Pasos al Cielo Broken Hearts

OOC! 

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Word Count: 357

Winter was fast approaching, and Anaia was in no way ready to face the snow.  Rather than reminding her of the fun of her childhood with her family, she thought of the storm that plunged her into confusion.  She thought of the avalanche that ruined her hope of finding her family again.  She thought of the cold that drove her south – much as it was doing now – and into their arms. 

She couldn’t move fast enough.

Every morning, frost caused the leaves to glitter and her breath to puff around her mouth whenever she exhaled. More and more often, the sun was obscured behind threatening clouds.  It got colder. Her best hope was to go south as fast as she could, and maybe she could avoid the worst of the winter.

Truth be told, she didn’t expect to survive until spring.  She’d been struggling since she left the Cove, and with most of her prey going into hibernation she knew she wouldn’t be able to hunt.  Maybe she would get lucky and find the occasional carcass, but it wouldn’t be enough.

She tried not to think about it.

As she wandered, the white woman could hear water growing louder each day, and today she seemed fated to find it.  The ground suddenly sloped away from her feet, creating a ravine that guided the flow. The rock was blanketed in green moss, and a fine mist sprayed up from the falls that entered the ravine. Anaia paused, then started scrambling down to reach the river.  She made sure to stay away from the waterfall, preferring to enter the river from further down.  She could still hear it though, its thundering crashing into her sensitive ears.

Anaia stopped at the water’s edge, trying to decide if she should cross here or try to find another place. It wasn’t high water season and the stream wasn’t too terribly wide here, but the current still seemed fast enough that she might not be able to make it in her weakened state. But wouldn’t it be better to perish here, now, rather than slowly starve in the cold that was to come?

"Speech"  Thought

OOC

Word count: 334
Kuru trekked through patches of snow and hard ground. He had no destination in mind; the traveling was itself an end. He pricked his ears, trying to pick up on any sound. All was still, except for the distant roar of water. The quiet would be eerie, were Kuru not so utterly bored.

Might as well head that way, he sighed. His warm breath puffed upward in a white cloud, obscuring his vision for a moment. Kuru followed the roar. He spotted animal tracks veering off into a group of snowy trees. The dark wolf considered following the tracks, but decided against it. He'd hunted that morning, and his belly was still full and warm.

As Kuru rounded a hill, the thunder abruptly grew much louder. He saw the waterfall responsible for the noise. The white spray sparkled in the stark winter sun, making him squint. The inviting water scent woke in Kuru a realization that he was parched.

He loped toward the waterfall, meeting the edge of a quick-moving stream. He moved to dip his muzzle in the cool water, catching sight of a pale shape reflected in the water. Kuru started and glanced up.

A ghost stood across the stream. The pale wolf stared at the water, looking thoughtful. Kuru blinked, expecting the spirit to vanish. But the stranger remained. Maybe it was one of his ancestors, coming to take him to the endless sky-hunt?

Fear bolted through the gray man. He didn't want to go yet! He was fine, and he yearned to explore more of the living world before he joined his deceased kin.

Kuru half-whimpered, half-growled. He fixed the white wolf with his deepest glare. His den-mother said he looked fierce when he did that glare. If this stranger had come for his life, he would let them know he wouldn't go without a fight.

The dark wolf gave a rough bark. He puffed out his chest and glared even harder.
"You won't take me easily!" he declared.

"Speech" Thought

OOC! 

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Word Count: 288

Anaia stared into the water, unsure. She couldn’t decide.  Should she risk the swim, or just go around? How deep was the water? Could she possibly just walk across? The weather was getting cold enough that the water would be freezing; could she possibly die even if she made it over?

The girl was so lost in thought, she didn’t notice another wolf approach the opposite side of the river until there was a strange sound, some sort of growl-whimper hybrid that was barely audible over the sound of the water.  Anaia’s head snapped up, and she immediately shrank back from the fierce glare the stranger gave her.

“You won’t take me that easily!” He barked, ashy fur puffing up.

She was suddenly very glad for the questionable state of the river that formed a protective barrier between herself and the young man across it. “W-w-what?” She stuttered, struggling to make herself heard. Her ears were pinned back against her head and her tail was tightly tucked against her belly as she flinched against the ground, trying to make herself as small as possible.  That had always seemed to work before.  If he came after her anyway, maybe she could make it up the steep embankment before he made it through the water.

Then again, she wasn’t sure if she had the energy to flee.  Even if she did make it back up, she wouldn’t be able to make it much further.  She hadn’t eaten in several days, and her consistent lack of food had made her week and scrawny.  If it came to a fight, she would certainly lose. “Am I intruding?” She finally asked. “I’m sorry; I didn’t realize someone lived here.  I’m just passing through.”

"Speech"  Thought

Word count: 118

Kuru blinked and relaxed his face, though his hackles remained raised. "You're not a spirit-wolf?" he asked. "But your fur! I was so sure..."

He trailed off and stared at the water in embarrassment. "I don't live here, either.
But I might soon. I saw these other wolves that seemed friendly, so maybe there's a pack that will take me in," he whined hopefully.

Why did I just say all that to a stranger? he wondered. Fool! You'll get yourself killed with such carelessness.

His words hung in the air for a moment before he followed up, "So, uh, why are you here? Were you with the pack in the area?"

"Speech" Thought

OOC! Oh my gosh he's too cute!

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Word Count: 120

Just as Anaia was contemplating running away, the stranger relaxed his face, blinking in confusion as he asked a question. The girl stared at him in surprise. Spirit wolf...? She wondered. "I-I'm from the N-north. A lot of us have white fur...." Had he never seen a white wolf before?

All his bravado seemed to deflate as he explained he didn't live here either. She lifted her ears a little and allowed herself to stand up, though her posture was still wary. She shook her head in response to his next question. "I'm just wandering." She told him. "I'm going south... I want to avoid the snow as long as I can." Because I'm scared to die. She added silently.

"Speech"  Thought

OOC Anaia is pretty adorable too!
I know posts are ideally longer, but I don't want to throw too many things out while we get established. Hope that's okay.

Word count: 153

"I-I'm from the N-North. A lot of us have white fur," explained the stranger.

Huh, white wolves. Kuru scratched an ear as he processed the information. It makes sense. They said it snows a lot in the North.

"...avoid the snow as long as I can." Scat! He'd missed some of her words. Hopefully she hadn't asked him a question. Kuru focused extra hard on the snowy she-wolf to make up for his inattention.

Wow, she looks really thin, he noted. When was the last time she ate? Sympathy welled up in him as he remembered the starving times. She couldn't keep going. Not yet, not hungry!

"You won't be able to outrun snow clouds for long if you're hungry, Not-Spirit-Wolf," Kuru pointed out. "Let me help you cross this stream and hunt." He raised his ears and tail nervously and hoped for a yes.

"Speech" Thought

OOC! 

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Word Count: 176

The stranger seemed to lose interest, even going so far as to scratch his ear as she spoke to him. A moment later he suddenly focused on her again, making the girl slightly uncomfortable. Is he okay…? She wondered.

And then his eyes softened and his entire posture seemed to change, but that may have just been her perception. “You won’t be able to outrun snow clouds for long if you’re hungry, Non-Spirit-Wolf.” He said.

Non spirit wolf? She wrinkled her nose at the name, but didn’t have time to retort because he offered to help her cross the river and then hunt. Her eyes grew wide.  He’d been snarling at her moments ago, but she too would snarl if she though she saw a ghost.   

She could be a burden, not again. But she also knew she couldn’t hunt on her own and they might even be able to get bigger prey if there were two of them.  She hesitated, then nodded. She would find a way to pay him back for his kindness. “Okay.”

"Speech"  Thought

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Kuru couldn't help let out a huff of relief and excitement. He turned it into a cough and stood tall. "We...need to find a point where the water runs lower," he said in his most low-throated voice. "I'm a strong swimmer, so I can swim just upstream from you. Um, yes, okay."

He did his best to keep a confident stride as he paced along the stream's edge. Kuru looked straight ahead, but he kept one ear angled toward the other wolf. I hope I'm doing this right, he sighed inwardly.

"How about here?" he suggested at a place that looked shallow. Mud oozed between his toes, but Kuru didn't shake it out. Kurus were much tougher than mud! He ignored the cold ick and glanced expectantly toward the other wolf.

OOC! 

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Word Count: 101

Anaia couldn’t help the faint smile that tugged at her mouth as she watched the ashy boy across the river come up with a plan and start to pace, looking for a good location to cross.  She mirrored his movements, eyeing the current. When he stopped, the apparently ghostly girl stared at him.  “What if I slip?” She asked.  The water was just fast enough that if she did lose her footing, she probably wouldn’t be able to regain it, and with how long it had been since she’d had a proper meal, she probably wouldn’t be able to swim either.

"Speech"  Thought