A Winter Wonder Warzone

Posted on Wed Sep 24th, 2025 @ 3:44pm by Kennedy Kelly & Rahne Sinclair & Hayden Davis & Maeve MacKenna & Jennifer Bryant & Desmond Greene & Alaric Thane

7,525 words; about a 38 minute read

Mission: Episode 0: X Lang Syne
Location: Xavier Mansion - Rear Garden
Timeline: January 25th 1991 - 10:00

It was white. During the night a snowstorm had taken the county by literal storm. Five inches of snow had descended from the heavens, and coated the roads, fields, and houses. Early this morning Desmond had been woken by Connor. Turns out that the Professor had volun-told them both to go make the driveway partially safe to traverse, and clear out a pathway at the back as well.

So now it was ten o'clock. They had finished up half an hour ago, and the Tree Man had taken a shower. In fresh sweats he had descended the stairs and into the big kitchen to find a large group of familiar faces eating various quantities of breakfast. After the familiar greetings went around, Desmond looked outside wistfully. "Man," he breathed, "anyone up for a snowball fight?"

It had taken some time for Alaric to get used to this cold, wet, stuff they called snow. And now they wanted to ball it up and fight with it. He smiled, supposing it to be more fun that actual fighting, and shook his head. "I think I shall watch from a distance until I get the idea of this fight," he said. "Then maybe I'll join in."

Hayden was enjoying some buttered toast and raspberry jam with a couple of over-easy eggs. At first she wasn't sure about playing the snow for several reasons. But then again, it might be pretty fun and would take her mind off of recent events. That was what she needed the most right now. "Yeah," she piped up, "I could go for one. Sounds like lots of fun. Are we doing teams or is it every boy, or girl, for themselves?"

Maeve leaned in the doorway, both hands wrapped around a steaming mug. “A snowball fight, is it?” she said with a lopsided grin. “Finally, a battle where nobody’s tryin’ to explode.”

She wandered closer to the group, eyeing the snow-covered garden through the window. “Alright then, but if anyone pelts me in the ear, I’m takin’ that personal,” she added with mock seriousness. “Teams sound fair. Someone better pick me before I start launchin’ snow boulders.”

She raised her mug in a half-toast. “May the frostiest win.”

“I don’t know if I should.” Kennedy said with a sigh as she finished her cup of coffee. She was torn between adolescent play and adult responsibility, both were present inside of her and wanted to react. “I have an unfair advantage.” Her abilities made her an expert marksman so no matter the weapon she had proclivity for hitting her target. “I’ll cream all of you without really trying.” Her delivery of the lines, so cool and matter-of-fact, made them sound like perfect smack talk.

Jennifer came forward a little hesitantly. She had kept a little to herself the last week or so. But she now offered a small smile as she approached the group. "What's going on?"

"Snowball fight!" Desmond called from behind the cooking island, as he was loading breakfast from his plate. "After we've eaten, of course.

"Dibs on Maeve!" Desmond then called as he came back to the table with a plate full of boiled egg, toast, and fruit." He sat down next to the girl, and bumped her shoulder with his elbow. "Also, Kennedy, your powers are the least of my worries. If I'm not careful I can probably throw a snowball hard enough to leave a big old bruise." Desmond popped a whole boiled egg in his mouth, and mashed it into bits. Then spoke with a half full mouth. "And Hayden literally controls the water!"

"Are we using powers?" Jennifer asked as she made her own way to the food, getting some scrambled eggs and toast and reflecting on the fact her powers weren't especially useful here.

"Why would you restrict the use of them?" asked Alaric, with no ill intentions. "Your abilities are part of who you are. Denying them, especially for something as harmless as fun, is like tying one hand behind your back just to make others comfortable. You don’t grow by shrinking yourself. Besides…" he smirked, conjuring a snowball midair, "…where’s the fun in holding back?"

Had anyone there known Lorna before she'd been stolen away to Limbo, it wouldn't be hard to see her influence in Alaric’s words. She had taught him to live fully and to accept every part of himself. In Limbo, powers weren’t just tools or weapons; they were identity, expression, survival, and sometimes even joy. Lorna didn’t raise him to fear what he was; she raised him to own it. So when Alaric spoke of not holding back, it wasn’t rebellion. It was philosophy, carved from a childhood spent in a place where hiding who you were could have grave consequences.

"It was just a question," Jennifer said, a bit defensively. "You don't have to go so deep about it." Despite words that professed to shrug it off, though, Alaric could see she was thoughtful now. Was she taking his words to heart? Or formulating an argument against them? Or just plotting some way to safely use her own powers in a snowball fight? She didn't say. At least not immediately. She looked over at Hayden instead. She remembered how well they'd worked together in the fight. "So Desmond and Maeve are on one team..." she hinted.

Maeve nudged Desmond back with a sly grin, not the least bit bothered by the breakfast bump. “Dibs on me, is it? You just want a human shield when Kennedy starts snipin’ us with snowballs from a tree branch.” Her voice was all mischief and mock warning. “Fine, but if you leave me to take a slushball to the face, I’m buryin’ you under a snowbank.”

She turned toward Kennedy with a wink. “Unfair advantage or not, I say bring it. I wanna see if yer snowball aim’s as deadly as yer sass.”

Alaric’s conjured snowball made her cock an eyebrow. “Ooh, magic snow? That’s cheatin’ and I love it.” She sipped her drink, clearly delighted by the chaos to come. “Jennifer, come on. We’re throwin’ dignity out the window for this. You in?”

Then to Hayden, with a grin: “If you’re controlling water, I want you on my side unless you’re about to turn the snow to ice mid-air. That’s just rude.”

"No ill intentions," said Alaric, adding a disarming smile. He noticed her thoughtfulness and let it go before turning to Maeve. He chuckled, tossing the conjured snowball at her and making it disappear as soon it left his hand.

"Sorry, Maeve," said Hayden sheepishly. "Jennifer already asked. And I'll have you know," she added, purposefully looking silly with her hands on her hips, "I'd never turn it to ice. Maybe slushier, but never ice." She couldn't hold in a giggle...ever. And this was further proof. Besides, ice was Bobby's thing.

Jennifer grinned to Hayden. "We make a good team." Then she gave Maeve a little wink, "Which I think also answers your other question." She looked to the window and waved. "Seeya, dignity! We're having fun!"

Maeve let out a delighted laugh as the conjured snowball vanished before impact. “Oi! That’s cheating and a tease, Alaric. Next one better hit or you’re off my threat list entirely!” She pointed at him playfully, wagging a finger like she was giving a stern warning to a puppy.

When Hayden claimed Jennifer first, Maeve made an exaggerated gasp of betrayal. “Scandalous! Jennifer’s been poached and Hayden’s promising slush attacks. Where’s the loyalty these days?” But the glint in her eye betrayed her teasing. “Fine then. I guess me and Des have no choice but to become the terror of the back garden. Tree and rock, united in snowy vengeance.”

She finished her cocoa and set the mug down with purpose. “Right. I’m giving ye all two minutes to finish yer breakfasts, choose yer doomed fates, and say goodbye to dry socks. Because once I’m out there—no mercy.” Her Irish accent curled even more around the word mercy, making it sound almost charming.

Then she added to Jennifer with a grin, “That’s the spirit, love! Let’s turn this snowy hellscape into a proper battlefield. Dignity’s overrated anyway.”

“TEAMS?!” Kennedy said with a slight whine to her voice. They had all paired off and were going to work together, suddenly her ability felt less like an advantage. “That’s not fair!” Setting down her coffee cup she looked around the room and realized Alaric was the only one who hadn’t been selected. This had been the first time he had seen cold or snow and the idea of a snowball fight was lost on him completely.

“Fine.” Kennedy said with a sigh, “Alaric, I’ll show you the fundamentals of a snowball battle. But it’s not lethal… so don’t actually cream anyone, okay?”

Alaric looked to Kennedy and grinned. "Non-lethal and no...creaming...anyone. You have my word. And thank you for the instructions. This entire season is all new to me, let alone the product of your freezing skies."

While the crew bantered, Desmond had emptied his large breakfast. He was considering seconds, he always considered seconds. But as he glanced at his watch, and then outside he thought better of it. Excitement had started building. The blanket of snow was still growing, and he had seen outside it was the good sticky kind of snow. His rising from his seat drew some eyes. His loud voice drew more. "Okay guys, every suit up. Powers are fair game as long as you don't hurt anyone. First person to throw a purposeful iceball makes hot chocolate for everybody else. Kick off it in the back patio in fifteen minutes!"

Kennedy groaned at the idea of being hit in the face with ice. The Boston born princess appeared to have different ideas of what was considered ‘fun’. Standing up and carrying her coffee cup to the kitchen she attempted to suggest something a bit less competitive. “Or maybe we could just make snow angels?”

"Oh, come on," Jennifer coaxed her. "I'm sure you'll hit us way more than we hit you. Snow angels later?"

"Maybe later." Kennedy offered her a weak smile in an attempt to remain positive.

---

The grounds surrounding the mansion had in fact been turned into a winter wonderland thanks to the heavy snow that had fallen and still continued to lazily float from the sky in large cotton ball sized flakes. Both glittering and blindingly white, it was easy to see why Desmond had suggested the snowball fight. It was perfect snow.

Kennedy was always punctual, even to events that she was less than enthusiastic about. Dressed in a tweed coat and charcoal colored stocking hat and scarf, she looked like she was ready for a walk rather than winter warfare. Her skinny legs bounced and shimmed a little in an attempt to keep her warm while she waited for everyone else to arrive.

Jennifer showed up, having bundled up a bit since they had all talked in the kitchen. She had on a big puffy coat, hat, and gloves. She was used to the snow and her booted feet sunk down into it as she walked up to the Kennedy. "Hey."

"Ladies, you're all dressed as if it's freezing!" Desmond called as he walked out. He was dressed in a grey t-shirt, a zip-up hoodie, and some cargo pants. His pine-needle hair was catching some stray snowflakes. His powers had diminished his sense of touch and temperature to such a point that even a 20 degrees Fahrenheit chill didn't faze him.

“That’s because it is freezing.” Kennedy said with a slight chatter to her teeth. She glanced over at the winterized pool with a longing stare. “I’m more of a warm weather girl… I can’t wait to sunbathe by the pool and swim in the lake.” Kennedy looked back at Desmond “Do you not get hot in the summer either?”

"I can't wait for summer either." Desmond agreed. He ran his hands through his pine-needle hair to ruffle out some of the snowflakes that got caught. He didn't run particularly warm, so the snow just piled onto him. "I don't. I really don't feel temperature all that much either way. Summer does mean I lose more water. My sisters complained that I generated humid conditions that made their hair go all frizzy."

"This isn't that cold compared to what I'm used to," Jennifer said with a shrug. "But it's not like it's shorts weather. These are my winter clothes and I'm about to get hit in the face with snow so..."

"I just don't like being too cold or too hot." The always pampered Kennedy replied. "It's bad enough on missions, when we're home I want to be comfortable."

Hayden stepped outside bundled in a chaotic mix of winter gear; mismatched gloves, a beanie barely hanging on, a scarf wrapped three times around her neck, and a pair of boots. She shivered as the wind hit her. "Dang, it’s colder than Blockbuster on a Monday night.” she said. “Pretty sure the snowballs’ll freeze mid-air before they even land. Instant damage bonus!"

Alaric walked out and instantly regretted it. He waved his hands over himself and changed into clothes more befitting the drop in temperature. He would've summoned the fires of Limbo for warmth would it not have put an end to the game. After looking around to find Kennedy, he walked up to her, "So how does this work?"

"Pick up a handful of snow and smash it together in your hands, like this..." Kennedy demonstrated the act, forming a compact ball in her hands. "Then throw it, like this..." She tossed the snowball and hit Alaric square in the chest, it crumbled upon impact and left a large white spread of snow across him.

Maeve stepped out onto the patio, unimpressed by the swirling cold that had the others bundled like marshmallows. A sharp Atlantic winter on Achill Island could bite through your bones — this New York dusting was practically quaint. She wore a dark olive fisherman’s sweater beneath a well-worn leather jacket, the sleeves pushed up just enough to reveal faded black finger-less gloves. Her jeans were stiff from the chill, boots already dusted in snow. Her auburn curls were mostly wild save for a knit headband holding them back from her face.

She drew in a breath, the scent of snow and distant pine settling in her chest, and smiled softly at the memory it stirred — cliff side mornings, wind-whipped hair, her Da grumbling about sheep that always wandered off in the frost. Her gaze swept the garden, and when it found Desmond, the smile turned sly.

He looked like a walking Christmas tree with arms, already posturing with a bit too much confidence for a man who claimed this was just a “friendly” snowball fight.

Maeve trudged over, her boots crunching with that satisfying frostbite squeak. “That hoodie’s false advertising,” she quipped, tilting her head and squinting up at him. “You trying to win by hypothermia? Or just showing off for the benefit of your loyal teammate?”

She crouched, scooped a fistful of perfect packing snow, and began methodically rolling it between her palms. “Don’t forget,” she added with a warning glance and a crooked grin, “you picked me. So if I catch a stray snowball from your side, you’re getting buried where you stand. And I know exactly where to plant a tree.”

"The hoodie is just so all the girls don't go mad over my well-defined physique. I'm carved out of wood, ya know?" Desmond struck something vaguely reminiscing of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mister Olympia days. Besides," Desmond relaxed his posture into his usual hands-in-pockets with a grin, "bury me, and I'll haunt you like a tree branch knocking on your window at night ominously.

Jennifer walked over to Hayden and grinned at her. "Ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Hayden. "Let's get this show on the road."

Maeve smirked at Desmond’s pose, clearly unimpressed but far too entertained to look away. “Right, wooden Adonis, keep flexin’—you’re one squirrel away from bein’ hollowed out and used as winter storage,” she teased, tossing her freshly made snowball up and down in her hand. “But if hauntin’s your threat, make sure you knock with rhythm. Bit of Clannad or Enya, maybe I’ll let you stick around.” She gave him a wink, then turned her attention to the others beginning to gather. The energy was building—snowball fight or not, there was something comforting in this strange, found-family chaos. Maeve rolled her shoulders, took one last look at Desmond with mock wariness, and added, “Don’t go gettin’ cocky, tree-man. I play to win.”

"Alright." Desmond's deep basso-rumble cut through the conversations of all those collected. He had stepped out of the circle a bit, everyone to turn their eyes on him as he did. Snow had once more turned his hair from green to white, but he hadn't bothered shaking it out. Instead his arms went wide, to encompass the space. "Rules of engagement, X-Men! Powers are allowed, but only on the low-end of the spectrum. We are not here to earn bruises. That means no machine gun fire, no ice balls, no head shots, and no MLB-level fastballs." He met everyone's eyes for a moment, before locking onto Alaric. "And no flying." Then he continued.

"We're playing a dodgeball-style game. You get hit twice, you surrender to that team and follow them. No need to help them, but don't be a drag either. If your teammate is able to physically tag you out, or able to knock out both opponents, you're back in the game. Battlefield is the rear lawn, and the woodlands. Lake's out of bounds, so is the House and the front. Game ends if one team has captured all four opponents, or if it's noon. Losing teams make lunch and hot chocolate. Anyone break the rules makes hot chocolate for Rahne. Questions so far?"

"Nope," said Hayden. "Sounds fair to me."

Kennedy stood closer to Alaric and leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Get to the woods as fast as possible, the lawn is too exposed." It seemed silly to tell him how to proceed in any type of battle since Alaric had lived in a world where being combat ready was normal. But he could hear a touch of enthusiasm in her hushed voice, it told him that despite her grumbling and complaining she was actually excited to play.

Alaric grinned as he listened to Kennedy's plan. It was very good tactic. The excitement in her voice was unmistakable as he replied, "Very good." And then he took off towards the woods, running as fast as he could.

Maeve crouched near Desmond as the others began drifting into loose groups, snow crunching under boots and half-formed alliances starting to take shape. She glanced sideways at him, her breath misting in the air. “Y’know, we’re outnumbered by flashier powers and questionable judgment,” she muttered, keeping her voice low. “But most of them’ll be busy showin’ off. That’s our chance.”

She packed another snowball tight in her palms. “We stick to cover, pick targets not watchin’, and don’t waste a shot. Let ‘em burn themselves out tryin’ to be clever.” Her eyes flicked toward Hayden and Kennedy briefly before settling back on him. “We don’t need a plan that’s fancy. Just one that works.” A half-smile tugged at her lips. “You with me?”

"With you." Desmond said. His features had drawn into an excited grin as he scooted down to grab a snow-showel's worth of snow. With no more effort than crushing a sheet of paper, it formed into a solid clump of snow. With snowball in one hand, he used his other to gesture opposite Alaric's direction. "Let's go that way."

“What?! Now?!” Kennedy half shouted as she watched Alaric take off like a shot towards the woods. With an exasperated sigh she turned and ran after him, her long legs had to stretch and leap through the high snow in a way that made her look like a deer. Turning her back to the group, Kennedy focused on Alaric as he moved with far too much urgency. “Wait for me!”

Maeve grinned as Desmond crushed snow into perfect throwing size like it was second nature. “You makin’ snowballs or weapons of mass destruction?” she teased, crouching beside him and starting on her own. Her eyes flicked toward Hayden and Jennifer still lingering near the patio, then to the trees where Kennedy and Alaric had already vanished like a pair of overeager deer. “They’re keen,” she muttered, “we’ve not even started and they’re halfway to Canada.”

She nudged Desmond lightly with her elbow. “C’mon, let’s swing round the hedges and catch someone off guard. I bet Hayden’s already plotting somethin’ sneaky, so we keep low and chuck fast. No need to be fancy—just don’t let me take one straight to the nose, yeah?” Her voice was warm, edged with playful threat as she packed another snowball and gave him a nod. “Let’s go cause a bit of chaos.”

"You'll better stay behind me then, short stuff." He rumbled good-naturedly as he backed up a few steps after Maeve. On her suggestion of low and sneaky Desmond sent his first shot of the fight just a foot above ground level, across the field. It didn't hit its intended target. Instead it made an impressive sound as it knocked into a tree trunk five feet from Alaric's knee. "Damn, missed." Desmond said as he turned around to catch up with Maeve's short but swift stature, all the while forming another large projectile in his hands.

Alaric looked to the tree where the snowball had hit, then to Kennedy. "Sorry about taking off without you like that." He reached down and picked up some snow, balling it as she had shown him, and then launched it at Maeve. He grinned as picked up some more, "This is quite enjoyable." Then he launched the second one towards Desmond.

"I guess it's alright." Kennedy agreed with as much enthusiasm as he would see from her when it came to childish activities but the curl of a smile on her lips said she was having fun. "And don't worry about running off, as long as we win it's fine." She too balled up a handful of snow but rather than throw it, she began to make a pile of snowballs in preparation for a different tactical approach.

Hayden watched the events unfold and then laughed. "Let's take some pressure off," she said to Jennifer. Hayden made a smaller snowball and threw it at Desmond.

"Maybe we should try and find some cover," Jennifer said as she also stooped down to make a snowball. She looked back behind her shoulders. The others were doubtless coming up with all kinds of ideas. She threw her snowfall but it fell well short of its intended target, Maeve.

"Uh, yeah, that's a great idea." Hayden looked around and noticed that everyone else was already running to a tactical spot. "We're sitting ducks out in the open like this."

Jennifer nodded and ran towards the woods. "Come on."

Maeve barked a laugh at the “short stuff” jab, ducking behind Desmond just as Alaric’s snowball came sailing in. It grazed past her shoulder, scattering flakes into her hair. “Missed me!” she called, flashing him a cheeky grin before immediately pelting a snowball back in his direction. The wind caught it just enough to send it wide, but she didn’t seem too bothered. “Alright, tree-man, keep movin’—I’ll cover you!”

Another snowball flew in from somewhere off to the side, bursting against the ground near her boots. Maeve sidestepped quickly, bending to scoop up more snow as she jogged to keep pace with Desmond. She shot him a quick glance, mischief sparking in her eyes. “They’re already tryin’ to pin us—better make that big throw of yours count.”

Desmond's fingers had molded the snow at his feet into something approaching a snow-formed cannonball. He paused his long strides. His grin grew wide enough to show his amber-resin teeth. He had her right in his sights. A beauty of a shot, straight at Hayden. It was then he remembered his own rule about powers. He pulled his wind-up back a bit, worried he'd hurt his friend. So when he threw his snowcannonball, it landed well short. "Well shit." He muttered as he chased after Maeve's again, feeling snow particulates splatter against his bare arms.

But as he looked forward, and saw Maeve working her legs through the for-her knee high snow, he couldn't help but enjoy what he saw. They'd grown closer over the last few months, and he found he really enjoyed her presence. For a mad moment he considered running up to her, wrapping his arm around her oh-so-slender waist, and picking her up. Just the idea of holding on to her made his cheeks flush. Desmond dismissed the idea, worried he'd piss her off with his action.

Maeve gave a grunt as her boot sank deep into a hidden dip beneath the snow. “Oh, for feck’s sake—” she muttered, wriggling with little progress. She yanked once, twice—no luck. She glanced down at the stubborn drift, then up at the treeline ahead, letting out a dramatic sigh.

“Any chance you’re plannin’ to come rescue me, or just gonna stand there admirin’ the view?” she called back over her shoulder, her voice bright with mischief. “Not that I blame you—must be a right spectacle, watchin’ me flail like a half-drowned sheep.”

She twisted in place, finally managing to free her foot with a wet shhlop, nearly toppling over in the process. Straightening up with a triumphant grin, she caught the sight of Desmond approaching—and the faint shift in his bark-like features. Not the blush of a human, exactly, but still a telltale warmth creeping along the edges of his jaw, where cool wood had darkened ever so slightly.

Maeve’s grin turned sly.

“Oh no,” she said, eyes narrowing playfully as he closed the gap, “look at you, goin’ all flushed. You alright there, big man? Bit of heat stroke settin’ in—or just caught yourself enjoyin’ the scenery?”

She didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, she lobbed a snowball at his chest, laughing. “You better focus, Des. Wouldn’t want your aim sufferin’ from distraction, now would we?”

She winked once and turned back toward the trees, hips swaying just a touch more than necessary as she forged ahead through the snow.

Jennifer was moving through the trees now. She was trying to keep low, not that that was an especial challenge for her. She wasn't exactly tall. She moved from behind one tree to behind another. She looked over to Hayden and spoke in a whisper. "I think if we keep circling around this way, it'll take us to Maeve and Desmond."

Hayden nodded. "Yeah, and when we get there, we pelt them. But we need to have an arsenal first. Maybe we get close and figure out a route they'll take. Then we hunker down and build our snowballs?"

"If we make a bunch now, won't they all mush together when we carry them?" Jennifer asked, furrowing her brow thoughtfully.

"Um, yeah, you're right," she said. "Good catch. So let's just make them here and then fly." Hayden laughed as she ducked behind a tree and began making snowballs.

Jennifer joined her, moving behind another tree. She made one snowball after another, trying to pack them tight enough that they wouldn't just become one big pile of snow.

Kennedy ducked her head to avoid a rouge snowball that almost hit her and she made a sound that was somewhere in between a squeal of delight and a gasp of indignation. Her pile of snowballs was rather large at this point and it was now time to attack. “You ready?” She asked while turning back to look at Alaric.

Alaric felt the scattering snow light on his face when a snowball hit the tree beside him. He grinned at Kennedy's shriek...she seemed to be enjoying it a little more. "Yes," he said, coming up next to her. "Let's win this tournament." Alaric picked up a snowball and readied himself.

“Get them!” Kennedy said with a laugh as she began to throw snowball after snowball at Hayden and Jennifer. A storm of softball sized pummeled both of them as she and Alaric had waited for the perfect attack.

Hayden was just about to launch her snowballs when several hit her. A couple of them hit her torso before she turned around and one more hit her hip. "Ack! What the heck? Someone got the drop on us." She looked in the general direction from where the snowballs came and saw two figures hiding around trees. Hayden laughed and picked snowballs, launching them at Kennedy and Alaric. She didn't care who was going to end up making hot chocolate, this was just a lot of fun.

Jennifer got hit in the back of the head with a snowball. She whirled around as another came towards her and her hand came up defensively. A small electromagnetic field flashed in front of her and the snowball hit the ground as so much water. "That's one!" Jennifer said as she grabbed one of her own, lobbing it back at Alaric.

While the two continued lobbing snowballs, Alaric opened a portal behind Hayden and Jennifer. He then launched a snowball at each of them, making contact. As Alaric's snowball hit her square in the back, Hayden squealed and then turned to see the portal behind them. Alaric was grinning. Hayden contorted her face in a fun and playful manner before it quickly closed. "Well, it looks like I'm out. How about you, Jennifer?"

"Yeah, he got me," Jennifer conceded, reaching behind her to rub where the snowball had hit her back. "Damned portals! I don't see why they're more fair than flying." Not that flying like she does would have likely helped.

Hayden sighed, "Well, I guess it's a good thing I can make some pretty rad hot chocolate." She shook off the snow that was still clinging to the back of her jacket.

Desmond did his best to keep his eyes on his surroundings. They had been moving in a wide circle around the woods, and presumably where the other two teams had chosen to hunker down. It was the flash of a bright red scarf that drew Desmond's attention. His long arm grabbed Maeve's arm, and gently but firmly pulled her in as a fish on the hook. His free hand held a finger up for quiet before pointing out Kennedy's golden hair, and as he made out, the back of her head and coat, about twenty meters away from them.

Maeve stilled at the gentle but insistent pull on her arm, eyes following where he pointed. She didn’t step back right away, letting her arm rest lightly against his for a moment longer than necessary. Her lips curved, though not at Kennedy—at him. Leaning just close enough for her voice to be a low murmur, she said, “If you wanted me this close, you could’ve just asked, big man.” She gave a quick, knowing glance up at him before shifting her gaze back to the target, her smirk tucked away behind the quiet.

As the first snowball was thrown by Desmond, a flash of ruddy fur appeared from out of the corner of his eye. With an open maw and mischievous look in her eyes, Rahne’s oversized wolf body flew through the air and caught the airborne snowball better than any dog could catch a frisbee. With a single snap of her jaws, she crushed the snowball into a powdery mess before landing a few feet in front of Desmond and Maeve. The wolf postured to play and danced before them, finding her own game rather than the snowball fight that had been organized.

"Rahnee!" Desmond hissed in frustration. It was the tone every brother adopted when one of his sisters ruined one of his perfectly laid plans. "Get out of the way!" He continued in that same demanding hiss. "I need to hit Kennedy before she gets the drop on us. "Shoo!" He gesticulated widely in an effort to move the wolf-girl, while his other hand was scooping snow for another shot attempt.

The wolf chuffed and ran around in a tight circle in front of Desmond while she delighted in his frustration. At his mention of Kennedy, Rahne looked off into the distance and immediately spotted her prey. Bounding off through the thicketed woods she reached the unsuspecting Kennedy in a matter of seconds. With a single bite followed by a rough tug, she took Kennedy by the jacket and scarf and began dragging her back towards Desmond.

As Desmond had hopped, Kennedy was oblivious to his attack from behind so when Rahne suddenly pounced and began to drag her away she made a sound that was a mixture of a gasp and a scream. The snowball in her hand went recklessly flying through the air and managed to hit Alaric in the side of the head before her kicking feet disappeared into the stringy scrub of the woods.

“Rahne! Stop!” Kennedy shouted as she finally figured out what was happening. The preteen wolf-girl was always reckless and wild, to the point where a trail of mess and damage basically followed behind her everywhere she went. “This isn’t how you play in a snowball fight!”

Rahne brought Kennedy to the empty space right in front of Desmond and Maeve, a personal delivery of the person they were trying to hit. Letting go of Kennedy’s clothes she looked up at them with a proud wolfish grin on her face.

“You’re such a brat, Rahne.” Kennedy snapped as she sat up and collected herself. There were a few broken sticks in her hair and her hat was missing along with a powdery dusting of snow across her entire body “You got snow down by shirt and my jeans.” Her face soured to that signature look of a wet cat.

It took Alaric a few moments to recover from Kennedy's scream and the subsequent snowball to the side of the head. Once he did so, he saw the drag marks through the snow and the underbrush and grinned. It was so easy to track in this stuff. He then followed the drag marks near to where Rahne had dropped Kennedy and crouched near a tree, facing the group. The wind blew at his face and stung a little, chapping his still damp cheeks from the stray snowball.

If he opened a Shadow Gate next to himself, he could run through and scoop up Kennedy before disappearing through another portal and coming out next to their pile of snowballs. It would only take a matter of seconds and it'd give them some time to dust off, regroup, and engage. It turned out snowball fights could be more like a battle after all.

Alaric put his plan into motion. He opened a portal to his left and saw Kennedy lying on the ground through it. He quickly ran through as his exit appeared in the small clearing. He scooped up her lithe form and dashed through another portal he immediately opened next to her. As soon as he entered, it disappeared, leaving nothing behind.

Alaric set her down gently next to their pile of snowballs. "Sorry about the suddenness of that. But hopefully it caught them off guard enough that we can just cover them with snowballs." A mischievous look crept across his face. "I intend to win this thing."

“Oh, umm… yeah…thanks.” Kennedy replied as she collected herself, she was surprised by Alaric’s sudden gesture and would have considered it to be chivalrous had he not mentioned wanting to ‘win’. Victory seemed to be the only thing he cared about, then again living on a battlefield would probably do that to most people. “I guess we better get back to throwing snowballs then.” She stood up and brushed all the snow off of herself but she could feel the miserable wet and cold of it melting inside her boots and the cuffs of her clothes. “Maybe they’ll just hit each other and we’ll win by default?”

Winning a battle like that had never occurred to Alaric. He paused a moment and thought before replying, "That would be an interesting way to go about fighting. Even in this playful manner. We can throw some snowballs here and then I could move us around the forest where we could throw some more snowballs and continue that way. Maybe they would get frustrated and just go after each other?"

"We should take advantage of your portals." Kennedy replied as she examined the other groups and their locations. Desmond and Maeve were easy to spot among the winter bare trees. She wasn't sure where Hayden and Jennifer had gotten off to. "He was going to hit me in the back of the head." She grumbled as Kennedy realized what Desmond plan had been. "I say we do the same. Ambush them from behind them split."

Alaric grinned, "I like the way you think. And where would you like to split back to? Here to re-arm and attack again?" He gathered a hefty snowball and made ready to open a portal.

A big splat landed on top of Kennedy and Alaric's snowball supply. Snow splashed them as Desmond voice loudly grumbled as he missed. He gestured in the distance, pointing their victims out to Maeve.

Kennedy squealed as snow dusted her once more, she was already cold and wet thanks to Rahne and he was only adding to her misery. With a slight pout she picked up the few snowballs that remained and threw them through Alaric’s portal. With no trees or bushes to obstruct her view she hit both Maeve and Desmond with the superb accuracy that her mutant abilities provided. Two crackshot snowballs that exploded into a powdery mess when they made contact.

Rahne watched the assault on Maeve and Desmond with wide golden eyes, the rules of the game suddenly clicking for her when she realized what everyone else was trying to accomplish. Refusing to leave the waterproof warmth that her fur provided, she instead charged at Desmond. With heavy paws and the full weight of her massive body she knocked him over into a drift of snow.

The snowball clipped her hat sideways. Maeve threw her hands up. “Right—out! Fair play!”

Rahne promptly steam-rolled Desmond into a drift. Maeve groaned, already slogging over. “I leave ye two seconds and you’re makin’ snow angels without me?”

She offered a mittened hand and hauled him up, close enough to brush the snow from his cheek with her thumb. “Hold still,” she murmured, voice dropping sly-soft. “Can’t have the drift coverin’ that eejit smile… some of us’ve gotten used to it.”

Her fingers squeezed his sleeve once before she stepped back, grin tipping wry again. “Left of the hedge, keep low—two on your right. And try not to taste the next one with your face.”

She backed toward the sideline with a wink. “Go on then, big lad—give me somethin’ to brag about.”

Desmond's cheeks flushed with a warm green glow, and it wasn't from the cold snow. He pushed himself up as he felt Maeve tugging at his hand. Nobody on the field would've been able to haul his 1000+ pounds up if he didn't help. Her fingers were soft on his cheek, and quite pleasant too. He leaned forward as she leaned in. He whispered a confirmation, his voice deep and soft that it was more felt than heard.

Half a heart beat after there was space, Desmond got on his feet. He was quick for his size. He dashed away from Maeve's location, and out of sight from the portal. Big hands scooped up a large chunk of snow. He wasn't quite as careful as he should've been, and compacted it firmly into a solid ball of snow. He burst out from behind the hedge, his eyes finding their target in the shape of tall and brooding's back. With the practice of a football player, he launched the ball straight into its target.

Alaric had opened a portal behind Hayden and Jennifer and launched a snowball at each of them, making contact. When Hayden squealed and made a funny face at him, he smirked and closed both portals. He turned around to face Kennedy and smiled, "That was most satisfying." But before he could continue, a large, firmly compacted, solid ball of snow impacted his lower back. Alaric doubled over, letting out a string of Latin curses and insults before falling to his knees. Then he looked up to Kennedy, voice deepening. "Non-lethal? No creaming anyone?" His eyes flashed yellow several times before he forced them back, taking breaths as deep as he dared with the pain. He stood, tall and proud, the Lord of Limbo. "But I gave you my word, Kennedy."

There was the look of an awful grimace on Kennedy’s face as she coward from the snowball that Desmond had thrown. Residual snow had hit her too, and it now clung to her gold hair and dark eyelashes for a brief period of time before the heat of her body would melt it away. “Well I’m glad you have some self-restraint...” She commented as the flash of yellow appeared then vanished from his eyes. “This is supposed to be fun.”

Kennedy dusted herself off once more as Desmond ran off to regroup with Maeve. But they were easy enough to find thanks to Rahne’s yips and howls of approval over the chaotic throwing of snow. The wolf ran around them in circles, too excited by their silly behavior to maintain any stealth or decorum.

“But I think Maeve and Desmond lose thanks to their pest of a little sister.” Kennedy laughed a little but grew sad upon remembering her own younger siblings. She attempted to shake off the memories and return to the moment.

“I THINK YOU TWO LOSE!” Kennedy shouted out into the woods towards Maeve and Desmond, “THANKS TO WOLF INTERVENTION YOU’RE OBVIOUS TARGETS."

"Agreed," Alaric said. Then he chuckled at the excited noises he could hear coming from their location. "Wolf intervention indeed."

Jennifer stepped back out into the open. Despite losing, she was smiling. "Good game, everybody!"

Maeve lifted both hands over her head like a ref at Croker. “Aye, aye—we’re out! Blame the bloody wolf,” she called, laughing as Rahne did another delighted lap around them. “Traitor. I’ll remember this when the bacon comes out at breakfast.”

She hooked her arm through Desmond’s for a second, giving him a consoling bump. “C’mon, big lad—dignified retreat. We’ll make the hot chocolate and pretend we meant to lose.”

Then, to Rahne with mock sternness and a scratch behind the ear: “You’re on dish duty, wolf. House rules.”

Desmond sighed as he looked at his snow-peppered shirt. "Yeah, I guess making cocoa isn't much of a punishment." He then glanced at Rahne. "Come on, inside and shift. We'll make you a cup as well."

Shaking off the snow from her dense coat onto Maeve and Desmond in one final act of snowbased warfare, Rahne happily complied with his request to head in towards the house but not before she took a victory lap around Kennedy and Alaric, then Hayden and Jennifer, her large shaggy version of zoomies thanks to her efforts to sabotage their game in order to expedite drinking hot chocolate.

“She knew what she was doing from the moment she laid eyes on us.” Kennedy replied. Sometimes it was hard to tell where the animal stopped and the girl began when it came to Rahne but now it was obvious that her destructive presence was meant to annoy them all until they gave up and went inside.

“I got snow in my underwear thanks to you!” Kennedy hollered at Rahne who in response tugged on her scarf enough to bring her to her knees before letting go and running away. “Brat!” she shouted at the wolf before it disappeared up the hill to the mansion and the rest of them followed behind.

-END-

 

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