Sanguine Cove everyone has to suffer

Eclypse, you're right in the path of a small snow whirlwind!
All welcome.

Winter settled heavily along the spine of the mountain and sat firmly within the cove's divot along such spine.

This had not stopped her from living her growing life. If her mother and father worked, Eclypse did as well. She was in the stage where she learned everything. She had started to develope her own paths and interests. Admittedly she seemed split between her parents own set of skills. Yet today she had taken after her father, prepared to walk out onto the worn trail of a patrol. She was not blind to how much things seemed to have...shrunk around here. She ought to do her part doubly.

Only she had not anticipated what she spotted out on the borders today. Snow seemed to form a pillar, winded and whirled up into the air. It moved too.

Right towards her.

Winter had brought its own challenges and new fears. A frown found her features as she moved through the territory. Ever since Sephrina had fallen through the ice, she’d had a reason to fear the winter cold and the mountain. Often, she wondered if she should talk to Nash about moving off the mountain. She knew that it had been his home for so long… but it was undeniable that there was a curse when the winter frost began to settle in.

Perhaps it would be safer for them and their kin in order to move to a location further down the treacherous slopes. She tried not to think of it.

She was returning over the border, a bundle of stubborn mountain herbs in her jaw when she saw her youngest standing there as the winds bellowed around them both. “Eclypse!” She called out, muffled by the wind and the bundle as she moved closer towards her. “Pack den!”

Aquene Slayer

It was a lifetime in between.

She watched the snow spin into the air, as the gusts of wind seemed stronger than she had realized. The snow made it all look so soft. Could it really be so...dangerous?

Her mother's voice punched the air in a muffled landing. Something about the den. Eclypse was nearly certain that she had been told to move there, if she knew her mother, but she felt frozen. Stuck in a place of awe as she watched nature work the closest thing to magic she would ever know.

Mom, it's — Moving. Beautiful. Dangerous?

She had not figured out the last bit but as the snow kicked up near her, she wondered if she'd find out.

Storms had lost their appeal in beauty. She recognized the stunning ways in which nature often tried to kill them… snow and ice could be helpful, but for the most part represented nothing but cold and death in her mind, something that made her heart ache every time she put too much thought into it. She heard her words just as her daughter seemed to disappear in the fierce currents of the snow, causing frown and panic to well in her chest.

She continued along the path, her eyes squinting as she looked for her daughter whilst minding her step. It was several moments before she caught familiar sight. “Come on, it’s too wild a weather out here.” She managed again through the mufflings of the bundle of herbs she was carrying, once again nudging her daughter along back towards the direction of the den… she was pretty sure… when the weather got like this she often got quite turned around.

Aquene Slayer

She found herself confused, disorientated. Even with her mother by her side. In fact, that was the only thing she could make out in the whirl of snow and wind.

Okay, um, I think it's...this way... Uncertainty rang through her voice but she felt determined. She wanted to be as much like her father as she was her mother. She knew her home, she should be able to navigate it through a little snow and breeze. If she could not then she feared what it might be like if another storm hit and she was alone.

Here!

She thought she saw where her body had formed a trail through snow from earlier. It was probably hers, right?

Aquene squinted through the swirling snow, her concern evident in the lines on her face. The biting cold seemed to seep through every layer of clothing, and she clutched the bundle of herbs closer to her chest. She nodded at Eclypse's attempt to find their way, appreciating her daughter's determination.

"Good eye, sweetheart. Lead the way," Aquene encouraged, her voice muffled by the harsh weather. She followed closely, trusting in Eclypse's instincts and the faint trail she claimed to have found. As they trudged through the thick blanket of snow, Aquene couldn't help but reflect on the unpredictable beauty and danger that nature presented.

The storm howled around them, making it challenging to maintain a clear path. Aquene kept a watchful eye on her daughter, occasionally reaching out to steady her in the gusts of wind. The den, a haven against the raging elements, became their beacon in the blizzard.

"Almost there, just a bit more," Aquene reassured, her words barely audible over the wind. In moments like these, the bond between mother and daughter was both a source of strength and vulnerability, a reminder of the delicate balance they navigated in the face of nature's fury.

Aquene Slayer

Onward they forged. Eclypse felt emboldened by her mother's presence and the need to provide in this moment. Her youth only made her a brighter fire, even with all of the hardships. Or perhaps it was because of all the hardships they faced.

Yet the dark figure of the den's mouth came into view through the hazy sights of snow whipping around them. Her mother was right almost there. The shelter could not come upon them quick enough. C'mon! She offered over the howling winds as she plunged inside. Her coat was thickly dusted with the snow that had been kicked up outside.

At least the wind did not bite so hard at her ears, nose and eyes in here.

The den was hard to see. Her vision was not quite as sharp as Eclypse’s due to her age… as much as she hated to admit it, she was getting older. She preferred not to think about her age and what it meant for her, but as the years passed and her children began to reach adulthood, it was becoming undeniable. Soon she would be five, and that weighed on her more than she was willing to admit in that moment.

Her daughter howled and she bounded ahead, slipping into the den in order to escape the bellowing winds that shot ice down her spine with their very presence. “You did very well, Eclypse!” She offered praise as she ran her nose along her daughter’s cheek, setting the herb bundles down. “What were you doing so close to the border?” There was a hint of concern in her tone, wondering if her daughter had been alone or simply lost whomever she was with so close to unprotected territory.

Aquene Slayer

Praise was nice, even if it followed with a sting of shame. She had pride in everything she did but the guilt of a worried mother would always weigh more.

"I had followed a patrol trail. I know we need more working bodies and I'm getting closer to really doing stuff I think..." In such a mad dash to grow up and yet she warred with the wants to be a child, to never grow either. It had become hard to balance the two worlds she walked between now. A child that mimicked the actions of mother and father.

"I try to stay busy. Like you and dad."

She had not expected a snowy windstorm to derail her small task.

There was a gentle nature in her eyes as she listened… a pang in her chest all the same. She wished Eclypse could simply just enjoy her childhood, but she knew it was not quite that simple… there was much pain all around and that made it hard sometimes for things to go according to plan. Still, she had done well. “We do, and you have been doing well, Eclypse.” She would offer in a gentle praise as she brushed her maw against her daughter’s cheek.

“Why don’t you go take some time to warm up and rest. You’ve earned it.” In reality, it was Aquene’s wish for the girl to not push herself, but framing it as a reward felt like the best way forward with her.

Aquene Slayer