might not sail far enough. Or worse, she could jump short and land in the water. She'd have to look up, just to take a peek and get an estimate. Planning was crucial. The red-brown canine lifted her head to spy the icy crack when a weight slammed into her side. She landed on  her side with an "Oomph". She tried to recover quickly but her body continued to slide. The water was drawing closer. She had to stop herself before she froze in the icy depths. Rashly, she stuck a hind leg out, causing her balance to shift and her body to spin in a different direction. It slowed her. Using the momentum she pulled herself up, trying to get a good grip on the ice. Clumsily at first but more solidly with each bound, she ran towards the massive female. Narla knew she had no chance of winning a fight only half-trained. Her plan was evasion, not attack. If she could get around the Beta, she could continue her task. It was all that mattered.

Adrenaline began to flow as her shoulder made contact with the dingo. Fel took it by the reigns, scraping her claws along the ice and skidding to a halt. Taking deep, calming breaths, she watched her apprentice struggle to keep herself alive. The method Narla used to save herself was not ideal, but not entirely worthless since it had worked. Smirking mentally, Fel noticed that her apprentice did not learn to use her claws just yet. Maybe she should give her the hint? But no. This mentor was not that kind, not yet. The tiny fae could suffer a bit longer.

A clumsy patter of paws could have told even Orion that Narla was making a charge. How quaint. With a purposeful smirk, Fel sidestepped the dingo and allowed her to pass peacefully before calmly returning to her spectator’s position at the working dingo’s other side. It was not worth extending their session for an eternity, since her little companion could only hold out for so long in the surrounding temperatures. Fel continued to monitor her health the entire time, making sure she wasn’t near slipping into an irreversible danger. The next lunge she made, several long minutes later, was not for Narla. Instead, the brutish fae knocked her entire body weight – not just her shoulder’s power – into the boulder, sending it sliding off to the side. The force of the impact left a lengthy bruise on her side, which would develop next to the one on her shoulder, but that did not bother her. Standing still, Fel remained silent as she waited for Narla to retrieve the boulder and continue on their journey, at which point she would rejoin her.

A while later, Fel lunged again. She had been purposely walking just a little bit closer to the dusty fae, and waited a longer interval this time. The attack, however, was not a shove. The onyx wolf aimed at her scruff with her fangs. Narla could take the pain, fight back, or evade her. It didn’t matter to Fel, so long as her apprentice kept trying.

Slip slip and slide. Her paws just couldn't grip the smooth ice, her calloused pads could find no imperfections with which to interlock. Her progress was painstakingly slow, every second longer it took to reach the boulder was another second of failure in her mentors eyes. But slip and slide she made it closer and closer to her mentor whom allowed her to approach and pass without hindrance. Her physical exertion kept her body warm in these frigid temperatures, but her thinner coat and genetic creation - designed for the much hotter southern sun - would only hold out for so long. She barrelled headlong into the booulder, sending it skidding just a short ways, but in the right direction. She backed up and ran at it again, clumsily but successfully moving the boulder inch by inch.

Her claws scrabbled against the ice, clicking with each step. It took a few charges at her challenge before she backed up and noticed certain gouges in the otherwise perfect surface. These were places where her paws had fallen more commonly and thus her claws left greater indentations with her stride. She took a run, attempting to use these gouges and indeed noted an improvement in her balance. Smack. the Boulder skidded just a little further forward this time. Blinking, slightly dazed, she had a thought, The claws are the key. She backed up, staring down the behemoth rock, flexing the toes of her paws as she did. If she could successfully grip the ice with her claws she might have a stronger run up. The warrior took off, determined, but as she ran a black blur intercepted her stony opponent, sending it sliding off to the right. Bugger! she tried something she believed the black she-wolf had done, digging in her claws to better control her body as it swung around to face the Boulder. There was a faint cracking sounds and a lancing pain through her right paw and up her right leg. The move had severely damaged her claws, snapping one off at the base. Ah! Son of an emu! But she pushed on. No pain. No fear.

She repeated the mantra over and over as her limping-run brought her closer to the Boulder. She forced her stride to appear as it usually would, without a trace of limp or injury. She circled the great rock and set about returning it to its path towards the break in the ice. She had been foolish to believe her task had been only what was described. Feel was one who enjoyed testing her thralls at any moment, with an attack or some action to throw them off task. Narla hated distractions with a passion, simply wanting to complete her work as directed. Now now she had to keep one eye out for any more distractions. Not entirely unexpected, the black she-wolf crept closer as the dingo continued to work. What is she planning? the other was getting uncomfortably close, so much so that Narla was more focused on her suspicious actions than moving the Boulder. She was much closer to the edge but she came almost to a halt, unsure. That was when she felt a threatening presence above her. Her instinct sent her, belly to the ice, rolling away from the attack and popping up beside the wolf. She ignored the other female and went straight back to shoving the Boulder towards its mark. She was much closer now.

Fel watched and waited patiently as her pupil finally discovered, or seemed to discover, the use of her claws. The raven fae gave a non-verbal snort of approval to the dingo before she made shoulder contact with the boulder. Little creature was finally learning… But then Fel knew Narla had finally made an impulsive mistake – the kind Fel had expected from her – when the chipped black claw was seen skidding across the ice in the opposite direction. It certainly looked like it was painful, as the section of the claw was very large, but the dusty canine carried on as if she were fine. This made Fel almost proud of her, but it did not cloud her judgment or silence the growl that rose, “Scratch the ice; find the balance of creating a groove that gives you enough resistance without damaging your claws. You’ll be useless on the second part of the assignment if you have no claws left.” Narla really could not afford to injure herself much further, unless she wanted to taste the fatal grasp of hypothermia. Still, she was safe for now. Fel made sure of this.


Snap. The beast’s maw was empty, full of only cold air. Her eerie gaze followed the little rolling figure, pleased with her instinctive reaction. But she rolled beside her – big mistake there. Deciding not to bleed her apprentice like a boar today, Fel smoothly but rapidly slid her hind leg closest to Narla under her short frame, trying to knock back both of those tiny back legs with a powerful hooking swipe. She had to squat ever so slightly to do this, but her timing aimed to make the trip right as the other just rose. If she succeeded and her apprentice fell, stretched out uncomfortably on the ice, Fel would walk off to an observational distance with a deep cackle. If her creature somehow dodged the fairly meaningless but improvised ‘attack,’ the mentor would huff in further approval and allow the other to carry on peacefully to the end of the ice.

(ooc - sorry it's crappy.)

The Beta's advice came floating across the ice to her. "Find a balance". That was obvious enough advice to give. The dingo nearly rolled her eyes in annoyance. Her eyes had started their circulation when she remembered the last time she'd rolled her eyes at something obvious the she-wolf had pointed out. She winced at the thought, she didn't plan on receiving another lesson in respect. A leg stuck out unexpectedly and it was only by chance that the dingo was not tripped. Her quick decision to continue on with her task saw her step easily over the sweeping leg and continue her journey. Her shoulders heaved against the age boulder, guiding it back to its path. Narla found that the closer she got to the edge - when combined with her newfound, albeit amateur, skill at traversing ice - the easier the boulder was to move. They were only centimetres away now. It was all too easy. Perhaps her mentor had decided to allow her to continue unencumbered for a while. But she mustn't become lax, oh no. Constant vigilance must be adhered to, else she should fall into another trap of her own design. The smaller canine raised herself on slender hind legs, throwing all her weight and power into a final surge against the boulder, sending it sliding over the edge and with a splash! it hit the water. With no time to lose, the dingo bounded forth, knowing precious seconds lost sent her quarry farther and farther away as it bobbed though the freezing waters. From the edge the warrior leapt, soaring through the air towards her little boat. She landed heavily in a crouch atop the great hunk of ice, paws immediately flexing to allow her claws secure purchase on its surface. A second later she rose proudly, tossing her head to the side with a wicked grin. The bitter wind tousled her coarse fur and she was sailing the icy waters. Alone, as she always had been.

Fel grumbled quietly to herself and watched as her apprentice finally got onto that icy raft. It was about time. The entire trip took her what seemed like an eternity, due to the initial rough start. But still, the dark fae kept check on her little creature to ensure her (general) safety. It would be a waste to lose her now. Surprisingly, she was doing well. The mentor watched as her student sailed along with a pleased curl to her lips, at which Fel immediately growled, “Don’t get cocky.”

With a huff, she looked at the water before beginning a jogging motion to raise her body temperature. Fel was fairly warm, but her coat would only protect her for about half of a minute in this final stage of the training. Overall, that meant she had about three minutes until the cold truly began to set in, and ten before she lost consciousness. Not planning on truly risking her life, the beast would allot her tawny creature two and a half minutes to prove herself. After that, she would pull herself out of the water to prevent hypothermia. Just when Narla would arrive at the other side, she would rumble out, still pacing along the shore, “Congratulations. You have some strength, and fair agility. Now… Can you truly use it? You have two and a half minutes to save your packmate… Imagine I’m someone you would actually care about. Your time starts now.” Without another word, Fel jumped in. Her tail-tip began to twitch rhythmically, keeping the time. One, two, three… The waters had swallowed her massive form, but her head was still above the water, dry. She was treading water, purposely drifting away from the shore at a very slow speed. Four, five, six… Deep breath in, slow exhale. The beast felt the coldness grip her paw pads. They were bare. Seven, eight, nine… Fel almost smirked, peaceful in the frigid waters. There was something comforting about being in nature’s claws. Ten, eleven, twelve… Was she coming yet? Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen… She better not waste time. Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen… Ah, there was the water slowly devouring her undercoat. Nineteen, twenty, twenty-one… The time is running, Narla.

Her mistress awaited her upon the approaching shore. As her makeshift raft bobbed closer, the dingo made to release her claws from the ice. She felt the soft bump of her ship upon its dock and swiftly leapt down from her dais. Her inactivity upon sailing had succeeded in lowering her body temperature a little, but she refused to show any weakness. She stood immobile before her and would continue to do so until instructed otherwise. She was a proud Dingo of the great southern land, she wouldn't bow to something so simple as the cold. She watched the Beta stalk about. 'Pretend I'm someone you care about...' Who was there for her to care about? There were her siblings, but she hadn't known them in a long time. Her parents were surely long dead. She did care about Annael, but he was probably gone too. There was no love lost in her old pack and she didn't know anyone but Fel in this place. Fel was it. Fel was the only wolf - the only creature - that mattered to her. It was a stark realisation but not one she was able to indulge in and analyse. Her mentor threw herself into the freezing waters and Narla bounded in after her without a thought. Of course logically the other female was better suited to survive the temperature drop, but Narla did as she was bidden. Her legs battered at the water, moving swiftly through the icy liquid. Life down under was very centralised around ensuring water safety, everyone had to know how to swim. She slid through the water with practised ease, zeroing in on her target. The wolf was much larger than her, so taking her on her back wouldn't work for either of them. She'd have to drag her by the scruff. The warrior manoeuvred herself behind the wolf, each movement keeping blood coursing through her veins, keeping her warm. Her extremities were quickly feeling the effects of the cold, especially her tail which was currently acting like a rudder. Her smaller muzzle stretched out towards the Beta's scruff, jaws closing around the nerveless excess of skin and fur. She heaved, struggling to pull the much larger body along with her. "Come on," She muttered to herself. And again, she heaved.

Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine... Teeth latching onto her scruff. She felt them, unbothered. Time to go limp. Skip thirty more; don’t die. Don’t sleep… Fel stopped wading, letting the little creature slowly drag her along through the water. Paws numbed slowly, her ankles and joints beginning to ache. Such was age! Such was life! Second round! One, two, three… Pull, Narla. Thrust with your back legs. Four, five, six… Pleasant pain gnawed at her purposely heaving sides. Seven, eight, nine… She hacked. Watch your splashing, imbecile! Icy orbs rolled in their sockets. Ten, eleven, twelve… Closer still. Keep going, canine creature. Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen… Almost there, Narla. Pity poor Fel, having fallen into the water for your sake. O! O! A smirk rose like lava to her crackled lips. The humour of it all. Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen… Finally, a jerk upwards. A weak one, but still a jerk. Keep going… The smile cooled before it could be seen. Nineteen, twenty, twenty-one… There at last. Reality!

As soon as the front portion of her body was dragged onto the ice, Fel kicked herself up and out of the water, rushing forward and immediately shaking off. The count continued. Her tawny creature could still die, as could she. But admittedly, the former was much more likely than the latter in this situation. In a rough and ragged voice, she nodded called, “Fighting practice the day after tomorrow at the moors at dusk. Now come. Run.” With that, the demon darted off towards the warmer climate, slowly at first to let the other catch up. Implied praise rang in her absence of acknowledgement. There was no critique, and this was as good as a compliment. Besides, there was no time to waste. In a quick, harsh-toned reminder, Fel growled out, “Your claws…” There was no time to trip and fall. Time would not wait. It ran, and they had to outrun it.


They did.

The dingo paddled valiantly, slicing her way through the water, her limp mistress dangling from her slim muzzle. Large ears worked overtime, checking for sounds of distress or failure in her packmate. She wasn't thinking so much about the time as about the swiftness of her actions. She worried she wasn't moving quickly enough so save her... to save her friend. Her forelegs were doing little to propel them, her hind legs were doing all the work. With that knowledge she left her forelegs limp, placing all the power to her hind legs she dragged the Beta to the edge of the ice, goading herself all the while to do better. She had to be better. She heaved the she-wolf's paws up onto the edge, placing the massive head between them. The red dingo quickly scrabbled her way from the icy clutches of the water. The moment all four paws were securely on the ice, she lowered her head to help drag the she-wolf's entire body up onto the ice. Fel loped the final steps and stood, shaking out the thousands of tiny droplets from her fur. Narla, took a moment to shake herself free of the cold, but then the shaking wouldn't stop. Her body continued to shiver as the icy air attacked her, cutting through her fur, burrowed into her skin and took residence in her bones. She nodded wearily, taking note of their next allotted meeting time before following her mentor's instructions. Run. The red beast followed the dark wraith, the warmth of the forest penetrating her to her very core. She shivered in delight at the pleasant temperature change. She ran alongside the great black wolf, a smile spreading on her face as no criticisms came for from her mouth. That was as good a compliment as she'd ever received. The warrior nodded, acknowledging that her claws would need attention when they returned, they'd need to be seen to, possibly salved and allowed to regrow. For the time being she couldn't let them get any worse, nor could they get infected. So she ran.