Aagha's bright idea to get a better lay of the land outside of just staring at a map and memorizing it for half a century was to actually accept a quest to guide a caravan through the ice fields. He had heard plenty of rumors about this place from a few regulars and even a few passerbys having come to travel through and fail. To say he was nervous would be the biggest understatement in the entire universe right now. His hands were shaking as he held onto Boromir and Cane remained steady beside them. The two beasts were certainly not nervous in the slightest. The noises and the people and the flashes didn't seem to bother them whatsoever.

"Aagha if you're too scared now is the time we should turn back. You know, you just aren't really made for this stuff and I mean for some reason you can't even successfully make yourself arrows yet. You've been trying but it's just not working out. The redwolf seemed to be sneering through his words even though his face remained perfectly neutral. The words were sharp and rude as always. There wasn't anything Aagha wasn't used to hearing being said by the massive creature. "Borormir and I have fangs and claws. You have.. what? Another bow to break?" This caused Cane to erupt in his usual snicker fit but this time, he was swatted by the Dawn Lion.

"Come now Cane. Aagha must grow. He will do so continuing to take grand trials such as this even if they are clearly beyond him. He may not be perfect, but he is trying. As must you and I to keep him intact!" The mighty lion continued his leisurely stroll with the young animal handler upon his back. In truth, though he wouldn't admit it yet, the boy was certainly growing on him. Even despite being absolutely pathetic and most certainly irredeemable, the fact that he continued his trek was proof he had some sort of mettle deep down.

"I can feel just how concerned you are for me Cane. Jeeze. Since when have you been such a softie?" This brought about Boromir dropped Aagha to the ground with a soft thump. The resounding 'oof' came from him before he was met with the smack from the lion's paw about the head. He tried to dodge, but the lion turned his paw just to catch him actually across the face. Fortunately, the claws weren't out as he didn't mean his handler any true harm. "I just lectured him to be nicer to you then you go and mouth off?!" The lion had made his way directly infront of Aagha towering over him. "J-Jeeze! Sorry! I didn't mean anything. Ugh come on. Let's just go! We'll hold up the group!" Aagha scattered to pick himself back up and remount the lion huffing slightly.

Snow was practically giddy to be back in their native land of the Frost Gale. Zarius, not so much. The snow leopard catfolk was much better suited for the frigid land than the charcoal-skinned tiefling. Still, Zarius was not one to complain. They had a job to do after all. 

Or at least, they would, had things not taken an unexpected turn. 

"What do you mean the caravan already left?" The tiefling's voice is irritated as a gruff dwarf stands before him. 

"There's a storm brewing, they wanted to try an' out run it. Fools. Ain't no out runnin' a Frost Gale blizzard."

Zarius clicks his tongue. This was not a promising start. He looks about at the clear lack of a caravan they were supposed to be traveling with as a favor to one of this father's business partners. Should the caravan get lost in the storm or reach its destination without its hired guard, that would complicate future dealings. 

His eyes land on an odd sight. A bright-eyed young man riding a lion with a wolf trailing not far behind. Snow had also taken notice of the odd troupe and the end of their tail twitched in curiosity. 

The tiefling turns his attention back towards the dwarf. "Did the other mercenaries go with them at least? Our correspondence said they hired more than just us."

The dwarf raises an eyebrow and nods past Zarius. "That'd be that lad there I reckon." 

What?

Zarius looks back at the human. He hardly looked prepared for such a job judging by the equipment that was visible on his person. He was also very young. While he had met younger adventurers, it was always a toss up if they would be immediately useful or need more guidance. He hoped this individual would surprise him.

"Very well." He nods to the dwarf then turns on his heel and approaches the lion, the wolf, and the human. "Pardon me for the hasty introductions, my name is Zarius and this is my associate, Snow. It seems the caravan we were hired to escort has already left. We need to hurry along and catch up before they get into any trouble."

Aagha had absolutely no idea how to deal with the sudden approach of a man and his associate. The associate seemed to be part animal which was perhaps the only thing that kept Aagha from outright hiding behind Boromir and Cane. He looked the man up and down though his analysis didn't take very long at all. This man looked properly armed and well prepared as if he had done jobs like this a thousand times before."R-Right!" was about all Aagha could manage. Boromir and Cane both turned on heel and the pace was set. They needed to catch up quickly.

Thankfully, even in heavy snow like that which may be to come, the Dawn Lion served as a beacon, easily able to be noticed even if perhaps yards ahead of the other. It didn't take long for Aagha to realize he didn't even introduce himself. Suddenly he felt the heat of the overwhelmed blush on his face. He couldn't even manage to say his own name! Boromir and Cane had both noticed, but for some reason Cane hadn't said anything, which was impressive for the wolf. They were quickly making their way through the beginnings of the storm. If they could reach the caravan before it got too bad, they would end up fine.

Aagha was barely even dressed for this sort of weather, not to say he couldn't rely on the lion and wolf to keep him warm. He made a mental note to himself that in the frigidness of this area, the two of them would be the key to his own survival.

Snow led the group through the snow. They were more than comfortable with the terrain and were keenly tuned into tracking through the snow. Moving quickly before the winds could wash away the tracks, they follow the caravan's trail across the Ice Fields. 

Zarius huffs and glances back at the human and his companions. The Dawn Lion glows in the dwindling sunlight, the storm blocking out its warmth and the flurries of snow starting to pick up and sting against any exposed skin.

"So, do this a lot?" He calls over the wind.

It was always a good idea to get a feel for those he did jobs with. Gauging personality and skill was always something he made a point of doing. He had a lot of projects on the go at the moment and he could use as many worthwhile connections as possible. Even having a few sell swords at the ready was important. 

Snow pauses and crouches down ahead of them before glancing around at the dunes of blowing snow. "Master Zarius, the storm is getting worse, but these tracks are still pretty fresh. The caravan shouldn't be too far ahead of us."

The tiefling looks back at the catfolk. "So much for outrunning the blizzard. With any luck they would have had the sense to find some sort of shelter."

"I doubt it, there's no tree cover." Snow shakes some snow gathering on their shoulders off.

Do you do this often?

Aagha got very quiet for a moment. Did he do this often? Was he good at this? Was violence the path of life he had chosen for himself? No. "I do this for the money! I'm not even good at this but more recently it seems to be the only way to make good money without counting on my stupid family for support! I just can't do it! I can't rely on people who barely want anything to do with me! So I've moved on!" Aagha pushed his own face into the Lion's mane in an attempt to hide from the hundred truths he had just overtold to this stranger who barely had any idea who he was. He took a deep breath.

Finally after regaining his composure, he sat back up and realized they were finally actually coming up on the merchants. They were still a ways up from them, but they would reach them within a few minutes. Cane and Boromir looked over Aagha and both sighed. "You don't need to always tell strangers about all your problems you know. I realize you're overwhelmed reflecting on how things have been lately, but you could at least practice appropriately reacting to things instead of just overwhelming yourself more."

Aagha let out a long sigh with Boromir's words. "Yeah.. yeah..."

"Oh? Well, I am always looking for hard workers. Consider this trip an interview for future contracts." He laughs a bit as he teases the young man. 

He wasn't NOT serious about the offer. There's never enough time or people to get jobs done. The more people he could get into his growing network, the better. So long as they were assets of course. Anyone who proved to be a liability or more trouble than they were worth didn't need to drag everyone else down with them. 

The problem was he really didn't have the time to dedicate to training every recruit he came across. They had to bring something to the table themselves and he would simply provide them a launch pad to get them up in the air. It was up to them to fly, or at the very least, stick the landing. It worked well enough in recent cases, though it was a risky way of gaining allies.

Really though, what harm could come from extending that offer to this stranger? He didn't really seem to know what he was doing. Just some young up-start finding his way. Astrid and Cirice were no different, and they seemed to be doing well.

"Family can be complicated. You would not be the first I have met with a less than ideal family situation."

Snow glances back at the tiefling with a bit of a look when there are some growls from Boromir. Zarius shrugs, neither of them spoke to animals so they had no idea what the conversation was about even if they knew it was occurring. Few details slipped by the pair. 

Hurrying ahead, the group manages to catch up with the merchants who were struggling to push the wagons uphill in the deepening snow. 

"Put yer backs into it!" Shouts one of the merchants from the driver's seat of the first wagon. There were about three in this small caravan. 

Zarius trudges up with Snow and Aagha in tow. 

"The storm is just going to get worse! There is no point in pushing onwards into a white out!"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Your escort that you left behind in your impatience! Seems the storm is punishing you for your foolishness!"

"Would've beaten the storm if we hadn't been waitin' on you lot!"

"Shut up and rally the wagons around! We need to make a windbreak or else we all will freeze to death!"

Snow was already up by the first cart and taking control over the beasts of burder, a pair of oxen and dragging them back around to get the wagon into position. 

The tiefling turns his attention to Aagha and his pets. "Do you think your companions can sniff out some shelter nearby? There is no getting through this storm safely."

Aagha dismounted from Boromir."Boromir, Cane, do your best! I'll remain here doing what I can." Both his creatures looked at him with a tad bit of concern. Cane spoke first out of the two beasts. "Aagha. Stay close to the one who looks like he knows what he's doing. It may save your life. We will go on your order but be careful. This isn't a storm to be trifled with." Cane then ran off to do the task he had been assigned. Boromir spoke next. "Yes! Be on guard! You never know what could be in these parts of the world hiding within storms like this!" Then, the bright Lion took off a bit ahead of Cane also searching for shelter.

What would they do if this storm got worse? What if his beasts didn't manage to find any cover? Aagha found himself looking at the ground a bit and holding his arms close to himself conserving as much of his own body heat as he could manage. Sending the both of them off without having any vision of them was contributing significantly to his sense of anxiety. He wouldn't admit to it too openly, but anyone who paid enough attention would realize he still didn't have arrows. He was carrying a bow with no ammo to fire. That effectively meant he could rely on using the bow as a beating stick or his fists. Both options were unsightly and uncomfortable.

Aagha almost felt as though it had been his own ability that had put them into this situation in the first place. It was true, the caravan had taken off without them, but even so. All he could do was keep his fingers crossed that both beasts would return unharmed and having found some sort of shelter.

Zarius and Snow work quickly while Aagha's companions search their surroundings for some better shelter. The caravan drivers are clearly upset with the situation, but there was little point in arguing with their armed and forceful escorts. 

Seeing Aagha standing shivering in the snow prompts Zarius to pause for a moment. He sighs and looks to Snow. 

"Do you want to do something about that?"

Snow looks past the tiefling at Aagha, a look of sympathy in the catfolk's eyes. They nod and swap places with the tiefling who goes about giving instructions to the drivers while rearranging the wagons to give them some cover for the time being. Snow trudges over to Aagha and takes off their cloak before offering it to him. 

"Here, keep yourself warm."

Being a snow leopard catfolk, Snow's own pelt is very thick and keeps the biting wind from chilling their body. Taking note of Aagha's lack of arrows, they pull out a few of their own and offer them over. 

"Just in case you need to actually fire that bow of yours. You do know how to use it, right?"

Snow didn't want to doubt Aagha, but seeing that he didn't even carry arrows with him did cause the catfolk to have some concern. They glance around at the blizzard swept lands. 

"I do not believe I caught your name earlier."

Aagha was more than happy to accept the gesture of kindness. He took the cloak wrapping himself tight. He sniffled a little. His teeth were still chattering a bit, but soon that stopped as the warmth of the cloak gently washed over him. He looked at the offering of arrows for a moment. He couldn't make his own yet, but did that mean he couldn't accept them from others? At this point, what his family didn't know wouldn't hurt them. He accepted the few arrows holding onto them within the cloak wondering if he would in fact need them. Boromir had told him stories of the types of creatures out here. Odd ice creatures, frost trolls, and other animals white as the very snow to camouflage themselves.

"I'm not good at a lot, but a bow and animals are the two things I happen to be very good at." With that, another sniffle escaped from Aagha as his nose was running. It had taken some time, but finally in the distance, the bright glow of the Dawn Lion had become visible once more. He put his two fingers together letting loose a whistle and the response was a roar. Boromir was safe. Good. What Aagha didn't hear, was a howl. He bit his lip slightly. Whistling too much was a bad idea out here and he knew that but upon not receiving the proper answer he was becoming uneasy again. Once more, he whistled sharply. This time, though it was faint, the sound of a howl came. He let out a long sigh. Boromir would arrive to the group first.

Boromir now finally made his way back to the caravan making eye contact with Zarius who had taken lead, and circling twice before turning to walk back the way he came leading them to shelter. After a few moments, Cane would make his way back to the caravan as well, but Cane was injured. He was not the massive threat that Boromir was. It wouldn't occur to Aagha until Cane slightly limped his way all the way back to him huffing slightly. Aagha wasted no time. He pulled out his medkit and wrapped the wolf's leg as tight as needed earning a slight grunt of discomfort. There were bit and claw marks. "I think I lost them. I'm sure I lost them, but there were a few. I ran into a den of some sort." Aagha finished administering first aid before speaking again.

"Be on the look out to the west. Multiple beasts." He didn't bother with more details. Had they been too serious a threat Cane wouldn't have been able to get out alive. With this, Aagha knocked and arrow, but he watched and waited. His field of vision in this storm wasn't ideal. He would probably, in a case like this, let the enemy get too close for comfort and take care of them from point blank range. This was certainly not ideal for him, but so far not much they had done had been.

Zarius walks over and gives Snow a concerned look. The catfolk pulls their bow from their back and notches an arrow with a nod. The tiefling returns the nod then turns and continues to shuffle the caravan along after Boromir. 

After slogging through the snow for a bit, they come upon the sheltered area the dawn lion had found. It wasn't much, just an outcropping of rocks that provided some windbreak more than anything. It would do though. Zarius sets about directing the caravan to give them as much protection from the swirling snow and blasting wind as possible. They had no magical means of protecting themselves, so they would have to rely on good old survival skills. 

Snow climbs up on top of the rocks in order to keep watch for any trouble sneaking up on them from the west.^[1] It was an unpleasant perch, fully exposed to the wrath of the blizzard, but they put up with it to the best of their ability. 

Zarius keeps one eye on the catfolk. Just because they were better suited for this climate did not mean they were invulnerable to the chill of the wind. He turns to Aagha. 

"What exactly attacked your wolf? I would appreciate knowing what and how many we are up against specifically."

Details were important to the tiefling, and he didn't like being left in the dark if it could be helped. Their survival depended on them being prepared for whatever may come their way and he couldn't fathom any reason Aagha wouldn't share that information given he was also hired to protect the caravan. 

---

[1] Surface Scaling (Snow)

Aagha looked at Cane as he responded. "Some sort of freaky canine thing. It had long fangs and a weird under bite. It's spine was unusually curved toward it's neck. It has grey fur and hair. Its claws were long and slender, but razor sharp." Aagha at least knew what to look out for. Boromir continued to lead them to the safe area but once they were there, he would begin rounds in order to sniff about the ground as best he could. Aagha guided Cane to a flat bit where he could lay and rest as he spoke. "A weird dog thing. It's got an odd shaped spine, long claws and teeth, and a wild under bite apparently."

Aagha in the mean time looked out the best he could in the snow. He couldn't see too well, but at least the creatures wouldn't be white. Aagha couldn't make anything out quite yet, but Boromir had narrowed his pacing sufficiently. The Lion circled about a moment and looked out toward where Cane had ran back up to them from. "Theyre coming." The Lion let out a mighty roar this time. He would remain still a bit ahead of where they had staged up serving as a warning as bright as the sun for the beasts to come.

Aagha pulled back the arrow he had knocked. When actually holding his bow it was nearly as tall as he was. His back was straight his shoulders were kept loose. He kept his grip firm and the sound of the arrow being pulled back sent a chill down his back. He breathed in as he drew and the tip of the arrow was guided to be ready to fire just past Boromir's left side. His body was a still frame now. He had allowed the cloak to fall. For Aagha time had stopped around him as his mind became unwavering. The first silhouette became visible to him and the moment it did he released. The arrow flew forth just by Boromir, almost close enough to graze and the sharp cry of pain was heard from the beast impaled, but the cry only lasted a moment before it silenced.

The World began again for Aagha. He huffed a bit, shivered a moment, then knocked a second arrow. Boromir remained the barrier between the few remaining Barghests and the caravan. There hadn't been hesitation before the arrow, but there was now as some of the white snow was staining red.

A streak of blue fire glimmers defiantly against the blinding snow as Snow's infused arrow soars through the air and strikes down another beast which comes into view after its comrade is brought to a stand still by Aagha.^[1] The catfolk is quick to notch another arrow and draw back, ready to fire at the next one that comes into view. 

Zarius meanwhile trudges forward through the snow towards the incoming pack of creatures. He trusted both the archers to give him cover, the thing was that he needed to get in close to be of any help in this situation. Being right next to the Dawn Lion on the front lines was not great for him since the light was so intense, but he shields his face a bit and stands just a bit ahead of the glowing feline to intercept the Barghests. 

Two had already been taken down, so the others approach more cautiously. Three fan out to the sides in an attempt to circle around the threats before them. Snow fires another shot at the furthest left one, missing but startling it back. Zarius watches the one to the right closely and starts to follow its path of travel. 

The creature snarls at him and draws him away from the glowing lion. Once it feels like it has lured some unsuspecting prey far enough away, it bounds forward through the snow drifts and lunges at him with its teeth bared. Zarius waits for it to close in, then steps to the side at the last minute. He pushes its head down as it lands, interrupting its momentum and then redirecting that to flip the creature clean off its feet and throw it into the snow on its back.^[2]

With the creature flailing in the snow to get back onto its feet, the brawler strikes downwards and slams his fist into its exposed underbelly.^[3] A loud cracking of ribs resonates from its torso as he craters in its side. The Barghest howls in pain.

---

[1] Fire Rune; Unholy (Snow)
[2] Reverse of Momentum (1/topic)
[3] Hands are Weapons

Aagha pulled back his next arrow bringing his world once again to it's odd standstill. He watched as the remaining beasts finally threw caution to the wind. The next two beasts charged Boromir and Zarius but Aagha didn't bother giving the beast the chance to harm the Lion like they had Cane. As the beast dove for Boromir he remained entirely still feeling the off beat animosity and killing intent bleeding from his master. The next arrow wasn't a perfect bullseye, and simply knocked the beast off balance giving Boromir the time to end it right and quick.

The next beast charged Zarius. There was a third hiding behind the others that was a bit bigger, but it seemed to be far more aware of their position in this and began its retreat backing up slowly. It seemed as though now the threat was either over entirely, or they could be planning to try their little stunts again with a larger group. "O-Oh.. I just remembered.. you asked for my name. It's Aagha." He was blushing fiercely now and he put his bow away to pick the cloak back up and after shaking it out wrapped himself back in it again.

The charging Barghest surges forward through the drifts sending plumes of snow up into the air. Zarius catches sight of another incoming arrow from Snow, but the wind knocks it off trajectory. The tiefling doesn't let Snow's efforts go to waste though as he sprints forward to intercept the arrow. Snatching it clean out of the air, he whips it around and releases it at the creature just as it lunges at him.^[1]

The arrow pierces into the creature's eye and it staggers in pain. It doesn't see the tiefling's fist as it collides with its skull. The poor creature is knocked out cold from the strike and slumps down into the snow unmoving. With the last of its pack down, the larger of the Barghests decides this prey was not worth all the effort and retreats back through the storm. 

Zarius sighs. They got lucky that there weren't more and that the creatures were not tougher. Given some of the other creatures he has fought in Frost Gale, this was one of the more welcome encounters. Turning back to the young archer, he nods. 

"Well, Aagha, you are a good shot."

Returning to the caravan, they settle down to wait out the storm. Snow keeps watch over the next few hours for more threats hiding within the blinding snow. Eventually, the wind eases and the sky starts to clear. 

---

[1] Deflecting Palm (1/2 per topic)

Aagha blushed softly at the praise. Praise was something he wasn't used to and didn't receive very often. Cane and Boromir would praise him, but often shallowly or in a snide manner. This praise was much different coming from a stranger and it took him aback. He looked at Zarius as he spoke, then followed up with a, "U-Uh Right. Th-Thank you! I'm still learning but uh, I try really hard! Your companion is an amazing shot too!" With the rather excited exclamation concluded, Aagha pulled himself back together and went over to double check how Cane was doing. It seemed he was just fine and back to his normal discontent self judging by the eye roll towards Aagha about his response.

Boromir continued his watch around the parameter making sure that there were no other enemies about the area and as the weather slowly but surely began to clear, Aagha found much more of a sense of comfort with the group now rather than an impending sense of what was bound to happen. Aagha once again mounted onto Boromir and would let the glowing Lion remain at the head as they resumed the trek they had begun. There didn't seem to be any incoming problems now. If the Berghest were the worst of things, then the rest would be a cake walk.