Blood is getting hotter, body's getting colder
I told you once, I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO HOLDS HER!

Kold groaned gently as she left the Plaza for the wastes, bare essential items in a bag against her chest. It wasn't as though she was going to be gone long, only 5 days within the wastes. But she wanted to have some stuff for the first few nights, considering she already did the blooding once. So, with a gentle nod to incoming pittians, she started for the journey.

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As night settled on the desert Kold found herself next to a fire, knawing on a rabbit bone. "Eternity... god, I was so young." She mumbled, looking at the moon. "So much has happened." She yawned, eyes focusing on the fire she had built. As she drifted off, she could hear the crackle fade.

Dawn crept into the sky as the Marauder woke up to the sound of a bird cawing. For a moment she thought it was Vale, but it was much larger than the chaotic crow, with wide red eyes. Even so, she snarled at it. "Hey, get away." She snapped as the vulture screeched and scampered back. It eyed her bone from the night before. "You... you want the bone, you ugly fuck?" She chuckled, picking the bone up in her jaws and tossing toward it. It scwabbled but picked the bone up and flew away.

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Middle of the day of day two, she found herself followed by the bearded vulture, who seemed young. Every now and then she would feed it scraps of bone, and it would take the bone shards and flew away, and then always came back for more. "Annoying little.. Get outta here!" She barked at it and it distanced itself, but still followed.

Nighttime was less lonely as the vulture sat nearby, fed off bone scraps she tossed at it. "You're a young one, I think. Only reason you're sticking around me." Kold rumbled, curling up. It made no noise, but she caught a glimpse of it as it flew off before she fell asleep.

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Waking up, Kold stared at the carcass of a boar. "What the fuck." Was all she said as she looked at the vulture. "Did you actually kill a boar. Did you actually kill a fucking boar?" She inquired, standing up and walking to the carcass. The vulture made a motion as if to shrug, and Kold just laughed. "You hardcore bastard. I'm starting to like you." She grinned and started to eat.

"Don't take a dip in there, oh my god." She yelped as the Bearded Vulture danced toward the Nile, worry in her voice. It looked at her, looked at the water, and then hobbled to her. "Good, good. No idea what the fuck even is in there, if it's blood or something else, but don't drink or take a dip in it." She rumbled as she continued along the Nile, afternoon sun beating down on her.

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"Day four, baby. One more day out here." Kold cheered, tossing the vulture a bone in the morning sun. She was starting to enjoy the company that the scavenger provided. She stretched her wings, a smile on her face as she stood up. Shook her white fur and stared across the desert. "After this, one more day in eternity, and then we can go home and you can meet my family."

As evening approached she found herself cornered by a very, very angry boar. It snorted at her and brandished it's tusks as a threat, and the Marauder had a pretty deep wound across her shoulder. Her vulture friend was no where to be found, but she didn't mind. Maybe it went to get help, or maybe it just fled.

Without much of a thought the wolf charged the boar, white body a blur in the dying light.

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Her shoulder ached, patched up but still at risk of infection, as she started for the jungle. A boar skull was settled on her back, held there by her folded wings. Above her, the bearded vulture flew, surveying the area, making sure she was safe after yesterday's scare.

It was midday as she traversed past the charred border of the jungle, and as she kept going, she could make out the vulture's form among the trees. And as she stepped into the plaza, she sat down with a heavy thump, let the skull roll off her back, and flexed her wings.

"Good to be back."

Kold turned to face Dante, and for a moment she just stared. Her mouth watered and she seemed focused on only him. And then she huffed, shook her head and looked away. "You."

The bearded vulture landed next to her, rufflung his feathers at Dante. "You don't like him too, huh?" She chuckled, then winced at the pain that blossomed from her shoulder.

She had to fight herself from staring at Dante like she was some hungry animal, but he just seemed like the perfect target for... whatever or whoever was making her want to stare at him.

Kold rolled her black eyes at Dante's irritable question, though it couldn't quite be seen. She was going to bark back at him when Hydrostatic rushed over. The entire concept of someone rushing to her out of apparent happiness was, quite honestly, shocking. She blinked, but a smile graced her maw. "Hey, Hydro."

He was curious about the Blooding? Kold squirmed a bit, but not out of discomfort. "Well, it's called the Blooding. It's a right of passage for pale bloods and newcomers, set to test your limits. Most don't do it as young as you." She was, what, nearly 7 months when she did the Blooding for the first time? Maybe a bit younger. "You can do it as many times as you wish. I simply did it again because some people are annoying."

Again pain, like a dagger, was sharp in her shoulder. "I'll tell you more, later. My shoulder is bothering me."