With dagger in hand

The sound of the rolling waves and the crackling fire drowned out the rustle of pebbles caused by dozens of paws circling the camp. 6 hunters stood with their backs to their large fire, with daggers and spears in hand.


A long day of hunting along the shoreline had lead to a bountiful catch of seal. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the winds changed, blowing now towards the forest to the north. The breeze carried with it the smell of fresh seal, and as dusk turned to night, distant howls sounded from miles away. "Wolves." Jaer said, looking up from his carving.

"Don and I tracked a pack a few days ago in those woods," said another hunter, Valdimir. "Must be almost two dozen of them."

"Lets hope the fire keeps them at a safe distance." Don stood up, raising his spear. "If not, let's be ready to keep them back ourselves." Jaer nodded and picked up his spear as well. He walked over to the fire and picked one of the skewers out. The seal meat was juicy and fresh, and tasted of the sweet berries that had been squeezed onto the meat. "Is that cooked already?" Don asked.

Jaer stared down at the meat, still chewing. "Not really." he said, taking another bite. Don shivered and turned away.


Reflections of the fire shone in pairs off of hungry eyes as the pack stalked closer to the hunters. A few brave wolves would creep within light of the fire, but were shooed off by the hollers of the hunters. Slowly, though, the wolves were closing in. in an hour, they were all standing within light of the fire, growling at the men and pacing back and forth. One hunter readied a bow, took aim, and fired an arrow into the side of a wolf, which caused a roar of howls and growls from the rest of the pack. With teeth bared, the whole of the pack walked forward. The archer fired off another arrow into the chest of an approaching wolf, another threw his spear into the side of another wolf and drew a long dagger.

Jaer heard the growls dim to a low rumble, then a swift and angry bark behind him, followed by teeth digging into his thick coat arm. Jaer threw the wolf off of him, with its claws reaching up to scratch across Jaer's exposed hand. With that, the whole of the pack charged on the men to a chorus of snarls and barks.

Glacies. A freezing, hostile rock, spanning on miles and miles, with only white as for as the eye could see. Below your feet was snow, above was a shroud of white perpetually impairing vision. It was the only continent she would never visit unless she had a worthwhile reason. Exploring it just for the heck of it was out of the question. This was applied right now, as she sailed her dear ship, the Mirage, through the thick, oversized ice clusters of North Glacies.

She was sailing at a fast pace, which she knew was unwise. She should've been more cautious on such dangerous grounds. Unfortunately, danger didn't scare her, especially when she was in a rush. In this case, rushed to finish off her business and leave the Hellhole Glacies was. She steered her ship with intense concentration as it cut through the dry air and narrowly avoided obstacles. Good thing she was skilled at what she did.

Bad thing skill had nothing to do with fate. Squinting her eyes at the horizon, she realized with horror that the path they were following halted. More precisely, it was blocked by a string of stray icebergs. Flipping around to face her crew – working on the lower part of the bridge – she commanded: ''Retract the sails! Stop the ship!''

The emergency stop was done with the utmost effort and only the nose of the ship made impact with the ice, nevertheless causing it to tremble. Dulce let out a sigh of relief. It was short-lived. Soon, rage replaced it. The path wasn't wide enough for the Mirage to turn around and they couldn't go forward either. They were stuck here. She was infuriated and the whole crew got to endure it. They were almost shot on many occasions.

''What now, cap'n Lara? Wan' us to go clear the ice?''

She dismissed her first mate with a wave. ''No, there isn't one ice or water user here strong enough to make those glaciers budge. We'll have to go find one on land.''

Leaving Rafael to watch the ship – though it wasn't really going anywhere – she took a few of her crewmen along and set foot on land. As she stomped the ground, she cussed loudly. She hated when things didn't go her way, or when she didn't have control over the course of events. Who knew how long it would take before she ran into someone in the middle-of-nowhere place. Furthermore, while she was wrapped snuggly in a lush coat of white glacien wild cat fur, the cold still bit at her harshly.

Then, she saw a faint, orange glow in the distance. The hunter camp appeared to them, in the midst of the man vs wolf skirmish. Finally, her luck had turned. She smirked widely. ''Let's lend them a hand.'', she ordered, pulling out her treasured pistol. She made a shot, striking a wolf that threatened to lunge at one of the hunters. The beast collapsed before in mid-air. Her crewmen sloppily joined the fight, daggers out.

Jaer had seen the shot, a brief flash from the nearby ridge that blocked the wind. Three silhouettes were only a few steps beyond the light of the fire Undan? Jaer thought. He looked around to his fellow hunters, all fending off their canine combatants. None had been hit by the shot, but Jaer had only ever seen handcannons like that in the hands of Undan soldiers.

A large wolf pounced onto Jaer's back, pushing him onto the ground. Jaer barely had time to roll and bring his spear across to block the wolf's biting jaws. With a swift movement, Jaer grabbed the wolf by its throat, lifting and slamming the beast into the ground. Claws ripped into Jaer's coat arm as the beast struggled under his choking hand. He grabbed the beast's snapping jaws shut with his other hand, and broke the wolf's neck.

Grabbing his spear, Jaer stood again. The three silhouettes had crossed into the light of the fire, now three well built men, all brandishing blades. One of the men stabbed a wolf that was busy biting into one of the hunters and extended his hand to help the man to his feet. Not Undans. Jaer thought, thrusting his spear at a wolf and cutting a gash into the beast's shoulder. These men weren't dressed for Glacien weather. They wore only a couple tunics, skull caps and small leather boots. Not Glaciens.

A fourth silhouette crossed into the light, a woman wearing furs and brandishing a handcannon. A cry from another hunter drew his gaze away, just as a wolf bit into Jaer's calf, sending him his knees. He swung his spear back behind him, striking the butt of the pole into the ribs of the wolf and tearing him off Jaer's leg. Another swing of his spear cut into the wolf's eye, sending it running off in pain.

For the moment that seemed to be the last of the wolves interested in Jaer, giving him a much needed respite. Catching his breath, he drew the stone dagger from its sheathe. Jaer rose to his feet, wincing at the bleeding bite on his leg. It looked like about 7 wolves had been killed and a few wounded, but three of the hunters were still fighting on the ground with wolves nipping at them. Whoever those people were, it was good that they were here to help.

Dulce's gaze shifted across the battlefield, bouncing from hunter to hunter. She couldn't stand to lose even one of them; seeing as she didn't know which one had the skills she required. Unless her crew had been busy pick hammering the ice while she was gone – she smiled slightly at the thought – her ship was still grounded. Thus, she changed strategies.

Felling another wolf with a bullet to the head, she approached a hunter, forced on the ground and struggling. He had been keeping a wolf at bay with a spear, jabbing it sideways in its mouth. She knelt down close to him. ''Quite the ferocious bunch you are'', she said with a smile. Then, she seemed serious again. ''Are you hurt? Can you stand?'' She quickly assessed his body. He seemed relatively intact, save for a bite to the ankle – no doubt the wound that had brought him to the ground.

''Uh, yeah...''The man looked at her like she was a talking rock. It didn't take her long to understand why. From up-close she was clearly Undan – where from afar one may be mistaken – and the hunter had realized it. It was probably unbelievable to him to have a representative of his mortal enemy help him. Time to be proactive. She slipped an arm under his shoulder and pulled him up. Once he was standing properly, he observed her cautiously. ''Thanks'', he mumbled, unsure. ''Name's Don.''

She smiled sweetly. ''Dulce.'' The mixture of a cry and a shout drew her attention. She saw a crewman of hers, holding a wolf from the throat as the animal chewed away on his arm. It had most likely pounced on him after he tried to defend a hunter, like she'd instructed. Still, did he have to be such an easy target? She tsked and fired, once again hitting the head. The pirate dropped the wolf with wide eyes as he turned to look at her.

''Oi, cap'n Lara! Ya outta yer mind er somethin'? Ya coulda blew my damn brains off!''

Ignoring him while he was reminded of the horrible pain in his arm and started whining, she looked around. The hunters were finishing off the last of the wolves. 'Dust' settled on the battlefield, or rather that obnoxious powdery snow. She stashed her pistol at her waist. ''Everyone alive?'' She phrased it like that in hopes of relaxing the atmosphere. She could deliver care to the wounded on her ship. In any case, anyone capable of getting her out of her pinch was coming with her.

"Nikel, are you hurt?" Jaer called out. He was using his spear as a staff to take some weight off of his heel. "I'm okay!" the man shouted in response. Nikel had been dragged out beyond the light of the fire, but had somehow managed to fend off the two wolves attacking him. "Don?" Jaer looked around, finding Don held up by the strange woman. "Can you walk?"

Don put his heel to the ground, and winced as he pulled it back up. "I think that wolf snapped my ankle out of place when it was thrashing around." Jaer cursed under his breath, and turned to look around their camp. He could still hear the barks and whimpers of the surviving wolves as they ran back to their den. Two of the other three hunters stood and yelled "I'm okay!" The third let out a low moan and rolled onto his stomach. "Make sure Sten is okay!" Jaer yelled. The two men brushed themselves off and walked towards their downed companion.

Jaer turned back to the woman. "Thank you for helping us. You're not Undan soldiers?" he asked. The woman shook her head. "Then I owe you a debt." A loud cry of pain from behind him pierced Jaer's ears. "Help! Sten's hurt!" shouted a frightened hunter. Jaer ran over to the men, kneeling beside the hurt man.

A large chunk of flesh had been bitten off of the man's chest, revealing a broken collarbone. A large bite mark was dug into the man's neck, luckily missing his jugular. Several scratches were cut across the man's face, one into his eye. "Stop his bleeding." Jaer instructed to the other men. He stood and looked back to the woman, still supporting Don. "I fear I must ask for more of your aid."

OOC: Sorry for the time this took! Hope nothing's wrong with the post : D

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While Jaer tended to his fellow hunters, Dulce had her men gather around her. There was only the one pirate she had saved earlier that was hurt, the rest were fine. She let out a sigh of content; her crew managed to please her once in a while. ''Two of you go warn Rafael of what happened here, and prepare feather beds for our guests to rest on. Take the unused pelts from my quarters, too.''

She handed the men the key to her private chambers. She didn't usually share her personal supplies, but the pelts she had were of better quality, thus softer. When it came to guests on her ship, she liked showing off. The both of them grunted in acknowledgement and left. She sent them in pair in case they ran into more predators, be it wolves or something else. If they were ambushed they would need someone to watch their backs.

She turned to face Jaer as he spoke to her. That's fine, since it just so happens I need your help too. She smiled, satisfied things were going her way. On the outside, her smile must have looked like genuine goodness. ''That's quite alright'', she purred. ''I was just about to invite you aboard my ship. Some of you could use a little patching up.''

She feigned to be suddenly troubled. There was still the whole Glacien-Undan problem. These people wouldn't naturally be inclined to follow her if she just asked. Maybe they thought she and her crew were soldiers. She wasn't going to simply admit they were pirates; it didn't sound much better. She realized with great dismay that even if she hid it now, the black pavilion with the traditional white skull would alert the hunters of their true nature. She beckoned her last crewman over and quickly whispered in his ear: ''Go remove the pavilion, hurry.''

He looked at her like she was mad, then nodded when she flashed him a glare and ran off. She hoped he'd make it back alive. Facing Jaer once more, she asked: ''What say you?''

Jaer grinned. "Of course." Turning around, Jaer called back to his men huddled around the injured Sten "How is he!?" One of the men stood to reply to Jaer. "His bleeding is stopping, but hes in a lot of pain."

Jaer paused to think. "Nikel! Grab the cot from the raft, we'll use it to carry Sten!" Nikel raised a thumb in agreement, and climbed into the small cabin of the raft that had carried them from their village. "Don, I will carry you there." Jaer extended his hand to the man, who grabbed it and hopped beside his comrade, wrapping one arm around Jaer's shoulders. "Give us a moment to prepare, and we'll be with you shortly."

Jaer smiled and gave a half-bow to the woman in furs, then turned with his wounded companion to hobble back towards their raft. Nikel was carrying the cot out of the doorway as the two men arrived, and one of the men that had been tending to Sten was approaching. "Jaer," Don said in a hushed voice. "Yes?"

"That woman, I heard her whisper something about a pavilion to one of her men." Don explained. Jaer looked at the man, who was staring at the woman. After a moment, Jaer asked "Whats a pavilion?" Don looked back at Jaer and shrugged. With a grunt, Jaer set the man down on a bench on the raft and walked over to the six hunters' packs, filled with dried food, canteens and survival gear. Jaer stuffed the contents of 5 of the packs into just two, to be worn by the two men carrying Sten. The last pack was tossed to Bertrand, who was also carrying a seal in each hand. Don grabbed a few spears, and Jaer grabbed another seal.

"Memorize the stars," Jaer said to Don. "We'll be back for the raft once we're healed." With that, Jaer waved his arm in the air, signalling the hunters to set off. They followed Dulce over the snowy ridge and down along the coast for what felt like a couple miles. Sten moaned quietly in pain for the first half, but as the shock wore off and the cold bit in, he grew silent. Once, Nikel was forced to smack the man awake.

After a couple miles of hiking, lanterns hung from wooden posts on a large ship were spotted, a welcome site for their frozen eyes. The single wooden dinghy was packed full with nearly a dozen people, but it sped along with the help of Don and Bertrand's powers over water. Soon, Jaer was climbing up the rope ladder thrown down to him, close behind the woman in furs. At the top of the rungs, he was met with a burly hand reaching down to help him up.

Aboard the vessel, Jaer could see why Dulce and her men were forced to leave their ship. A string of icebergs were beginning to surround the ship, any of which could shatter the wooden vessel into splinters. Jaer sighed, not surprised at the encroaching ice flows. Every winter, dozens of ships and rafts are taken by stray bergs just like the ones bearing down on Jaer now. Jaer knew why these strangers had showed him such kindness. "You're stuck?"

On the trek back to her beloved ship, Dulce was nothing short of restless. She had sent a crewman to remove the pirate flag from the Mirage, but there were other hints as to what her crew truly was. Their clothes, for one. If not that, then their behavior. Since she had made it clear she wanted their identity to be concealed, they would mind their manners, but they were just pirates. They made mistakes. They weren't perfect, like butlers. She pondered briefly about acquiring a personal butler. Rafael should be able to keep the apes in check. He was about the most decent member aboard.

Finally, they reached destination. Dulce first noted that the black flag had been taken off, as ordered, and replaced with the Undan Traders pavilion. She knew her followers were prone not to trust Undans, but it was futile trying to hide they were. Their skin tone and appearances both suggested it. At least, if they posed as traders, there would be no reason to fear them.

Once aboard, she directed the wounded to the beds that had been spread out on the bridge for them. ''Jorge and Cristina'', she called. ''Get to work.'' The two Health users of her crew she'd picked up in Unda and Valetudo, respectively, nodded and started tending to the injured.

''You're stuck?''

Dulce turned towards Jaer, eyebrows slightly arched in surprise. There was a certain languished tone in his voice that implied he was displeased. What? At being brought aboard to lend a hand? The way Dulce saw it, they were giving a little and getting a little. They were lucky that she didn't simply pull the gun on them right away and had them help by force. She could do it at any moment, but since the circumstances allowed a simple, fair exchange of favors, she saw no need to.

She pulled back her hood, revealing the curly tufts of chocolate hair, most of which were tucked in her collar so they wouldn't fly around and bother her. She smiled sweetly. ''As you can see, yes. We went out looking for help when we ran into you. If one of you could do something about those icebergs, we would really appreciate it. Once all of you are rested up, of course.''

OOC: Horribly sorry this took so long. In interest of keeping things moving along, feel free to control Jaer and his friends for your posts :).

Jaer slept like a rock that night. The healers had told him that by the morning, Sten would be nearly healed. In his village, the healers were trusted by everyone with their lives, and Jaer rested easy knowing that his friend would be alright. Still, his last thoughts before he drifted to sleep had been on just how they were supposed to move an entire iceberg. It would be a difficult feat, but they had saved their lives, and Jaer couldn't refuse.

With a stretch and a yawn, Jaer rose from his bed. He had never slept so comfortably. The furs and soft beds were luxuries that he and his men were not used to. In just his tunic, Jaer climbed up onto the deck and let the frigid air focus his mind. The morning light lent Jaer a better view of the ice surrounding them. They were in luck. Through the night, the ice around them had moved away from the ship, giving it room to turn around. But, unfortunately, a berg had drifted behind the ship, and was blocking their way out.

Don soon climbed the steps behind Jaer, with a horrible limp. He was on his feet, though, which is what the healers had promised. "So we're supposed to move that thing?" Don asked, staring at the huge berg behind the ship. Jaer nodded, and Don sighed in response. "Any ideas?"

Jaer shrugged. "We push it." he said, grabbing the coat Don was holding out for him. "It'll take hours, but we can move it." With that, the woman in furs approached behind the pair of men. "Ah! Dulce, good. We can move the ice, but we'll need your lifeboats." Jaer explained, hopeful to get her crew's cooperation.