Ugh. Snow was awful. You'd think he'd be better adapted to it as a wolf, but poor Dingleberry here was the antithesis of a northerner; his coat was single-layered and utterly ill-suited for the wetness. The whipping wind pushed him around sometimes when it really got going, so he had to slog his way through the snow with his belly and head pressed down, like a snake.
The plains didn't have the best cover in this weather and it was apparent within hours of his acceptance; so he spent a while just touring the area, mapping out the deeper sections of snow so he knew to avoid them, and seeking any of the craggy old trees that stood as solitary guardians of the area.
One such tree was crooked; blown sideways in its sapling stage so that it was contorted, and as he slunk beneath its curving trunk his tail
thwacked it, dislodging a wave of snow from where it collected and dumping it directly on top of him.
Hell.
Speedy was also ill-equipped to deal with the harsher parts of winter—well any part of winter, really. Her coat was thin and held only a minimal undercoat beneath it, made for an environment much warmer than it ever got here. This being her second winter, she thought she might have grown more accustomed to the cold and snow, but she was miserable all the same. She had only gotten better at compartmentalizing the discomfort while she focused on what needed to be done that day. Her herbs had been sorted and tidied, a task that always made her feel more content once it was done, even if her supplies were dwindling; spring couldn't come soon enough.
So today, she had set to work sorting through the caches, trying to fill the time she wasn't searching for her missing son. If she was idle for too long, then anxiety and fear would start to infect her thoughts and drive her crazy. Movement caught her eye as she made her way from one cache to one hidden within a small thicket. It was a man she had not met yet. She inspected his scent, relieved to find Ira's mixed with it. Presuming him to be a new packmate, she quickly moved towards him, stopping as the tree he was sitting near suddenly sprang up and dumped its snowy burden on top of him. She shivered at the sight, knowing how wet and cold he must be now. The healer moved forward again, a little more slowly, stopping once she was near enough to speak. Hey, are you okay?
she asked, ears falling a little as concern twisted her expression. Maybe being covered in snow wasn't enough to cause immediate injury, but she knew she would be pretty irritated and cold if she were in his position.
After a second or two of struggling beneath the pile of snow, something did emerge. One might've expected his little triangular ears, or maybe his dark little nose, but the softest section of the pile was the rear - so up came his tail. Sprouting out of the layered frost like some kind of alien tulip. As more of his tail escaped confinement he wiggled it, wagged it, and finally stood it erect (heh) as he pushed off the earth with his forepaws, raising his whole butt out of the dune of snow. As Dingo back-pedalled to free himself he nearly butt-punched Speedy, who had drifted closer and was asking after him.
Hey, are you okay?
As his face was buried the longest, and his ears being stuffed full of snow and bits of pine needles, he didn't catch the majority of the question. The sound of a voice did register eventually, once he was free and able to shake the snow from his head, neck, shoulders, and everything else; it spooked him, and with the ice-induced jitters making Dingo tremble, he launched himself against the snow pile and face-planted immediately.
Not the best way to make an introduction.
Inna stifled a giggle as she watched the scene ahead of her. It was a rather interesting sight to see, and there were two new wolves to meet. She didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything. She just sat there in the snow, watchingthe other wolves interact. Her white pelt blended in with the snow, and she was hard to see if you weren't looking for her.
She was so focused on the odd interaction happening between her and this new packmate, that she did not notice the woman who watched them with amusement. Instead, she moved closer to the man as he plunged his face back into the snow, her eyebrows crinkling with confusion and concern. You shouldn't keep your face in there for too long,
she instructed even though no one had asked for her opinion. It's too cold and you'll get sick,
the healer continued. She couldn't help but try and keep him from harming himself. She took a few steps closer and peered at him, her expression expectant as she waited for him to remove his face from the snow. Their company remained unnoticed by Speedy, something she would feel terrible about once she realized the woman was there. For now, her focus remained on her strange new packmate as she waited for him to acknowledge her.