Magnolia Glen you don't always have to

For @Saga for some mom and daughter time!
RE: Marrah, you need to hide your paw prints in the snow...
Late night, definitely past bedtime, few clouds, -38C/-36F, extreme cold warning

I’m Done Putting Out The Fires You Start

It was well past her bedtime, in fact the moon was even past its highest peak, and Marrah was not one to break the rules. In fact, this might have been the first time she could even remember doing it. She didn’t even have a reason really, it was cold, as cold as she could ever remember it being and she should be snuggled up at home with the pack. But, something about the night had kept her awake and this time her sister was not awake to tell her stories.

Still, despite the night keeping sleep at bay, and the incredibly rare urge to break the rules, Marrah was taking great care to make sure she was not caught. They were old enough to wander and explore without supervision, but her Mama probably would not take kindly to her being out of bed alone. Carefully she walked, slow and low to the ground so she could use her tail to sweep the snow back over her pawprints. She was pretty proud of the the job she had done so far too.

The child only paused when she finally came across the opening to a small valley. Flopping beneath a tree she had never seen before - bare now but pink in the spring - Marrah sighed. That had been exhausting, and she was getting mighty chilly.

When The Cranberry Vodkas Hit A Little Too Hard

It was safe to say that Saga felt.. on edge. Aweho's disappearance weighed on her mind, but she tried her best not to let it show. She didn't want the other kids to have to worry, and anyway, Tainn's had itchy paws. That was normal. It had to be normal because if it wasn't she really wasn't sure how much more she could take.  That's why when she arrived to the den to find Marrah missing she set out immediately to find her.

It was cold out, perhaps the coldest night they had had so far, which made it even more odd that Marrah wouldn't have holed herself up in the den already. Determined to find the girl, Saga slipped off into the night in hopes that either her nose or a familiar set of paw prints might guide her way.

It was easy at first, following the trail, but the colder she got the harder it became to use her nose and aside from a few scuffle marks in the snow, Saga was unable to find any sign of paw prints... Eventually she took to just calling out for her daughter, hoping that the girl didn't abhor the idea of being found too much. "Marrah?" A few minutes would pass and she would call again, "Marrah? Are you out here?"

Sága is currently travelling with Huddy, Aubine, Adelard, Rhaegara, Riven, Maugrim & Hrun

I’m Done Putting Out The Fires You Start

Marrah was starting to think that she had made a serious mistake. As soon as she laid down beneath the magnolia tree, the cold had seeped into her muscles and bones in a way that she had never experienced before. Teeth chattered loudly in her jaws, and her nose was starting to tingle painfully. The pup did not think that coming out looking for her brother was a mistake, just laying down, stopping moving, it had let the frost she had kept at bay by her movement in and it was hard to shake off.

Letting out a long shaky breath and trying to tuck herself up closer to the tree, Marrah thought she was imagining the voice. But, then it came again. Perking her dark ears up suddenly, she lifted her head away from where she had tucked it tightly against her belly. A sigh of relief left her muzzle, her Mom would solve everything, she always did. ”Mom! I’m over here!” She would have gotten up, but it was just so cold it seemed nicer to be here down by the tree.

Getting in trouble never even crossed her mind, she just didn’t want to be cold anymore.

When The Cranberry Vodkas Hit A Little Too Hard

The wave of relief she felt at Marrah's answer nearly caused Saga's eyes to water, but she pushed them back. Nothing good ever came out of a parent pushing their worries onto their children, at least not in her experience, so the longer she could keep them from having to worry about adult things, the better.

When she found Marrah tucked up and shivering at the base of a tree, Saga wasted no time coming to her aid, protectively curling around her daughter so that she might block the wind and offer what little body heat she had. "What are you doing out here?" Surely there was a reason. It was far too cold for her to have gone out on a trivial jaunt around the glen.

Sága is currently travelling with Huddy, Aubine, Adelard, Rhaegara, Riven, Maugrim & Hrun

I’m Done Putting Out The Fires You Start

Marrah’s teeth continued to chatter until her mother’s silver pelt came into her view. Orange eyes were full of admiration as Saga wrapped herself around the child, and the darker girl snuggled into the comfort and warmth of her mom. It felt like being little again, deep in the den they had been born into, back when there had been all three of them, and no one was missing. The thought of it made her heart ache, and she buried her face into Saga’s side, trying to hide the confusion and hurt that melted her happy expression away just as quickly as it had come.

Dark ear flicked towards her mother to hear her words, and then plastered itself back onto her skull. Taking a deep breath, and for the first time registering that she might be about to get in trouble she murmured, ”I was looking for Aweho, I wanted to bring him home so everyone could be together again.” Marrah’s voice trembled ever so slightly at the end, she had been trying so hard and she had failed.

Turning her head so she could peak out a single eye to look at her mother she whispered, ”I miss him, but it’s so cold I couldn’t feel my toes, do you think he is cold like this?” She hoped not, she hoped he was curled up somewhere warm.

When The Cranberry Vodkas Hit A Little Too Hard