~ 1x1 with HoleyPaladin [M]

[Owl0430]

As she continued to move forward, slowing as she heard Heinrich remind her of the mines, she froze as something clicked beneath her paw.she growled, flattening her ears, and A moment after she leapt away, the explosion grazing her shoulder. She staggered for a moment before continuing on with a slight limp.

Recovering from the shock, she looked forward only to see the air around her beginning to freeze. Her eyes went wide as she dug her claws into the ground, attempting to quickly turn around. However, she didn't turn around fast enough, and felt the air beginning to freeze. As she breathed, her breath could be seen in front of her. Growing, she up her fire as much as she could to keep herself warm. For a moment she succeeded, the ground beneath her paws steaming. If not for the rain, she might've been able to hold out a bit more, but at this rate she would only have a few minutes.

Worriedly she looked at Heinrich as he called to her. Her tails dropped and her ears flattened. She had to locate her fox marble, and in addition, she still needed to get that antidote , for heinrich especially. If the fairy was just an illusion though... she wouldn't be able to get it anyways if she couldn't physically grasp it. Huffing she could feel it getting colder, ice crystals forming on her fur. She closed her eyes for a moment before attempting to return to Heinrich. It was hard, her movements sluggish. By the time she got back to Heinrich, her fur was frosted over entirely, and she was visibly shaking as she stood protectively in front of him. She glanced back at him, noticing he looked weary. Breathing heavily she reached down, picking him up in her jaws and, weather he liked it or not, placed him on her back. She looked around them worriedly, not knowing where their remaining enemies were at. Especially the fairy. The situation seemed even more dangerous than it first seemed; to the point where Heinrich even seemed worried. She looked around again, slowly backing up. Where was there to run to? If it wasn't for the cryomancy of the fairy, they'd be better off... maybe if they could at least get the antidote to recover, and face off later.... though she didn't know how she could get the idea to Heinrich. She could communicate telepathically with other kitsune, but she wasn't sure how its work with others.

[Holeypaladin]

Heinrich continued to survey the area from his position, putting another crossbow bolt through a poacher. From what he could tell, it was the last of the human poachers that fell under his final shot... though it also meant that he was out of ammunition, having fired a few shots at illusions only to have them hit nothing but air due to the trickery of the unseelie fairy.

Akira didn't seem to be holding out much better, as though her beast form gave her power... the weather was working against her, as was the powerful cryomancy of the fairy. He noted the way the fox turned and headed back to him, obviously weary from having to contend with ice magic in this unfavorable weather, and judging by the way she was looking at him, it seemed she was trying to communicate.

"I'm guessing you can't talk while in that form?" he asked. While there were certainly creatures that could talk in a transformed state, it didn't seem like Akira was one of them, though there were, of course, other means of communicating. However, having used up too much magic already, attempting a telepathic link spell was a bit too risky at the moment, and so he resolved to simply read her body language.

"I get it, I get it," he said as she reached down to pick him up, climbing up onto her back and holding on to her soft fur. It seemed her beast form was strong enough to carry him even with his armor, though it was far more awkward than riding a horse. Noting how she seemed to be looking for an exit, he pointed off in a direction where he was detecting a lack of magic. "That way," he said, as it was the clear escape route. "Quickly," he urged the fox. While he knew she could outrun the fairy himself, there was no telling what other tricks the Unseelie had up his sleeves, and the distant howl of wolves was telling him that he might very well be in the process of summoning Winter Wolves in order to chase them down.

[Owl0430]

It was a hard decision. Heinrich and her needed the cure to the poison before it's too late, but they wouldn't survive the battle in the condition they were in. They wouldn't have time to recuperate between the battles; not with their enemy being as strong as he was. Hearing Heinrich ask if she couldn't speak, she huffed, signifying a simple yes. She then took a moment to she If she could telepathically speak with heinrich, even if he had to verbally communicate back. well, telepathically I am capable of speaking. Though I'm not sure if it works with non-kitsunr races, and even if you are hearing this I doubt you can respond. though she doubted anything she had tried to send to him was heard.

Hearing the howl of wolves she growled ears flattening. She looked at Heinrich once more before taking off in the direction heinrich pointed, noticing how much the weight of heinrich's armor before. She hadn't really carried anyone on her back before, let alone someone I'm armor. Though she wasn't running at full speed yet, she knew she'd ne able to run faster if she had nothing on her back. She wasn't going to leave heinrich alone though. The wolves would only cause more issues as well. They could surround them, or quickly catch up if they left; and if the wolves had anything to do with ice, it'd be hard to fight them off.

Eventually she began breathing heavily. Soon enough she began slowing down, eventually going to a trot. She was tired, and quite frankly she was freezing, but she refused to let heinrich be hurt. Therefore she refused to stop walking into her legs gave out. She had vowed to protect him to her final breath, and that's what she would do. Finally her steps faltered as she stumbled. Panting, she grabbed heinrich in her jaws again as she lied down, wrapping her fluffy tails around him in attempt to keep him warm and safe. She didn't know how much longer she had running on the fox glove petal, but she would try to make the best of it.

Gazing at him worriedly, she stayed curled up on the ground, trying to make sure heinrich was alright. At one point she even went as far as to sniff for any blood that was his own.
Soon enough, however, the catalyst wore off, and she returned to humanoid form. "Are you alright?"

[Holeypaladin]

Holding on to the fox as she carried him away from the fairy, Heinrich saw that she was attempting to use some sort of magic... possible to communicate with him... but as he wasn't a kitsune, he wasn't able to make out exactly what she was trying to tell him. He guessed it was a form of telepathy that was used between kitsunes, however, which meant that a simple modification would be enough for her to be able to communicate him in the same way, with enough practice.

As she carried him, he noted how the tired fox eventually came burdened with his weight, along with the effects of the frost magic and poison from the previous fights. Eventually, he fell to the ground along with the fox, holding her in his arms. While they had put enough distance between themselves and the fairy as to be unaffected by the frost magic, she still had icicles clinging to her fur, indicating that she hadn't escaped unscathed.

Soon he felt her transforming back into her humanoid form, and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair and soft fox ears. "I'm fine..." he said, moving his hands over her body in order to warm her up a bit as he caressed her. "But we're not safe yet..." Hearing the howl of wolves, Heinrich noted that they didn't sound like ordinary wolves, hinting at a supernatural origin.

Frowning as he noted how close they were getting, he said, "Neither of us is in any condition to fight them..." The fox has quite literally collapsed from exhaustion, and Heinrich himself had used up a great deal of magical energy in laying an ambush... only to have his ambush thwarted by an unexpectedly cunning fairy. Gazing at the kitsune, he frowned and said, "I'm going to need to borrow some of your power... you can get mad at me later, so long as you live another day."

With that, he pressed his lips to hers, giving a deep kiss and holding her exhausted body close, unwilling to let go and quite a bit stronger than the exhausted kitsune, physically. The connection caused a spiritual essence to circulate between them, restoring some of Heinrich's magical energy. It wasn't the most efficient form of spirit melding, but there was nowhere near enough time for that sort of ritual.

Eventually breaking the kiss, he stood up, slightly invigorated from the fox girl's magical energy, though still far from fully recovered. It was enough for him to conjure forth a single-edged hunting sword, however, which was exactly what he needed in order to protect the fox from being torn apart by the pack of supernatural winter wolves that now began to circle them, growling to each other in order to coordinate their attack.

[Owl0430]

For the first time, she didn't object to getting held in his arms. She was tired, and freezing. The icicles that had been on her fur had fallen to the ground, frost and ice Crystal's still lingered on her skin, hair, clothing, and her tails. Even her breath could be seen, despite the fact it wasn't all that chilly in reality. His warmth helped a bit, but it would be a while for her to get rid of the cold, let alone fully recover from exaughstion.

Her ears twitched at the howling of elves. They were already that close? She breathed heavily for a moment before attempting to stand, which she managed by holding onto the tree, but she fell again as soon as she lost fo of the tree, returning to Heinrich's arms. She listened to him talk before frowning. " yes, but. . I promised I would protect you as well... until the end. " though she shifted slightly, she was nowhere close to standing up.

" Heinrich, what are you planning that would make me ma-" she was interrupted by him pressing his lips on hers. She made a muffled noise of protest, but she didn't have the strength to push him away. Not that she entirely minded, but this just felt..rather intimate for a kiss. " dont you dare die on me, heinrich. " she spoke wearily as her vision eventually went dark.

[Holeypaladin]

The knight found it admirable how the kitsune was still worried about protecting him when she was obviously in no such condition to do so... but he merely nodded. "You can protect me after I'm done protecting you," he said somewhat teasingly to her as she soon fell unconscious in his arms. Rising to meet the wolves as they began to surround him, he thought over the sort of tactics used by pack hunters such as these.

There were three of them, and they were likely to attack from all sides. As they were clearly not mortal wolves, Heinrich could only assume they were of fairy origin, likely Unseelie considering the nature of their summoner. "You'll distract me from over there..." he said, turning his attention over towards a white wolf as it growled and began to approach, making its presence known. "While your buddy attacks me from... there!"

Twirling slightly as a second wolf attacked from his blind spot, the knight delivered a heavy slash with the single edged sword, slicing clean through the wolf's front leg and sending it sprawling to the ground in front of him, clearly wounded. A third wolf charged forward in order to save her wounded companion, but Heinrich was expecting this sort of reaction, and quickly turned to face the creature.

Inhaling as if to howl, the winter wolf let loose a blast of frozen, icy breath, which Heinrich barely managed to evade in time, moving to avoid getting Akira caught in the blast as well. He noted how the wolf positioned herself between him and the wounded one, as if to tell him he'd have to get by her in order to finish the job. "Fine by me," the knight said, stepping forward and thrusting the blade clean through the wolf's mouth and out the back of its head.

The wolf who had previously attempted to distract them then pounced on the knight from behind, knocking him to the ground, though he managed to hurl the creature off of him. As the wolf quickly regained his balance in front of him, Heinrich brought his sword forcefully down on to the wounded wolf's neck, severing the creature's head and causing the remaining wolf to howl in rage and grief.

"It brings me no pleasure to do this..." he muttered to the winter wolf in front of him, "But I don't have much of a choice." If he didn't finish off these wolves, they would continue to pursue him and Akira, and with Akira unable to fight and himself nearly out of energy... he couldn't go easy on them. He lifted one of the dead wolves to use as a shield against the frost breath of the remaining wolf and charged forward, the wolf doing the same. In a flash of fangs, fur, and blade, Heinrich emerged covered in blood, but alive.

Returning to Akira's side, he lifted the kitsune in his arms. "We need to find some shelter..." he muttered, carrying her body into the woods in search of somewhere where they could rest and recover. Though they had distanced themselves from the fairy, it was only a matter of time until he found them again, and they would need to recover their strength by then.

[Owl0430]

She heard him speak, and within her last few fading moments of consciousness she saw one of the wolves. It's pure white fur was rather beautiful, but she knew no matter the outcome of the fight, in the end the beautiful fur of the wolf would be stained crimson. such a shame such beautiful creatures have to die in vain... it's a pity, really. she thought as her vision faded to black.

Akira had no clue how the battle progressed, or what the outcome would be. Though she wouldn't lie, she had been completely expecting not to wake up at all. It wasn't that she didn't believe in heinrich, but he had been about as exhausted as she. Even the fiercest of warriors can fall if their health falters. Therefore it came as a surprise to her when she awoke, watching trees go by leisurely. Then the smell of blood and death invaded her senses, causing her ears to flatten as she covered her nose with her hand.

She glanced at the person carrying her, relieved to see it wasHeinrich, still alive. However, the look and smell of him made her gag. He was covered in blood, and the stench was terrible. " you need a bath, idiot." She spoke quietly, in need of water. However she wouldn't say so, knowing he likely needed water far more than she did. " where are we going Heinrich? You need rest. Badly. You can't keep this act up forever. You need water and food and sleep. " frankly she wanted to be put down, but she still felt weak. At this point she honestly didn't know what to.say, or do. " I need you to be rested that way once the fairy is gone I can kick your behind myself for kissing me without permission
"

[Holeypaladin]

Struggling against fatigue and magical exhaustion, the knight continued trudging through the mud and rain through sheer force of will, carrying the fox girl in his arms. Normally the girl would have felt incredibly light in his arms, as Heinrich's physical strength far exceeded that of a human who hadn't been magically augmented in the way that he was, but instead it felt like he was carrying a million tons. "She's not heavy," he told himself, more out of determination in order to get her to safety, "She's my fox."

He wasn't sure when he had become so protective of the kitsune, or when she had come to be so important to him... but he knew that he would rather die protecting her than leave her and continue on his own, though it would have been so much easier to do so. The fairy was hunting Akira, after all, not himself. However... the thought over leaving her never even crossed his mind.

As the girl woke up in his arms, he laughed somewhat at her reaction, though it hurt his lungs to do so. "So do you," he pointed out to the fox. Though she didn't have as much blood on her, plenty had become smeared onto her as he carried her, and there was also the mud from collapsing onto the wet ground earlier. "We need to find a place to rest," he said, unwilling to stop without finding a suitable resting place.

Chuckling at her comment about the kiss, he said, "Can I just have your permission, instead?" He decided not to mention the fact that the way she had collapsed onto the ground earlier had given him a glimpse up her skirt... though he had been far too concerned with staying alive to pay much attention to it. Finally, he saw something up ahead... a cabin, it seemed, which looked abandoned. "Finally a stroke of good luck after everything else went wrong today," he muttered, carrying the fox towards the shelter, as it was most likely the only suitable spot to rest for miles.

[Owl0430]

She listened to him, twisting her neck to look upon herself. Hm.... so she was also rather unclean herself. A shame, really. She had really like this outfit. Hearing his comment in response to the one she had made regarding the kiss she smirked, flicking her tails weakly. " where's the fun in that though? Didnt the adult influence in your life teach you not to be an unmannered pervert? She teased him. As they came across the cabin, she looked.at it longingly, but something felt amiss. Shifting in his arms she looked around until a slightly familiar scent caught her nose; other kitsune. The living kind. Her eyes went wide as she put her hands on Heinrich's shoulders. She could feel the eyes of other kitsune gazing upon them. They were likely hiding, whether it be in trees, bushes, or any little crevice they could find. From what she could sense it was likely a small community of kitsune, likely always sleeping in fox form to fit as many as they could into a small space. '" heinrich... I need you to listen." She stated, looking him in the eye. " you need to show them you mean no harm. Though they can likely see your weak, you need to show still you have no traitorous intentions. I need you to kneel on the ground, put your hand in the air, and bare your neck to them. Show vulnerability. They might help us, if were lucky, if you do this. Do not, and they will definitely turn us away."

To be honest, he didn't really have much of a choice. He was too tired to continue on from what she could tell, and she had a feeling these kitsune were ready to kill at the slightest threat. Though she also had to admit she kind of wanted to be around other kitsune again. Even with the company of Heinrich, with everything happening there wasn't too many kitsune clans left alive that she knew of. Maybe a loner and rogue here a there. But there was still a desire for familiarity. " please heinrich... just do as I say. You know you cant continu much further. You're already far past your limit. " she pleaded with him.

[Holeypaladin]

The knight couldn't help but chuckle at the way the fox continued to tease him with her words, despite the situation they were in... or perhaps because of it. At times, lighthearted humor was essential when it came to dealing with stress, and their situation was nothing if not stressful. "You speak as if I'm still a child like you," he remarked, referring to the fact that eighteen was still a cub in kitsune years while he had reached the age of adulthood in human years. "Your clothes should wash easily enough," he pointed out, noticing how she seemed unhappy with how soiled they had become as a result of the rain, mud, and blood.

As he approached the cabin, he frowned somewhat as Akira began to speak of him in regards to their situation, noticing several barely concealed foxes, an indication that there were several others who he couldn't see. "I'm not one to show weakness..." he complained somewhat, figuring that such a submissive gesture on his part would cause the foxes to view him as weak, which wasn't something he wanted to admit. "Can't you just use your fox telepathy thing to tell them how much I saved you and how important I am to you? I suppose you could also point out how valuable an ally I can be to your kind..."

At her pleading, he gave a sigh, frowning somewhat. "I'll see what I can do..." he remarked, allowing himself to drop to a knee as she had suggested. However, in doing so, the last of his strength gave out and he fell completely forward, limp as a rag doll on top of Akira, who he ended up dropping at the same time. The last thing he recalled prior to losing consciousness was that his head fell on something rather soft, comfortable, and squishy belonging to the young kitsune girl.