The White Hare

Blackgate

Jack gained a level from eating the Ulger but the interesting part is that he gained a skill from it. While eating the heart of the Ulger Jack found that his mouth was freezing constantly with every bite but kept going anyway because he was still angry at the creature for ruining the moment.

[Steal Heat: The skill user can sap the body heat from another creature. The amount absorbed completely depends on the capacity of the skill holder. Heat resistance skills assist those without a natural inclination to fire. Small flames can be extinguished using this skill. Obtained by devouring the heart of an Ice Ulger and surviving.]

That in turn activated his [Flexible Biology] skill. Mutating the skill into-

[Heat Absorption/Expulsion: The skill user can soak up and expel ambient heat at will. If direct physical contact with another living creature is obtained than the skill holder can instead steal their body heat or give the individual heat that has been stored within the skill holder. Transferring heat into mundane objects is possible but could have adverse effects. WARNING!!! 79% of individuals with this skill that were not born with it have perished after overestimating their own heat capacity and 18% have died from expelling all of the heat in their body. [Eldritch Mind] allows you to see the total heat you can store and the current amount you possess. In turn transferring heat into mundane objects is easier.]

The white hare sighs as he notices a bar appear in his vision. It was already half full so he guessed that was the "normal" amount of heat he was supposed to have.

"On the one hand I can probably increase the capacity at both ends so long as I'm careful and test the limits. On the other hand, if I screw up I'll either combust or freeze to death. I suppose it's no different than [Poison Practitioner's Inoculation] I'm practically immune to the boss of the snake dungeon and resistant to some of the venomous creatures around the forest but if I get too much of the venom in my system it can still kill me." Running a hand through his fur, Jack hums as he tries to think about various situations it could be useful in. Then an idea strikes him. 'If I were to simply absorb the heat that my body is constantly shedding would that be enough to start increasing the bar? It would help me hide from monsters that use heat signatures to hunt and in turn I can expel the heat suddenly and practically blind it if I'm lucky.'

Standing up from his place on a fallen log Jack tries to focus on the heat trapped in his fur. How his body was expelling heat through his skin only to be captured and held close by his incredibly thick and dense fur coat.

Snow starts gathering more on his fur, ice crystals forming between the strands. Most importantly though: he wasn't cold. In fact he was feeling comfortably toasty. Slowly but surely the bar that kept track of his heat started to tick upward little by little. If he were to keep doing this it would probably be full in... maybe three or four days? Five tops? The rate the bar was filling was barely perceptible but if he were to jump head first into a fire it would probably climb rather quickly.

Walking through the forest, Jack makes sure to clear the snow from his fur every now and again, the weight actually building after a while. After Nyxia's heartfire was reinforced she was going on hunts while he was looking for a place between her den and the Redriver Warren to make a place of his own. At least temporarily. He still wanted to make sure his home warren was safe and sound so he always checks up on it and the hibernating residence inside.

Now he had a mate. According to the status effect he got the other day anyway.

[Hellhound's Claiming Mark: An adult hellhound has taken you as their mate. The bite used to mark you has been infused with traces of their Heartfire. Any hellhound that sees the mark will know that you are taken. Although hellhounds will fight each other over mates. Remain careful in case a rival of your mate attempts to snatch you away.]