Windy Peak

I know her laying down isn't the best way to go about it Cinnamon, but she's re-agravated her shoulder and I'd rather she didn't put any weight on it unless she has to, it's a long trip up the mountain

She nearly jumped out of her fur at the sound of the voice just behind her. Keeping her composure she turned her head and smiled as she recognized the other scholar. She nodded "You did right Arisah, we can't have a seriously injured wolf in this terrain", then she sighed and glanced at the bundle of fur that was Linnea "I over reacted, moved before I looked properly, and I have no excuse to do so... Save that I had gone to sleep surrounded by my pack, yet woke up alone. Then when I find you it is to discover this". She looked out over the avalanche, counting the wolves off in her head. Then she turned her gaze back to Arisah and tilted in the direction of Linnea "that was me in a panic, Arisah, a blind panic of fear".

It's good to see you Cinnamon
She turned and screwing gently pulled the other female's ear "good to see you too Ari, and I like your idea with the snow"

(never ever type a post on your phone)

Kitara felt nothing her body was numb. But she was hurting and there was no way out of it. Her ears still hear the ringing of voices. She made her eyes to spits. Kitara gave out a cough splattering blood onto the soft icey powder. Her body was torn from the inside out. She twitched to let them know she still had life.

Feather walked into her new territory. She was unsure of the area, and the wind was blowing her fur. She looked around, and didn't see any wolves. So she kept walking.

Lelio merely nodded his head to the female, the exhaustion that he had kept at bay for the time in the snow was now creeping up on him, he didn't think it was a good idea to be sleeping but his eyes were drifting shut without his consent. Laying down he swept some snow on his paw and let his head fall back.

His mind was not comprehending well the thought of losing his leg and was worried that the scholar would not be able to help. But for now that was fine, he would sleep and let them deal with it, the distant arguing in that background was nothing and he let his head just lay there as darkness claimed him.

(Lame but didn't know what to do with the poor wolf.)

Cinnamon was about to step towards a reddish female who lay on the snow, obviously injured, when there was a soft thud behind her. She twisted around and sprang at the strange male with the injured paw, griping his neck ruff as if he were a pup and tugging him upward.

"Stay awake! Stay awake you silly thing!" She shook her head and half snarled, nipping him hard. Again, and again.

Then she growled low, threateningly "You will get up, wolf, and you will stay awake until there are enough of us well to keep you warm.... Or else"

Feather heard a wolf. She was excited because she was starting to get cold. She trotted towards the noise, but lost it. She sniffed the air, but couldn't smell anything. She dug a somewhat deep hole, and laid in it. The hole was keeping her kind of warn, she curled her body up, and lay there. She kept her eyes open, and ears peeled, ready to find a sign of any wolf.

"Stay awake! Stay awake you silly thing! You will get up, wolf, and you will stay awake until there are enough of us well to keep you warm.... Or else"

The khaki female turned to see Cinnamon, almost viciously biting Lelio's scruff and snarling in a threatening manner to get up. The alphess highly disproved of this, and her head raised slightly as to get a better view. There was no need for Cinnamon to attempt to rouse Lelio and cause him to walk on his injured paw for now. As well, she had not seen Gale exit, and that worried her. She let out an exasperated breath of air. Crimson was mute. Injured and cold or not, these wolves were suffering, not only her. Before she began to move the pack, however, she decided that addressing Cinnamon's rough demeanor was necessary.

"Quit biting and threatening Lelio." She ordered, her blue eyes almost parent-like. She must not panic or overdo anything in a time like this. It was completely needed. She was a leader, and if she freaked out at the possibility of freezing to death, what would the other members do? She took another deep breath. She harnessed the stutter in her voice, and did her best to think clearly. "We need to get out of this cold before others fall into hypothermia. Cinnamon, you will allow Lelio to lean on you for support on the way down the mountain. If anyone needs help walking, do not hesitate to ask for assistance." She said, remaining shivering in place for now. She didn't have the energy to get up yet, but hopefully it would only take a few moments before she could muster the strength to stand.

She knew from memory that there was an okay path downward, it would be risky, but it would do. They'd need to walk a mile or so before they would hit forest, and likely seek refuge near the river, which was another mile or two away. But they could do it. It was hard, but certainly possible, though whether the alphess would fair well or not was definitely in question. But she would try to not fail her pack. She would try to ignore the vicious shivers that racked through her coat.

Feather again heard the wolf. But this time, it was a different voice. She again got up. She couldn't see, the snow was blinding her eyes. She continued up the mountain. She almost slipped every step she took. But she was willing to go on find a wolf. She was beginning to freeze. She relied only on hope that she was going in the right direction that the wolf was in. The lifted her nose to the sky, to sniff the air one more time, but she couldn't smell anything.

She took a couple of more steps of the steep slope, before a strong wind blew her over. She was becoming weak. She looked up, and the only thing she saw was white. She dug a hole one last time. This time, it was much shallower, she was running out of energy. She lay there shivering. She was scared. She decided to let out a howl, but it wasn't too loud. She laid her head down, and her eyes slowly closed, for she was getting tired, and cold.

Feather looked up. She saw a male, he was much larger than she was. She stood there in the freezing snow, but she finally managed to say something, "Yes, I-I am. I di-din't know this was a pack territ-t-tory. She stayed there laying in the snow. She didn't know if she could trust this wolf, and if he did turn on her. She wouldn't be able to do anything. "I'm F-feather. And May I ask wh-who you are." Every word she said would come out almost as a stutter. She was freezing.

"I can tell your not used to this kind of weather. If you come with me, the scholars of my pack can help you. If you do come with me, i can assure you i will not attack. It's not my nature."

She slowly stood up. He was right. She wasn't used to this kind of weather. She looked at him then smiled, thankful he found her. She did a slight nod, She looked around her, she didn't recognize anything. All she saw was white, and some trees. She then looked back at the wolf, and remembered the other thing he had said earlier.

"Actually, your rather lucky that i came here over some of my pack mates. Like the guardians."


"What would the guardians h-have done?" She says tilting her head. She had never heard of such rank. She had never been in a pack before. While she was standing she was shivering. Her fur kept her somewhat warm, but not as warm as she would like to be. "Nice to meet you Ph-Phantom."


"Now i suggest if you want to live, get up and move around to get your blood moving throughout your body. That'll warm you up."

She stood there then said, "So um, can you show me the way? To your pack? If that's ok..." She looked at him with her blue eyes. They showed a bit of worry. She was scared, and it was showing a bit, but she was holding most of it in. She began to walk in circles a bit, to try to keep her body warmer, and her blood flowing, like he had said.

"Of course! It'll take more than a bunch of snow to finish me off." Gale's voice was heavy with exhaustion despite his beset attempts to push it away. However, happiness was also evident and it lent colour to his words. He had been about to give Linnëa a "hug", but the alphess had moved off after looking at the Wanderer for several moments. Something had been in her eyes but it was indecipherable. Different emotions swam across the khaki female's blue eyes like minnows: they were fleeting and impossible to catch. For a moment, the beta pondered over what thoughts could have been crossing Linnëa's mind. However, it was hard for him due to the increasing dizziness that had begun to size his brain and muddle all thoughts. With a careful concentration, he added, "I'm really glad to see that you're safe, Linnëa."

If she had heard, the alphess gave no indication. Gale decided that it would be best for him to examine his new place of containment. Even though there was no place of known direct light, the cave-like structure held enough light for the male to see. Little did he know, there was a small whole in the ceiling further back where the sunlight bounced off the snow due to its high reflective properties. Everywhere one looked the snow glittered and glowed beautifully with an array of colour. It cast a wide spectrum of colour to be cast upon the small world of which the trio was encased in. He bet that if someone with a white hued coat were to be in with them, their coat would capture the colours. Then again, it was a doubtful thing as well. There weren’t quite as much rainbow hues as there were just white-silver sparkles. Nonetheless, it was still a beautiful sight.

A rock stood alone like a sentinel behind Lelio. In the spring, moss would have covered its surface. Since it was winter however, it was plain besides the thin sheet of ice that shone on the entire structure. There were tinier fragments of the material that jutted out slightly to give it a bumpy-like texture. Of course, it was not seen by the untrained eye or by those who didn’t look closely enough.


Hearing that name, Gale’s fur prickled unnaturally. Lately, anything to do with the beta female caused a reaction such as this from him. The laceration that ripped his flesh sent an excruciating wave of pain through his body as he turned to look towards where Linnëa was digging towards the surface. It took quite a bit of time for the alpha female and the others outside to make a hole large enough for everyone—Linnëa and the two males—to squeeze through. If he had been able, the beta would have assisted them but his shoulder was beginning to freeze. The blood around the wound was nothing more than crimson icicles that served to make the wound colder and colder. Normally a lighter pink hue, Gale’s skin was becoming a sickly white. It only took a little bit of time for frostbite to set in upon the grievous injury.

Before he knew it, Lelio and Linnëa were out of the hole. Gale stayed where he was for several moments and listened to the muffled voices above him. He had not realized it before, but the trio had been trapped in a very deep cavern. The snow above his head was so well packed that it didn’t even bend underneath the weight of the wolves above him. It was surprising really to see this new, sparkling world that had only been a rushing tsunami of snow beforehand. Pondering for several more minutes, the beta finally decided that it was his turn to escape and return to the life above. Pressing into the snowy tunnel, he pulled himself through with as much strength as he could muster. The wound on his shoulder howled at him to rest and try again later, but he continued onward, needing to leave before he was drawn to the silver world once again.

Had Gale been more physically fit, he would have been out within seconds. However, because of his wound and the reopening of said physical affliction, he took a few minutes to surface. The first thing he did was blink as the world was much brighter on the surface than it was below. Green eyes hid and reappeared several times before the pupil shrunk to a reasonable size. When he could see, the Wanderer immediately found Linnëa laying in the snow. Violent shivers racked through the alphess' body; causing her muscles to twitch beneath her khaki coat. In comparison to himself, Linnëa's fur was much thinner due to her bloodlines. Of course, Gale knew not of where she came from but he knew that such was true.

With a slight limp, the powerful male headed towards the alpha female. It didn't take him long to cross the distance that was between them and took even shorter time for him to lay down and press himself against her. Compared to her, Gale was much warmer even with a frostbite infliction on his shoulder. Placing his head on Linnëa's back, the male looked at the others with a slight bite of distaste. Even with his time in the pack, he hated to show affection in front of others, especially those he spent no time talking to. His green-eyed gaze passed over every wolf in the area that he could catch sight of. However, they came to a rest on Adena. The beta female hadn't moved nor had she said anything. His gaze warmed slightly and an unspoken apology shone in their depths. However, he doubted that Adena would know as to what he was apologizing for. Would she think he cared for Linnëa instead? Or would something else pass through her mind?

Only time would tell.

[Cut quite a few paragraphs out. Sorry for the shorter length than what it initially was. And lame..]

Linnëa's eyes only took moments to move from the pack, to the hole she had exited from. And it was for a very specific reason, too. Gale had not exited the icy grave yet, for a reason she did not know or understand. Why did he remain inside? Did he not want to live? In the depths of her mind, the nasty voice in the back of her head whispered something that caused her heaps of inner stress. It's because you're out here/ Pain and surprise flickered across her face like the beginning spark of a flame. It hurt far too much for her to bear, but bear it she did. Like the massive weight of all the avalanches' snow pressing upon every square inch of her body, she suddenly had the incentive not to move at all. To let the pack leave. She didn't want to get up. In fact, at the moment, she could not give up. Because, now, her shivers were disappearing. It was not a good way, it was her body beginning to concentrate itself elsewhere, as warming was no longer an option. Her head slowly laid further and further on the ground as the tremors continued to subside, her blue eyes low in saturation, and horribly sad. Maybe it was because she was out here. Maybe, somehow, she disgusted him, which was why he had decided he loved Adena instead. Maybe she just wasn't an eligible wolf for such a male. So many reasons on why she was just not good enough passed through her mind for minutes as she waited for him to come out.

And then he exited.

She reacted like she never had before. Her eyes immediately flicked away, as if she had not been staring endlessly at where he had been out of view. Her expression gained a look of even further pain, though one could likely perceive it as pain of freezing to death. She didn't understand. With her deceased mate, Firnen, she had felt pain like this, pain of losing him. But Gale was not lost. She never knew mourning could feel so similar to rejection. What only made it worse was how the fact that she felt similar pain caused her to think of her own past.

Her friends, her family, her mate. Most of them had been murdered, sickened, and had died in one form or another. She practically relived her past right then and there, laying in the snow with her eyes fixed on something beyond what her eyes could see, but what her mind felt and knew. The joy of being young, the silliness, playing with her buddies whom eventually grew up to become guardians, and how she had come so close to being with them. She would have been with her companions forever, too, she would have become a guardian as they had. But, in the meantime, she could feel the fulfillment of healing the ill as an herbalist. Helping those in need until the time would come that she would join her ranks. And then, terror came over her as she felt the fear when it was announced that several powerful guardians had turned mad, and they were at war. Acceptance, when she found she was needed in battle. And then, the blood lust when her two closest friends died. Her silver hued friend, first, with a deadly bite to the throat. The roar of his companion when he fell to the ground lifeless. And then, in the rage the companion felt, he too was killed. She descended into madness that night, horrible madness where she found herself unable to stop until those responsible were gone. And then, horror, as she paid the price, when her rabid mate approached her and attempted to kill her as his brain was literally consumed by disease. Then, she had been empty. Her pack had moved on while she slept, unable to wake the exhausted female. She had been alone.

Then she had found Banishing Winds, and had been openly accepted. But now, the same emptiness she felt then was being experienced at this very moment.

She was snapped from her confused, painful stupor as he began to approach her. She gave him a blank stare, her mind reeling. Then he laid next to her, and her breath was lost as she felt the head from his coat meet hers. Slowly, her shivers returned, as she was almost immediately warmed. But she wanted to reject it. He didn't like her, he was not interested. The presence of Gale beside her both healed, and harmed her in terrible synchronization. Her turquoise grey eyes turned to meet his. They were confused, and even sad. She found herself unable to look away from Gale for several moments before she forced her eyes to move. But, in the last moments she watched him, he looked to Adena. She shivered in a different way than one her body naturally gave off to warm itself. It was more of a chill, a great amount of emotion given off in just seconds. He did like Adena. She could see how he felt, the expressions and things he gave off to her, and they hurt like knives being stabbed inward, and then being turned in a excruciating circle.

"You like Adena." She whispered. Then, a look of pure terror and surprise overtook her face. Why had she said that out loud! It was meant to be a quiet, not a low whisper that only the male could discern over the low noises of the winds. Her eyes turned to give him a look of terror and worry. She began to attempt to move, though her legs failed her. She didn't understand this. She didn't understand why now was the time, in the midst of all the pack, she would become so obsessed. Though, she did know spring was on the way. She used to be independent, to be strong, but now everything fell apart like shattered glass. The pieces cracked. Then they would fall to a hard surface, and every glittering facet of the once whole piece would still moving, like the galaxies as they spread further and further apart. But would the gravity of her mind knowing better be able to reassemble it?

Her feet still uselessly scratched across the layer of snow on the mountain as she tried to escape both the male beside her, and the sharp pricks of her mind as they swung inwards and began to come together. Eventually, she gave up. Her eyes lost their once bright, happy light, and she looked ill, like she had been only weeks before. She looked down to the snow, awaiting Gale's reaction. He could pretend he did not hear her, she had not said it loud enough for Adena or any of the other pack members to overhear her thought that had mistakenly been broadcasted to the very male she wished to keep it a secret to. But, how would he react? She was uncertain, even frightened, of how this would play out.

(P.S.- A while ago, I had a pirate pack (The Pirates of Rackham's Cay) with Jackie as its leader. Liafi was a member for a time, but the pack was seperated by a hurricane. Calico hasn't seen any of the former members until now.)

What would the guardians h-have done?

Phantom had to think for a moment. "Hmmm i don't know about some of them. But all i know is that if you had been caught while one of them were in the wrong mood, you could have been chased away or either killed. But i dout you'd be killed. More likely to have been chased off." The white male had recalled during the time of his jounry to the Banishing Winds Pack that he had stumbled into stranger pack's territory and had been chased off. Luckily, he had never been attacked badly. Only a few nips here and there. Nothing big and no greta damage was inflicked. "But my pack isn't like most. And seeing that you looked confused on the term, guaridan, i'll explain it quick and short. Guaridans are the protectors of the pack. They are built for a fight and will not back down easily." I haven't spoke this much since i inflected the damage in my lungs before the new lands, he thought, good thing i'm healed or that run to rescue the others would have killed me in that climate. The young white male sighed as he kept his eye on the shivering female.

Nice to meet you Ph-Phantom.

Phanton grunted softly with a nod. "Nice to meet you to, stranger." The white scout shifted his paws. "I'll warn you now though, you may not get help right away from the scholars. Our pack was just in grave danger. But thankfully things are smoothing out now." He shook his large white head. There was no way he was going to tell a loner of what had just taken place with the pack. Was that wrong of him? No. It was not, indeed. "I am for sure not a scholar, or healer being that which you might be used to calling that rank, but i can say all you really need is something in your stomach and warmth from others pelts. Don't be surprised if some of the wolves shy away from you. It'll take time to get to now them, if your accpeted by one of thte alphas." Why do i sound like this? he asked himself. I'm explaining all this as if she were a pup! First i ever explained the pack with such detail to a loner. Well theres a first time for everything, eh?

So um, can you show me the way? To your pack? If that's ok

The white scout chuckled. "You make that sound as if it's difficult for me to do. Like i explained before, I am a scout. Meaning, my body is built for speed and running. Scouts normaly have long legs and thinner bodies when being compared to those of the guaridan rank. So, anyways, yes i can indeed take you to my pack." A moment passed before he questioned with his golden orbs following the females movements as she warmed her body back up, "Can you run yet?" he slowly continued. "If so, you'll warm up faster. And also if we do decide to run... and you end up lossing me. Just um.. call my name. I have excellent hearing. I heard you, didn't i? Yes i did. If it wasn't for part of my pack, i wouldn'y be here saving your life." Phantom knew exactly what he had meant when he spoke of his past. The half about his selective breeding. Which was just plane rare and odd to some of those that had not heard of this. It was for him and his silbings to pass on their genes so that the pups would be larger and better then regualr wolves. This all explained Phantom's massive size. But unlike his older gray brother, Timber, he was defently built for the run. Timber was built j ust like a gaurdian and their sister, Willow, hunting. They each were completely different other than being larger then most. "Maybe if you get accepted and the weather warms, I can tell you about that, my past that is. And show you around the territory so i don't have to rescue you again." he said with a chuckle from his little joke to the female.

Saphera padded into a snowing clearing and saw 2 wolves talking. Then, she instantly froze and padded silently nad slowly to a well covered bush hoping he didn't see her. She thought he didn't see her at least for now he didn't. She then decided if he found her she would run. He even looked like he could run, but she knew she couldn't fight him. He would catch her she knew it, but she needed to show that she doesn't go down without a fight or... well a struggle. She then began to notice from the conversation that he had a build like a scout or a hunter. Either way she thought she would lose. Hunters and Scouts have good senses of smell and they are both fast. She knew that if he found her it was over, and chances are she was going to lose this one.

Phantom's attention was suddenly turned as a strange scent drifted into his nose. A loner. He wanted to bare his fangs in a warning until he sensed the fear this wolf was holding. The white scout's great sense of smell had easily gave her away but his orbs had reflected her movement. She had just about wondered straight into he and Feather. A scout or not, he knew that he could easily take his other wolf down. Judging by the size and smell, it was female afterall. And with his selective breeding, he knew he was very large in comparison to her. "Do you smell that?" he whispered softly to Feather. His orbs never left where the black wolf was hiding. "Feather, keep you sense up. We're not alone." he said loud enough that the new wolf would hear. If this wolf was to attack. he would give his life for the pack. Knowing if she did attack, she would be bound to attack another of the pack. Attempting to keep calm now, he spoke out a little loud then normal with his deep toned voice. "Show yourself." he commanded. His long thin legs began to tense up. ready to strike out in a run at any moment and give way to a chase. He slowly raised his tail, to show dominace within the three wolves here. Phantom was the only pack member here. Making his rank much higher than the loners around him. "I will not harm you unless you attack first." he said with his ears perked up towards the sky, listening and waiting for the wolf to reply.

Kitara choked out the last of her struggle leaving the snow a light pink. Her throat ached and her legs still unsturdy. She stood letting out a grunt. Shaking her thick pelt releasing the frigid snow that had knotted her fur together. She gazed at the wolves and decided to walk over to two wolves. She dipped her head in silence. Waiting for her turn to speak.


(Sorry its short I have nothing to do with her)

Arisah’s ears twitched back across her skull in alarm as the female’s cough. Blood was not good, especially coughing it up. This wolf might have internal injuries, and it was any wolf’s guess how bad they were. Curse this mountain and snow, there’s nothing here to try and treat this with. Nudging her again, Ari whined softly, a noise that betrayed that she was greatly worried. “Come on now, up you get. I know it hurts, but there’s nothing on this mountain top that will heal you. We can help, stranger, but you need to come down the mountain with us.” She turned to Finn imploringly, looking to the scout for help. “We need to get her out of here Finn. All the snow in the world won’t fix whatever’s wrong with her.”

But no sooner were the words out of her jaws, when the female coughed again and dragged herself unsteadily to her paws, padding away as if Finn and Ari hadn’t just been trying to rouse her. Shooting Finn a puzzled look, the scholar padded quickly after her. “Woah there stranger, are you alright?” But obviously she must be somewhat okay, given that she was managing to walk off. Perhaps it was just the cold and lack of water that had her throat raw and her body chilled, nothing that warmth and a good solid meal couldn’t cure. She certainly hoped so. “I’m Arisah, a scholar of the Banishing Winds Pack. Who are you?”

With a bit of relief, she noted they were at least moving toward the rest of the group, and Finn was still nearby as well. The last thing Arisah wanted to do was get separated now.

Kitara swiveled hers ears backwards and turned around slowly. She choked on her words "I'm Kitara a lost loner looking for a pack.." Her tail dropped and her ears half pinned on her skull. Shivers ran down her spine and her stomache growled. All she needed was rest warmth and food. But she could wait until.

/just gonna jump back in/

The female's ears flew upward in hearing the plea. The voice felt familiar, and upon turning around, she saw why. Jackie!

Immediately, Liafi ran to the red wolf's side. "What's wrong?" she asked, keeping as objective as she could. If Jackie did not remember her, then Liafi did not want to appear like a moron for being reunited with her old friend. "Is there something that I can do to help you?"

Something seemed to be off though. Shaking her head and blaming it on the cold getting to her, Liafi focused on her old Captain. Oh how times had changed.

"I won't hurt you unless you attack first."

Saphera heard these words and knew he was ready. She stepped out, but she then did the unexpected she turned the other way and bolted she began to run through the snow as fast as she could. She knew she was going to lose this time, but that didn't mean she had to give in and look weak. Saphera kept running as fast as her legs could carry her through the cold wind. She knew she would wear out soon in her conditions. She kept going though as hard as she could the bare branches scratching the skin under her fur as she sprinted away from the wolf. Then she braced herself as she was running she was wearing down and he was full of energy still. She took her few more gasps of freedom not in a pack. saphera new it would be foolish not to join you could see her ribs and she could see all of the sratches and scars on her. She was going to end up in this pack one way or another.