2025 Winter Holiday Prompt
Biting Chill ( 18 ) : The cold is strangely harsh, and even the still wind is vicious enough to sting. But the cold isn't the worst part of tonight--it's what comes with it. Out of a swirl of blowing snow, a massive, wispy wolf takes shape, enormous and snarling, with fur spiked like jagged icicles. Its eyes glow with a cold, wild intelligence, and before you can even react, it lunges as though you’ve trespassed deep into its territory. Every strike it makes feels like the bite of winter itself. Wherever its claws slash, wherever its jaws snap, frost cakes over. Even if you're lucky enough not to take massive damage, the cold seeps bone deep. When you manage to land a hit, the creature bleeds a strange, clear blood--icy water that freezes instantly into slush on the ground. The more damage it takes, the more its form flickers, shredded like wind-torn snow. The wolf fights with the relentless instinct of a dire beast, but it is not invulnerable. It will never run. It will fight until its body is broken and flickering, then--finally--a sudden gust will rip through the air and carry its dissolving body away. Howls echo on the wind. The rest of its pack probably isn't too far behind.

Note: This strange wolf is not a youma but can be used as a battle requirement for a character. It can only be used as a battle if there are two powered characters involved; you cannot write a solo and count this as a battle, and your character must be powered to meet battle requirements. You can use the prompt for as many characters as you like and it will count as a battle requirement, however if you repeat the prompt with the same character, only the first time will be usable as a battle.

Super Sailor Sinope was out on patrol, wearing his jacket and pants over his shorts in the cold winter weather when a swirl of snow blew toward him, suddenly revealing a snow creature. The massive monster took the form of a very large wolf with fur that was spiked like jagged icicles. Sinope didn't like the look in its eyes, either; far too intelligent for most creatures or even most youma - at least most youma he knew of. Where had the beast come from and why had it appeared? It growled and snarled at him as if it felt threatened by him, but when he began to step back slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements, it lunged.

The Dark Mirror Senshi really disliked how many creatures like the wolf he had come across as of late. When he didn't have an intelligent opponent like another powered being to battle, his senshi magic was practically useless. Not that it was much use even against another intelligent being, but it at least had an effect. Against youma or other animalistic creatures like the wolf, natural or unnatural, he couldn't even tell if it did anything at all. Besides, they already seemed angry at him enough without him giving them a reason to want to attack him.

When the wolf lunged toward him, Sinope fortunately had been attacked enough in the past to instinctively jump back as a reflex. Where the canine had slashed, however, frost immediately covered the spot, further confirming the creature was supernatural much like Sinope himself. Too bad he couldn't exactly fight magic with magic, but as Sinope like to say, there was always another way to do things. Looking around, he picked up a hefty rock nearby before throwing it at the wolf. It already seemed to be focused entirely on him with completely aggressive intent anyway, so he didn't think hitting it with a stone would give him any disadvantage or worsen his situation. He might have normally attempted krav maga, but as that involved him getting into contact with the beast and potentially getting a limb or something bitten off, he wanted to save physical combat as a last resort and use projectiles like rocks instead, lame as that might have been.

The rock flew through the air and struck the wolf on the head, instantly creating a gash. Instead of blood gushing from the wound, however, clear liquid that seemed to be water spilt from it instead, falling across the creature's face and freezing into a slush as it landed on the ground. Curious. Perhaps the whole animal was made of frozen and liquid water. Regardless, at least that proved that it could be hurt. Perhaps if he'd had a flamethrower, a welding torch, a heat gun, or even just a hairdryer, it might have made a more effective weapon than rocks, but as none of those were handy just then, Sinope reached for another rock. He never took his eyes off the snow predator, not wanting to take any chances and split his attention even for a nanosecond.

flowykid