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The Banbaro continued on its quest to travel throughout the New World, and today it was staying in the Hoarfrost Reach. Good to be back on its home turf. Sitting down by one of the cliff sides, the night sky was moderately covered by clouds. A slight wind was picking up on the Banbaro’s fur as a light snowfall descended slowly from the heavens. Banbaro sneezed, the flakes of frost tickling its nose. A rumble emerged from the belly of the beast; the Banbaro got up from its seat to find some food. Thankfully, there were some winter plants nearby, next to an entrance to the underground caverns that litter the Reach.
The Banbaro munched on the snow-covered plants with a silent glee. The trees provided enough sustenance..but these low to the ground ferns had the juiciest leaves, and finding them had some difficulty. From the entrance of the cave, a golden figure caught its eye. It was certainly a familiar shape; small to the ground, a long feathery tail, and a triangular face with wild, slit pupils. A subspecies of Tobi-Kadachi, a Viper to be specific. It looked malnourished and scared. Its eyes darted from left to right, settling on the giant brute wyvern. They turned heads and stared at each other for a brief moment before the Viper broke contact, flicking its tongue at the other creature before scurrying to the frosty forest. The Banbaro felt a sort of…pity for the wyvern. They didn’t have enough fur to survive the land for an extended period of time, and the snow would make it freeze. With a snort, the Banbaro decided. It would follow this underground dweller for a time, see if it can find food quickly.
It didn’t take too much energy to find the carnivore. By the trees on the other end of the Hoarfrost, the Viper was behind a snow hill, watching, waiting. A pack of Popo laid on the ground dead. However, the culprit still remained, crunching on the carnage it created. An orange, quadruped monster, a bright orange only tapered by blue stripes, and useless wings flowing with abundance of veins. A Tigrex; of course it was. The Tigrex looked around before digging into its meal once again. The Viper Kadachi looked scared, and hungry. This was not the Banbaro’s business. But, the whine from the Kadachi’s mouth alongside the falling snow and the far off smell of flames from the hunter’s forbidden settlement made the Banbaro…feel something of a pity. It was time to take action once again.
The Banbaro roared at the Tigrex’ general direction. It stopped gulping down its meal, head turning sharply. This was a mistake. The Tigrex spun to face the brute wyvern, flared its wingarms back and unleashed a violent ROAR that nature had regretted creating, but had to face its own consequences. The Viper scurried back and forth, unsure. The Banbaro lowered its head, horns close to the ground. The Tigrex growled, then charged and threw a snowy boulder at the brute. The Banbaro put one hoofed foot back to prepare; the boulder hit the horns, sending the Banbaro back a few feet, but it quickly recovered, instead charging forwards with the boulder, alongside other debris hidden in the snow, and chucked it back at the flying wyvern. If its reptilian eyes could display surprise, the Tigrex would have betrayed its shown rage.
Meanwhile the Viper Tobi-Kadachi managed to grab a piece of Popo almost unnoticed, until the Tigrex eyed its prize after the Banbaro’s assault. It roared at the Viper, turning its attention towards the food thief. The Viper dropped the meat for a moment, spiking its head and tail up. It roared, and slashed its tail forwards, sending poisonous quills at the Tigrex. The Viper went on the offensive; it glided upwards, then descended, biting the Tigrex by the wingarm as it was dazed from the poison. The Viper turned tail and ran, raw meat in tow.
Once the Fanged Wyvern left, the Banbaro did the same, running with all its might to a location of a suitable distance away from an angry Tigrex. The duo met up at one of the maws of the caverns. The Kadachi nodded and ran into the tunnels, its scaly hide unable to take the cold for long. The Banbaro did not have the time to watch to see if the Viper was okay. It helped the fellow wyvern get food, and the snow was piling up. It was time to enjoy the hot springs.
One nap in the warm water later the snowstorm had become strong enough to disturb the Banbaro’s thick hide. Yawning, it stretched and left to the cavern’s opening near the springs, wind howling whilst the snow turned into pellets. The brute wyvern watched as a pack of Wulg scurried into view, barking to each other and splashing in the hot spring. One of them held something in their maw, and the group ran off the way they came.
The snow lasted a good few hours before the curtain of clouds showed a clear, starry night sky. The Banbaro shook off any extra fur and walked out into the night. Looking up, the stars twinkled brightly before some started to fall across the sky. It was…entrancing. The Banbaro sat down again by the icy cliffside and watched the stars shine as some fell down to the mortal plane. A noise from behind, however, caught its attention. The Tigrex from before. The pseudo-flying wyvern ignored the other monster as it sat down next to it, yawning, and looked up at the show. With the calmed Tigrex and Banbaro watching the sky, opposite monsters could feel a sense of togetherness in a place otherwise filled with cold, bitter survival.
And as a red comet pierced through the sky, and the faint booming of fireworks from Seliana grew quieter, peace had fallen to the Hoarfrost Reach like softened snow. It felt like home.