Cruelty of the frozen heart

The days had passed by. In time Verdandi had learned how to conjure the snow. How to freeze her enemy, how to encase herself in protection within the many layers of ice, while yet still being able to move beneath it. She felt strong. Stronger than ever before. But Master Aoki had yet to reveal the last of his techniques to his student. The only way for him to display it without making the mistake of letting Verdandi underestimate the severity of this technique, was to sacrifice something living. As an advanced user, he was able to conjure the ice straight form the ground below them, without the need of calling for the snow. Showing Verdandi what she’d be capable of as well if she trained hard enough. Using the fluid frost to crawl upon a tree. But this time he wouldn’t stop at slightly freezing it. He kept conjuring the frost from below until every little branch and leaf was covered in it.

His eyes would turn dark. His stance becoming firmer, his left palm forming single seals as the right one slowly formed a gripping hand. Verdandi would watch how the frost started to pressure the wood below. She would begin to breath hard as she could watch how the leaves crunched together, the branches started to break. The roots of the tree would crank and bend. Its body would begin to show severe cracks and as at last Aoki screamed the death wish in Hyougaan, the tree was crushed within its coffin. Breaking down into pieces. All branches broken. All leaves pulverized. What was left was but a mere reminder of the pure force that went into this attack.

Verdandi swallowed a few times empty. She didn’t expect any of this. The snowfall had something aesthetic. The armour was a defence technique and the freezing one was used to harmlessly stun an enemy. This technique was different. It was merciless. Brutal and completely aimed out to kill. As much as she refused herself to learn this one. Verdandi knew that she could already do it. For a moment she cursed her Master for showing her this move. This was not the way she had planned to live her shinobi life. Defend, stun, capture. An honourable way of living and yet the monk of the Aisu clan made it clear that this technique, would someday be necessary even for Verdandi. In moments where he hesitated. In moments where the nightmares of this world. Black flames and dark whims would come to try and extinguish the lives of others. It would be the one appropriate moment for Verdandi to use this. As a means of last resort.

During her last days of stay within the temple she repeated and refined her techniques. Even tested her abilities on the last one, tasting the power to extinguish life at a moment’s notice. Watching objects crush within the command of her palm. To the full satisfaction of Master Aoki.

The news of a new town in the snow country had made him curious and Verdandi made sure to create a makeshift map that had all the important pointers for him if he ever dared to leave his temple of seclusion. She was kind of betting on it that it was yet his hunger for some good food that would someday lure him from his seclusion. Given the chance he did survive that long.


580 / 14120

Journey back home

Verdandi made her way down to the glacier. Leaving behind both her innocence as much as her youth as a Genin. She knew her days as a beginner were about to be over. She was about to become something else. Something stronger. But she had yet to make her way home first. It made her feel a little sad thinking about leaving the old gramps behind. But he didn’t seem to mind. Making her wonder exactly how many years he had spent in this utter seclusion. As she didn’t wish to return to the city of ashes, Verdandi would once more make her way over the glacier. But after experiencing the thickness of the ice dome, she didn’t fear to break in anymore. At a large speed she would use the slippery nature of ice to her advantage. Sliding over it like she was skating past the frost. And whenever the surface dared to try and become too uneven for her. Verdandi would stretch her palms forth and using her new powers to command the ice in front of her to bend itself to her very whim. Giving this way back, over the glacier, a completely different feeling compared to when she first stepped on the surface of these glaciers, many many days ago.

After a good day of ice skating, which was certainly a fun sport and completely underestimated. Verdandi would find her way back into the wastelands. She would stick to the barren rocky planes as they somehow allowed herself to keep the desired orientation stable. But it wasn’t too difficult. Some of the wasteland-markings soon came to be familiar again. Reminding her that she had travelled past here before. She could use the sight of the mountain, as long as it remained within view, as a point of navigation too. The stars and the position of the moon. The sun during the day if snow and clouds wouldn’t bother her and of course by using her compass that would always point into the direction of the mountains pole.

Making her wonder what kind of special power once relied in this temple. Or if it really was but the throat of the world. Aisu temples usually weren’t just built for vanity. Each of them had a specific meaning or purpose. But she’d have to find out another day, if she ever dared to return to the top of that place. But for now, she had to find shelter which… would, of course, meet as usual a wonderful coincidence. Verdandi once more came past the spot she last created her igloo at. She chuckled as the platform where she made her campfire was still well prepared. The igloo was melted away by now but giving her newfound powers it would take but a few seconds for her to create a new one this time. Confident within her powers she had to show a little vanity at least and made the igloo quite a tad bigger this time. Forming some little funny details including an odd smiley into its surface. But once she jumped inside and reached into her backpack, Verd had to realize that something crucially was missing. Food.


540 / 14660

Hunter or hunted

The bag she had filled with food from the temple had ripped on her skating funtime, without her noticing it. That was kiiiind of bad. Cause Verdandi was obviously starving to the point her belly growled. But she was a ninja. A predator now of sorts. Nothing she’d have to fear anymore right? So, before she even set the campfire to blaze she picked up her stuff and went towards the caves. Passing the spot where she had watched the polar bears butchering the wolf. She was wondering if she could do the same. Verd was jumping past the various entry points of the seemingly large cave system below. She didn’t really dare to enter it. But at some point, her curiosity was picked up by something else anyway.

Barks, howls, squeals and other noises. Verdandi quickly followed the ruckus. Finding herself soon within a rather mean situation. A single female polar bear, heavily wounded, was being cornered against the walls of the hill. Twelve wolves were growling at her. Five more were already lying dead by her feet. But she was bleeding. Heavily so. But within all the growls and roars. There was a noise Verd couldn’t really put her finger on just yet. But having a weak spot for the majestic creatures of this land, while not being a big fan of the wolves that kept bullying her hometown at night. Verd would quickly move forth.

She was casting but just a few hand signs, while her sudden presence would catch the attention of the wolves. But before they could move much, Verd’s palms had already been pointed forth at them. Unfortunately for them, they were basically standing on ice already. Making it rather easy for the ice princess to make them sink into the frozen surface below and become trapped, remaining as nothing but statues of ice. The bear was startled. It seemed blind. Having taken too much damage by the wolves. Verdandi knew there was nothing left for her to do. She wouldn’t be able to heal it. Not without the extent of medical knowledge she possessed. The few band aids in her back pack wouldn’t have helped. She was even wondering if a healing technique could have helped here.

The female was far away from its pack. Verdandi knew this wasn’t the plane of the polar creatures at all, they were supposedly to be home much more north, even past behind the glacier she had ventured into. Making herself seriously wonder what had happened here. As at last, again this squeaky noise she heard before would echo into the emotion-stricken situation. A baby. A young cute little polar bear cub. Stuck within the clutches of ice against the walls of this hillside. But whenever Verd tried to move in to get a proper look. The mother would feel Verd’s motion against them and scream her fiercest roar. Making clear. This cub was to be off limits. The situation was sort of heart breaking. Verd wasn’t exactly sure what to do. But then again, she was reminded, she could do one thing… especially now. With a few motions she could command the ice around the cub’s leg to slowly dissolve and free the little baby.


550 / 15210

A promise of a lifetime

By the way the mother was breathing, Verdandi knew she was already far past the point where she should be alive. She was bleeding so much. Even as Verd would slowly cover her wounds in frost she wouldn’t move. Her blind eyes were staring scared into the void. Her nostrils flaring. Completely and utterly confused as to what was happening. The little cub would slowly crawl from its trap forth. Her leg was sore, probably hurt as mommy must have tried to push and tug her kid out of its lock. She could literally feel the despair the mother had gone through. Separated from their family. Polar bears were often loners. But they knew to not venture these lands on their own. To see a pack of them would mean they were moving planes or mating grounds until they would arrive at their desired location and disperse into smaller groups once more. To the pack, leaving behind a mother and its cub because they couldn’t keep up was troublesome, but they would do so without remorse.

“Survival of the fittest” would Verdandi say, remembering the words she had learned from Haka and Sero. Nature was a cruel thing. Verd would slowly reach her palm again forth. This time not to seal the bears wounds. But to make sure she would pick up her smell. The mother seemed unsure. Hearing her cub squeak in a happy noise as to mark her own freedom. But this new smell. This stranger to her. Was she another danger for her cub? The mother contemplated her options. She knew she was dying. Whatever happened hence forth would probably remain on sheer luck that her offspring might survive. Verdandi’s lips were shaking. She had a pretty large stomach for seeing cruel things by now. But animals within the display of utter selfishness, to sacrifice themselves for their own kin. It had something pure and beautiful to it that she couldn’t but cry in sympathy for the mother’s fate.

Within the angsty flares of the mother’s nostrils. She would hear the human sob softly for her own pain. A confusing construct for the scared blind creature. But she was getting tired. Sleepy. She wanted to close her blank eyes and rest. Verdandi could see how the few strings of energy, that were left within the beautiful creature, were slowly leaving her, fading away. Leaning forth Verdandi place her forehead against the mother’s snout. She was too weak to roar anymore. Allowing herself to breath the humans scent in deeply. As she whispered forth in ancient Hyougaan “I shall take care of what is yours and will treat it like my own kin. That is but my promise to you, mother.”


460 / 15670

Rest and responsibility

It would escape Verdandi if the mother was able to grasp what she said to her. She could only hope that, the ancient magic that was within their mother tongue, allowed the mother to sooth her worries. After all. She was breathing calmly. Verdandi could feel how pain and fear had left her body. A soft lick from her tongue would scrape over Verd’s cheek and taste the princess’s tear. Slowly sinking down to her paws as if to give her child one last hug while the little cub squeaked cluelessly as what was happening. Until she finally fell asleep. Verdandi couldn’t get herself to remove the cub from her mother’s embrace. Not just yet. She’d use her technique to conjure a new layer of Ice above them quickly. Multiple even so. One that would shield them from the terrors of the night to come and let them rest. Both were hugging against the still warm body of the mother bear.

Verdandi woke the next morning, the squeaking cub was crawling about with its paws prancing against the ice film that Verd had woven to protect them. It was ignorant to what happened to her mother, even though she had enjoyed to sleep in her embrace this night. She didn’t know yet what it meant to die and leave this plane for the next. The cub was confused. Maybe she did know after all? Alone and still scared as she had no idea what was happening. Verd would yet be once more reminded by her stomach that she originally set out to hunt down prey. The idea of eating the bear’s flesh disgusted her. No some other creature would have to do. Opening a little hole to slip and make sure that the cub wouldn’t, allowed her to search together the remains of the wolves that mom had torn apart in the defence of her child. The frozen nature of Yuki no Kuni had kept it preserved like a fridge overnight.

Verd returned with the meat she had gathered from the wolf corpses and some firewood. She had cut out some rather large part, knowing she had to cook for two this night. The cup had cuddled itself back against mommy. Verd was wondering how long she was going to endure the heart break in front of her. But she had a responsibility to take care of, as well as an empty stomach of her own. The campfire was quickly built. The meat was cooked, even for the cub who was used to eat this meat rather cold or raw, it’d be good for her stomach to have it processed like this for once. As they were all filled up with fresh yummy wolf, warmed by the fire, Verd would use the remains of her broken food package to create some sort of carriage baby-platform for the cub. Once she had placed the little thing in there and practically bound her to her chest. She’d gaze into the cute little monster’s eyes and watch it until it started to lick at Verd’s face, curiously sniffing her scent. Since Verdandi had slept all night against the warm fur of mommy bear, her mother’s scent remained on Verd’s own body. Making the cub feel right at home. The heavy little beast would wiggle a bit but remained contained in its baby holster. It was time to leave.


580 / 16250

Home sweet home

Verdandi had seen enough. She was exhausted from this journey. Her limbs would eventually become heavy. She didn’t leave without collecting a few strands of fur from mommy bear. It’d eventually come in handy someday. With a few hand signs she turned the frost beneath the large polar bear somewhat fluid, the corpse would slowly vanish within the ice below. She would be preserved like this. At least for a while. But her spirit has already left the plane. Her physical body had no meaning anymore. Still. In an act of honour. Verdandi would reshape and bend the frost above her resting place into a memorial plate of ice. With the sole words on it. “A mothers last wish.”

Verdandi had packed all her things. Polar bear cub included. Snuggling the little furball of meaty squeakiness as she made her way home. Heidel wasn’t far from here anymore. It was time to get a proper replacement of clothes. Time to get a proper warm meal that wasn’t necessarily of wild hunt. To linger with her sisters and parents. To tell them about her adventure, about the glaciers of the north, the ashen village, the stairway to heaven, the old man at the temple of their ancestors and the powers she had found within herself. Not to forget about the little snuggly furball either. All in all, a tale that’d change her life forever. In so many ways she couldn't possible foresee it just yet.

[EXIT]

250 / Total WC: 16'500

Training: