Open The Frost Fair of 1765

[Caden S. Freemont]

Caden shook paws with Lorcan and greeted Kinza when she arrived. The pair were full of the vigor and optimism of youth, and Caden could not help but to envy them slightly. He could not remember the last time he felt such things. It was not that he was a particularly pessimistic beast, but the cards he had been dealt in life from a young age had led to a less than sunny disposition in regards to his experience of existence.

Daniil's comments did nothing to help with his musings. At mention of Vaelora, Caden subconsciously shifted his weight away from Daniil, and when the todd wiped ice from his shoulder, the marten had to stop himself from flinching. Despite his efforts to maintain a steady composure, his expression took on a momentary wince before he rallied.

"Yes, of course, dinner and stories would be delightful. I don't have quite so many naval stories to tell, as I've been a staunch landlubber most of my life. My mother never could convince me that life at sea was better than having solid ground beneath one's footpaws." He chuckled and shrugged. "But I have a few good ones from my years marching up and down the Varangian continent."

 

[Orina Emberkin]

Orina smirked bemusedly at the little lizard. As Amnesty addressed her, the Minister shifted her weight more fully onto the prosthetic limb, causing several of the gears to whir and the articulating joints to give off soft clicks. She pulled up her pant leg slightly for the lizard's benefit to show her where the prosthetic connected with the extant portion of her leg.

"See? I've got some leather padding there between the metal and my leg. I don't feel the cold much there, thankfully." Dropping the pant leg back over the joint, she addressed Amnesty. "Innovation knows its craft well. I've benefited from knowing some of the best and brightest craftsbeasts in the Imperium who have kept me on my footpaws over the years, so-to-speak." She winked her blue eye.

"I hope you're both enjoying the festivities. And please, do try some of the soup and bread." Her piercing gaze swung back to Cricket. "Perhaps try seeing it less as charity and more as a way to celebrate the season, hm?"

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Woodlander Coalition Forces (WCF) [ 17 HP ]	Vulpine Supremacists [ 19 HP ]	Chaos Goblins [ 3 HP ]	Poor Bystanders [ 2 HP ]
Finnian [ 1 / 3 HP ] (-1)	1x NPC [ 1 / 24 HP ] (-13, Fleeing)	Korya [ 3 / 3 HP ]	Dr. Amatis [ 0 / 3 HP ] (-2)
Calara [ 0 / 3 HP ] (-3)		Griblo [ 0 / 3 HP ] (-1)
Evva [ 1 / 3 HP ] (-1)
NPC/Rabbit [ 1 / 3 HP ]
(2x) NPC/Stoat Twins [ 4 / 6 HP ]
(2x) NPC/Ferret Siblings [ 2 / 6 HP ] (-1)
Swifttail [ 3 / 3 HP ]
Willow [ 1 / 3 HP ] (-1, Stunned)
Freya [ 5 / 3 HP ] (-1, +3/Bezerk)

Leading the charge, Finn didn't look back to urge on his troops -- he knew morale was strong, and believed in their courage. The volume of fire coming from all sides told him the vulpinists time was short. Snowballs lanced through the air across the field, some fragmenting mid flight from the ferocity behind them. A flutter of motion caught his eye, and glancing up, Finn saw the mortars arcing gracefully across the pitch black sky.

The assault on the fort was brutal, and the vulpinists confidence was shaken. Half the remaining group cowered behind the snow wall, paws covering their ears in hopes to keep the snow out. "UP! Up! Fight you cowards! It's just filthy woodlanders!" cried the ring leader, kicking at the cowering foxes. A massive ball of slush caught him right in the side of his head, splashing into his ear. He gave a mounful wail, and clutched his head with his paws. "Aaaahh!! Braiin freeeeeezeee!"

But even with defeat at paw, the vulpinists managed to throw out a volley. One of the ferrett siblings caught a snowball in the muzzle and went down -- and Evva and Freya suffered similar fates, catching snowballs aimed at the center of mass. (Not to mention poor Willow, who for perfectly understandable reasons would be singing Soprano for a short time.)

Others began to overtake him in the charge, shouting out various battle cries. (Finn thought he heard one calling out for the University. Given that no student ever loved school, Finn deduced it must have been a teacher. Strange, he'd never pictured a stuffy teacher taking part in a snowball fight!) A bezerk wildcat charged headlong to the fort, appearing entirely unphased by the snowball that pelted her muzzle. Joined by Evva, the two hefted entire sections of the wall, burying two foxes in mounds of wet snow.

And then, Korya streaked past him (in every possible sense of the word). Finn gawked. What mad beast wou--PIFF. And then, Finn caught a wild snowball under his chin, and was sent reeling. Though Finn was too dazed to see the point-blank carnage taking place, he could hear the shreiks and wails of foxes getting snow stuffed down their shirts.

The battle was won. A cheer broke out from the Woodlander Coalition Forces as the vulpinists retreated from the fort and fled into the night. As fate would have it, they would all catch colds the following day -- a stern lesson... for daring to take on the Woodlanders of the Frost Fair.