Shallows Edge Winter of Our Youth

RE:Shallows Edge, a howling, keening blizzard blasts your territory, making it both hazardous and uncomfortable to be out in the open.

There was no way Askan was going out, not when the wind was so fierce it felt as though it could strip the flesh from his bones. Though he liked the privacy of his own den-especially when his mate was there too- he had very little desire to go anywhere. Tucked into a neat little ball in the corner of the communal den, that was where he intended to stay until the weather died down. Curling his tail around his side, he used it as a makeshift blanket to cover his legs and face as a grumbled passed his lips. What shitty timing, he'd only just started to shed his winter coat, yet seemingly out of spite-or in one last hurrah- the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Just because it could.

The wind howled and roared outside, smashing into the moss covered walls of the den and yet, Askan felt safe within it's gloomy confines. Whilst it had a low ceiling- so much so that the taller Edge wolves had to duck a little- it made up for that fault with it's roominess. Even if the packs numbers grew in the coming weeks or months, there would still be enough space for them all within the den. And some to spare, assuming that they didn't splay out like greedy bastards.

Thinking of the den in that way made Askan feel a little...worried, if he was being entirely honest. Where was everyone? Were they safe, tucked away in some corner of the territory, safe from the cold?  Or had something happened? The Edge Lord squinted in thought as he pulled his tail away, his toes automatically tensing as the cold began to nip at them. Should he check, howl to see if anyone responded? Reluctantly, the Selwyn pushed himself to his feet and kept his neck hunched so he didn't whack his head on the ceiling. He padded to the entryway of the den, his nose twitching as if he'd be able to smell anyone out in that shitstorm. Damn it, what was he supposed to do? Leadership was supposed to bring a sense of knowing, certainty, but in moments like this he always felt a little...lost, hesitant. His Father had made it all seem so easy, natural, but clearly it hadn't been otherwise he'd still be alive today. Determined not to follow in his Father's path, Askan inhaled deeply and stepped out into the white. He'd have a quick look, he'd be able to stand the cold for a little while, then he'd return. Hopefully not empty pawed.

He was beneath a tree, under the snow-laden bows. It was some kind of shelter, even if the wind threatened to dump the whole tree-load on him with every gust, and the ice was still collecting thickly on his fur. His shivering whiskers were icicles, he couldn't feel his toes, nose or ears, and his muscles were stiff but, at least he wasn't directly in the storm, right?

Ugh. This was the fucking worst.

His eyes were wide despite the furrowing of his brows, staring ahead into the flurry of precipitation with profound indignation. Cancer should have been in the den, out of the storm and its wind, not exactly touching any of the others but soaking up their excess body heat all the same. He hadn't made it, though, before all this shit hit, and now he was stuck here. It was too cold to move, but wasn't he... in danger, here? His shoulders rose, in an attempt to bury his neck and cheeks within his own thick hackles.

Cancer snorted, bristled up, and reached a frozen paw out, toes spread as though he were testing just how bad it really was out there. It didn't just nip, it gouged and with a hiss he recoiled and hunkered closer to the trunk.

Guess he was just gonna die here.

(This post was last modified: Apr 02, 2018, 12:32 AM by Cancer.)

I love his table <3

Askan pushed on through the white, his eyes narrowed into a squint as the dots of snow pricked at his eyes. His tail was firmly curled between his legs, shoulders hunched and neck taut as he stumbled blindly along. To think that anyone would willingly be out here was baffling, so he couldn't help but think that they were trapped, cold and alone and in need of a little help. Askan was no hero, he wasn't the sort to swoop in and save the day but he wasn't a villain either. If a pack mate needed help finding somewhere warm he'd be their shepard, if they were at risk of losing toes or any other extremities he'd do his best to warm them up. It was the least he could do as their leader.

Keeping to the treeline, in an effort to shelter himself against the roaring wind, Askan took another step forward and stood on what felt like a soft rock, but furry. He didn't even have time to react as the thing beneath him began to stir, seemingly-and understandably- taking offence to being stepped on. Askan reeled back, squinting with his teeth bared, when he noticed that the lump was dark, with sharp blue eyes that'd make a lesser man wince.

"Cancer?"Askan had to yell for his voice to be heard over the gales. The cold made his throat burn, as though he'd swallowed liquid nitrogen. "Follow me, the den isn't far!"He leaned in and gave him a poke with his icy nose. If he didn't get up Askan would drag him back, there was no way in hell he was leaving the kid out in this.

She was not used to this kind of weather. Not at ALL. The world had to be ending; why else would this raging tempest of ice and wind strike when her winter coat was already shedding?

She whimpered, hunkering against the ground. She was afraid to move, knowing she would only get more lost if she tried to find shelter. Better to curl up here in the open where they could find her body and know she hadn't abandoned them than vanish without a trace, right?

Then she heard Askan's voice. She couldn't tell exactly what he said, but Lenka was certain she heard the word "den". "Askan?" She called, hoping he could hear her over the storm. "I'm here! Please don't leave me here!

“WHY IS IT STILL SNOWING.”

Who’s idea was this? This was so dumb. He was leaving. He was running away, so far south that the sun never went down and it never, ever got cold.

The wind screamed against him, hair blowing in all directions. The alpha shivered, eyes narrowed to mere squints as he spotted two dark shapes moving in the distance. Askan and Cancer. But then there was a voice, before he could move to join them. He looked around – hell. She was practically invisible in this mess!

“Lenka!? Where are you? Yell louder!”

Couldn’t leave anyone out here to fucking freeze their toes off.

possible tw for touching on cancer's ptsd. sorry he's not furthering the action. P:

All he heard was howling, and so he pressed his ears down tight against his skull to try and block it out. Maybe if he tried really hard, he could fall asleep and wake up when its over. Or even not at all. Cancer didn't want to die but, wasn't every point in time someone's time to go?

Then he thought he heard something different, and a paw laced over his snout as if hiding the light from his eyes could keep out the voice. Wasn't now a perfect time for them to act up and keep him from drifting off? His body shivered in the cold, but otherwise he did not move. A whirlwind of noise rose slowly within his head, eventually blocking out the sound of the storm and the wolves around him (and even the weight of Askan's paw at his flank), the ones he would've sought out if he knew that they were really there and not a product of his fucked up mind.

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2018, 07:58 PM by Cancer.)

And then you get up and get up and get up again

For all the times to be out! She'd seen the clouds. Had the icky feeling it could storm. But this winter had been strange. She'd gotten it plenty of times. So off she'd go back to the safety of the den and the storm wouldn't come in. It would keep to the mountains, or blow itself out. Unfortunately today she had ignored the warning.

Not much to do about it now. She was just running as quickly as she could. Wanting to make it to the den before she couldn't find it. This seemed considerably worse than the one she'd experienced at the Fields. It might be because it was happening now.

Frequently cleaning snow from her eyes, she was almost there. Joyfully she found herself able to pick up a bit more speed. She wasn't the only one out. Though as she blinked for the millionth time who could be sure. Letting out a woof, she wondered if she'd be answered but did not stop to find out. She would keep going until she reached someone or shelter.

Okay, so this wasn’t good. The small Archer had been in the medicinal den when the blizzard hit, and he would have been content to simply stay there... except that he wasn’t. Because he had wolves in his pack to care for, and he couldn’t just let them suffer out there. What if they had gotten hurt, or what if someone was freezing to death? They had cubs, for god’s sake.

Pete made his way through the sheets of falling ice, his mercury eyes squinting hard against the frigid cold. ”Hello?” he called, hoping someone might hear him. The whole search and rescue thing had sounded like a good idea, up until Pete realized he was very small and couldn’t manage to tote anyone back if they needed it. As a matter of fact, he was in danger now, as well.

He had taken to walking with his eyes closed, as it was just as effective and didn’t burn when the wind bit into them. The young wolf let out a soft oof when that tactic failed and he rammed his face into the flank of someone warm and furry that smelled like their pack.

”Oh thank god. Are you alright?” he asked the unidentified wolf in question.

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

Ooof, sorry I let this one slip guys.
Posting order @Lenka -> @Reyes -> @Cancer -> @Remington -> @Pietro  
Askan is only aware of pete and cancer at this point, feel free to get your woofs moving towards the den and meet and kana and co there.

"Oi! Get up!" Askan ordered when the dark blob that was Cancer made no move to get to his paws. Was he frozen solid, unable to move? Askan gritted his teeth as the wind pricked at his eyes, what he wouldn't do to go back inside of his den. But not without Cancer, he was one of them now."If you don't get your arse up I will drag you back to the den myself. Now move!

He'd never seen Cancer so...despondent before,unresponsive, as though he was a husk of his former self. The normal Cancer would've said something by now, a smart comment about how he'd heard him, or something equally as crass. But this? It was all very new to the Edge Lord and he didn't like it one bit.

It was then he felt something, or rather someone, barge into his arse. The fuck? Askan reeled around, his jaws snapping at the empty-if not freezing- air between them. It was an automatic response, a knee jerk reaction-because honestly he near leapt out of his skin. But wait...he squinted, struggling to make out the shape of the being before him. Small, blackish? Pietro, probably. No one else seemed to fit the bill.

"Mind it!" He rumbled, not wanting Pete to step on Cancer as well-who was still shivering, pressed up against the tree as though he wanted to become one with it."It's Cancer, he won't listen to me. Might be hurt." He paused then, a multitude of questions rattled about in his mind, but was now really the time? They had to get him out of this shit, somewhere warm and safe....The den shouldn't be far.

"Help me with him. We can look for the other's later, we need to get him out of this shit."

Askan & Reyes