Redhawk Caldera And my nose is froze

The other half of the packtivity! :)

Hunting was not fun in this weather, even if half of the prey was frozen solid and offered to the pack on an icy plate.

Elwood had grown to dislike slipping and sliding across the terrain with the bitter wind whipping at his fur. More often than not, visibility was low, due to snow or sleet or freezing rain or some combination of the three. And aside from that, he was just cold -- he would much rather be snuggled up with his family in the confines of the shelter.

But as the pack's Alpha male and as a hunter by trade, he felt an incessant need to fulfill his duty. He had set out only a few minutes ago into some particularly heavy snowfall when an ominous rumble made him turn back towards the caldera. He didn't see anything at first, but then became aware of a subtle movement. There was a cascade of snow tumbling down the mountainside, and his eyes widened in alarm as he realized just what he was looking at. An avalanche rolled steadily along the slope, gaining speed as it thundered toward the base of the caldera and the opening of the cave.

With a strangled yelp, Elwood flung himself back towards the tunnel, only to be thrown off balance as the wall of snow hit him. He somersaulted backwards and was effectively buried, leaving no trace of where he had been only moments before.

As much as she was aware of the danger of being outdoors during this terrible stretch of weather, Liffey couldn't help herself after dragging the carcass inside to turn right around and go back out. Her family needed a nap perhaps (and she probably did too, come to think of it), but she wanted to explore the aftermath of the overnight blizzard a little more before retiring. After all, the worst of the heavy snows had passed. It wasn't like any more would find a way to fall down on them from above, so she felt perfectly confident as she headed towards the center of the Caldera, wanting to get a better look at the frozen lake as it was buried beneath the snow drifts.

Upon arrival, the young wolf had done her best to stay back from where she believed the water's edge to be. It was difficult to tell where exactly that spot was now, seeing how covered the lake was. She could only spot the darker blue-gray plates a number of yards further in from where they usually were, which she found fascinating and nerve-wracking all at once. She circled the area for a few hours, even daring once to walk out over it before the faintest sound of cracking made her scurry back to safety. Even so, with so much ice littered about from the ice storm, it may not have even been the lake that she'd heard. But Liffey, breathless with excitement, would tell Lagan and Gannet that it had been the lake cracking beneath her paws for sure. And they would be excited and think how cool she was, and then they would swear together to never EVER tell mom and dad.

A wide yawn had stretched her jaws and sent a shiver along her already trembling spine when Liffey turned and decided to head back home. She'd been gone far longer than she'd intended already and could only imagine the trouble she'd be in. As she started the trip back, her mind was already working on exactly the wording she'd use to tell the boys about her adventure. Only when her eyes lifted at the sound of distant rumbling did her mind cease to think of anything at all and she stopped to stare as the side of the Caldera broke apart and came sliding down to the base of the slope in a colossal cloud of white.

The little Blackthorn didn't understand what she was seeing at first, and so she stared blankly, almost thoughtfully as the avalanche began. But soon enough, her shivers from the cold turned more violent as fear drove them instead. Without thinking, Liffey sprang forward in the snow and ran as quickly as the deep snow would allow towards home, panic causing a strangled howl to wrench free as she moved. She didn't understand fully what was happening even then, but instinctively she knew that it meant danger for her family, and so she ran as hard as she could as the snow clouds settled in the distance.

Any "outsiders" are still welcome to join this thread! :)

Elwood's senses were simultaneously muffled as he was buried by the snow. He couldn't tell which end was up for the briefest of moments; the powder was thick and heavy and suffocating, and no matter how he moved his limbs, it felt like he would never breathe fresh air again. But as the avalanche slowed in the next few seconds and the snow settled, he was able to plow his way to the top.

He broke through the surface unceremoniously, inhaling deeply as he tried to get his bearings. The snow was impossibly deep, and dread settled into a pit in his stomach as he realized just what had happened. No longer could he access the entrance to the cavern under the caldera; it had been effectively caved in.

He was fighting the panic rising in his chest when he heard a howl from somewhere behind him. Liffey! He floundered in the soft powder but was unable to see his daughter, which only made him worry more. Why was she outside of the shelter? Who else was not inside, where it was safe? Frustrated, he thrashed against the snow and then tossed his head back and responded to Liffey with a cry of his own: "I'm okay. Where are you?"

Daddy!!

Liffey's mind and her voice cried out the word at the sound of Elwood's voice up ahead. The terrain, already difficult to tread from the mounds of snow the blizzard had dumped on them, was growing even more treacherous as she waded into the debris from the avalanche. She slipped on ice now and felt shards of it poking at her feet and sides as she struggled through. She was whimpering before long, and her voice had turned to a pitiful whine when finally she spotted her dad's silver form against the white.

The girl smashed her head against her father's chest when she reached him, sobbing fearfully. She tried to stammer a question to him about what had happened, what was happening, where were the others, but her trembling voice simply wouldn't allow it. She glanced up imploringly at him instead as she tried to control the attack of panic, just as it had slowly begun to settle.

Elwood struggled through the snow towards Liffey, trying to pinpoint her location to the best of his abilities. The deep powder muffled sound and had blanketed scents, making it nearly impossible to use his ears and nose effectively. And the visibility was low, as well, as snow continued to swirl around him in the air, landing on his eyelashes.

But suddenly, there she was, her grey pelt seeming darker against the whiteness, and then he felt her pressing herself up against him. There was a brief moment of warmth as their bodies collided, but it was short lived. Elwood embraced her, then asked, "Are you okay?" He barely gave her a chance to respond before saying, "We're blocked from the cavern. We can't get in. Is there anyone else out here that you know of?" Already, his logical brain was stowing his panic and fear into a neat little box in the back of his mind as he figured out what they needed to do.

Her father's embrace seemed to soothe the panic that had threatened to steal her control of herself. She stepped back feeling better, but still the anxiety was clutching her heart. Liffey nodded to confirm that she was alright. She'd felt guilty for wandering so far away from the cave, knowing the conditions were dangerous. Apparently it had been the wisest decision of her life, though that failed to make her feel any better in the moment.

"I don't know," Liffey responded miserably, "Lagan and I helped mom ring in a deer a couple hours ago, but then I went for a walk." The girl bit her lip as she gazed thoughtfully at the wall of snow that now blocked her from her mom and... who else? "Eljay was there with the puppies when we brought the deer in. I think Lagan stayed behind when I left. I don't think anyone else was there."

Her mind scrambled through her packmates. Gannet hadn't been there (which was part of the reason she'd gone out, let's be real), Sassafras was missing, Raven and Aaron were both gone too... But that didn't mean they hadn't turned up in the meantime, she surmised. But it didn't much matter who else had been in there, at least not in Liffey's mind. Her brothers and her mom were the most important to her. That and her dad, and thank god he was outside with her. She couldn't imagine what she would do if she'd been completely alone out here.

"Okay," Elwood said, steadying himself with the word as he simultaneously tried to reassure Liffey. "Okay. So we know Mom and Eljay and Lagan are in there with the puppies -- that's good. If anyone else is out here, I'm sure we'll run into them sooner or later when they try to come back to the shelter," he continued, thinking out loud. And he was glad that Liffey had mentioned the fresh food that had been delivered to the den only hours earlier; it had only taken a few moments for him to realize that those trapped on the inside would be unable to feed themselves once their caches ran low.

As his brain gradually shifted into gear, he said, "I'm going to howl and see if anyone responds out here -- you can help, if you want." He then threw his head back and loosed a loud cry, hoping that the sound would spiral up over the caldera and wouldn't be muffled by the snow. "There's been an avalanche. Come to the shelter if you can," he instructed. He almost hoped that there would be no response, simply because everyone else was inside, but he had an uneasy feeling that it wouldn't be the case.

Liffey hadn't been thinking about the puppies, but she nodded along as though she had when Elwood suggested they'd been lucky. Truth be told, she felt a little affronted that her dad thought it was a good thing they were trapped in there together - as though it was better that mom and her brothers starve to death inside the cave with the stupid babies instead of be able to find other shelter outside with them. She shoved the thought quickly aside, however, recognizing how selfish it was. The puppies were annoying, but they were important. Maybe not as much to her, but to her family and her pack.

When Elwood loosed a howl to the rest of the pack, Liffey couldn't help but to join in. Her emotions were running high, and howling them out had always been soothing to her. Her cry echoed his own - perhaps with more uncontrolled anxiety, but the message was overall the same. Is everyone safe? Who else is out here? Come quick.

I'm going to fade this out since no one else joined us. :)

He was happy when Liffey's howl joined with his own, soaring above the frosty landscape. As his lips came together, he tilted his ears into the wind, straining to hear any kind of reply. He veritably quivered with the effort, though the convulsions could have been due to the cold, as well.

A few long moments passed, and he finally exchanged a glance with Liffey. There had been no response -- and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He put on a brave face for his daughter, though. "It'll be okay," he reassured her, holding her close as they tried to devise a plan.