The two girls seemed very chummy, touching and smiling, only adding to Nalda's discomfort. If there was one thing she knew she did not want, it was to be the third wheel. Perhaps, since Sahalie was now here, and it had been here Kyna had gone looking for in the first place, it would be better for the young Zamora to be on her way? Wander back home where, at least, no one would be disappointed that she wasn't interested in playing games. But before she had time to slink off, the dark girl's attention was back on her, a broad smile lighting up her face. Nalda blinked, in no way sure how to respond to this extreme friendliness, but she attempted to smile back, a much more reserved gesture than Sahalie's, but a smile none the less.

Then the attention was back on Kyna, the Pine's pup following along, turning her eyes to the third girl. She seemed to squirm a little under Sahalie's excited questioning, and for the first time, Nalda felt she could truly identify with this other pup. Had she been in Kyna's paws, she would have recoiled at the thought of demonstrating anything in front of others, even if one of them was her friend; What friends? But a look of determination suddenly bloomed on the fiery face, a last excuse uttered before the largest of the three pups was suddenly away, flying across the snow. She picked up speed until she was sprinting like a deer, racing for the protection of the forest, then suddenly dug her paws into the snow, sliding through it with surprising grace. Nalda stared, mouth slightly open; How did she EVER come up with that?! She wondered, tilting her head as she looked at Kyna, smiling widely, obviously pleased with her performance.

The slate and russet pup remained still, watching for a time as nothing more seemed to happen. She looked to Sahalie, then back at Kyna, then finally realized that now it was her turn. Oversized ears flattened back once more, eyes widening, did they expect her to do the same? She felt sure she would fall over and embarrass herself hopelessly, or somehow succeed in hitting Kyna and hurting her. But there was little way around it, apart from turning tail and leaving right on the spot. She swallowed. Kyna had done it, she'd gone first, presumably on the assumption that the others would follow; Alright! Nalda straightened her shoulders; "Oh-kay, I'll try." She piped, then slowly walked forwards a few steps, looking at the tracks the other girl had left behind in the snow. She took a deep breath, lifted her head to look out at Kyna, and then started running as best she could. She was no slow runner either, when she really wanted to, the issue came when having to stop. She tried to copy Kyna, slamming her paws and spreading her legs. But they were too stiff, not stretching very far from her barrel chest, and she only managed to slide a few lengths before losing her balance and tumbling over in the snow.

It provided a nice cushion for the fall, catching her in a swirl of soft powder, and it worked nicely to hide her shame; I knew it..!

Word count: 548

Humiliation! So strong it was almost tangible, making her cheeks burn red-hot. The wound to her pride was much worse than any smaller bumps she might have sustained in her tumble, and the emotional pain certainly outweighed the physical. All she wanted to do was bury herself in the snow and hide forever. But she would have no such luck it seemed, already her ears were ringing with their shouts, the thud of their running paws resonating through her skull, pressed against the ground. She would have to face them.

So she groaned lowly, forcing her eyes open as she attempted to regain some semblance of dignity before the Samaritans arrived. Sahalie came first, her seemingly genuine concern helping a little with the embarrassment. Her last comment even made Nalda look up from her paws, golden eyes wide; "Yeah I, uh… thanks." If it had come from anyone else, she might have thought they were mocking her, but the dark pup appeared so honest and kind of nature, she really looked to mean it. Kyna wasn't far behind her smaller friend, touching her nose softly to a slate flank. Nalda stiffened a little at the unexpected contact, turning her head to look down at the golden-red girl. The defeated sound of her voice and remorseful expression made Nalda relax though, her own ears tipping forwards in an attempt at reassurance. "No-no, I uhm… I'm fine, really. Just tripped, it wa'n't your fault!" Her voice was low and rushed, but she nodded her head repeatedly to try and underline her statement; "I di'n't mean t' ruin th'game, or scare you like that or an'thing. Sorry." Her eyes turned back down, one paw rubbing against the other awkwardly. Then she mumbled: "Bu' maybe I should jus'watch, I'm not really good at this." The comment was followed with a shrug, gaze briefly flicking back up between the two others. She really would prefer to observe, it felt much more familiar; Maybe I could judge or something…

Word count: 333