Marigold had come out the edge of the redwood forests to hunt, and gotten lost in her tracking and assessing. When the storm hit, it caught her completely unawares. The wind picked up in great lashes, and the snow let loose all at once, creating a whiteout within minutes. She had tried to get back to the tree line, but then all markers were gone. Mar could see nothing, and keeping her eyes open not only exposed them to these harsh elements, it also dizzied and disoriented her.
She was stuck out in the open, and the only chance at shelter was to happen upon it.
"Fuck," she barked into the storm, the cold seeping into her fur and her nose and ears stinging.
'Pick a direction and walk,' Mar told herself, but she knew in her gut that it was unlikely she would manage a straight line in these conditions. Still, it was better to try than to just sit here and let herself freeze, wasn't it? Unless she wandered out into the tundra...
... or onto the ice of turtleback lake.