songerein | { when it snows }

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{ when it snows }

WHEN IT SNOWS

All items on this post will last/be available for the entire month! So timey wimey shenanigans are allowed.

More details on everything can be found here. We will request any thread submissions for certain prompts during A.

I. REVEREIN

II. DREAMS

COMMENTS

I. REVEREIN THAWED

After freeing the Ice Queen from the glass shard from her chest and clearing the dreamscape, the blizzard that affected not only Reverein but the Wildlands and beyond finally dissipates and soon everything returns to…mostly normal.

A. Glitter Snow. While the freezing sleet and ice of the blizzard is no more and a more gentle winter has entered Reverein, the fresh new snow that falls is not one one might want to stick their tongue out to try and catch a snowflake. Unless one likes the taste of glitter.

🎉 Good luck getting it out. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad if the glitter melted like snow, but it does not. It sticks to everything everywhere and while some might like a splash of colors, others may not.
🔮 Dreamglobes. Some fae are passing out empty spherical glasses, suggesting those who are interested to collect some of the glitter snow into them and then set the snowglobe next to their bed before sleeping. Whatever dream they have will be captured into the glass and upon waking will create a physical representation of the dream to create a little special "dreamglobe." Hope it's a good one!
✨ Glitter Collector. There are a number of people and shops that actually want the free glitter and ask for anyone to collect as much as possible. Works well for those trying to clean up and not sure what to do with it. What kind of products will end up coming from them well.

B. Mari Lwyd and Family. Mari Lwyd has finally returned to Reverein, and she's bringing along some family she's found. However, they can be a bit of a handful. Some are friendlier than others while others are going to make full use of this glitter snow with pranks and mischief. But they all just intend to have a good time, something that everyone may be in need of after that blizzard.

💃 Little Pranksters. The young Lwydlings cannot sing or speak, but they love to dance around and make all manner of noise—they also bite if you're being a big fat party pooper in their presence, and are a lot more likely to pull a few harmless pranks than their dear older cousin Mari Lwyd is. Very quick, they have the same vanish-and-leave-you-with-bad-luck if harm is attempted on them. Have a dance off with them, or aid them in pranking those who are being big fat grumps/meanie-butts.
🔥 Bonfire. One of the merry friends looks like a very tall pile of long hair and arms, but with them they seem to be carrying a basket and filling it with sticks and other kindling. This is for giant bonfires! Help gather wood and kindling to make a great bonfire to welcome some warmth in this winter, and aid any lost to not wander in this cold.
🥜 Nurturing Gifts. There appears to be another skull-faced being wandering around with their own 'little one' in tow—and despite the horned and frightening appearance of the larger fur and hyde clad figure there are small gifts to be shared. An act of kindness rewards one with a bundle of magic beans that if nurtured and cared for will bear a great gift come spring. Great.

C. Hot Springs. The dragons are holding an open invitation to anyone who wishes to use their hot springs to warm up after that frigid blizzard. The dragons in particular will be practically living there, so hopefully others can squeeze in a spot. Rooms will be available for anyone who wishes to stay the night, and all amenities will be available: food, recreational games, etc. Just beware of the monkeys that have descended down from the mountain seeking warmth as well. They are prone to stealing things, particularly clothing—and wearing them.

D. Dream Board. This is the perfect time to do many of the Dream Board prompts, and while the full details are on the notes, here is the quick list of what they are:

Dream Board List:

⛄ Snowball Tonics: Transform into massive, different colored snowballs.
🔔 Bell Choir: Grab a bell and play for a concert!
🧣 Never-Ending Scarf: Help untangle the beautifully, extremely long crocheted scarf, dodge cats, and get the whole thing together in one place.
🍻 Keg Brawl: A game where one must carrying a keg of ale from one end of a field of ice to the other while avoiding the other team trying to stop you.
🐶 The Inugami. Help a pair of spirit dogs find each other.
🌠 Falling Stars. Make wishes upon the falling stars before they cause too much damage!

II. SHATTERED DREAMS

Although the Dreamwalkers were successful in removing the strange glass shard in the Ice Queen's chest and ended the nightmare dreamscape that caused the blizzard, the Ice Queen still has yet to awaken. Jack Frost has taken her to Orkili to try and purify her with the pods, yet it only caused an adverse reaction, prompting the Orkilins and Jack Frost to ask for help from the Dreamwalkers once more. Isolated in a separate room where neither dreamotion nor nightmare energy can enter, those who are willing to investigate the Ice Queen's dream will be able to freely dreamwalk, with the warning that she seems sensitive to positive dreamotion so everyone should take caution when using it.

In the meantime, there are some other happenings going around in Orkili, including investigation into some nightmare crystals.

A. Piecing it Together. Those who enter the Ice Queen's dream will find themselves free floating in a dark void with large reflective glass-like shards with blurred, fogged scenes reflecting on their surface. They float aimlessly through the space, and a closer inspection will reveal that these shards can fit together and likely form a larger image. The goal is to now try and put the pieces together, though it's not as easy as it might seem.

🪞 Nightmare manipulation. For whatever reason, those who either have high nightmare resistance or can control nightmare energy will be able to move and be around the shards with very little effect to them.

💥 Too much of a good thing. Because the shards are dark and clearly exude nightmare energy, there will be those who will try to use positive types of dreamotion to purify the shards. Some dreamotion will be safe to use and will help clear up the image on the surface. However, too much focus will have a negative feedback where the dreamers are pushed back with a freezing gale and the shard they are focusing on will crack and break into smaller pieces. Nightmare energy can help mend the cracks, so it's better to try and use both at the same time.

💔 Blurred visions. As the surface of the shards clear up, various scenes of different themes can be seen, both good and bad. Love, heartbreak, hatred, anger, joy, jealousy, loneliness, fulfillment, family, abandonment. Those who experienced the ice mirrors in the previous dreamscape will feel a strong familiarity with these larger shards, except these are clearly towards the Ice Queen herself.

This is where we want players to come up with any scene that the Ice Queen may have experienced that could be reflected on the shard! We'll request submissions and piece together a story based on player input. Don't worry about any contradictions, we'll work it all in one way or another. The only constant is that Jack Frost and the Ice Queen do have a close, romantic relationship, which is why Jack is very worried about her.

B. Unwanted Intruder. While in the dream, a grotesque looking noctaere will appear and try to attack and consume the shards. Should it succeed, the Ice Queen will receive physical damage that everyone will be able to hear and feel inside the dream. The void will contort and turn more like sludge. Attempts to use dreamotion will only worsen it, but those who can control or absorb nightmare energy will take it away from the Ice Queen. How it affects them however, will vary between dizziness to momentary lapse in judgment and may need to leave the dreamscape.

Those monitoring outside the dream will witness the Ice Queen scream and her skin blackening as if charred by fire. Same thing applies here: those who try to use dreamotion to heal her will only worsen it, but those who use nightmare energy to either draw it out into some other container or absorb it themselves will be able to pull it out of the Ice Queen. Those who absorb the nightmare energy will have similar varying effects, from just light dizziness to becoming more irritable and hostile. Attempts to try and directly pull out the nightmare energy otherwise will be unsuccessful—it will only work when the noctaere has consumed a shard and caused the physical side effects.

No one will turn noctaere through this method because not enough nightmare energy will have accumulated.

As for the noctaere, it will sometimes appear outside the dream, and those who encounter it or deliberately try to hunt it down either within or outside the dream will find both dreamotion and nightmare based attacks effective against it. However, it's a very tough and difficult foe, so while it can be damaged, it cannot be defeated at this time. Those who investigated the claw marks from a few months ago will notice it leaves behind the same claw marks. Those who witnessed it will also find it familiar and can safely say it's the same.

I. REVEREIN

II. DREAMS

COMMENTS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There had been a flicker of something on those shards that he and Gabriel had managed to put back together -the view of an outstretch hand-, but the moment that damned noctaere appeared it was gone. Well, all of it was gone and it felt at if a blow had been slammed against 76 enough to briefly knock the wind out of him.

Not enough to knock him off his feet, instead there was just some low snarl and those shadows pooled amongst his feet moving to lash out in turn with that burning sting of ice threaded throughout. Whatever he could do to push the Noctaere back and away from the rest of the shards they were working on—

His head turned sharply towards Gabriel then at the call and- "Reaper?!" That same worried sort of tone that would cling as if using the older man's actual name as he slid through his own shadows, but that howl sent something icy through him even as he aimed to get a hand on Gabe's shoulder.

A shadow shot out further, that white wolf's skull peeking out with glowing golden eyes in the sockets to make the air feel that much more chilled. Thorn covered vines following along in its tracks.

The blast of energy was not something that they hadn't dealt with before, but this seemed like a situation where both their resistance to the effects of nightmare energy and their ability to absorb it might actually win them the day if they could keep it under some measure of control here.

His own smoke tentacles lashed out to strike at the noctaere in an attempt to protect other shards as he was aware that losing them to this consumption seemed to damage the comatose Queen. The whole point of them being here was to save her, and he was not interested in losing a mission.

He shivered at the return call from his partner, and he was keenly aware of the distance between them shrinking as Jack teleported over. His noctaere wolf grinned mightily and slid between his legs before looking to Jack then over to its own packmate. It gave a snarl of greeting to golden eyes, moving from him to brushing up against Jack's legs in passing to head towards the other wolf.

"Seriously, we have got to get leashes for those two," he snarled, though focused as he absorbed more nightmare energy thanks to Jack's hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know what's worse—"

He kept a firm hand there on Gabriel, 76 looking between what was essentially reflections of their own inner noctaere moving so freely without taking them over. Felt the one that brushed against his legs as the skull-faced one moved up against Gabe in turn, jaws clacking as those teeth were always bared without muscle or flesh to cover them.

Ice wrapped thorn covered vines were winding their way around the attacking Noctaere, soaking in it's own nightmare energy wherever a thorn pricked and the surrounding ice cold enough to burn.

"—Taking in all this energy, or the fact they can get out so easily." That grip remaining firm, even as 76's hair almost seemed to ruffle. Feeling his own teeth grow sharper but... still himself.

Reaper turned his head to watch the noctaere wolves; normally, they could only shove their way through them in their own dreams when together. They were vicious and manipulative, seeking and assisting one another in the next violent take over of their bodies. This was a first of them being on their own, yet Reaper was keenly aware of the inky wolf's every move. It was part of him like his shotguns were.

And the more nightmare energy he absorbed, the more stabilized and the greater distance the noctaere could probably be from him. Always to return, always a part of him but somehow acting a bit more independently.

A hand reached out to seize Jack's side, fingers curling in that jacket to hold the other man close to him. "This isn't supposed to happen... usually it's just our own dreams where they can escape and torment us."

Tentacles lashed the other noctaere to join those ice thorns, but his own noctaere moved in close to snap powerful jaws and rips parts of the noctaere off to absorb energy that way. He felt all the energy he was absorbing be drawn away, felt how his back bulged with forming shadow tentacles. Shit...

"We need to get them back..." Or they'd simply join them, be part of them and then there would be three noctaere on the battlefield here.

76 could feel that tightening hold, and the fact that he was pulled that much closer while trying to keep control of his own shadows; like some tug of war between him and the skull-faced wolf. Didn't stop it from keeping up with the other grinning more like a cheshire cat that a wolf, but hell if he knew why these things appeared as they did. Just meant that it fought more with the burning ice and vines that dug in and caused the Noctaere to bleed out nightmare energy.

Fingers curled a bit tighter into Gabriel's coat while he was there, able to feel that deep ache in the bones of his hands.

"You got any ideas there?" Needed to keep their heads- they had been so close to getting another shard back together.

There was a lot of nightmare energy flowing through, and they had made use as much as they had absorbed together. Perhaps the wolves were the lesser threats than the noctaere that was consuming the shard, but he and Jack had been working hard to mend the shards and wasn't about the stop now.

And getting his hand on Jack was grounding in a way, knowing the younger man was fighting as much as he was as the noctaere wolves attacked the ripped into the other noctaere. They were consuming the negative energy given off by the other, growing themselves.

"Mend the shards. We need their distraction for now, but we'll have to pull them in after." He hissed as inky tentacles crept out from under the bottom of his jacket. One in particular curled possessively around Jack's knee.

"We are going to get very, very drunk once this mess is done with," once out of this nightmare and the work needed was done, "Got a new batch that needs testing." Which he was keeping intentionally vague as to why it was a new batch of moonshine in the first place.

76 was still refocusing his attention on mending the shards, applying the nightmare energy to keep things moving and stable with just the right amount of applied dreamotion that was wanted. Not to much, just enough that it was like a stabilizer to some sort of adhesive where a little went a long way.

Even if he could feel the connection still with the skull-faced wolf, like some leash of energy that kept them well tied together. Mindful and aware of it's snapping jaws and how much nightmare energy that it was soaking in from every digging of teeth and thorns. The burning chill the ice it created filled the air with. It was fine.

"Agreed... I don't want to remember our noctaere showing up," he growled. They were both changing with the nightmare energy, but they both were too stubborn to stop either. How long would the wolves act independently before choosing to return to try to take them over for full control? "We are going to have a conversation about all this distilling you're doing...."

The two shards were moving towards each other with their efforts, and he had little dreamotion to contribute. He using his energy and one tentacle to turn the shard so that it lined up with the one that Jack was getting in position, and his arm shifted to slide more around the younger man's waist to hold him closer.

The cheshire-smiling wolf began to bind the other noctaere up in tentacles, holding it back with a combined effort with Jack's noctaere. The two were also physically close to each other, knocking and jostling as if playing with each other. Little assholes.

A pair of gold ringed blue on black eyes were rested on Gabriel, darting between him and the shards they were working on. His shadow curling to help steady them, that touch of warmth the only bit of dreamotion going through otherwise darker energy. So, so close to finishing it—

"Can have that conversation either as or after we drink," and get some dreamless sleep after this entire thing. Chase away those golden eyes and skeleton grin of a predator that was both a part of him and something akin to a parasite- so it felt, anyway.

Speaking of, that skull faced wolf was forcing the noctaere to sink down into icy shadows to keep it from going anywhere. As if trapped in something so much denser than a quicksand trap that the wolf could easily prance along with the other. Keep it bound, continue draining it to where it was no better than prey.

Reaper turned his head to look at how Jack was coping, and he noted the change in eye colour. Thankfully, his mask hid the blacken veins under his skin, but he didn't deny that they could slip into a bad way at any time. Dark thoughts spread across his mind, possessive ideas, and the nightmare energy was picking at his inhibitions.

"Fine but only because you're going to share. And because I'm going to do unspeakable things to you at home," he growled out, his canines sharpening. God damn, they needed to get through this and reign those two noctaere of theirs in.

Speaking of which, the two noctaere wolves seemed to be having the time of their lives tearing into and securing the other invading noctaere. The combination of thorny vines and shadow tentacles kept it from reaching the shards and jaws kept ripping energy off of the other noctaere, gulping it down greedily. The noctaere screamed in frustration and pain as its energy was drained. The wolves were only getting stronger, more solid, more vicious.

Oh, what the two 'wolves' were doing wasn't going unnoticed despite 76 putting so much of his attention on the shards as if he could will them together any faster- but time had to be taken. They had to get this right to get out of this and not fuck anything up that could come back to bite them worse if the Ice Queen here turned into something more terrible than the first time. She was a victim of this nightmare shit as well, after all.

The pale and reaching hand coming in that much clearer, something desperate to be grabbed a hold of and not wanting to lose whatever was being reached out to.

He also wasn't missing the change in Gabriel- "Focus, love. Need you to keep your head so I'll keep mine," or they'd so easily go tumbling into that darkness together. They had to keep focsed.

If they lost the Ice Queen, there would be far greater things to worry about than just a few extra noctaere on the battlefield. Two shadow tentacles stretched out from his back to grasp and maneuver another shard, and a few extras snaked out to curl around Jack's legs possessively. Another still lashed out to seek more shards.

The one he brought in didn't match what they had, but he wanted to keep it close just in case. He growled as Jack's voice penetrated his boiling dark thoughts, focusing him from absolutely destruction to seek more shards. This one was smaller but no less important. "Does it fit, do you think? We need to speed this up. We can afford to lose."

He pulled Jack closer, leaving his lover in control of the main shard as his tentacles began seeking all those in their area to draw them closer.

"Keep it close, it's like a stupid puzzle. Bring what pieces you catch close enough to see if they flash with anything that might look fitting in this moment-" Was it the Ice Queen herself reaching towards something just out of reach? Trying to catch something falling to keep it from doing so, or towards someone leaving? Seemed like it was her from what he could see and just.

He kept one hand on Gabriel, wanting and needing him steady, fingers twitching just a bit as his grip briefly flexed. A solid reminder that he was there and needed him to help keep it all together.

"Never had the patience for this as a young kid, so many pieces of a puzzle when I wanted to go to the ice cream shop to hang with friends-" Anything to help keep Gabriel in the present.

Under normal circumstances, Reaper enjoyed a good puzzle and finding the right pieces to bring everything together. This was not that time as he fought with absorbing more nightmare energy and keeping himself grounded. It remained a necessity despite the by-product being that their noctaere grew stronger and contained the invading one. "I'm going to draw more over..."

Jack's hand was his lifeline to not tip right into giving into the darkness. More of his black smoky tentacles grew from his back and quested out to find shards to draw closer. His breathing sounded more like growling, and it was also harder to mentally keep himself together. His own hand remained solid and firm on Jack though, clenching when he felt himself slipping.

Stay together for the mission. Stay together for Jack.

"I liked puzzles and did them a bunch in the winter months." He knew what Jack was doing and appreciated it. He had three more shards pulled closer. "When'd you learn to play chess?"

"Alright- I can work on getting the pieces in place and figuring out which ones don't fit." Little flashes that were wrong and didn't have any place with the scene that was flashing up briefly on the one they had mostly together at this point. Something had shattered like broken glass- or was it broken ice? A mix of both that she was running through following something else, reaching out in desperation not to lose.

Enough there to finally figure it out was helping. Fingers flexed, squeezing where 76 was keeping hold of Gabriel just as that reminder he was there. Both of them were, and that he needed him to stay there with him and—

"When my uncle finally noticed I had an interest- he's the one who taught me, even if I had to listen to why he stopped playing chess himself a lot," didn't like the AI created and taught how to play that much. It was kind of funny- "What about you?"

The more pieces that they gathered together, the higher the likelihood that they were going to make this work. They had to. There wasn't an option for failure because failure would result in this situation becoming so much worse. He moved pieces to be in front of them so he could use his tentacles to turn the shard to find a potential side that matched. If it didn't, he pushed it aside and repeated with the next one. "I'm going to need you to seal up the ones that do fit together if I hold them in place."

The more noctaere energy he absorbed, the longer his tentacles could become and the further they could reach to seek out other shards while he stayed close to Jack. He needed to as it would be too easy to lose himself at this point if he strayed far from his lover.

"Did you play against him often? Got him back into it?" This was the type conversation that was so mundane that it generated focus and forced him to think anything but dark thoughts. "My aunt taught me when I was little. Said I had an early knack for strategy, and she wanted to give me opportunities to develop that."

76 nodded, trying not to let his own attention moved from the shards- and he could seal the pieces together easily enough- "Of course." Between the two of them they'd sort through what did and didn't go with the large shard they were working on. Make the image that much more clear, especially when they would reach the point where it remained rather than just brief flashes of it.

"No. He never picked up a piece either- stubborn man who stuck to his guns when he did swear off playing again. He really hated Deep Blue that much," the chess computer designed to master and play it. "Kinda funny in a way, really."

"Similar reason that my Ma took me out to art museums and libraries when I didn't have chores."

The image was becoming clearer the more pieces that they slotted together, and as long as they maintained their determination to finish the mission and not lose the Ice Queen then they could grasp some control. He brought other shards closer with his tentacles, focusing on turning the pieces to determine which would fit where. He was breathing harder as he expended concentration and energy to hold everything together enough that he didn't lose himself.

Beyond them, the two noctaere wolves continued to team up and rip pieces off the invading noctaere. Out of the corner of his eye, he was keenly aware of his brushing up against Jack's, adding a nuzzle as it bounded around, lashing with tentacles before moving in to bite and tear energy to grow more powerful.

Yet, he found himself distracted by Jack's story, focusing on that as dark energy continued to flood him. It darkened his thoughts, but nothing would stand in the way of hearing the story of Jack's learning chess. They had brushed over the topic as younger men when challenging each other to games in Jack's big fancy office. "At least we know where you inherited your stubbornness. I would say it was stupid that a computer program pissed him off that much... but then the Omnic Crisis happened so maybe he was on to something."

He made a noise as he lined up two more pieces together. "She wanted to have a cultured son, obviously. She probably knew early on that you wouldn't be taking over the family farm directly."

It was becoming a much clearer picture, even if some of it was still vague- but a still image only told part of a story and this seemed to either be something that happened or something she feared would happen. Made sense if she was still trapped in some nightmare, didn't it? A fear of loss, being unable to stop it despite it all.

... both of them could relate. All the more reason he was using his shadows to seal those shards into place, building on and keeping that image there.

The two always seemed to intertwine whenever crossing paths that did have them stray apart briefly. His own brushing sides and tail, those golden lights dancing merrily within otherwise empty sockets of its skull. Ripping chunks free as thorns dug deeper, freezing pieces of the noctaere solid so they could be broken off and lapped up so easily.

"Deep Blue was absolutely harmless compared to Anubis- hell, Chernobog might've actually helped us if it hadn't been shut down so completely." Of course he had heard about that God AI printing out more than just instructions to pick up where it was being made to leave off. "Some still don't want to think too much about that one, of course," especially after Aurora and what she did to stop it all.

"Ma wanted to encourage my interests outside of farm work- reason I got so into war history, too."

They had more work to do, but he was keenly aware that they could be losing another battle if they weren't careful about their work. Still, there was a dark sense of pleasure that they were forming part of the picture and her nightmare was coming more into focus.

For that, he was trying to maneuver the extra shards currently in the grip of his tentacles to slip into position faster as his concentration began to slip. He had already began to lose form to his legs, and it was only Jack's voice that kept him on task as he wanted nothing more to be one with the destruction the noctaere were enjoying.

"Of course, but that didn't stop the fear, Jack. Everyone looked at anything trying to teach them something with suspicion during the war. Your uncle was just ahead of the game," he remarked, though he was certain that the Crisis years later had nothing to do with Jack's uncle being a stubborn old bastard. "Its why some still hate the omnic despite all they did to help end the war."

He turned his head from the shard in front of them to look at Jack, noting the affect that the dark energy was having. "Your ma was a smart lady. She helped make you into one of the best military strategists of our generation."

Almost. Almost done—

76's grip on Gabriel tightened, an arm nearly wrapped back around him to pull the man that much closer as if fighting to either keep him there or for 76 to keep himself in place. They'd need to get the hell out once done, in the opposite direction of the wolves and Noctaere. Didn't think they'd be able to last if they let themselves do anything but that.

"Always going to be something, just how folks can be," for worse usually. Didn't do anything good for anyone, going beyond the healthy dose of worry and fear that kept folks moving and pushing forwards. Stopped the good that could have been and some died for trying to show.

But they couldn't linger on that either.

"Not her intention, given the fact she didn't want me to go off to the army either. Why I had to sneak off the moment I was old enough." Could only hope there had still been some pride from them in what he'd managed to do.

So close...

It was hard to concentrate with all the dark thoughts clamoring for his attention, the distraction of the noctaere themselves and how his body was seemingly falling apart all around him as he absorbed more energy. Jack grounded him, but it was like feeling a chain around his middle amid a hurricane and it was only the sense that they were only finished kept him on task and not grabbing Jack to escape.

"Bigots are alive and well." He lined up one of the last pieces that he had as he spoke, his voice a low wolf's growl at this point with his sharpened teeth and his grip tight on Jack in return.

"Naughty naughty, disappointing your parents like that," he t'sked. "The war would have nabbed you either way, so best to volunteer. Besides, you turned out alright."

"And likely always will be, one way or another," just how some people were for the worst of it.

There! There it was- and the scene was just as he thought it was, once the last shard was finally sealed into place. "Was quite a few years before the Crisis started. Reason my higher ups were so unwilling to let me volunteer until they couldn't argue against it anymore," and the reason he ended up as Solder #76 within the Soldier Enhancement Program, rather than some lower number.

Arms wrapped around Gabriel as 76 jerked the both of them away from the completed shard, and away from their 'wolves'. Fully willing to drag the other man if he had to-

"Time to get the hell out of here."

Reaper felt a brief wave of relief and triumph that they had done it, looking at the image of the Ice Queen. It made more sense of her likely, but they had made it and the noctaere was no longer able to corrupt or eat the pieces. They were sealed and now...

"I know. I read your file. You were too important to potentially be sacrificed to the high mortality rate of the SEP. It nearly killed you." It nearly killed him. Many weren't so lucky even compared to their miserable experience. He remembered all the pain, all the wishing for it to end when it was real bad but desperate to come through anyway. The noctaere energy made it easy to recall the worst of it.

Yet, he felt the jerk as his weight was lifted and his tentacles lashed back to curl around Jack was he was pulled away. "We should force the wolves into submission...!" Not bloody likely with how much energy they had absorbed.

His wolf suddenly turned head and that grin increased. It gave a snarling howl and tossed the remains of the noctaere aside.

Nearly. Was in a medically induced coma for months because all of his organs started failing on him because of something injected into him, but he lived. He lived through other agonies and what felt like burning alive at times, the grueling training just to see how much further they could be pushed each time—

"We both survived it, and just one more damn reason we are getting the fuck out rather than letting anything else get in our way now!"

He would haul Gabriel up into a bridal-carry if he had too, ears flicked back as there was a snarl in his own throat. Claws digging into the other man's clothing while he moved, and far more focused on moving away than on either of the damned wolves- "Not the time, or the place, to let things distract you from me now is it?"

Whatever he had to play, even if he could feel the eyes of the skulled one boring into his back. That chill cold enough to burn trying to claw into his shadow.

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