Broken Timber Pines Comes The Morning

His answer was small, hushed, and yet it echoed loud in the silence of her head. She felt like screaming. Despite the brightness of the snow, the world around them seemed dull, life itself frozen in place. Even Arion, wild, mischievous, fun R was full of this despicable, heavy darkness. It wasn't just the loss, fathers leaving had become norm to Nalda, as it must have to her age-mates, it was the deathlike stillness of winter, the absence of the remaining adults, this quiet bubble that the pups had been left in, to fend for their own in a world frozen still. The russet-marked girl breathed in deeply, the cold air stinging her lungs, eyes trailing blindly over the white world. Such a strange thing, everything so unmoving, like the world, tumbling down around them as it had been, was frozen in place, stuck in a permanent state of half-destruction. Hibernation… That's what Iopah had called it, everything sleeping through the depth of winter. Of course, then they would say, afterwards came spring; Another empty promise..!

Rustling in the den brought her attention back to the present, just in time to see the off-white form slip around her, quickly disappearing amongst the snow. Reddish brows furrowed slightly, golden eyes staring emptily at the space where she had disappeared. Should she go after her? It was such a selfless thought that it startled her, large ears flicking back and nose crinkling; Why..? Ember had run off for a reason, chasing her down would do none of them any good. As a confirmation of the thought, Arion murmured beside her and she turned to look at him, the corner of her mouth twisting in a humorless half-smile. Then she sighed heavily, letting herself collapse in the snow with a loud thump, rump curled against his, and head resting on outstretched front-legs. "What are we gonna do Ari?" She mused, staring at her paws through half closed eyes; Is there anything TO do?

Word count: 330

"Speech" Thoughts

Most days it felt as though it was the pup’s against the world. The adults in their life were almost always absent, which meant that they had to depend heavily on each other in order to maintain sanity. But it had always been that way; the girls had always been there for him, and vice versa. Arion couldn’t imagine his life without them, and he was forever thankful for their presence. They were the siblings he never had; the family he couldn’t afford to lose. His own family was non-existent; constantly disappearing and reappearing; disappointing.

Arion found himself curling into the warmth of Nalda’s body as a shiver ran down his spine, causing his body to tremble unexpectedly. Like his friend, the smudge knew that no good would come out of them chasing after Ember’s pale shape. She wanted to be alone and they needed to respect that; she would seek them out the she needed them. They could not force themselves upon her if she did not want to speak to them. They couldn’t chase away the only family they had… the little rogues could not afford to lose each other.

‘What are we gonna do Ari?’ The question caused a lump to form, unexpectedly, in the pit of his throat. Arion was stumped; he did not know what to do. The smudge wasn’t even sure if there was anything they could do… growing up was proving difficult and Arion wanted no part of it. “We just gotta stick together,” he answered, suddenly, as he leaned into his friend. They would help each other get through this horrendous slump.

She felt him tremble against her, looking up as he crumbled into her warmth. Part of her wanted to smile, but it wasn't powerful enough to reach her face. Instead she returned the pressure of his body, trying to convey her muddled emotions in this half-embrace. They were lost pups, surrounded by adults and yet utterly alone. By now it was so common place that it simply left he numb; We have no one..! Her eyes flickered shut, air leaving her mouth in a low sigh.

Arion's words made her ear flick though, one eye opening back ajar. The comment, like everything it seemed, left her feeling utterly mixed. But he was right; Each other, I guess that's someone… She closed her eye again, the darkness pressing against her just like the boy by her side, both oddly calming. "Yeah," She murmured, feeling the tug of sleep and blissful unconsciousness; Stick together… It was a better plan than none at all, and at least they wouldn't have to be miserable alone.

FADE

Word count: 171

"Speech" Thoughts

All he knew was that they needed to stick together, no matter what. In a world filled with uncertainty, Nalda and Ember were the only things that made sense. They were more of a family to him than his parents had been; Arion cherished the two girls more than he could ever convey into words.

“Yeah,” he mumbled against her fur, a soft smile unfolding across his inky maw as he nestled into Nalda’s warmth. They would take things one day at a time, adjusting to they life they had been forced into. It made things interesting, that was for sure. If everything fell into place all the time it would be so boring. Life wasn’t supposed to make sense — right? A frown threatened to tug at his lips, but it would not allow it to form. Instead, he closed his sea-green peepers and allowed the fogginess of sleep to wash over him. All this adult talk made him tired. Tomorrow… tomorrow they would do something fun. He was so tired of being miserable all the time…