The Winter Den

Spirit tried her best to remain still as Soran placed the snow on top of her head, going as far as suppressing a chuckle. She shifted slightly, trying to keep her head level as to not knock off the snow, though it was becoming quite cold. Spirit looked up at Soran, a quizzical look crossing her features at his gaze seemed to lock on something. Slowly yet surely she realized his eyes were on her ear. Spirit lowered to the ground, wriggling her haunches playfully before launching herself at Soran, latching onto one of his ears as they tumbled backwards.

Soran attempted to dodge Spirit’s attack just before she latched onto his ear, but his feet slipped out from under him as she got a firm hold, sending them both tumbling backwards into the open. His cream-colored stomach met the snow as he slid, and the shock of freezing snow caught him off guard before his winter fur blocked with a warm solid barrier. By his position, he couldn’t twist around to remove his saliva-coated ear from the she-wolf’s mouth; but a laugh seemed to emerge from his throat. “Now see what you’ve put me through? Here I was, staring at your ear and then you attacked me?” He chuckled, his tail stirring up the powdery flakes of snow around them.

Spirit's blue gaze brightened as she pinned Soran beneath her, her grey tail swishing back and for behind her, stirring up more snow. She laughed through closed jaws as Soran spoke, a deep laugh escaping his own muzzle. A wide grin spread across her features as she let go of his ear, her tail still thumping behind her. "Oh I'm sorry, but fear of an attack pressed me to take action." She glanced as his slobbery ear, "It was attack or be attacked and lucky for me I attacked first."

Soran flopped his head in the snow in mock defeat, though he made no move to dislodge Spirit from her perch. “Perhaps it was a good thing then; I feared it was getting too serious back there. All that talk of nettles and snow...” He said, indicating the spot they had just tumbled from with his paw. The snow the two had stirred up began to settle lightly on his dark brown fur, making it ashen and barely recognizable from a considerable distance. Although they had arrived at the den with the blanket of snow seemingly untouched, it appeared to have been transformed in the few hours after their arrival. In some places, the flakes remained perfectly smooth, and in others, deep ruts and holes had formed from countless tackling, walking and resting. It seemed people had already marked the winter den as their home for the upcoming season.

Spirit nodded, remaining silent for a few moments. Soran made no move to make her get up so she made no attempt to get up. In the cold of winter any form of heat was welcomed with open arms. She lifted her muzzle into the sky, closing her eyes as a soft breeze gently blew by, carrying with it a bitter chill. She tensed slightly at the cold as it coursed through her, shivering slightly. She opened her eyes once more as the breeze died down, her blue gaze looking down at Soran. Snow that was still resting on her head began to slide down as gravity took hold, causing it to drop onto Soran. Spirit gasped though a smile began spread on her muzzle as a laugh escaped her throat. "It seems its still snowing." She said, flicking the snow off with her paw.

Elysia, well she would be lying if she said her eyes weren't flicking to Soran every now and then. She caught his glance, but just as quickly as his eyes alighted on her - they were gone. Elysia rested her head on her paws, snuggling closer to the sycamore. It did give off heat, though not nearly a substantial amount. Elysia shivered violently,shifting herself. Some said movment would keep blood flowing, but that required moving in the snow which would simply soak through her pelt and chill her to the bone. Elysia's tail swept the ground.

She shifted again, her eyes fluttering closed. She kept her jaws clenched, hiding the chattering of her ivory canines. She buried her face in her paws, willing her breathing to become even. With not a few shivers wracking her body, Elysia fell deeply to sleep. Her chest rose and fell, though her even breathing was disrupted by her shivers. Her ears flicked in her sleep, her tail curled tightly around her nose. She looked much smaller than usual, and innocent, and youthful. Elysia, while not that old, was also not that young. She was three years old and had seen enough of life to have lost at least half of her innocence.

But that didnt affect appearances. She was small, curled in on herself. She was small and alone. In that retrospect, she was confusing. She was small, like Pallatsera had been. But she was alone, as Pallatsera had never been. Pallatsera would have stayed, speaking to Insomnia and Mahina. But Elysia had fled. The thought was whisked away in the oblivion of sleep.

Kanae walked down the ridge with a carefully controlled grace that was impossible to replicate. Her slow going steps took her to the sycamore tree of which Elysia slept near. Tiny shivers ran through the fae's body; Kanae instantly felt bad for her companion. Elysia did not possess the long fur that insulated so many of the pack against the bitter cold. Kanae's own coat was extremely thick and long especially for so early on in the winter.

When she witnessed another shiver rack through Elysia's body, Kanae quickly lay beside her friend. She could feel a tiny amount of heat being emanated from Elysia; Kanae felt fearful for her friend. Once a wolf cooled too much, their heart would just shut down. Snuggling closer, the white wolf sighed softly as her heated flank touched Elysia's chilled body.

Insomnia wrote:"Hello" He replied simply towards this male, he didn't even know he was in the pack and instantly felt bad "I'm Insomnia, and you?" Slowly raising himself up off the ground to be at eye level with this wolf, he gave a no sign of emotion.

"I am Ninja. Nice to meet you." Ninja felt bad for him in a way. His face expression looked sad and well, he didn't even really show a sign for any emotion for that matter. "You ok?" the brute asked him. Ninja wanted to know and possibly wanted to help in any way that he can.

Soran followed Spirit’s gaze upward into the overcast sky. The shade of the clouds seemed to blot out any chance of sunlight reaching the flakes that still rested on the ground; however once and a while, a few beams seemed to break through the formation enough to brighten up the atmosphere in seconds. “Indeed it does, I’m glad you are enjoying the view from such a gracious perch.” He replied, stretching his paws ahead of him. Despite the chill in his stomach, the extra company and warmth Spirit provided was welcome.

Insomnia wrote:"Ninja aye'" Insomnia quickly looked the other brute up and down, deciding this wolf wasn't a huge threat towards himself. "I'm fine, why?" tilting his head slightly counter clockwise.

"Eh, you just looked like something was putting you down." he really didn't have a reason why, he just looked like something was bothering him.

Spirit grinned. "It is quite a perch, I must say." She looked down at him, her grey tail swishing behind her. She rose to her paws, stepping off of Soran and sitting down beside him; her white, chalky fur pressed against his brown. She looked at Soran, raising a paw she swiped at his ear lightly. "You can get up now, you know." She flicked her stone grey ears, wrapping her tail around her paws.

Elysia shifted as Kanae settled at her side, but did not awaken. Her eyelids fluttered, but remained closed. Her shivers, though still present, were far less violent than the had been. Elysia subconciously pressed again Kanae, eagerly feeding off of her friend's warmth. Kanae was correct, Elysia had little to no thick fur. In the winter, her fur did thicken - but it was barely noticeable and not nearly enough to keep her warm like the others. It was one reason Elysia preferred not to be alone during winters, it was just so easy to freeze to death.

Elysia shifted again, murmuring in her sleep. Her ears twitched and her paws shifted here and there. She was wincing, though her words weren't identifyable. Her voice was quiet. She looked young, and tired - both of which she was. Her heartbeat was slow, but even and present. Though it had been a possibility, Elysia would not die today - nor any other day soon if she could help it.

Eventually, Elysia's murmurings and shifting subsided as she fell into a more even sleep. After some time, however, she began to stir. She blinked open her eyes, stretching her jaws in a massive yawn. She tilted her head at Kanae, surprised to find the female there.

Kanae felt her companion stir; she looked at Elysia with a smile. Her large forepaws were crossed and she yawned after her friend did.

"You were cold," she explained. "So I came to warm you up."

Her flank was still quite warm and Elysia's matched the heat. Normally, Kanae would not be found so close to another but she couldn't just stand by and watch another fade into the snow.

Soran allowed himself a small smile as he flicked his dark coppery ears under the momentary weight of her paw. In the brief time he had been lying in the snow, the dropping temperature seemed to resurface the aching in his joints that had lingered from the virus that plagued him and a few other fellow pack members. Stiffly, he raised himself out from the indent his body had made in the flakes, keeping his warm barrier of fur close to Spirits side.

The male let out a small, content sigh that quickly turned into a cloud of steam as it hit frozen air. As he opened his mouth to reply, he caught sight of an unfamiliar dark she-wolf watching them curiously a little ways away from where they sat. Though loners were often seen as an immediate threat, Soran merely stared for an instant before gazing around to locate the one who had let her past the scouts into the territory.

A small smile spread on Spirit's muzzle as she watched Soran get up. Though her smile faded slowly as she watched his stiff movements, concern flashing in her eyes as she gave him a worried look. But his eyes seemed distant, focused on something else. Turning to look side ways Spirit caught sight of a loner close by, a dark she-wolf. Her mouth opened to speak but no words came out. How long had she been there and why had no one spotted her entering the territory? Spirit turned back to Soran, clearly confused. "Who.." Her voice faded off as she looked back at the female.

Mahina followed Soran and Spirit's gaze towards the black she-wolf that walked by. Her hazel eyes narrowed slightly and her ivories bared. It took every fiber of her being to keep herself from leaping at the female and questioning why she was in the territory without at least someone guiding her. The female looked about, trying to find the culprit responsible for the loners free roam. It took Mahina a good minute to realize the fur along her nape was standing up straight.