Pasos al Cielo Broken Hearts

OOC

Word count: 134

Yes, what if she slips! The gray wolf's eyes darted around for a solution. They stopped on a fallen branch and Kuru pricked his ears. "We can bite each end of this," he replied, trotting to the wood. "If you fall, hold onto the stick and I will help you up."

Kuru's tongue lolled as he considered his plan. Images ran, in rapid succession, of the white stranger's head going under the water. Visions of her being carried beyond his reach left him tense. A sharp cold in his paws brought Kuru back to the present; he was curling his claws, instinctively, into the hard earth.

His dark shoulders sagged, ears drooping. "Never mind. It's a bad plan," he whined. "What do you think we should do?" he called to the living ghost across the stream.

"Speech" Thought

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Word Count: 117

Anaia was all for the stick plan, and had even started to look for the safest way to enter the water, when she realized one of them was definitely going to have to cross alone first.  He quickly rescinded his plan anyway, and the pale girl felt a little bit of relief.  How was this going to work?

She stared at the water for a moment, trying not to imagine what it would be like to get swept away with it.  If only she had something to lean against…

I got it! She cried jubilantly in her head. “What if you walk next to me, downstream?” She suggested. “That way if I slip, you can catch me?”

"Speech"  Thought

OOC

Word count: 161

Kuru padded back to the stream to hear the white wolf suggest they walk downstream together. "Yes, I think that will work perfect!" he agreed. An idea struck him. "I will be right back," he announced, finding the fallen wood again.

He grabbed the branch at the last moment, wedging it between two rocks a bit downstream. Just in case.

Kuru studied the stream for a long moment. The water was just clear enough to make out soil and stones along the bottom. He plotted the path that seemed the most solid. Then Kuru nodded.

"Just a moment. I'm going to cross from a bit upstream so I don't have to fight the current," Kuru explained. A wobbly addition of "You sit tight" betrayed his nerves, but the wolf pushed it aside.

Even with help, she'll need all her strength to cross, he guessed as he padded upstream. You just ate. You're strong. You've got this.

"Speech" Thought

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Word Count: 160

Anaia watched nervously as the stranger agreed to her plan, then ran off to retrieve the stick he’d found earlier.  Her head cocked to the side as she watched him wedge it between two rocks on the opposite bank. What is he doing? She wondered, but didn’t want to question him again.

He promised to be there shortly before wandering back up the river a bit to cross.  His nerves showed in the slight waver his voice carried at the end, and Anaia’s stomach knotted. He’s just as nervous as I am.

She had to admire his confidence, however false it may be.  At least he could pretend, and move forward even if he was quivering inside. Why couldn’t she do that? Maybe he could actually help her.  Simply being told that she had nothing to be afraid of had never helped her… but if he could teach her how to overcome her fear, she might just have a chance.

"Speech"  Thought

OOC

Word count: 255

Kuru jumped in.

Water leaped away from him in a comically high arch, the noise unjustifiably loud for a paws-deep landing. That wasn't nearly as deep as I was expecting! Kuru welcomed the icy water that cooled his fur, which was hot with embarrassment.

The current guided him down and toward the stranger. Okay, but what if she actually is a spirit and this is a trick? his mind insisted.

The gray man banished the thought. Only trickster spirits did that, and they were way more dominant than this wolf. Besides, who had ever heard of a wolf that went hungry in the sky-hunt?

His paws found purchase on the submerged ground until he got almost halfway out. He swam the uncomfortable wolf-length that would have brought his nose underwater had he walked. His heart raced and he prayed he didn't lose control. But his paws quickly found purchase again. He relaxed and walked with the current once more.

Kuru passed the other wolf a few tail-lengths from the other side of the stream. The last stretch was muddy and splashy. The wolf hauled himself out, fur heavy and black with water. He rested for a moment, but energy thrummed through his paws and he hardly felt the cold.

He stood and shook himself relatively dry. Kuru lapped at the stream and straightened. Then he turned to the white wolf. Definitely alive. He tipped his head, eyes bright with excitement.

"Hello, Not-Spirit-Wolf," he yipped. "Ready to cross?"

"Speech" Thought

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Word Count: 229

Anaia watched with concern as the strange boy jumped into the water and began making his way across.  There was a small part in the middle where he had to swim, but he seemed to make it just fine.  Before she knew it, he was standing beside her and watching her with a slightly tilted head.  His yellow eyes sparkled as he greeted her again, still using that strange name. What…

She gulped and looked back at the water, ears twitching back again.  He crossed without too much difficulty. She could do this.  Besides, he would be right there to help her. She nodded.  “Let’s do this.” She took a deep breath, then stepped down into the river. 

The icy water tugged at her paws, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.  Glancing to her side to make sure he was with her, the pale girl continued to move forward.  It was when she got to the center, where she was forced to swim, that she started to bob down river. She bumped against the boy walking with her. Anaia kicked her legs frantically and managed to find purchase again before making it back into shallow water and out the other side. She panted, looking back at the churning water. “I made it.” She breathed, then turned to smile brightly at her new friend.  “I made it! Thank you.”

"Speech"  Thought

OOC

Word count: 171

Kuru nodded as the pale stranger thanked him. "Yeah," he panted. "No problem."

The second crossing had taken more out of him than the first, and he was fairly winded. His heart still pounded from exertion. And leftover fear. During the moments they were swimming, he had been sure he couldn't hold up. But he did, and they were safe.

She touched me.

It was just the current pressing the smaller wolf against Kuru. There was no feeling in it. No affection, no rage. But it was warm. The gray loner had all but forgotten the raw warmth of fur pressed against fur. Of another living being, he mused.

Kuru finally caught his breath and looked at his companion. Her fur was plastered to her sides, and he saw her true size. She's-- "So small!" Immediately he slapped a paw over his muzzle. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that out loud," he amended. Quickly, he added, "How are you feeling?"

"Speech" Thought

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Word Count: 213

As the boy panted out  an acceptance of her thanks, she realized that he was winded too. He wasn’t much bigger than her, though he still had the look of a yearling about him. He was probably much stronger than her, especially right now.  If the water had made him tired, she didn’t want to think about what the outcome might have been had she tried to cross on her own.

She was about to thank him again, make sure that he knew that she really appreciated it, when two words exploded from his mouth. “So small!”She was about to thank him again, make sure that he knew that she really appreciated it, when two words exploded from his mouth. “So small!”

Her ears dropped back even as he realized his lapse in manners and apologized.

“I just haven’t eaten in a while.” She said, somewhat defensive even though she knew he had not meant to criticize.  She’d had a small stature to begin with, and then after going so long on her own, she probably looked more like a drowned rat than a wolf. “I’m fine.” She mumbled, looking away from him.  He kept calling her a ‘not spirit wolf’.  If things kept on the way they were going, that nickname was going to lose a few letters – and she knew it.

“You said something about a hunt?” She said hopefully, glancing back up at the stranger.

"Speech"  Thought

Word count: 142

Kuru flinched, hearing the new wolf snap. "I'm fine," she added. Kuru just nodded. There was no point in voicing his skepticism. But a wave of relief washed over him when she mentioned hunting.

Something tells me this wolf has a lot of pride under the deference and the hunger, he thought. But even she knows you can't survive on pride alone.

"Yes, we should find some food," Kuru said aloud. "Are you sure you have the strength? I could try and find smaller prey on my own while you rest," he offered.

He headed for a tree he'd seen earlier. The tree's branches interlaced so that they formed a small shelter from snow and wind. "I think I smelled rabbit not long ago," Kuru added, glancing back at his white companion. "What do you think?"

"Speech" Thought

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Word Count: 162

Oh no. No no no no no. He did not just offer to hunt for the both of them. If I’m strong enough to cross a river, I’m strong enough to hunt! She thought, bristling slightly.  She stared at him for a moment, trying to find a response, then deflated. He was just trying to be helpful, he didn’t mean to be rude…

“I can’t leave you to do all the work.” She said with a sigh.  “At least let me help flush it out?” She asked, not wanting to push back too much.  The truth was she was exhausted. She’d spent the last few days running as much as she could, wanting to get as far away from that pack as fast as she could. She hadn’t taken the time to try to find anything to eat, let alone actually hunt. Her shoulders slumped and she looked away from him guiltily. “I hate being a burden.” She mumbled under her breath.

"Speech"  Thought