Rayne’s heart was feeling light as he traveled through the snowy landscape, his breath a visible smoke as he breathed in and out. His sister had been found and though he had been offered a spot in her pack, he had declined. Actually, Senka had almost begged him to stay, at least for the winter. She told him there was very precious food to be found in the land and she would be devastated if they were reunited only for him to be killed by either starvation or by a blizzard. He had turned her down, saying that he didn’t want to take away from what little food stores they already had.

Plus, he had managed to find the odd bit of food that gave him the energy to move on. Whether it be a week old carcass that had a little on it for him to scavenge or the odd rabbit he managed to snap up, he would be fine. He assured her. Senka had shut her jaws after bidding him a goodbye, though her eyes still begged him to stay. Rayne hated to see his sister like that but he truly didn’t want to impose on Senka and her pack. She had already done so much for him.

Rayne was brought from his thoughts as a blast of wind ruffled his fur, causing him to shiver and making him servery the area in front of his for a shelter. His amber eyes landed on two nearby trees, close together and their trunks offering at least some protection from the wind if he could dig down between them and curl up. Yet, beyond them was a small rise, covered in roots and snow. He could dig between those roots and make an even better shelter, perhaps. Following through with this thought, Rayne begun to make his way towards the chosen spot but just as he was about to reach the two trees, his paws slipped from beneath him and he hit the ground hard. It was a small frozen creek he had slipped on, frozen over from the winter frost. Left breathless, Rayne struggled to get back onto his paws as he gasped for breath.

Anneliese had never been a negative person, but she also refused to lie to herself; joining the Cut Rock River wolves was doing almost nothing to help her survive. If anything, her's and Lalani's presence was a drain on the packs resources that couldn't be afforded. It wasn't quite their fault; so far, Lalani had been able to comport herself well around the strangers, and they were both trying all that they could to contribute to the caches and defenses of the homestead. There just was no food to be found. It worried her somewhat, gave her an impending sense of doom that she hadn't felt sense the leader of her birth pack had first fallen ill. She hated feeling like this, and so she strove to distract herself from the emotion.


Anneliese knew that her abilities were best suited for guarding, but what use would that be if they had nothing to protect? She stepped outside of her comfort zone and took up the role of a scout on this day, in search of any morsel that could be brought back to Maksim and his family. Her search took her out of the cedar woods that they called home and into a nesting of strong creeks. The closer she drew to them, the more her throat ached, though she knew by sound, or the lack thereof, that the water was long frozen. Given the dire temps, she doubted she would be able to break ice so thick.


Then, finally, she picked up on something, though the scent itself didn't exactly make her heart soar; nearby was a fellow traveler, one who was, from the smell of him, unaffiliated. Rogues in times such as these could be very dangerous, and so Anneliese shifted her demeanor, and approached with great caution. As she approached she stayed sheltered, hopefully out of range of his senses, and followed him a bit. Then, unwittingly, the boy stepped onto the ice and was swiftly laid out flat, the breath knocked from him. Concern for his well being immediately replaced the precautionary fear of what he was capable of, and she lunged out of cover and onto the frozen creek. She stiffened her legs and was able to keep her balance, even as she skidded straight past the poor boy. With unsteady steps, Anneliese fought her way to his side, while keeping a few yards between them should he lash out.


"Are you alright, sir? Do you need assistance?"

Rayne didn’t know that someone had been following him before he slipped on the ice, as the wind had been pushing his scent towards them. It was only when the other had leapt from her cover onto the creek and having checked her balance on the ice, that he realised he wasn’t alone. As she drew closer, the smell of many wolves was caught on her and for a moment, Rayne worried that he had mistakenly crossed pack borders and this was a wolf from that pack but the thought was fleeting when the first questions that tumbled from her mouth were asking if he was alright and if he needed help. Not snarls and harsh questions as to why he was crossing over their borders.

At first, Rayne couldn’t answer her but after a few moments, his breath was back and he could speak, although he still sounded a little breathless. “I’m fine, thank you. I-I think I’ll be able to get up...” However, the large male was proven wrong when his paws slipped from underneath him again and he was sent tumbling back down to the ice.

“Damn it.” Murmuring mainly to himself, Rayne glanced over to the watchful eyes of the other. “Um. perhaps I do need a little help?” He replied meekly, with a small smile thrown over to her. His ears were thrown back in embarrassment as he waited for her reply, hoping that she would help him as he attempted to steady himself again. He was showing himself as not much of a threat, unable to even steady himself properly on the ice.

Anneliese watched the boy, his demeanor that of something honest and harmless despite his large stature. As he claimed to be capable of helping himself, she nodded and took a few steps back, allowing him any amount of room that might be necessary to slip and slide his way back into a standing position. Her beryl eyes watched him curiously, and almost instantly it was clear to see that he was mistaken. He was reasonable in admitting this, and she appreciated his humility. With a smile, she confirmed that she would assist him with a soft "of course."



There was the possibility that his helpless predicament was merely an attack, and that the moment she drew close enough he would find his footing and attack her. However, as cautious as she could be, Anneliese was one to give the benefit of the doubt when it involved someone else's need for assistance. Anyways, those rusty orange eyes of his shone nothing but honest. Her instincts told her he could be trusted.



Her movements were an odd mixture of stiff and graceful as she more or less skated to his side, lucky to draw on the experience of playing on the frozen lagoon with her pack mates a few days prior. She then lowered herself into a crouch, claws quivering in their desperation to keep purchase on the ice. Her options had to be quickly considered, to decide whether it was best to help him onto his paws or simply slide him over to the snow banks. The easier of the two would be to skid him across the frozen water, but when she attempted to push against him, she only managed to propel herself away from him. Her eyes widened and her legs stiffened as she slid back a foot; he must have been heavier than he looked. Well then, clearly that won't work, she thought to herself as she crawled back to his side. This time, she matched her position to his, so that they lay parallel.



"Alright, try to stand, and use me to push up," the woman instructed before nudging her maw under his upper foreleg; as he attempted to get back onto his paws, she would position her head and shoulders under his chest and stand as well, hopefully able to steady him and lift him simultaneously.

Rayne wasn't sure why this female was helping him, for he was a stranger to her and she a stranger to him but he was grateful regardless for it. So far, other then that one male he had meet so long ago, every wolf he had meet was kind and friendly. Well, memories reminded him of that one woman, the dark fae who had been hell bent on chasing after a goat child, thinking it to be hers...

At first, the smaller dame tried to push him but it was unsuccessful and only caused her eyes to go wide in surprise and be propelled further away from him. Rayne wanted to chuckle at the look on her face but managed to control himself as he attempted again to stand himself. His paws were trying to find traction on the slippery surface but whether it was because of his larger bulk or the fact he knew how clumsy and uncertain he was even when on normal ground, Rayne found that his paws couldn’t hold without slipping.

Shaking his head, Rayne pushed the memories out of his mind and focused on trying to stand. Then, the female brushed up against his side, telling him to try and stand up using her help to push him up. Nodding, Rayne did just that and with a small feeling of giddiness, was back on his paws with the help of the cream colored dame, who had pushed her head and shoulders under his chest and stood as well. Once he was sure he was steady and wasn't about to fall again, he realized how close the two were and fought back a blush.

"Perhaps now would be a good time to get off the ice?" He laughed uncertainly, eyeing the few steps of ice in front of him that would have to be made in order to get onto solid ground. Taking an unsteady step forward, Rayne found that by simply sliding forward slowly, he could reach the bank of the creek. So that's what he did.