Taruvien

Having finally arrived at the curious source of all the ruckus, the Frostbear was sat upon his haunches once more. He had already sniffed out the perimeter - and it was quite strange indeed, even to his simpler mind. Great trenches showed evidence of the trees themselves moving, and the air stank of... unfamiliar beings. Two, to be precise. One smelled not unlike the rarer Snow Leopards, that populated the white plains at the base of the mountain range. Dangerous in a group, but this one was flying solo. The uniqueness of its scent only made it more appetising to him. The other strange scent reeked of confidence, but it contained no other

A great distance to the North of the Academy - further than most travelers dare venture - there sits a vast mountain range, permafrosted and home to a plethora of unique wildlife and plants. The mountainsides themselves were barely visible, blanketed in thick carpets of snow-spattered green. A dense forest, covering inclines and plateaus alike, alpine in nature and deadly to those not versed in the ways of survival. Frostbears and Direwolves make this forest their home, migrating from the north to the south side every year. They follow the trails left by their prey, ensuring their own continued existence as a result. If one were to zoom in

Alone and waiting in the dark, Liro reflected on her life so far, and her time at the Academy. Most students would probably think of highs and lows, good times and bad, but Liro saw it all as nothing but wasted time. Wasted time chasing empty goals, that she now knew would never see completion. Not that this gave her cause for regret - Liro was glad to be rid of her hateful drives and inner demons, but she felt that their expulsion had brought more confusion and uncertainty than she'd ever been burdened with before. And now it all came to a head. The proceedings for the final round were more intricate and indulgent than those that had come

Liro locked eyes with Cassidy, and the two exchanged a loaded stare. Each seemed to posess an ironclad defence against the other - and they were at a complete impasse. There was only one person present who could stop this from becoming a bloodbath as pressure mounted and eyes narrowed further. The two girls tensed themselves, ready to leap at each other with the rending claws and ripping teeth that only an agitated woman can bring to bear. The moment of truth was mere seconds away, and as they fought their own internal struggles with restraint it became clear that something must be done. One of them would have to be chosen for the victor, or

One blink of her eyes later, and Liro was falling. Thankfully, the drop wasn't too far for her. As lightly as a falling leaf, she planted her feet onto solid ground without any issues. Further, she didn't feel affected by any nausea, no sensory loss. She supposed she was fast getting used to relocation. To anyone watching, her landing may have even seemed graceful. She didn't have time to self-evaluate, however - the events of the past few minutes had left her mind racing. What had Gwydion meant by 'outside influences'? She had no baggage, she knew that much - maybe one of the other students had caught the attention of the wrong people. If

With a tired and uncertain fist, Liro delivered three quiet knocks to the old door that served as an entrance to Gwydion's office. It was late in the evening, and she knew nothing of the reason for his summons. Even the messenger he'd sent had remained silent but for his initial, softly spoken command; "Dean Bluma will see you at his office, immediately." She'd had no choice but to attend - the next round dates had still not been released despite it having been a whole month since the close of the previous round, and the summons were likely in regards to that. Liro still wanted to win, after all. She wasn't sure why anymore, but... winnin