Mid-day, just above freezing, hail.

It was approaching mid-day and it was still snowing. It had been snowing all morning and Xander had hoped to wait it out, curled up warm beneath the shelter of a fallen oak tree. But he was getting impatient and growing more irritable by the second. Amber eyes focused upon the moist black tip of his nose, watching with child-like curiosity as a single snowflake drifted down to settle there before melting into a perfect droplet of water almost instantly. The young male let out a huff in irritation as a sigh slipped like smoke past his onyx lips, forming white spirals that snaked away into the cold icy air. His dark fur bristled with the play of hard muscles as he reached out to stretch his front limbs, and then clambered languidly up onto his feet. A rough shake was given of his fur, sending thousands of tiny snowflakes and debris soaring through the air like shards of shattered glass.

Pink tongue swept casually across his lips. They were dry, he was parched. A small wrinkle creased up the bridge of his muzzle as he contemplated on searching for water. He couldn’t remember passing any water source on his journey towards Grizzly Hollow territory, this meant he had to search the water out which unsurprisingly would probably take twice as long. His amber eyes scanned across the horizon in the opposite direction he had approached the pack lands. It was as good a guess as any that water may lie in that direction. With a decisive flick of his tail, the young male set off, once again walking into the unknown with no idea what lay ahead.

He kept his movements fast and fleet-footed, maintaining a steady pace that would not tire him out too quickly in wake of such a cold climate. He made his way gradually through the woodlands, only bothering to memorize notable landmarks such as the odd fallen tree or large boulder so that he would be able to find his way back to his temporary sleeping quarters. Glancing ahead, he could begin to make out the vague view of a lake. His russet ears perked with interest as he momentarily quickened his pace .. And consequently lost his footing on the icy leaf litter, sending the male skidding and sliding in a blur of limbs and fur straight towards the water’s edge.

He halted suddenly with a crash and a bump to his face, opening his eyes to find himself planted headfirst into the trunk of an old withered willow tree. Ego bruised, Xander stumbled back, shaking himself free of the twigs and leaves that his fur had picked up in the collision. Pushing the incident to the back of his mind, his attention turned to the lake. Sauntering up to it with feigned confidence, his nose touched the surface, but did not break through. The water was frozen. Ears flattened back against the arch of his head as a low growl of frustration and annoyance rumbled in his throat.

As if to spite him, it was at that moment that the lightly falling snow turned to hail. Large shards of ice rained down on the wolf, plummeting against his pelt then shattering to the ground. A small whine whistled past his lips as he spun around, desperately seeking shelter. The weeping willows would not do, their long stringy branches provided almost no protection against the angry torrent of water and ice. Circling around, he made a sudden dash towards a more rocky area, sprinting full speed towards the cave that emerged into view. Darting into the dark depths of the cave, Xander paused to shake his coat dry. Only then did he notice the stench of pack wolves and it quickly become apparent that he had ran right into a pack’s den. A held back a nervous whimper as he scanned frantically around him in the foreboding darkness.

No one was around, or so it seemed. He would take his chances and hold out here, at least until the hail receded – or a pack member discovered him.