The Wildwood Read between the lines

RE: Clover, blowing snow has disoriented you. Late morning, clear sky, -20.2F/-29C. @Vanadis only please!

The day had started clear, not a single cloud in the sky and the barest hint of a breeze on the wind. The powdery snow crunched beneath her paws as she walked, leaving defined pawprints trailing behind her as she meandered through the trees. Dark amber eyes flitted around as she sought out any hint of nearby, hoping to satiate the aching hunger in her stomach for the day. She shuddered at the sudden gust of cold wind, squinting her eyes to protect them from the blowing snowflakes, intent on finding something to eat no matter how snowy the weather became.

Mother nature did not seem to agree, as the wind picked up, the powdery snow blown into the air around her, making it impossible to see. She crouched her body lower against the buffeting wind, not wanting to be blown over and covered by snow, and decided she would wait somewhere more hidden for the sudden snow devil to calm down before resuming her hunt. She turned on her heel, but with the swirling snow making the air thick with whiteness she could see barely further than her own snout, and her trail of pawprints had been long covered. Quickly she found herself to be turned around, completely lost and disorientated as the snow continued to blow around her, and she found herself aimlessly wandering around, hoping to find somewhere safe to huddle down.

Vanadis spent a good portion of her time since 'joining' this little band exploring the lands nearby, getting to know the places that might one day be good for harvesting moss and plants, or for fishing out groundhogs and rabbits come spring. Unfortunately, there was little else to do this time of year, but wait. It wasn't the most mentally stimulating objective, but it filled her days, and kept her paws busy. Thus, when she came upon a freshly laid trail that belonged to one of the female members of the group, she felt inclined to follow.

The woman seemed to have had quite a head start, and possibly even more so once the winds began to pick up. Blinking the snow out of her eyes, Vanadis was eventually forced to hunker down, shaking off a new blanket of snow every few minutes in hopes that she wouldn't be buried. When the fear of drowning in snow, or allowing Clover to meet that fate became to great, the yearling was forced to move. One paw in front of the other, and with absolutely no idea what direction she was heading in anymore, she called out, "Hey! Can you hear me?"

She was unsure of how much time had passed since the gale had begun, but it felt like an eternity of blinding whiteness. All her senses were muffled with snow or the whoosh of the wind, and she felt completely lost in a place that she otherwise knew very well. Just a little bit of snow and some wind, and suddenly she had no idea where she was, or even where up and down were.

Her head swiveled about when she heard a voice coming from... somewhere, even though she may as well have been blind in the blowing snow. "Hello!?" She called out in response, turning around - or at least it seemed like she turned around - to try and head towards where she thought she had heard the voice. Even if they were both lost, being lost together seemed better than going it alone, and maybe the pair of them would be able to find some shelter to hide until the snowy gale blew over.

Clover's 'Hello!?' was nearly lost to the wind as it whistled past her eardrums. It kind of sounded like it came from somewhere in front of her, but the noise had been so muffled... Vanadis lifted her nose in a useless attempt at catching the woman's scent, but there was so much snow that even the smallest hints of perfume were covered. Taking a shot in the dark—or light, as it were—Vana lurched forward. "I'm coming!"

Luck seemed to be on her side, as Clover's blurry outline came into view, though Vana stopped just short of a collision. "Come on. There are some trees over there, maybe we'll get lucky and find a hole to climb in." Or an overhang, or really any place they might get out of the snow. Nudging the woman back the way she had come, the wolf was careful not to allow too much distance between them, so that they wouldn't run the risk of losing each other.

Forgive me for the long wait D:

She swiveled her head around in an attempt to figure out where the other wolf was, doing her best to zone in on her voice even though she could not quite pick out the words. Bracing herself against the wind, Clover pushed forward, ears laying flat atop her skull as she squinted into the snow to try and see where the other female was. After a few more moments of disorientation a blurry figure appeared in front of her, and she allowed herself to be nudged in a direction where there would hopefully be some form of shelter from the wind.

Every step seemed to lead to more nothingness, and she made sure to not stray too far away from her new companion for fear of becoming lost once more in the blinding whiteness. After what felt like an age, the distorted form of a tree came into view, and she brushed her side against it, feeling the need to ground herself to something solid. Her head turned to face the other woman, eyes still squinted against the snow flurries in her face. "There should be a place to hide around here." Or so she hoped. Taking a few deep breaths Clover moved onwards, head bowed as she walked, before she suddenly tipped forwards with a gasp, her front paw having struck a tree root that had gotten buried in the snow.

Her momentum carried her forwards face-first into the snow as she seemed to slide... downwards? Blinking the snow out of her eyes she looked around, finding herself seemingly partially inside the trunk of a tree where it had rotted away into the ground. While not fully enclosed, she was out of the wind and snow enough that she felt safer than out in the blizzard, but then her gaze lifted to where she had left the other woman when she tripped and slid down. "It's much better down here!" She called out, hoping the other woman had not continued walking and could still hear her voice above the whistling wind.

No worries <3

It was hard to hear past the wind, so Vanadis didn't catch the woman's words, but she had to trust her enough to follow. Each step felt like an entire lifetime was passing her by, blinded by the snow, deafened by the howling wind, unable to latch on to any scents. It was all she could do to keep her coat pressed lightly against Clover in hopes that they would not find themselves separated.

She felt Clover pull up short, almost as if she had stumbled, before her warmth disappeared from Vana's side. Blinking past the onslaught of snowflakes the Archer searched wildly for the cause. She only moved once the other woman's voice touched her ears, unknowingly falling prey to the same fate as her companion had as she slid down and into the little haven. A laugh slipped out from Vanadis' throat, bubbling with relief and anxiety as she looked to Clover. "What was that?" she said, motioning back the way they had come.

(This post was last modified: May 23, 2021, 09:09 PM by Vanadis.)

There were a few worried moments between Clover calling out to the other woman and said wolf also sliding down into the seemingly safe haven from the snowy storm outside. Hearing the bubbling laugh from her companion brought out a laugh of her own, partially from relief at the two of them being safe from whatever was going on. "I have no idea, but it came out of nowhere!" It seemed that one second it was a clear, but cold day, and the next she was unable to see in front of her. "I'm glad you found me, otherwise I might still be stuck out there."

Her gaze flitted over the other woman briefly in curiosity. She had not seen her before, and her scent was unfamiliar, but it was nice to know that a stranger was willing to help out even if there was no guarantee of some type of reward. "I'm Clover," she said brightly, settling herself into a sitting position and facing the other woman. The storm outside had yet to calm down, and she was unsure of when it would, so it seemed like a good idea to get to know her for the time being.

This was such a strange, ridiculous experience. Being caught in a snowstorm with a stranger, forced to take cover, literally sliding to safety. Of course, this isn't how she imagined this meeting going, but such is life, and one definitely had to learn to roll with the punches. "A little warning would have been nice." A few small flakes? A soft covering first? Literally anything would have been nice. "But I'm glad you knew a place to hide, otherwise we'd both still be stuck out there." Lost, and likely travelling further away from the territory.

Vanadis smiled upon hearing the woman's name, offering her own in return. "I'm Vanadis." Thus far, she'd found the wolf to be pleasant, though they hadn't really said too much to one another. "It's nice to meet you, though I wish it had been under better circumstances." Perhaps in warmer weather.

She shook her head at the other woman's words, a soft nervous laugh falling from her lips. "I had no idea this place was even here actually! I tripped over something and fell down," she said as her gaze briefly darted over to where they had entered, still seeing the blowing snow raging on out there. It was an extremely lucky find, and for once she was glad to have been clumsy and tripped over what she assumed had been a tree root. "A happy surprise though," she continued, her gaze returning once more to the other woman.

Clover grinned wryly at Vanadis' comment, completely agreeing with her. It was one thing to meet a stranger, and a complete other thing to do so while blinded by a sudden snow storm and forced to take cover together. But at least they would have an interesting story to tell. "It seems like we might be trapped here for a little while longer, perhaps we can get to know one another better?" It would be better than sitting in silence, after all. "You been around here long?" She asked curiously, wondering if Vanadis was alone or part of a group, but not wanting to immediately ask the woman if she was alone.

She nodded her understanding, thankful that the little den existed regardless of how it had been found. "I don't think I've ever been so happy to see someone trip and fall." Okay.. so that might have been a little bit of a lie, but who cares?

Vanadis nodded at the similarly pale woman's suggestion and settled herself down to the floor of the den. If they were going to be here a while they might as well make themselves comfortable. "I'm down." She flashed a smile and crossed her forelimbs, suddenly curious about the snowy wolf before her. "No, not at all. What about you?" Of course, the Argyris-Archer only planned on giving as much information as she received, because oversharing was unwise in even the best situations.