Nicodemus trekked slowly through the snow, his large paws spread across the snow allowed him to stand atop the snow with ease. It was the Elk he was waiting for, the elk that carried all his pelts and precious goods, meats and what not; items he had collected from his journey down the mountain. The journey he took, and will continue to take, every year, every year to gather much needed resources.

The lynx stood atop a snowbank, watching in displeasure as the Elk slipped slightly, letting out a distressed grunt. Nico grumbled as he hopped off the snowbank and padded over to the beast; plucking various hides and pelts and tossing them onto his back before pulling the rope reigns attached to the Elk to move forward up the mountainside.

Minutes turned into hours, and hours into days as he drudged up the mountainside, stopping only to eat. His Elk was exhausted and so was he, but they were so close. So close to civilization, so close to Sabina: his civilization, his love, his wife. Oh, how he missed her and her gentle voice, her soft, kind eyes. Nico shook his head slightly, pulling the Elk forward once more as he finally reached the flats of the mountain. One more trail to walk through and they were home, finally home.

The Elk let out a dragged-out call, its bugle echoing through the snowy trees that could be heard all the way into the lantern-lit village. Nicodemus smiled and sighed, adjusting the hides and pelts that sat on his shoulders. The lynx walked triumphantly through the entrance of the village, laughing loudly as he was greeted with the townspeople offering kind words to him.

Nicodemus. The hellhound didn't know much about him. Just that he was Sabina's husband and traveled a lot. The commotion was what brought Sakura to the village entrance. Their black bear cloak hung heavily over their shoulders, freeing their head to swivel around. There he was. Wasn't hard to spot with the Elk he had. "Nicodemus. Good to see you." They rumbled, smiling as they did. They slinked toward his side and lowered their head. "What goods did you bring this time?"

Allowing another to take the reigns of his elk and walk it off to the stables, his attention was turned to a familiar voice. Sakura. Nicodemus had only met them a few times before and only really consisted of simple greetings or small talk. But each to their own.

He nodded his head in greeting, offering the other a kind smile as he was approached. "Hello Sakura, it's been awhile. It's good to see you too." Nico rummaged through the pile that someone had taken off of the elk, flipping through pelts, dried meats, and other various items. "I've got a lot of warm pelts, some dried seal meat, bird feathers, a box of herbal tea bags that I haggled a merchant for in Fort Lannor, a few frozen bone marrow sticks, and some other things."

The lynx shrugged and turned back to Sakura. "How has everything been here? Is Jerisidie doing alright," Nico flicked an ear before draping over a wooly ram's hide over himself, hugging it to himself. "He seemed a bit distraught just before I left."

♣ jadeire ellefsen | jade | 3 years | direwolf hybrid ♣

"knights, execute order 66"

IC TEXT | IC opinions

she padded after sakura with a tilt to her head and a small smile on her maw. wings pressed tightly against her side to ward off the cold. so this was a rare wandering merchant, eh? she listened as he displayed the items and her ears perked up as he mentioned the pelts. "what kind of pelts and feathers do you have?"

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As Nico droned on about his items, a new voiced called out from within the crowd. Jadeire, a voice he had not heard of yet. She was a new face in his archive of faces, a contrast against the endless sea of snow.

"I have many pelts," the lynx chuckled as he turned his attention toward Jade. "I have fox pelts, a black bear pelt, Marten pelts, Mink pelts, Sitka pelts, Goat pelts that I also haggled in Fort Lennor, Hare pelts - many Hare pelts," Nico tapped his chin in thought, brows narrowed as he recalled all the animals that he had hunted and trapped, tracked and skinned. "A few Deer pelts in the mix."

He looked toward the two now. "There should viles of whale blubber, so if you end up looking through everything," Nico began with a sharp inhale. "Be careful. Do not break those, it's the only thing keeping those damn lanterns lit." If they did break, it wasn't the biggest of deals but a few lanterns wouldn't be lit this year. It was already dark in this gloomy, snowy village. It didn't need to be any darker.

♣ jadeire ellefsen | jade | 3 years | direwolf hybrid ♣

"knights, execute order 66"

IC TEXT | IC opinions

she flicked an ear. whale blubber didn't interest her, but she still nodded politely. she padded over to him, tilting her head. "being a merchant sounds fun, is it an enjoyable occupation?" she asked, gently brushing the furs aside to look at the marten and sitka pelts. they looked pretty enough to fit her body, and perhaps she could just put her wings over them somehow. or try haggle for a bear pelt and cut holes for her wings to fit through. she wondered which ones her mother would like, and a smile formed on her face as she let her mind wander.

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