Hypothermia isn't a concern when you're made of metal.[Completed]

[Rasteva]

The herd had long since fled before Rasteva had arrived. The tracks were so obvious that even an inexperienced tracker could not miss them. A multitude of hoof and paw prints marring the otherwise pristine snow, the story of what had transpired here more than clear. Rasteva tilted their head up to gaze over the open plains before the sighted movement a ways off. The Daemon trundled through the snow as fast as they were able, hoping to rid the Wolf Pack of their meal before too much of it had been consumed. They would of course be unwilling to part with their hard earned catch, but that was of no concern to Rasteva as the continued to lumber forward. The Daemon could see no less than ten of the beasts, all huddled around their fallen prey. The poor creature’s blood stained the snow bright red, an almost jarring contrast against the paleness of the snow and sky. At the figure’s a approach, several of the Wolves perked up, immediately alerting the rest of the pack to Rasteva’s looming presence.

A Pack of irritable Wolves against one lone traveller was nothing short of suicide, and under normal circumstances things would have ended in favor of the Wolves. A group of Ravens circled warily overhead, interested in the result of the coming carnage but not wanting to be caught in the middle of it. The Wolves paced around their kill warily, unable to catch a scent from the intruder but they made no move to leave their meal behind.Many of them snarled loudly with bared teeth and gums, their fur beginning to bristle along their backs. Rasteva could tell that the Pack was testing the waters, not wanting to relinquish their hard earned meal but no more eager to get embroiled in a costly fight. Rasteva stared at the wolves silently for a moment before taking a step forward.

In the blink of an eye, chaos erupted.

The Wolves bolted forward, snapping audibly at Rasteva with powerful jaws.One of the Wolves danced too close, hackles raised as it snarled at the intruder. The back of a large metal hand caught the predator square in the face and it crumpled onto the ground, its teeth scattering across the snow in a spray of blood. Quicker than they could react another Wolf leapt forward, its frothing jaws clamping tightly around a metal wrist. Rasteva studied the furious creature for a moment, somewhat intrigued by its insistence on biting them even though its teeth could barely find purchase on the Daemon’s metal form. Rasteva was vaguely aware of another Wolf attempting to bite their ankle and lifted a leg to shake it off onto the ground. As the beast sprang to its feet a large metal boot came down on its head, snuffing out its life with nothing but a sharp yelping cry to mark its passing. The Wolf attached to Rasteva’s wrist began to lose its purchase as the Daemon lifted their arm so as to better examine the struggling creature. Once they had gotten their fill of looking at it, the Daemon grabbed the still snarling Wolf by the scruff of its neck with their free hand before prying it off their wrist and tossing it aside. The beast let out an undignified yelp as it it hit the ground, kicking up a spray of snow as it landed. Had Rasteva possessed the capacity, they might have laughed.

“Pitiful.”

Marching forward even as the Pack threw itself against them, Rasteva recalled a memory from long ago. It was not unlike their present situation, though Humans wielding spells and weapons proved to be far better sport. A large Wolf cut off the Daemon’s train of thought as it jumped at them with eager jaws. All that it received for its effort was a metal boot and was promptly sent tumbling into one of its kin. Whales in their home environment were one thing. An irate Dragon was of course something to be fearful of.

All that a pack of Wolves were proving to be was a mild inconvenience.

Kneeling in front of the Pack’s fresh kill, Rasteva examined the creature. As expected it was covered in a mass of bite marks, but it was still whole and recognizable. The Daemon hoped that it would suffice for whatever Dragon they ran into down the road. Rasteva halted their musing for moment, noticing a sudden weight upon their back and shoulders. Canting their head to the side, the Daemon beheld a Wolf that had sprung upon them while they were lost in thought. The creature growled furiously, trying to sink its teeth into the Daemon’s metal neck. Rasteva took a moment to pause and consider this. The Wolf was larger than most, its well muscled form covered in dappled grey fur. This too, could possibly make a fine gift for a Dragon. While the Daemon doubted it would care for the Wolf’s pelt in any regard, it might still find it to be something good to eat. Lifting an arm to reach around and haul the snarling beast off of them, Rasteva’s clawed gauntlet quickly found purchase around the Wolf’s neck and they squeezed tightly. Almost immediately the beast’s struggles halted, its neck snapping audibly.

Nodding to themselves seemingly pleased, the Daemon tossed the now dead wolf over a broad shoulder. Scooping up the dwindling Pack’s kill, Rasteva tucked it securely under and arm before standing. The Wolves were pacing around the Daemon warily, seeming unsure about continuing to fight after almost losing half their numbers. Rasteva cared little for this, having obtained what they came for. As they strode forward the remaining Wolves decided to cut their losses and fled, leaving their fallen kin behind.

All things considered, things were going better than Rasteva had thought they would. They now had two mostly intact corpses to present to one of the local Dragons, something that would at least allow them a bit of the great beast’s time. Several of the Ravens had broken their circling to land, beaks pecking at the newly laid out bodies on the ground. More food than they would have gotten scavenging from the Wolves. Rasteva slowly lumbered away from the scene of the confrontation, already planning their next course of action. It would take a few days of marching to reach the mountains though it could be lessened as the Daemon fully planned on travelling through the night as well. While Dragons tended to nest high in the peaks, they often wandered far afield to hunt and forage. It was Rasteva’s hope that they would come across one of them during such an excursion. The Daemon could see another blizzard brewing on the Horizon, dark clouds were beginning to roll across the sky. The frigid cold would help preserve the corpses until Rasteva could present them fully, a good thing as Dragon’s tended to enjoy their meals fresh.

Anything to keep Rasteva from being torn to pieces was more than enough for them.

It wasn’t until they were several miles from the scene of their battle, that Rasteva heard the cries. Craning their head upwards, the Daemon saw a small group of Ravens lofting over them. Ever the opportunists several of the birds had splintered off from the flock, possibly interested in seeing if the armored figure would lead them to more food. The Daemon brought their gaze back towards the ground, gaze trained on the mountains looming in the distance. Reaching the jagged peaks was of greater interest to them than a few hungry birds.

But in truth, they didn't really mind a little company.