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Demi held his hands closer to the fire that sparked in the well dug pit in the center of his village in the northern wastes. It was almost winter and time would be upon him to lead his people to the winter village grounds. There had been too many Ice bears seen swimming off the coasts there this year. Thirteen of the young hunters had been lost during the summer months and food supplies were getting scarce. He could always venture south to trade with the kingdoms of soil but he would seem an unfit Cheif if he did so. He huddled closer to So'una. His wife-to-be. Gods permitting he would wed her in the winter during the Yuletide celebrations. It would be a grand ceremony and one he hoped would bring more people to his tribe. He was the youngest cheiftan out of the 15 tribes on the Glaciers and hoped that he would prove a successful warlord and cheif in the times to come.

He sat inside his tent and let the smell of the burning oils fill his lungs, it always made him think clearer. Demi looked about at the other six individuals gathered inside the tent. Gialle, Arduk, Hiot, Narth, and Shen. There was also of course Entari, Demi's senior warlord and advisor. Gialle was a tall thin woman with golden hair that reached her slender ankles. Arduk, was a well built shorter man who matched his massive axe to every detail. Arduk was the camps most sucessful hunter. Hiot was one of the other Shaman from the Unari village, he practiced with his small daggers as much as with his magics. Narth was Demi's best friend. Narth held the most practiced blade in all the village, and in several others, he was about Demi's height, with short cropped copper hair and a slender face. Narth would follow Demi to the ends of the world. Shen, was a bucking warrior and a promising young lad and Demi wished only to further Shen's militaristic career. Shen was of smaller build, with shoulder length black hair, his face still held many childish qualities, but Shen practiced as much as any other man in the arts of combat and hunting. Demi began to explain the quest ahead of them.

He hefted the last canoe onto the sleds and checked all the bindings, Demi had finally been told that 3 people would be accompanying him to Chuchni-Rye. The Land of the Ice Bears. Narth of course had opposed such a foolish idea as trying to slay a pack of ice bears to feed the village, but in the end had obeyed his chieftan, friend, and commanders word. Narth had been the first to volunteer with Demi to go and hunt the vicious Ice bears of the north. Arduk had been the second, after the initial opposition of the idea Arduk had said his Axe would follow the Chief where ever blood was sure to spill from the great beasts throats. Shen had also agreed to accompany Demi on such a foolish trek, Shen gave no sure reason but had said. "It may be interesting." They had begun packing the following morning, the sun blazed over head and Demi was sure that it was much too soon to begin crossing the ice flows to the other glaciers. But he'd bee left with little choice, food was low, as were spirits and Demi would not loose anymore hunters needlessly. This coming winter he would be known as the Bear slayer and (Finally) So-Una's husband. Demi knelt down in the snow and checked his horse's hooves. Normally horses would be terrible in the snow, however this paticular breed seemed to prefer the cold, they stood about 13 hands high and were all sorts of color. Demi had named his horse Alcaz, after a legend he'd heard as a boy. Narth came up quickly behind Demi. "My friend, the others wait. We are ready now, if you have any wish to bid farewell to yours. Do it now." Demi nodded and climbed to the saddle on Alcaz' back. He'd said his sad farewell, no one in the village expected to see any of the men again. The banks of the Northern waters were a good 4 days journey and there were Winter Wolves about on both these shores and on Chuchni-Rye. But on the banks of Chuchni-Rye there were also Ice Bears and the Winter Wolves would fear large animals. Demi knew the way, he'd travelled it many times as a boy learning to hunt and now as cheif of the village. Narth had expressed his worries about travelling too close to the forbidden glacier, Shintara. He was highly superstitious of the bad luck that went with being within eyeshot of Shintara bay, however all in the north knew of the horrors that lay on such a place as Shintara and no man wanted to confront the terrible cries of the Skraeling wraiths. No man.

Demi spurred his horse forward, it had been many hours now since they'd left the village. The small group had seen many foxes but no wolves. Luck was with them, here's hoping it would laston Chuchni-Rye.

Ice falls pelted the small group as they pushed on down the slope Demi felt his cheek open from a grazing ice pellet. He grimaced and pulled his horse up to his heels he'd long since lost interest in trying to balance on a horse down an icy bank. They reached a small lip before the ice fell straight down into the crashing waves. It was nightfall and had been for some time. Demi knew what that meant, in the Tundra you have twelve hours of light and twelve hours of total darkness. Unless he was a madman he would camp here. Narth watched his cheif carefully. Narth was intent that before he allowed Demi to die he would throw himself to the very ice beasts themselves. Narth grabbed Demi's collar as Demi slipped downward. Demi steadied himself and looked back to Narth, loosening his face covering a moment and grinning. "Just keeping you on your toes, my friend." Narth gritted his teeth but couldn't help but smile back. "Any more on my toes and I would be over into the very waves you sought a moment ago." Demi grinned and waved to the others without looking back. They would make camp here. After the tents were erected and all members had lit small fires against the slopes face to keep warm in the hellish weather they all decided on sleep. Minimal food will do that.

One member of the group smiled until he was sure even to himself that blackness would ooze from his mouth, he walked carefully around the tents to Alcaz, Demi's horse. He eyed the other tents and his own tracks, knowing that the wind would soon hide his own prints from any eyes. The dark figure drew his blade, the horse shuffled a moment under it's hastily erected canopy. The figure smiled at the animals fear, but was dissapointed, the animal would not die here. Not yet. He cut the saddle straps from the horses back and kicked the saddle and provisions over the cliff face into the sundering waves. Things were going well. He looked to the clouds and the deadly ice pellets that wailed over head. His master would be pleased.

Demi was tired at this point in his journey, he'd lost his saddle and all of his packings, only his horse and companions remained, things were not going well. "Narth, how many days journey over the flows?" Narth looked at the crusted snow beneath his feet, he pushed a mound over and flattened it with his toes. "A moon's day. No more." Demi nodded and placed a hand on the small water vessel, the only canoe they had now. "Narth. Shen, and I will take my panna you shall assist Arduk." Narth's eyes went wide.

"My friend please, take me into your vessel, I have full faith in Shen but I am better suited to defend the Cheif against Ice bear claws." Demi silenced Narth with a hand on his shoulder. "And the better to protect our friends...." Narth nodded and reluctently ended his argued point. He would paddle along side Arduk and Hiot.

By the time the sun had lay, Chuchni-Rye was almost in view, all the worse too. Demi thought as the Canoe bobbed on the frigid waters, it was strange, since they had made birth from their home only one ice bear had come close enough to be a threat and Narth's party had made short work of the bears mighty body. "Too easy." Demi thought. "This troubles me.... What could cause an Ice bear to hide in fear?"

~The pack flows over the snow in loping bounds. A few yaps and growls are all the noise thay make as they moves closer to the hunting ground. Kira's excitment builds as the move ever closer. Finally she would be able to hunt with the pack and this would be her kill, her welcome to adult hood. Shiva her ever present company, her best friend since they were both pups move at her side.
As the pack crests a hill it come to a complete stop almost as one being. About 100 strides away there was a old male ice bear, past it's prime, ready for death. She looks to The Ones of her pack and they nod approvel. Kira leans her head back and a howl echos in ripples arcoss the tundra. As one the pack races down the hill with her in the lead. IThe Ice bear see them coming and readies it's self for battle. The pack draws to a halt just outside of the reach of the Ice Bear's claws, and forming a circle around it.
Kira moves foward alone and faces off with the bear, she knows she's faster then the bear as she darts in under it's first swing her "claws" diging into the right should of the bear and ripping it open in one smooth motion. Growls continually rumbles from her throat. Her mind acknowledges the fact that these claws a much shaper then her last ones. She rolls out of the way as the bear's paw comes down where her head had last been. She comes to her feet in one quick move and dashes under the stomach of the large animal, racking all four of her front claws across the stomach, causing it to stumble. She uses the speed from the dash under the bear to moves herself up under it's throat accepting the the ripping feeling as the claws of the bear score one on her back. At last the opening she need appeared as the bear finishs wounding her back, her right arms moves forward to tear open the bears throat splashing blood all over her. The Ice Bear topple to the side and she howls her kill, the pack join her, causing a chours to reachs for the sky.
Kira uses the snow to scrub some of the blood from her skin and clothes as she moves around to reachs the stomach of the bear. Knealing she reachs forward and opens the bears stomach. Her hand digs into it's stomach for the liver and into it's chest for the heart, both of whichs she rips out. She moves over to The Ones and offers them her prizes and then moves back to the kill knowing that until she takes first bite the pack won't eat. She leans down and takes her first bite of fresh kill and the warm blood pours down her chin as the rest of the pack moves forward to feast. Some of this meat would be brought back to the den for the elder and this seasons pups, but for now she would eat.~

Demi pulled the twine back on his bow, he took a long breath and let it out slowly. The Ice Bear sniffed towards the small group of canoe's. Demi froze, they were low enough in the boats that the bear may not see them. The bear turned to walk away and Demi let fly the arrow. The bear stumbled, more suprised then anything else and took off in a run. Demi quickly feathered another arrow, but it went wide and took off into the snow.
"Closer!" Demi yelled. "Get me closer!" the group threw each other ropes to lash the canoes and began paddling like mad for the shore. Narth was standing on the bow of the vessel, his cloak billowing in the wind.
"Unari, this is madness! Let us turn back. No village can prosper with a dead Cheiftan!" Narth looked shaken. Demi simply looked ahead with bow across his shoulder and his spear drawn. "This is our quest Narth. Let us not dissapoint the elders." Demi Jumped from the canoe and hit the ground running. Narth was only seconds behind him.
It Happened so quickly that Narth thought he was surely seeing mind tricks.
Demi ran for the Ice bears tracks, when the canoe behind him was thrown upwards, Demi suddenly dissapeared from Narth's vision. "UNARI!" Narth shouted.
Just before his whole world went black, Demi saw Bears, people and blood.