Winter tended to be a season that Aurum wasn't exactly a huge fan of. Sure, his coat was nice and thick, and warm enough that he hardly needed to think about heat for himself, but he hated dealing with the snow everywhere, driving prey deep underground and making it so that most retreated indoors until it was finally over. Granted, he wasn't thinking as bitterly of it this year, since for the first year in a long time it didn't mean that he was going to be left even more utterly alone than he already was, which was what it had always meant when the cold months had come around back in the Pride. Plus, he was actually faintly excited for the time coming where everyone would be rushing inside, mainly because of the fact that he was renovating the mess hall, and people going inside meant that more of the other members would be able to appreciate his – and many others' – handiwork. Still, he didn't love winter, and he found himself growing worried about some of his more thin skinned clanmates, Crowley in particular. The demon was cold blooded, and Aurum often offered to keep him warm when he needed it within the house, but he couldn't always be there, and Crowkey didn't always want cuddles. So, when the lion came gliding into camp that day and saw Kiira sitting beside her little box of blankets, he felt a faint smile come across his face. Coming to a landing, the Captain made his way over to where the small girl was, hoping that she wasn't too frightened of him after everything that had happened with Astiar... even though she probably was. A faint sigh left him at the thought, and he hastily glossed over it, giving her a smile and rumbling as he sifted a bit through the box, "This is very sweet of you to do for everyone, Kiira... would you mind if I took a couple for Crowley? He has a tendency to get cold, even within my cabin." Part of him wanted to ask if Kiira was sure she didn't want the blankets for herself, but... the moment he saw the extremely thick winter coat that the other had grown, he was pretty sure he knew what the answer was. Hell, he was pretty sure her coat was even thicker in some places than his was, which was pretty damn impressive for such a small fox.

The cold didn't particularly bother Abby.

Despite being cold-blooded, the spider had a natural sort of anti-freeze in his blood - sure, he was sensitive to temperature change, but he could maintain stable temperature at around the same levels as your average human, although not as well as his clanmates, who were mostly felines. Despite this, however, he still found himself somewhat miserable in the wintry weather, proverbially shaking in his proverbial boots.

It was all because of the damned wind.

Due to his natural temperature regulation, he didn't find himself cold, per se - that was all fine. However, in its infinite wisdom, nature saw fit to balance this out and make him just as frigid and in need of shelter as the rest of the people in this clan by kicking the sensitivity on his hairs up to 11. No, he wasn't cold - but every slight breeze felt like he was in front of an industrial fan, like some invisible ghoul was dragging its claws lightly across his body to make him uncomfortable.

The arachnid was marching about the clan, looking around for an unoccupied house to perhaps get the ridiculous wind off his back (quite literally), when he noticed the small box and even smaller child, sitting before a relatively large but still small house. He also noted the presence of Aurum, one of the mysteries of the clan (not because he seemed to be holding many personal secrets, but solely because Abathur was curious as to the extent of his genetic makeup), and so was naturally pulled towards the two, for now parted from his painstaking quest.

"Greetings," he grumbled upon approaching, his voice slightly strained due to discomfort. As he drew near - maintaining a reasonable distance from the seemingly very tiny child, of course, he didn't want to cause a scene - he was greeted with a rather wonderful concept. Blankets. He could most certainly use some sort of later between him and the tempestuous breezes that dominated his life right now. "Abathur Everman. Can self have a blanket?"

Unfortunately that was the best he could do regarding introductions. Perhaps the frigid air, despite his blood, had given him some sort of 'brain freeze.'

tags - "speech"

Even in a climate as temperate as Tanglewood's, the hindmost months of the year brought chilly winds and wintry weather. Such conditions Leroy had grown accustomed to over the course of his lifetime, to a point where they did not impose any immediate danger towards him. Yet, that did not stop the hound from disliking the snow, the ice, and the other irritating shit that accompanied winter's presence. Sometimes, it got so cold that his jaw was compelled to tremble, his teeth to chatter erratically - in spite of his thick, ragged coat. And there wasn't no experience more disheartening than stepping in a puddle of frigid slush when you had expected it to be solid ice. Also, what wouldn't winter be without its music? Its grisly, invidious, utterly atrocious music. Jingle Bell Rock sounds nice the first few times you listen to it it; but by the end of the month, after hearing that offensively jubilant tune a thousand times over, you wished your ears were torn off. December is a fantastic month. It really is. Apparently, it is the most wonderful time of the year. But by all things holy, there were some aspects of it that just didn't need to... you know... exist.

Scarcely a few days had passed since his ascent to power, and the majority of those days had been spent out of the territory - after all, it was crucial that those of The Typhoon and Elysium were informed of the change in leadership. Those days had passed though, and now he was back in Tangler lands. As of now, the hound had two things at the top of his mind: the mess hall revamp (the task of which he had tasked Aurum with), and planning that holiday gift party thing, or whatever he said it was.

As for the latter topic, the planning process was going along smoothly. He'd already located some timeworn decorations, as well as a selection of food items. However, party planning wasn't exactly Leroy's forte, and he found himself taking a multitude of breaks here and there throughout the day.

On such a break, he broke from the comforts of his home and made his way into the town. A slight chill slithered the length length of his spine whilst he sauntered along one of the town's streets. That is when he notices an accumulation of Tanglers encircling Kiira's home.

As he approaches, he makes note of those present - a strikingly familiar arachnid, and none other than the captain of the guard himself, Aurum. Both of them seemingly here for the complimentary blankets that Kiira was handing out.

"They look comfy, Kiira," Leroy mouths in the kindest tone he could muster, before offering a sanguine glance and mouthing, "I do need something to spruce up the ol' place, so I'll take one - unless you oppose me doin' so."

Abathur and Leroy arriving shortly behind him didn't surprise him that much, considering that they were probably suffering from the cold just as much as Crowkey was. Abathur more so than Leroy, of course, since Abathur didn't have the nice thick coat that both he and Leroy possessed. Offering a nod to both of them as they approached, Aurum found himself idly wondering how Leroy was doing at the moment, with the cold. Given his body change, the lion was fairly sure that Leroy's coat was thicker and more healthy, as was the rest of him, so the Captain was pretty sure he was in a far better position than he had been... the thought of a poor still cancerous Leroy having to navigate both his illness and the cold struck Aurum right in the heart, and he found himself frowning for the briefest of moments before shaking it away. None of that mattered now, because Leroy was really back, and everything was going alright, a fact that Kiira seemed to be reminding herself of as well, at the sight of the new General.

Aurum felt a sort of... relief wash over him when Kiira confirmed that he could take some blankets for Crowley, mainly due to the fact that he had been terrified the girl would recoil away from him after what had happened with Astiar. Offering the fox a small smile, Aurum moved forward to grab a couple of the blankets, tilting his head and placing them upon his back, nestled securely between his two large wings. He would bring them back to his cabin in a little while, and draped them over Crowley's bed, as a sort of surprise for the demon. The Captain wasn't sure how much Crowley would like it, but... even if he wouldn't admit it, Aurum had seen him shaking and twitching thanks to the cold, and it felt good to do something nice for the male. Even if it made his insides flip flop a bit, and his heart give a strange twist. Ignoring his conflicted feelings about Crowley, Aurum dipped his head to Kiira and said, quite grateful he didn't have to go searching all over for some nice warm blankets to bring home, "Thank you, Kiira. These will work great, and I'll make sure Crowley says thanks too." His voice had a bit of a teasing lilt to it, and he hoped that he could make it so that Kiira saw him as a source of safety again, even after his vicious attack on the Pittian dragon.