His progress was deadly slow, every step strenuous, bordering on painful, to the point that he could only travel for a few hours a day. Then he'd seek out any cover he could to rest, though his sleep was troubled, broken many times by the cold, his hunger, or even just small sounds from other animals roaming about the night. He was painfully aware of how exposed he was, and that anxiety did nothing to help him rest. As he travelled, he tried to hunt as best he could, but there weren't many opportunities, and his tired body and lag of skill made it almost impossible to catch what he did manage to sniff out. Scavenging had been his main source of sustenance for a long time now, it kept him alive, but barely, and there was steep competition around every carcass. A couple of swollen, red stripes from a possessive wolverine stretched across his shoulder, throbbing lightly with every other step. It had hardly been a fair fight, and the emaciated pup had wisely turned tail as soon as it was clear the beast wouldn't budge. Another hungry night.

Finally he'd have to come to terms with the fact that there was no trace of Bennet or Karina on the mountain, and if he wanted to keep searching, he needed to find a more steady source of food. So he headed down, hoping to have more luck hunting small prey in the forests on the pass' slopes. It wasn't an easy descent, the paths steep and narrow, seeming rarely used and mostly by animals that were a lot better at climbing than the grey-wolf pup. When it started snowing about halfway down, he was sure he was done for, the heavy flakes obscuring the already undefined trail to the point that he could hardly tell it apart from the surrounding drifts; Never mind seeing where he even put his paws in the flurry. At some point he must have miss-stepped, though everything moved so fast that he didn't notice, before suddenly the world turned upside down, the snow disappearing under his paws.

Slipping, rolling, hips and shoulders bumping painfully against hard rock while all he saw was whirling white. For a brief moment he wondered if this was the end, if he really would die on this barmy mountain. Then he landed with a thump in a large pile of snow, immediately covered by the small avalanche his tumble had caused. It was the boy's luck that he had been close to the bottom of the slope and the heavy snowfall had formed a thick pillow to cushion the fall. Now he ended up with a sore tail and ears full of snow, rather than a broken neck. Not that he was in a place to appreciate that just yet. Instead he struggled to roll over and get back on his feet, ignoring the pain until he pushed up through the cover, shaking the worst dusting from his shoulders. "Ow…" The pup mumbled, gingerly sitting back into the snowdrift and looking around, dazed. What had he gotten himself into now?

Sitting still in the snow, his whole body pretty much covered in the stuff, the pup quickly began to shiver. But he was too tired to get up and shake it off, so tired in fact that he debated whether there was any point in getting up all together. What had he really accomplished in all this time? Gotten himself lost, starving and hurt, and no closer to finding his sister. Would it really matter if he went on? Even if he somehow managed to find her, he'd pretty much proved that he was in no state to look after anyone; I'm useless… The defeatist thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sound in the distance – a voice? – it was hard to tell in the howling winds. The boy was half convinced he'd just imagined it, but then the call came again, closer. Creamy ears perked, nostrils flaring as he tried to catch scent through the flurry, without much luck. Then he saw the silhouette, just a big, fluffy shape in the snow, but he recognized her as wolf.

The pup only hesitated for a second, there was nothing to lose. Getting to his feet, legs shaking slightly, he stretched as tall as he could, facing the stranger. Voice hoarse, and not quite as loud as he would have wanted, her called back: "H-hello! Over 'ere!" His voice cracked at the end, teeth starting to chatter. Slowly, he forced himself to take one step forwards, then another, leaving the snow drift to walk towards the stranger. His legs continued to tremble, but held; For now. Head and tail hanging low, ears folded back, the boy was a miserable sight and he knew it, but there was no energy left in him to keep up appearances. He was cold, hungry and alone, and he was not above begging if need be; Nothing left to lose!

Word count: 313

The silhouette slowly became clearer, materializing out of the snow into fluffy, tawny-red fur, covering a hefty frame and full, softly swaying tail. I friendly voice claimed honorable intentions, though Kyrios was in no position to flee even if it hadn't been so. Whoever she was, she was his only hope, and he lowered his head, wagging the tip of his shabby tail between his legs, submissively. He remained still at her touch, breathing her spicy scent with weary curiosity. She was… Nothing like he'd ever seen before, her frame, her color, her smell, all of it was completely new; And rather intense, even on his worn senses. The soft tone though, rang familiar, bringing memories of safety and bliss from the back of his mind.

Half raising his ears, the boy glanced up into concerned, fiery eyes for the first time, feeling a little better already. "S'pose I'm a lil' under the doctor," he answered with a light shrug, attempting a smile, though it was weak. There was no denying his desperate state and as a particularly strong gust of wind blew another hoard of snowflakes against his face, the smile disappeared in a shiver. Half unconsciously, the boy stepped a little closer to his finder, cowering to seek shelter against her side. The question almost slipped past him, the constant howl of the storm having evoked a high pitched ringing in his ears. But the vibration of the words in her chest brought his attention back up to her face. "Not really," he answered wistfully, a light crinkle in his brow; "I've just been sleepin' wherever I could find." Another shiver ran over him, eyes closing and head ducking down against the cold. He was starting to feel queasy, hunger and freezing paring poorly with his beat up, exhausted body. Swallowing down the nausea and glancing up sheepishly, he decided to go for broke: "Don't s'pose you've got a caribou stashed 'ere somewhere?"

Word count: 325

A more careful child might not have trusted the woman so easily. Even Kyrios, had the situation been different, would have spend more time sizing her up before openly seeking contact; Essentially exposing himself to a  stranger that could very easily harm or even kill him. But he was tired, discouraged, and lonely. The  boy had been on his own for several months, getting by with barely any social contact, and even before then, he'd been without a mother. Now he wasn't looking for a replacement, yet here was a young woman who seemed eager to take on the role, offering the comfort he was so starved for. In the end he couldn't help but be drawn to the soft voice, the tender touch, warmth spreading in his chest despite the cold when her tongue swept across his brow. It was the closest he had felt to home in a long time.

Golden eyes blinked back up at the tawny lady when she paused her licking to speak, the slight frown on her face spurring a similar expression in the pup. He shifted a little, glancing up along the steep slope, uneasily, eyes growing wide and anxious. The last thing he wanted to do was brave those snowy paths again. Perhaps that fear was what prompted a quick and enthusiastic response to her second suggestion, gaze shifting back to shine reverently at her. "I can 'unt!" He barked, voice low but excited, his tail wagging weakly. Of course, his current state spoke against that statement, but it couldn't be that hard to take down something that was already bleeding; Right? Certainly easier than braving the mountain in a snowstorm.

To underline his words, Kyrios stepped away from the woman, squaring his legs and raising his head, ears perked despite the cold wind. He even managed a small smile, and though the full force of the snow, hitting him once again, send another shiver along his spine, he kept up the keen expression. The exhaustion still weighed at him, but the prospect of food had triggered a buzz of adrenaline in his blood, suppressing the former shakiness, for now. He was ready to follow his savior's lead, hoping that the more experienced partner might change his hunting luck for the better, and also eager to prove himself to the kind woman; Show that he was worthy of her goodness.

Word count: 398

He grinned up at the beautiful lady, wobbling slightly at her touch, though not enough to lose his balance. It was awfully nice to have someone take his word for what he could do, instead of dismissing him as an ignorant pup, even despite his current condition. Following her lead, he ducked his head, carefully watching and copying as she lowered her nose and sniffed at the snow. Not wanting to miss out on this opportunity to learn, the boy did his best to step exactly where his companion did, replicating her every move; As best he could, given his smaller size. Completely focused on this task, he jumped slightly when the woman spoke again, golden eyes lifting to find her fiery ones turned on him. Slightly embarrassed, he smiled back at her kind expression, wagging his tail lightly. "Kyrios," He barked in reply; "'s nice t' meet you Kyna." He liked that name a lot, it seemed to fit her; Sweet and… Warm!

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden shift of his leader, another move he followed quickly, crouching beside her as she indicated. His nose was filling with a scent he had come to know well, making his teeth water and empty gut writhe demandingly. Glancing over at the russet shewolf, Kyrios followed the direction of her gaze, spotting the blurry silhouette through the snow. Pale pink tongue slipped out to run along his lips, ears perking at the question. Eyes glowing, he looked up at Kyna with a confident smile, steely resolve settling over his body; "Aye! I can do that." He nodded his head, pushing down any insecurities before they even had time to rear their heads. He could do this; I have to! Wouldn't want to disappoint the woman, who had so graciously taken him along on her hunt.

Luckily he had had some training before leaving home, mostly from Kjors, as well as watching the adults hunt smaller prey. So far his attempts had been unsuccessful, but that was mostly because the pesky critters outran him; Never really learned how to do this alone… But he no longer was, and as he stalked away to circle their prey – just as he had been taught by the dragon – he felt sure that Kyna's help was exactly what he had been missing. The continued snow made it hard to keep track of the unknown beast, but it worked both ways, and Kyrios' pale fur served well to hide him in the flurry. Once he was reasonably sure he'd put the creature between himself and the hidden partner, the boy rolled his shoulders, took a deep breath and sprang forwards, releasing a yelping growl for added effect. While he still couldn't see the animal clearly, the silhouette was visibly startled and bounded away as fast as it could on the injured leg, Kyrios sprinting after. Tongue slipping out his mouth, he almost immediately started gasping, lungs screaming for air and muscles protesting loudly against the exertion; Just a little more..! All he needed was to keep it moving, chase it right into Kyna's waiting teeth; I can do this!

Word count: 523