it's too much

VALKYRIE She stood in the storm Despite the valiant shrug of resolve gathered about her broadened, white, masculine shoulders, Valkyrie could neither have anticipated nor prepared herself for the intensity of the freezing cold which followed on from the miserable soaking rain of Drench. It was worse than Sunnmōre’s frightening, thrilling extremes, trapped between the murderous combination of high altitude and winter; black ice paths ascending the wind ravaged precipice, penetrating chill whose silent breath could rob an exposed heart of rhythm under guise of long, black nights. Shieldmaidens are fiercer and more formidable than ice… —a line that she fed herself, now, regularly, to nourish her strangled willpower. The self-appointed fighter for female emancipation, (relevant) social justice and freedom, had hunkered down in the dank dimness of the highest cavern she’d been able to locate beneath the savage slopes of the Heimasborg—the perfect frozen throne in a fairytale ice castle—though after about the third week of waiting, it occurred to her that the bitter weather was not quickly going to ease. It took a great deal of meditation, more still blunt bribery to convince herself to rise from the warm nest of fallen feather and groomed hair she had woven; Valkyrie’s stomach rumbled and the emptiness hurt terribly, yet less than the bone-penetrating cold that had consumed the falling valley outside her window. The haze of white suggested that snow was still falling. Skin, which by now had sprouted a good amount of thicker, insulating fur, trembled reluctantly—viciously—but the brawny limbs folded together beneath the throb of her fleshy breast broke free suddenly, forcing joints aligned into action. Before the time taken to even blink, the winged girl was hovering at height above the hard floor of her cavern, stretching the stiffness from each screaming appendage and rolling the sudden surge of returned warmth through her core; from nose to tail. Of course, there was still the issue of foraging. Valkyrie shuffled wearily to stand just short of the gaping mouth of the room where her beloved spear had fallen and laid since the first night. The veil fell heavily beyond, though the fact that it was not invading her space was a celebrated bonus—no wind. Drawing a long, contemplative breath and choking promptly, for the air was unbearably freezing, burning, the young horse persuaded her pale hooves to trace a circle back towards the rear of the cave. Descending into the eerie, dark tunnel beneath the mountainous realm which was the Heimasborg, Valkyrie tried to focus on more positive thoughts—like conquering mankind and hanging Hope’s head like a chandelier in her throne-room. At least two levels down, for the passages, she’d learned carved a hidden labyrinth between caverns through the depths, the Shieldmaiden hesitated her course and paused with puffing nostrils turned to the stone beneath her hooves. “Hoofprints…” she whispered coldly into the still, darkness which surrounded. The scent of the stranger lingered heavily about the tracks, and with ears flattened cautiously, unpleasantly, the young creature strained to view the corridor looming ahead. “…an intruder.” This is my castle! Practising an extreme amount of caution (for the Rift it seemed, was famous for monsters borne from darkness), Valkyrie stepped forward to continue her ascent, now, towards the frozen wilderness outside. As she passed one lichen-lit cave, and then another her striking eyes scrutinised each space carefully, searching for the one who had passed through, ahead. As her gaze fell through the presumed-to-be empty cavity of one of the largest rooms, towards the end, the white woman's blood suddenly ran cold. There was movement in the shadows near the furthest wall away, the glinting of something’s eyes. Valkyrie’s mind reached promptly for her spear— There was no answer, certainly not the comforting clink of bound leather against her parted, waiting teeth. “Ugh…” she moaned, shoulders slumping beneath the ache of frustration, “I left the blasted thing back in the tower…” and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.

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@Aedion - Val is going to complete her trial (in 7 threads before this), as soon as I throw the last post up, so she can use telekinisis now... If it changes I'll edit it. Sorry it's long and rambly.