R growth happens at the edge of this comfort zone

[Mauti]

Something was injured, he said, and for a moment Mauti's mind flashed back to when she'd woken up. Dangerous scarlet against the pristine white of winter — was it her he smelled? She hadn't found any injuries.. but maybe she'd missed something.

Mauti stared at him for perhaps a moment too long, blinking rapidly as the rest of his words filtered into her head. He didn't have a direction, but luckily for him, she did. "Oh," she said quietly. Then, a bit louder, "I uh, caught that too. It's this way, I think." And without waiting to see if he'd follow, nor looking back to make sure he would, she started off towards the prey scent she'd found, her tail flagging unconsciously behind her.

The snow hindered her progress as it got deeper, but maybe she'd be able to pick up on what exactly they were hunting as she got closer.

Intelligence roll[roll=1d20+2]

[Magnus]

And off she went, all gangly limbs and puffy black fur. Maggie gave a soft snort, mostly to himself, and gladly walked in the woman's footsteps, letting her blaze their trail through the snow. The smell was distracting, considering his position, but Magnus was a man who'd been practicing self-control since the horrors of his childhood had occurred.

He kept his eyes peeled for potential prey, spirits lifting at the appealing thought of a collaborative hunt, the thrill of the chase and the joy of a job done with friends.

Intelligence roll[roll=1d20+2]

Up ahead, he spied a flash of red. At first, he thought it was a spot of blood seeping into the snow from something larger they were pursuing, but no. It was a fox, limping through the deep snow and Magnus could practically smell the alarm off the animal from here. He swiped his tongue along his maw. "Over there-The todd. See him?"

[Mauti]

// content warning for mention of cannibalism

As she moved, Mauti was so engrossed with the idea of catching a scent that by the time the gentle tendrils of iron passed into her nose, Magnus had sounded off behind her. At his question — see him? — she stopped, her head snapping up and her ears pushing forward. And sure enough, there he was — a fox, trying desperately to slink over the uneven surface of the snow, a pronounced limp ruining every attempt at coordination.

For a moment the thought of what hurt him played at the edge of her frontal lobe, but ultimately she didn't care. She stole a glance towards Magnus as if to confirm the target, then stole off again, her body lower now that Hunter Mode™ had been fully activated.

She'd never eaten another canine before, but.. she also wasn't entirely against the idea.

After all, her father had been a cannibal.

[Magnus]

Magnus met the spider-wolf's eyes, noting for the first time with a bit of a start the captivating swirls of colors. She looked away, Magnus blinked the glimpse of the kaleidoscope away, and focused instead on splitting away from Mauti to flank the opposing side of the fox. He didn't hide much of his approach. They were bigger, faster, stronger and both healthy. It was a rigged game from the start, and Magnus would just run the thing into Mauti's waiting jaws.

Until, of course, his luck ran out, and the todd turned instead, jaws agape to reveal every pearl-yellow tooth as it gave an alarm screech to try to intimidate them into rethinking.

Magnus arched his neck proudly, giving an unperturbed snort that clouded on the air. A challenge of his own in return, tail flagging. He glanced briefly over, assessing where his hunting companion was, and what her reaction was.

[Mauti]

It screamed at them as they approached, choosing to turn most of its attention toward Magnus. In doing so it put its back to Mauti, who, ever the opportunistic scavenger, was quick to react before she'd even fully assessed the situation. Soundlessly she lunged, aiming low, tilting her head a full ninety degrees to snap viciously at its already-injured leg. It was meant to be a quick in-and-out attack — to do the most damage and take the least amount of risk to her own skin.

Agility roll[roll=1d20+3]

Strength roll[roll=1d20+1]