Skill: Hot girl summer
Nadya, at the borders of Northfall

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Bodies floated in and out of Elysium like souls drifting between worlds. And Malakai watched everything from the shadows, noting who came and who went. He was a silent pair of hazel eyes, brewing in the background of the nonchalant lives that his pack mates led. Most of it was boring, some of it was interesting … but mostly, his entertainment came from one particular girl. One particular, interesting, loud girl.

And she’d been taken.

Outside of his family, Malakai rarely felt the need to be protective. But there was something about her, his twin serpent, that he could not explain. She drew him in, her grasp as coiling as that of the snakes they shared.

And that was why, when when she left, he had followed, trailing in the wake and the shadows like his father taught him … invisibly slipping into the world. As a yearling now, his need for exploration grew … and this was the perfect time for him to trail north, forging a pathway into the unknown.

He just hadn’t expected the world to be set aflame in the process.

Of course he’d felt the tremors, but he hadn’t realized it was the premonition of the world descending into the bowels of hell … alas, it was all the more reason to find her. Find her, bring her home, and make sure his precious mother was okay. Viscaria was so gentle and soft with her children, but Malakai knew that she was forged of granite and steel. Malakai was not worried that she would survive (not much could kill her, he was certain), but he would never rest until he knew she was safe.

His desire to find Nadya grew. Quickly.

The smoke descended, causing him to cough against the ashen clouds, as he pulled himself through the arctic landscape. The more north he went, the clearer the air was, but it was making his tracking increasingly more difficult. He barely scented the borders of Northfall as he crossed just over the threshold, his head lifting as his hazel eyes looked backward over his shoulder toward the smoldering world he’d left behind.

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Skill 1/5: Curator
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Goddamnit!

She didn't even want to go on this stupid little adventure anyway, being forced to come along with her family to a new land meeting new wolves. It was all too much and it overwhelmed her quite a bit. Probably why she had chosen to hide in an old fox den she had found near the edge of the pack, away from everyone. Things were fine here, slipping away to catch some food or bring home a bone or a rock or two. She wasn't sure how she was going bring these things home, but that would be a problem for later.

Or at least that's what she thought before the world began to shift, spitting out fire like an angry snake, leaving her and her companion shocked and confused. She was panicking when she came back to find her den engulfed in smoke and fire, leaving her without a place to hide and all of her trinkets gone. However before she could start freaking out more, she caught the familiar scent of the morning glow boy, both her and Apollo looking around curiously, the fire now forgotten.

Sure enough, stalking over the borders of this pack was Mally and instantly she rushed towards him. What the fuck are you doing here? And what the hell is happening around us? She was grateful he was here, but she didn't process emotions all that well, so anything she felt usually came out as her yelling.

Skill:

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Nadya would appear, ruffled coat disrupted by the coiling body of the dark serpent. She would spot him from a distance, her smaller frame stomping toward him with an intensity that would rival the fire. His own serpent, Athena, would activate at the nearing of her counterpart, dark head peeking out from the thick ruff of Malaka's pale scruff.

He was the calm to her storm, his eyes brewing with a more silent danger as she rushed him. I'm here for you, he would tell her honestly, a soft possessiveness evident behind his glassy gaze. There was no sense in lying about his intentions — he'd been upset that she'd been taken away to the North and it only made sense that he should go and collect her.

As for your other question ... His gaze would drift from hers, turning toward the reddened sky that lay to the south. It was afternoon, but the sky was heavy with black ask, mirroring a grim evening. Maybe it's a purge. His shoulders would roll, hazel gaze turning back toward Nadya. Perhaps it was a way to rid the world of the weak (good riddance).

We'll have to take the long way home, he would hum, narrowing his eyes against the smoke as a rogue wind brought a puff of ash toward his face.

He didn't ask if she wanted to come or not ... he assumed she was ready to leave this arctic wasteland.

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Skill 0/5: text

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She raised an eyebrow for a moment as she stared down at him, curiosity clear in her gaze. He came for her? Interesting. No one had ever really gone out of their way for her like that and just the thought caught her attention. She didn't even really state whether or not she was ready to come with him and simply just hunkered her head down against the smoke in the air, her eyes narrowing slightly as she moved towards him, nestling herself against his side. If he wanted to be the knight in shining armor, then he could protect her.

Let's go then. She lowered her chin to protect Apollo who hid under her chin against her chest fur, not even bothering to look up at him as she started to head away from this terrible land, assuming he would come with her.

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Skill:

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Nadya would approach him, entering his space and pressing her smaller frame against his side. Kai could barely contain a smile, gently pressing back against her in a wordless gesture of comfort and promise. He'd come here for her, after all, and he had every intention of protecting her, all while stealing her away for himself. Perhaps it was selfish, but Malakai was a selfish and spoiled little boy. Though his father made him work, his mother had never made him ask for a damn thing.

It would only pave the way for his reckless teenage behaviors such as these.

Plus, Nadya seemed to want this, too, her vocals piping up as she agreed to their adventure.

His tail would flick, running along her back as he guided her forward and away from the border of Northfall. The pair began to walk together, drifting away from the edges of the pack land and heading South. They wouldn't be able to head straight back to Elysium, not with the smoke. They'd have to drift more South, leaving them plenty of room for a more private adventure. Your mother will be angry, he told her, lip lifting into a daring smile as he eyed her with a bit of mischief play, pressing his shoulder into her again.

Why'd she bring you all the way up here, anyway? His smile would waver for a moment, eyes darkening as he turned them toward her. He was unafraid to hide his distaste in front of her, feeling himself more easily opening up to her as of late. Perhaps that was why he missed her company, for he could loosen his guard around her.

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Skill 0/5: Text

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She was content to walk beside him, letting her body brush into his as they started to make their way back home. As he talked about her mother being mad, she huffed and shrugged, though her face fell for just a moment as she considered the consequences of her actions. She loved her family more than anything, that wasn't a question, but she hated being here, she hated being forced to talk to strangers and she wanted to go home, she wanted to be with Kai. It wasn't like she was leaving her family forever, so she didn't really feel all that bad. She can yell at me whenever they come back home. She huffed, still mad at being dragged away from her home.

She glanced up at him as he asked why she was brought up here and shrugged, not really thinking about what she was saying before speaking. She wanted us to get betrothed to some of the pups in Northfall apparently. A huff escaped her, glaring down at her paws as they walked.

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Skill:

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They walked together, shoulder to shoulder. Each of them would press back with a bit more playful force than the other, all smiles and play and childish flirtations. It was his place of comfort. Him beside her — chasing after her, guiding her back to him. Home was where their paws went together.

It wasn’t this Northern prison.

It wasn’t what their parents wanted for them.

He’d smile toward her, leaning against her shoulder, a rare glimmer beneath his hazel eyes as she, too, would challenge her lineage. She’ll have to yell at me, too, he told her with a promise, raising a brow at her as he flicked his tail over her back. And as much as it may have been made in the context of a joke, Malakai was not joking.

He would brace the fury of her mother for her.

He would fight for her.

And then Nadya would continue, talking about something that would cause his jaw to tighten and his teeth to grit uncomfortably. He couldn’t help the snarl that would pull at his lips, his hazel eyes darkening dangerously as he pushed himself harder into her shoulder. What? Betrothal? Was her mother mad? Insane? He would exhale quickly, twisting his nose and grimacing at the idea.

They moved together, though.

Forward.

Away from those empty promises.

So? What did you think of the Northern boys? He would ask her as if she wasn’t running away from them right now. His shoulder would press into hers, embracing her warmth as they escaped this dystopian hellscape together.

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Skill 0/5: Text

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She didn't even really realize how mad he got at the thought of her being betrothed to someone, mostly because she had no real care about a betrothal or not. As they walked, she glanced up at him, shrugging with a small grimace on her face. They're all old and weird, besides, I don't think there's enough of them anyway. She shrugged, not understanding why she wasn't chosen, but also kinda grateful as she really had no want to deal with that.

Turning her head to him, she smirked slightly and cocked her head to the side for a moment. Why, are you jealous? She teased, curious to know how he would take the accusation.

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Skill:

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“They’re all old and weird,” she’d start, and Malakai would stifle a soft laugh, turning his hazel eyes toward her. The flush of his laughter pushed away the jealousy that burned with a potency deep within his core. It warmed him in a different way. As much as he hated the idea of her being taken away from him, what he hated more was that they tried to steal her individuality.

They tried to make her conform.

That made him angry, despite the underbite of jealousy that poisoned the taste in his mouth.

“Why, are you jealous?”

Of course he was jealous. She made him laugh. She made him smile. She made him live. And he didn’t want her to be forced to give that to someone else.

His jaw would stiffen, the smile on his lips hardening as he attempted to disguise the green-laced emotion that lay upon his face. It was that obvious, wasn’t it? Jealous that you’d be trapped in the snow with old men? He’d soften his lips, flicking his ears forward as he eyed her. It was a joke, but his envious, possessive nature was difficult to diffuse. Of course I am, he’d finally relent, huffing. You’re not an item to be given. They can’t have you, he decided, knowing full would fight tradition together.

Besides, he’d continue, suddenly grinning with a new and dangerous mischief. You’d drive them crazy after two minutes. They’d be begging me to pick you up. He’d tip his chin up, taking a few steps forward as he picked up his pace, being sure to slap gently at Nadya’s face with her tail as he picked up speed … encouraging her to play.

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‘Jealous that you’d be trapped in the snow with old men?’

His words had nearly made her insides recoil.

In reality, the extent of her situation—the almost arranged marriage she would have been coerced into—had yet to fully materialize as a thing in her mind. For now, it was still a pipe dream of her mother’s, a probability that would never come to be. And for that, for Malakai, Nadya was thankful.

She didn’t want to be tied down to some old man in the snow.

She didn’t want to be tied down at all.

Kai’s words brought her back from the rolling of her belly, and for a moment, her ears warmed to the sound of his words. She could not explain why, but there was something comforting in his delivery. Nadya held back the softer, wobbly smile that peppered her lips before she laughed, a half-baked chuckle as she drew her gaze to his. Tell that to my mom, she snorted, her words fighting to find something humorous to say rather than succumb to the warm, gooey feeling she was noticing inside.

His mischievous grin brought one of her own to her lips, as Nadya flashed Kai a toothy one herself. They’d be—HEY. The slap of her fur against her cheeks swallowed her words within a second; their peaceful utterance no more than a grunt as she whipped her gaze towards his.

He was running.

But he wouldn’t be for long.

Nadya took off after him, a playful growl reverberating from the walls of her chest as she soared to his side, hopeful that if she got close enough, she could headbutt him in the shoulder and send him flying.