Gent had never before felt such exhaustion. Even the exercises his father had put him through as a child did not compare. With time, he had grown numb to the lashing cold and the ache of his muscles, enabling him to push through even though his eyelids were heavy as lead and it required an excessive amount of effort to generate even the most minor of motions. While he had thought himself well trained, this trial had proven this notion inaccurate. Gent was now painfully aware of his limitations as a yearling, both as physically immature and lacking in experience. However, his tenacity won out; Gent still trailed behind his new queen and her trio of bulldozers the entire way down, aiding in packing down the snow so as to make the way easier for his pack mates. Reaching the forest was an immense relief, despite it's questionable ambiance. He cared little for the atmosphere that Naira chose as home, so long as this test was ended. With the way growing increasingly easier to traverse, Gent felt a final wind lift his sails. As she slowed her pace, so did he, with a glance over his shoulder at the whelps. He had put in the effort to monitor both the effort that they put into the journey, and also any interactions that occurred; besides the yearling girl, they were the the shortest step away from being his peers. Gent had always held a fondness for those younger than him, most likely because of how easily they were manipulated; with the right words and actions, you could be an idol to a child and forever change their outlook on life. Gent wandered slightly to the left, on high alert as he scanned the area. Now that they were off the mountain, it was possible they would find prey, a resource that would be immediately required once the luminaries staked their claim. However, the snow suffocated every sound and scent, and he could sense nothing. Slight concern entered his tired mind as he realized that they were far from being out of the red. Thus he meandered back to the front line, dutifully trailing Naira's every step.

The journey through the ice and snow, through the only, small tunnel leading off the mountain was harrowing for all involved. Sagacity moved along, keeping an eye on the youngest members of their group, doing whatever she could to motivate them to keep going. Gone were the days when a tired pup could simply be lifted by the scruff and carried for he remainder of the journey. All four of them were seven months of age, and far too large for even the largest among them to carry. The stronger wolves led the way, carving a path through the snow but their backs and faces were still unprotected from the howling gales of wind that cast snow into their eyes.

At times she lost sight of Naira and the vanguard, so she hurried the young ones forward, knowing that all it would take would be a strong wind to cover their trail and the only way to find them. The closer the group tuck together, the better- but the adults could not afford to sacrifice their pace simply to make the pups more comfortable. They had to push forward and beg their bodies for any strength it had to give, and take a journey that was tough enough on adult wolves.

She was grateful for the thinner snow and the shelter from the wind when they finally reached the forest. They'd reached the land of their new home, but it would not be their until it had been claimed and the borders marked. Mapplethorpe urged them onward and reluctantly they moved forward. Looking at Mercy, though, she knew that it would be safe, soon, for the young ones to rest. Having not been a part of the leaders who had forged the way through the snow, she stepped forward drearily to offer her services now. "I'll take one direction and start marking the new borders," She said. It wouldn't take many wolves to set out and begin establishing the pack, and that way, a few could rest and stay with the pups.

While the distance would have been enough to sap his strength, the pace at which they moved, combined with the battering wind, really began to wear the young male down. The adults had done a good job of creating a pack, but whenever he began to tire and slow down, the snow was quick to fill the trail ahead of him, making it hard for him to slow down as well- not to mention the fact that his mother would not allow him or any of the other pups to lag behind. Very rarely did he lift his head to peer forward into the whirling mass of white, but more often than not he found himself checking over his shoulder to make sure that Nova was still close at hand.

It took him a few moments to notice the change in the atmosphere when they entered the forest. He felt himself grow stronger, and lifted his head to see that they were sheltered by towering, creaking trees. He shuddered at the sound, and flattened his ears to shut it out. Once Naira paused, though, the boy took no more steps forward and instead flopped to the ground so that he could catch his breath. His body was still warm from the long journey so the feeling of snow against his underside didn't bother him at all. He vaguely heard Mapplethorpe say that they needed to go further, and wasn't sure he could get his feet underneath himself again- he wanted just a moment longer to rest. He struggled into a seated position, and looked over his shoulder to Nova, and gave her a weak smile. "Guess we're really nomads now," He said. With this chance for a pause, he looked around, with hopes of seeing the faces of all the wolves they'd left with, his eyes searching even for Aponi, hoping she too had made the journey and was in good health.

Look Out!

There is a rabbit's nest nearby. +1 Health

At first the princess had held her head eye and her icy blue eyes had been locked ahead of her, refusing to break eye contact to look around or behind her, there was only forward. This had lasted perhaps the whole first day, though Aponi's muscles ached she had refused to slow down or fall behind, but this demeanor vanished throughout the night. The girl had her side pressed on one side against @Karpos and the other against @Nova's but still shivers had racked her body all night long. Waking up with little sleep to be almost once again buried by snow with all signs of their effort vanished their trail had quickly filled in, it almost broke her. This was the moment when the truth finally sank in for the Aquila princess, it was a very real possibility that they could die trying in vain to escape what had become a very real prison. A silent sullenness had sunken into Aponi, she refused to speak to anyone choosing to merely stare at her paws as they trekked along. More often than the other pups she would fall behind, being the smallest of all the young ones and would have to be ushered forward by Sagacity. Once and only once the princess had irritably growled at the woman, and instantly shame had set in, she was only helping. Sagacity was somewhat of an idol to Aponi, always adventuring and running, she was part of the pack and yet she was so free. Whining slightly as an apology Aponi quickly hurried along to catch up with the others, trying her hardest not to fall behind again. The thinning of the snow allowed the smaller princess much more freedom and this was when the light returned to her eyes. They had not died and they would not die the Nomad's were stronger than that and they could withstand anything, this journey had proven it. When her mother slowed Aponi glanced around, a slight grin spreading across her features as she recognized the area, this was near where she had ambushed her father on one of his rounds. It was also supposedly where the yeth hound lived, but the girl no longer believed in the story, the only real enemy was the winter. A delicious scent reached her nose then and the princess was quick to abandon the group to pursue it, rabbit. Before long the princess had her prize, a scrawny underfed hare who had foolishly fallen asleep with the wolves around. Sinking her teeth into the prey the girl could feel the blood running down her chin and all thoughts of the others disappeared from her mind, all she could think about was this food.