Snow and cold, they had aid that was what winter meant; So far… Pretty accurate. One thing was for sure, it was boring as *$%]! The snow made it harder to move around, restricting the young shewolf to the area right around Secret Falls. And now that she was big enough to actually leave the territory and explore, that pissed her off greatly. The falls were deeply uninteresting, they were just water… As a young pup they had been her favorite place, but now that winter had mostly frozen them, reducing the roaring water to a dull trickle and killing off most of the animals that had lived at its edges, there was nothing drawing her to the place. The rest of Broken Timber Pines followed the same pattern, after all it was nothing more than toppled trees. There was nothing more to see, and so, no more reason to move at all.

That was why, today, Nalda was simply lying on a rock near the den, lazing in a spot of sunlight that had fought its way through the cloud cover to attempt and warm up the earth. It didn't have much success, the air was biting, and despite her fur having grown out lush full, the young Zamora dearly missed the warmth of summer. This sun spot was the closest she would get, for months yet they said, and it wasn't nearly enough. Glaring up at the sun, the girl sighed heavily blinking at the light that seemed even sharper, despite being further away; Traitor. She snorted and lowered her head to the cold stone, curling up tightly and covering her nose with the bushy tip of her russet tail; I just wish I could sleep all this winter away!

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She managed to achieve some semblance of warmth within her cocoon of fur. That was until it was destroyed by a sudden attack of wet particles, landing square between her ears. Nalda's head jolted up, her tail uncurling in a quick swoosh as she lifted herself halfway up to shake off the affronting snow. Her eyes blazed with fury as they scanned around, soon landing on the shadowy lad, identifying him as the guilty party. His crooked smile and trilling greeting elicited a snarl from the girl, though her bristled fur began to settle as she realized what had happened. "Ari." She grumbled, though the shadow of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she slumped back into a seat on the bare slap of rock.

Of anyone who could have disturbed her in this moment, Arion was probably the best possible option – which didn't mean that she wasn't in this very moment contemplating her revenge for the snow throwing – but at least she wasn't poising for escape. All the other members of this supposed pack where not only hopelessly uninteresting, but horrendously annoying. At least Ari brought a bit of distraction, in this monotonous existence. Nalda stretched lazily, casting a quick glance around them to make sure they were actually alone. "Where are the wonder twins?" She drawled, referring to their two other age mates, who, blessedly, had not been around to bother her this morning. The girls might mean only good, but that mattered little to Nalda, who had no stomach for their antics. Ember might have her moments, though they were few and far between; Farther and farther it seems… But Bracken! Ech..! Polar opposites, the two pups had never really gotten along, the Reinier girl with her nimiety of energy and, it seemed, complete lag of brain to go along with it wholly incompatible with Nalda's penchant for quiet observation.

While waiting for his answer, the slate and russet girl eyed their surroundings again, this time not looking for possible disturbers, but a chance to get back at the raven boy for his rude way of rousing her. There was plenty of snow, blanketing the landscape, but the trick was to take him by surprise; This will take some tinkering…

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"Mhm…" She drawled as the only response, attention preoccupied by her search of the area. It wouldn't surprise her if the girls in this very moment were burying each other in snow somewhere; The very thought made her shudder. She wondered why Arion wasn't with them, he was usually game for any sort of mischief, but she didn't want to ask, as it might sound like she wanted to be rid of him, which she didn't; Not yet at least! They had a score to settle, and she might just have found the way.

With slow, lazy movements, the russet pup reached out her forelegs, stretching thoroughly after her doze in the sun. Her dark golden eyes had returned to Arion, showing no sign of the plan brewing behind them. She got to her feet, walking towards him in an insouciant manner, careful to appear as if she had no specific target. There was a goal to her stroll though, as she had noticed the dark boys unfortunate choice of sitting place. One of the few trees that were still standing around the clearing of the Pines den site was only a few steps away from the raven pup, one particular, thick branch reaching out high above his head, piled with snow. It was hard to hide a snicker as Nalda made her way, nonchalantly to the base of the tree, eyes still on Arion, as if she was paying deep attention to his words. "Oh very." She agreed, a little too much enthusiasm in her voice; "It's hard to think with all that noise." Ever since the three litters had been united in one den, the contemplative pup had been hard pressed to get a moments peace. Often she lay awake at night for hours, after the others had finally passed out from exhaustion, enjoying the quiet.

Now though, she had reached her mark, and allowed the sneaky grin to appear on her face as she locked eyes with her target. Quickly, she bumped her hip into the tree trunk as hard as she could, feeling the jolt radiate through her body. Then she swiftly pulled back, jumping out of the way as snow rained down over them.

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The girls head tilted back, a tinkling laughter lifting to the sky as her victim fought, unsuccessfully, to escape the frozen assault. Snow rained down over Arion, his indignant exclamation only fueling Nalda's victorious chortle. It was the small things, that one second of clear panic in his eyes, pure joy. Then of course came the aftermath, which was never as pretty. Her head had just come down, golden eyes narrowing as she attempted to focus on the carnage, when the retribution hit; A frozen wave flying towards her face, faster than she could retreat. She shrieked, pitifully, ducking her head and flattening back her ears. This was all she had time to do, before the snow hit, tiny flakes sticking in her coat  and sending shivers along her body.

She shook herself rigorously, spitting as if her mouth had been filled with dirt, even though only a light sprinkle of relatively clean snow had touched her lips. No doubt the smudge was laughing at her, just like she had him moments before. "You'll pay for that Celencio!" She snarled, steadying herself to glare at him, mouth twisted into a half smile; Alright, let's PLAY! Time was over for subtleties, no way he would allow her close enough for another sneak attack, now she needed to be fast. With the skill that came from many hours studying her age mates fighting – rather than participating – Nalda hastily skimmed the vicinity, eyes locking on a particular clump of snow, just in front of the fallen trees, just a leap away. A wicked grin spread across her face, tail twitching excitedly.

In one, swift motion, she sprang to the pile, knowing full well what hid underneath. Creamy paws scooped at the snow, clearing away the worst weight, and then nature did the rest. Despite their youth, the pine saplings were strong, only biding their time, bended under the snow, until spring melted it away and they could rise anew. Nalda had simply helped speed up the process. With their tops cleared of snow, the springy young trees shot back up into an upright position, flinging the remaining snow in Arion's direction. The fiend did not stay to witness the results this time around, rather she quickly slipped under the pine log, sprinting away into the forest, tail flying high behind her; Your move!

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Despite herself, the serious girl was consumed by excitement, a giggle of her own bouncing between the trees as she ran, consumed by a freedom she rarely felt within back borders. Her ears were turned back, listening alertly for when he would, surely, come barreling after her. For now she could still hear him struggling against the snow, glee filling her at the thought of him, covered completely in her frozen volley. But then the sounds receded, and rather than paws hammering against the forest floor in her pursuit, the woods grew eerily silent. Nalda slowed to a halt, panting slightly, grin frozen on her face; What gives? She kept still, expecting to hear him closing in; Any minute now… But still nothing.

Slowly she turned, looking back at the path she had plowed through the snowy underbrush. She craned her neck, strained her bat-like ears, but there was no sound. He definitely wasn't following her; Why? They were just in the middle of such fun and then he just, gave up? On springy paws, ready to spin back and jump off into a sprint at any moment, Nalda retraced her steps. As she neared the clearing she became more tense, expecting an ambush, but still the dark boy did not appear. "Ari?" The rust tipped girl called, tentatively, peaking out into the clearing. She saw nothing but a pile of snow, the result of her last attack, but no signs of life. "You chicken out?!" A little louder now, as she freed herself of the last trees and stepped out into the open. A frown settled on her face, ears starting to slack; I thought we were having fun…

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