You continue your way through the woods with your guide, much relieved to have escaped the attentions of the Disturbed female, Onraa'glike. The blue fox had warned you earlier that it would be a bit of a walk, so you prepare yourself for a minor hike. You're rather relieved that Guide doesn't appear as nervous as he had previously. This is good news, as it means the upcoming Raveen Kat isn't like either the Death male, Doruun, or the Disturbed female, Onraa'glike.
"So, are you going to be nice and give me a bit of warning as to who we're visiting next?" You ask your Guide conversationally. Absently you wrap your arms around yourself, suddenly cold. The temperature has been dropping as you've walked along.
"There's no reason to be worried. I'm not taking you to another psycho." The blue fox replies cheerfully. "I don't think you have much to fear from Kouude. The worst you'll get from him is a cold shoulder." He grins at the last bit, as if he'd just been very clever.
You blink faintly curious but now that you know he's not going to try and kill you, you're content to wait until you meet this 'Kouude' ...
Awhile later you come into an mountainous area spotted with pure white snow and ice. With a shiver you glance around, wondering if Guide actually knew where he was going. "Bit cold up here, don't you think? I wish you would have warned me, I would have brought a...."
You're just about to continue the comment when you spot the slim white form of a Raveen perched on the rocks just above you on the mountain. He's staring off into space, and judging from his solemn expression his thoughts must be of a serious nature.
You continue to approach until you're standing a short distance below the Raveen. There's no clear and easy way up to him, so Guide settles for clearing his throat loudly, gaining the attention of the Raveen male. He looks down, studying you for a moment. His expression changes rapidly and a grin flashes across his face as he bounds from the rock he's standing on. It's a fair drop to where you're standing, and the landing looks rough enough that it could possibly injure even a feline species such as a Raveen Kat.
A slide of ice appears even as the Raveen falls, catching him before he's anywhere near the ground. It's more then just feline grace that keeps him upright as he rockets down the slide, there's a good deal of the ease that comes from practice. It must be a familiar maneuver. More ice appears, directing the slide in a curve around you. After killing a good deal of his speed in the smooth turn, the ice is reduced to a thin layer over the rocky ground. Eventually the ice completely stops, and the Raveen hops off the slide to come to a stop not far from you and Guide.
You realize your jaw is hanging open and make an effort to close it. Guide is grinning widely, obviously delighted by that impressive display of skill and insanity. There's a bit of a grin on the Raveen's face, which he's trying to hide in an effort not to look too pleased by your reaction to that stunt.
"Greetings.." He says quietly, still trying not to grin. "I'm Kouude, Winter Child of Orcle."
Now that Kouude is standing still you have a better opportunity to study him. The pelt of the slim Raveen male is white, and spattered with small, pale blue markings that remind you of ice and snow. One strand of his icy blue mane stops straggles into his eyes. Dangerous looking cold mist is moving off his pale blue, almost transparent looking, paws.
Rather belatedly you finally get the 'cold shoulder' crack Guide made earlier and roll your eyes. More like cold paw, if the mist was any indication. The blue fox like creature grins in return, obviously amused by your reaction.
"That's a neat trick, with the ice..." You prompt, hoping Kouude will explain.
You're not disappointed, the Winter male answers with a grin that isn't quite as brilliant as his previous ones. "Yes, the Blue One, Sirah, was watching me practice one day and came up with an idea. She brought me some comic books." He announces this the same way most people would describe some esoteric form of martial arts they don't expect you to be familiar with.
"In this comic book was a hume with powers much like my own. The Blue One suggested that I might try some of the same things this 'Ice Man' does with his own ice related powers and see if I could do the same. So far it's been an enlightening experience, " he continues.
You don't comment on the viability of Raveen's fighting text, not wishing to say anything stupid. You try to hide your frequent glances at the Raveen's paws as you try and figure out if they really are made of ice. However, you're not nearly as circumspect at this as you hoped, because Kouude soon notices.
He's not in the least upset, instead holding up one of his forepaws to inspect. You're somewhat wary of the mist still moving off his paws, but the Winter male soon puts that worry to rest. "Don't worry, my paws aren't dangerous if you're not threatening me." He explains quietly. "When I was a cub I used to freeze things by accident all the time, as anything I touched was instantly enveloped in ice, but now I only freeze things on purpose."
So you pick up the big feline's paw and examine it, it's extremely cold to the touch. That observation, combined with the fact that his paws are semitransparent eventually makes you realize that Kouude's paws are actually made of ice. "Doesn't that make things awkward?" You can't resist asking. "I mean, ice is usually stiff.."
The Winter male actually chuckles. "No, my paws are just as flexible as any made of flesh.." He proves this by wiggling his 'fingers' around.
The three of you spend awhile longer chatting before Guide notes your shivering and decides it's time to continue on....