Aponi was losing track of how many days they had been wandering aimlessly, without food or proper shelter or even a hint of how to get home. Irritation had long set in with the princess and the pair walked in complete silence, though a frustrated growl would occasionally slip from the girl's throat. A cloudy sky could be seen through breaks in the canopy and the air was still in the unfamiliar forest as the pups trudged forward. So different were these woods than the ones the silver princess had seen before, the trees were, green at this time of year and there was no eeriness about it. When Mercy and Aponi had first fled the scene of the hunt their goal was to make it to the tree line, sure that once they had taken cover they would be able to find their way home. Instead they found little relief from the storm, their eyes still blinded by blowing wind, any scents whipped away from their nostrils before they could get their bearings. They had kept walking, searching for any marking that would point their way back to Hollowheart Keep, by the time darkness fell Aponi had been exhausted. That first night they had taken shelter within an abandoned badger den and woke up to find they had completely lost their trail. Their paw prints from the day before had been wiped clean by the wind and their surroundings were foreign, and so they had taken a guess and kept walking. That had been three days ago and now the pair had wandered far from home, the princess' stomach ached with hunger, her limbs screamed with exhaustion and all she wanted to do was find something, anything that would tell them where they were.

The untouched surface of snow stretched before them like a clean slate, a blank canvas that seemed to mock them, having hidden beneath layer and layer of snow any trace of wolf or prey tracks which might have been left behind. His eyes felt sore from continuously scanning the white surface for any sign of prints, but he saw little other than the rolling drifts of snow. There wasn't much in the way of wolf scents in the area, either. While Mercy regretted the decision to continue moving- he'd always been told that, when lost, it was best to stay in one place- he couldn't open his mouth to say so. Aponi was the boss, and he wouldn't let her go off on her own. He had to protect her- she was an heiress.

He'd learned by now, of course, to keep his trap shut unless speaking was necessary. Hunger made Aponi grouchy and made him feel faded and sullen, and less apt to strike up a conversation of any sort, anyway. He moved along with her, and they took turns leading so that the other could follow behind the leader's tired footsteps. His stomach felt dishevelled and clenched, his mind groggy and dull. Even if something had crossed their path, he doubted he'd have the strength to put in a good effort. He knew he'd have to- his life depended on it, and if he didn't even try, he had the sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't survive Aponi's fury.

He lifted his head to try and catch any glimpse of the mountain- if only the trees weren't in the way, they might've been able to spot it. But they'd been under the cover of the forest for so long and when there had been a chance for them to see the craggy peaks, the storm moved in and placed its lumbering clouds in the way. He did, however, catch sight of something dark off in the distance and he paused for a moment. It looked like some sort of hole in the ground. With a dry throat, he croaked "'Poni," to try and stall the Princess and see if she saw it too- and what she thought of it.

Aponi has been taking her turn as first in line, though her blue eyes drooped downwards to her paws. She had been taught to always keep her senses open, but exhaustion was taking over, whispering to her to just lay down and give up. Oh how she wanted to, for the first time ever it seemed the fire inside the girl was in danger of going out, even when travelling down the mountain she had not felt this way. Then the adults had taken the lead, making sure they were warm and had a path to follow, but they had no one now, it was only her and Mercy. The pads of the princesses' paws were cracked and occasionally blood would seep into the snow of her paw prints. Her mouth was dry and her head felt fuzzy and full of pressure, as if it were about to explode, while her stomach felt shrunken and throbbed painfully in her gut. Poni the sound was enough to call her movements to a halt, thankful for any reason to stop, to rest, though she said nothing, instead her eyes scanned the horizon once more. Squinting Aponi thought she saw a dark smudge against the snow up ahead, shelter perhaps? Or the den of something edible? So focused she was on the hole that the sound and sudden appearance of a stranger startled her. Sidestepping away from the tawny male the princess blinked hard twice to clear her head, they had no time to let exhaustion trick them now. It was as if gears instantly began turning once more and without missing a beat the silver girl plastered a thankful smile across her face, a phony one, but no one needed to know that. The male was larger and seemed well fed, well rested, at least mroe so than either her or Mercy and he could easily overpower them, there was no Chuylin, no Ma or Pa to save them now and she knew they had to solve this on their own. Bowing her head Aponi quickly spoke up, attempting to sound cheerful even through the scratching sound of her dry throat. "I'm not sure? My name is Catori and this is Clemens the prince of a pack to the North. I'm afraid we've gotten ourselves dreadfully lost." Now was the time for Mercy to prove himself to her, she swore if he played along and didn't blow this she would never torment him again, not purposely anyways. The male reeked of the filthy vultures who had ruined their hunt and it would be better safe than sorry, he didn't need to know their real identities or home pack. Hollowheart Keep was a secret, and a secret it would remain.

The last thing Mercy had expected was for other wolves to show up; and when they did, the surprised both of the pups, who reacted quite differently. Aponi seemed much calmer, and even smiled, but Mercy, who took his role as her guardian very seriously, stood tall and stiff, perking his ears and stepping defensively closer to her. The voice of the male was soft and kind, and seemed to have had little negative effect on Aponi. Mercy, though he had never before been wary of strangers, found himself bristling. If he had been on his own, then his response likely would have been different- this stranger would have seemed to him like a beacon of light, someone who knew the area and could lead them home. But he didn't know this male, and wouldn't trust him around Aponi, the lost princess of Hollowheart Keep.

It wasn't until Aponi began t speak that Mercy realized that this male belonged to the pack which had spoiled their hunt. He was being nice to them...They weren't tiny, helpless pups that almost any wolf might take pity on- they were large enough to look like miniature adults, starved a bit by the winter. His tense stance did not change and he hissed out a breath of exhasperation at Aponi, staring her down until he realized what she was doing. She'd given him false names. And there he was, still breathing down her neck for doing even that- and unknowingly stepping right into the pawprints of a prince who didn't like others knowing he was lost. "Cat," He hissed sourly, and bared his teeth at her. If he was a prince, he was going to act like a prince. And Aponi had done the very same thing to him when they'd been younger. She'd been cruel, ruthless, incorrigible. He knew exactly how to behave.

"Thank you, sir, for your concern," He said, finally softening a tad now that he knew what he wanted. He nodded his head thankfully to the male, but purposefully stepped between Aponi and Aeolus, and he used his shoulder to direct Aponi away from him. "But we're fine. A minor setback is all." He nudged Aponi's shoulder with his broad muzzle, forcefully enough to get her moving, knowing that if she lashed out at him, she'd blow their cover. Not that he relished this reversal of roles, but it was nice to finally have Aponi under some sort of rein. "We'll be leaving. Good-day." He said, and hoped that that would work. Without knowing it, though, the Prince of the North had just pushed his sister in a more Eastern direction...

Exhaustion and starvation were pushing Aponi over the edge and she was losing her clarity. While she knew she should let the comment about Karpos go and slide off her back, anything else would raise suspicion, instead she panicked. Icy eyes narrowed and her teeth flashed from her muzzle as she snarled, "I am no messenger of yours, even if I did know this boy, why don't you go seek him out yourself?" A sarcastic snort blasted from her nostrils before she could stop herself, and by now there was nothing that could be done about her blunder, so now she would just have to commit. When she felt Mercy jostling her shoulder the princess moved along without question, still fuming at the arrogance of the man, who had not given them his name. At his next bit of advice she threw a glare over her shoulder, pompous asshole he was and if she wasn't so damn tired she would give him a piece of her mind. Still once he left her sight she hesitated, were they really headed south? Had they been walking south this whole time? Slowing down she glanced towards the canopy of leaves above them, a frustrated growl slipping from her muzzle as grey sky covered everything. Aponi said nothing else to Mercy as she fought off a sudden drowsiness that was fighting to overtake her, her eyelids drooped and she saw spots. It was as if the world suddenly began spinning and she couldn't do anything about it, with a gasp the princess dug her claws into the ground. Then there was only darkness. Aponi's hunger and exhaustion had finally taken over, at least for now. Her chest still rose and fell with her breath, but she was no longer conscious.

Of course, trust Aponi- even weakened and starving as she was- to be incapable of keeping her mouth shut. She spoke before he could do anything about it and he snapped idly at her cheek to try and keep her from saying anything else. Luckily, she'd kept up their guise, though he was so frustrated now that he didn't particularly care. Even so, he did pause when Aeolus pointed out the direction they were headed in. SOUTH?! Part of him wanted to scream. He wasn't entirely sure- nor did Aponi seem to have much input either- but he could've sworn they'd been headed in that direction for quite some time. If they were going South, they were definitely going the wrong way...But at least now they knew which way they were headed- and which way they needed to go. It frustrated him, knowing that they'd possibly made their trip even longer by wandering in the wrong direction, but at least they had a good cardinal point now...Unless he was lying.

And what if that was the case? What if this man could tell they were lying, so he was lying about the direction they were headed in? Mercy didn't look back at him, but he had the feeling that they were being watched, examined. He flicked one ear back, and made up his mind. "I'm taking her home first." He said, though his tone was frustrated. The male had turned and loped off, and Mercy kept his eyes open and nose lifted, searching for any trace of him. It wasn't until he was out of sight, and out of Mercy's range of smell that he looked at Aponi. His posture softened, then, and he assumed his usual role as her guardian, not a prince. He didn't say anything; she was the one in charge still, and it would be her decision to make about what they did next.

He jerked his head back when Aponi suddenly crumpled to the ground. He let out a surprised sound and a murmured cry of her name- forgetting completely about the one she'd made up. He lay down beside her and nosed at her cheek, trying to rouse the princess of Hollowheart Keep. Her breath came in smoothe, gentle puffs of warm air, but there was no waking her. Mercy whined and looked around, searching for the male. He needed help, of some sort- and didn't know what to do. His gaze caught, once more, the dark aperture in the ground he'd spotted earlier, and he looked back down at Aponi. He couldn't let her get too cold, but looked with anguish across the distance between them and what he assumed was a safe shelter. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet, and nosed Aponi's head to the side slightly before he grasped the fur at the nape of her neck.

Though frail and thin, Aponi was heavy, a dead weight being dragged across the snow. Mercy's breath became fast and short with only a few tugs, and he felt his own body weakening rapidly. He didn't look toward the shelter, and instead looked straight into the dark, peppered fur of Aponi's ruff as he pulled, trying to move steadily back toward the den. His footing became worse and worse, and more than once he found himself swaying side to side, still holding her scruff, but not making any process. He had to beg his body to move, but it refused. Spent, Mercy collapsed to the ground beside Aponi and took another look over his shoulder- his attempts had been futile. He'd only made a few metres of progress and could go no further.

Once he caught his breath he stood, shakily, his haunches falling to the ground once or twice before he was able to stand. Alongside Aponi's body he began to dig into the snow, creating a divet large enough to fit both of them in. He forced his body against hers to push her in, so that she could be sheltered from the wind as it surfed across the snow's surface, before he curled himself around her. They would have to use snow for their insulation, and he used his body to shield her and give her warmth. Exhausted, the crowchild could do nothing more for the princess before he, too, was consumed by sleep.

He wasn't sure how long they slept for, but Mercy was the first to awaken. There was a light covering of snow that had been blown over them, but the hole he'd dug in the snow had kept them sheltered from the cruelty of the wind for the most part. The snow which had settled on their shoulders hadn't melted- a testament to the thickness and density of their winter coats. But he still didn't feel warm; the biting cold had roused him, and though they were relatively sheltered, they couldn't just stay out in the open like this for too long. Eventually, it would become too much, and if he did go in search for food, he couldn't simply leave Aponi here. He needed to get her awake, and to the shelter he'd seen earlier.

"Wake up," He said, softly at first. He nudged her ear gently, and ran his muzzle along her cheek. He knew that this would get no response- but in truth, he feared the rage the princess would have when she woke only to discover that he was the one who'd prodded her awake. If her dreams were of home, he didn't want to break her from them...But he had to. "Wake up," He said, more loudly this time, and very close to her ear which was then- albeit with an extreme amount of hesitation- bitten. He had to get her to wake up somehow, and whispering in her ear and gently touching her cheek wasn't going to do it.