It was snowing again. Days had come and gone with the ever present sight of snow, the tempo of its downpour alternating with each rise of the morning sun. Today it was a light downpour, littering his tawny coat in sprinkles that resembled dust as he moved fluidly from the Thicket of Secrets toward the Secluded Spring. He was in search of water, a far fetched request considering that the weather hadn't risen above freezing since he'd entered the Lore, but visiting the land was always worth a shot. His quick trot turned into a full out run as cold air filled his lungs, stabilizing his energy to propel his legs through the fresh layer of five feet of snow.


His wide paws gripped the ground they landed on, moving him steadily along the path through Ghastly wood and through a fork in the road toward the Secluded Spring. It wasn't until his golden hued eyes landed on the likes of the snowed over spring, miles long in length, that he paused in stride and allowed himself to survey the area. Everywhere was quiet, the closest sound came from his breathing as he inhaled and exhaled deeply a final time to catch his breath. He was no where near tired, his body was built for traveling and many miles of continuous running, but he needed refreshment that he could not reach. The lake was completely frozen over, cracking lightly from his weight but by no means budging from the inches of thick ice beneath it, therefore he scratched at it lightly in a attempt to remove some of the ice and scoop it into his mouth. His nails scrapped up an inch, enough to tease him for more, though he greedily ate it up, licking his lips as though it had a taste. Powder covered the hairs along his mouth and he shook violently in an attempt to throw it off--momentarily he was at it again, scratching at the lake and licking up his reward.

The snow melted away quickly in his mouth, teasing him and the dying thirst that ate away at is throat but he continued on until he was content, his salmon colored tongue turning slightly pinker from the cold. Clicking his mouth together to warm his tongue, he gazed over the horizon in the mean time to spot Nova approaching him from the right side, she looked to be nearly adult size but hardly a threat considering her size. She was thin, like so many wolves he'd come to meet since his return, and he knew it would surely continue as long as Winter kept them in its grasp. It wasn't until Nova was within a feet of him that he licked away at the snow along his whiskers, increasing his sensitivity to the cold wind, before he acknowledged her presence. "Hello, did you come looking for water as well?" he asked, noticing the look of disappointment in her eyes. He was well fed, partially because he kept his travels to a minimum which allowed him to keep the fat on his bones, but that could only last so long, he wondered with the sparse amount of prey on the land, if he could keep the bulk he carried on his bones.


Turning on his toes, a thought of where this woman had come from came to mind. He only hoped that this thin woman hadn't wasted energy in search of water that looked to have been frozen over for days, he only wished he could get some kind of water without using so much energy to get to it. "The weather here has changed so much from what I remember...is this your first winter?" he wondered to the young woman, probably guessing that this winter was the first, and worst that she had ever encountered.

Look Out!

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

"No, none of the winters that I've lived through have been this cold and unforgiving." he spoke, letting his ears fall slow to his skull, emphasizing his point to the young woman who no doubt would experience many more winters then he would. He could remember the lakes freezing over, the was normal, but the temperature seemed much more extreme then he remembered, bitterly cold to the point that only a fool would dare venture during night without the sparse warmth from the sun. He only hoped that prey would return soon, he couldn't recall them leaving so quickly before the pack had a moment to prepare; he only hoped Secret Woods had saved some food for the hard times.


He could tell the woman wanted nothing but food in her belly, like so many wolves he was coming across, and he wanted nothing more then to make her hunger go away but even superheros were stuck between a rock and a hard place--he stared momentarily into her eyes before looking out into the distance. He understood the logic the adults of her pack had for leaving their mountain home, winter was always unpredictable especially on such high levels, remaining on the mountain would surely kill more wolves then it would save. "I'm sure that your new home is safer then the mountain, it's too dangerous to remain in high elevations, especially with winter being so harsh this early." he explained, feeling the pang of thirst at is throat once more, but he dismissed the feeling in respect to his conversation with Nova. "have you eaten at all since you left your old home?" he wondered, not knowing how long this young woman had been without food. He only hoped that their pack was able to build caches before it was too late. Once the words left his mouth he caught whiff of rabbit in the wind and turned his head in the direction it had come, could there possibly be food for them afterall?"