At least she was nearing the pack lands she sought; the climb had been fraught with peril and the shale that made up much of the trail was slippery underfoot from the freezing rain. Shiva might have given up - if not for her bullheadedness and the fact night was swiftly encroaching - but she was so close to her goal now that she couldn't justify stopping even for a few minutes. Reaching the vale was another problem, as she crested the top of the shale slope only to realize that the saddle had a steep not-quite-cliff on the other side of it. There was a trail, of course, but in the dark and the rain, it was going to be a bitch and a half to get herself down the hill. Shiva growled low in her throat, incensed, and carefully began to wind her way down the hill.
By the time she had inched her way down the mountain, her fur was slick with water, the edges partially frozen by the temperature, and Shiva was giving off little irritated growls every few minutes as she shook off what ice and water had accumulated. Her inner coat was (mostly) dry, but her guard hairs were not and it was quickly going to develop into a more serious problem if she could not locate shelter or gain entry into the pack. As Shiva picked her pace up to a trot, a howl broke loose from her throat, calling to whomever ruled this valley and hoping they weren't some big bag of dicks who would make her sleep in the rain to prove her loyalty.