Fox's Glade des pas sur la neige

she had never felt more dead inside than she did now.

for seasons, Tahani had lived for her family. family was her highest priority. and now, she was separated from them all, flung into the wilds alone, helpless. Taki, Sia, Shiv. . .Currituck, gods. . . she looked, she had looked, she continued to look and would until she died.

but the body only had so much energy for one day, and she had expended it this day. she entered the glade and half-collapsed, a pale shell of herself in the shadows. her breaths came quick and shallow, her muscles quivering. she had gone and gone, scenting and calling. to no avail. they were gone.

this was the worst kind of torture; this was hell on earth. she wondered what she had done to deserve this kind of pain, inside and out.

her deep-set eyes stared blankly ahead, focusing idly on a dead leaf here, a broken twig there.

the snow had stopped, but the ice 'round her heart remained.

Placed slightly to the west of Wapun meadow, Sundown Valley is much like Wapun Meadow in the many colorful flowers that grow in its midst. Surrounded by a few sparse spruce trees, the glade has an almost isolated feel to it. A small stream runs through its center, and a few boulders are strewn throughout the valley. It is often inhabited by fox, giving it it's name. Sundown Valley is the name the fox that currently inhabit it have given it.

Cyclone continued to stray just a little bit further from her center point of exploration, reaching out to see if anything else drew her in. She didn't even have any top contenders right now, but some of the lakes she had visited looked promising. Having a lake as part of her home was rather appealing... but at the same time, it meant that they would need to do a lot more fishing than she was used to, so maybe it wasn't the best idea. There was the burnt-up forest, but she didn't see that becoming viable for years, and she didn't have that kind of time. She had spent some time traversing the mountains, but she didn't quite like the idea of that, either.

The monotone wolf eventually found herself in a lovely little place. The pungent (but not unpleasant to her) odor of foxes was apparent on the wind, even in the coldest air that blew through the trees. In springtime, she guessed, they would make for plentiful food. Not only that, but she could only begin to imagine the life that this place would flourish with once it warmed up a bit.

There was another, oddly familiar scent on the air, though. It took her some time to realize (after she'd been following it for some time) that it belonged to a wolf from the glacier. Curious, Cyclone quickened her pace, eventually coming upon the wolf she had hunted rabbit with. They had all been white, but this one she remembered since Takiyok had corrected the name for her.

Tahani? she didn't seem like the type to go wandering this far away from home. None of them did, really. Wasn't that why they'd had so much trouble recruiting?

can be a cameo if you'd like <3 

terance pressed passed the borders today, for no real reason other than to clear his mind. indra and laurel had left, ___ in tow (bc i don't know the specifics yet). he just wanted some fresh air, he'd be back the next morning surely. treason would hold down the fort. 

he wondered again, for the millionth time, what he ought to do differently. what could he change about himself? what would make others stay? what would stop the pain from coming? he knew that this was out of his control, he knew it, but why did it happen? why did the children leave to begin with? was it laurel or... was it him? was he just not a suitable leader? could even the children see that? terance couldn't stop mulling over yet another failure, wondering now when the next round of disappointment would strike. when he returned to the hollow, he would be fine again... but he needed this time. 

he spotted two wolves in the distance, through the trees, one pale like the snow and one a stark opposite. he pressed closer, but kept his distance still, ears cupped forwards as he meant to eavesdrop as he passed, nose twitching. nope, he didn't recognize either of their scents.

the sound of her name would have brought her to her paws, had she not been so tired. as it was, her head shot bolt upright, eyes wide. wha-- she exclaimed, searching, searching. . .and then there was the woman, the dark wolf with pale paws. N-Neasa, Tahani stammered, dragging the name from her muddled consciousness.

so she had been driven this far out, too. oh, if only the Ateneq knew.

where--wh-where are they? the healer gasped, eyes wide in a plea. you see them? Takiyok, Siarut, C-Currituck. . .? she was grasping at any lead she could, hoping beyond hope that Neasa had caught even a glimpse. . . it might be foolish to believe, but believing was all she had, now.

the man in the shadows went ignored, but perhaps not for long. she was beginning to come to her senses, with each passing lucid moment.

Cyclone's nose twitched when Tahani said her name. The way that Tahani spoke about the rest of the group made it sound like something had happened. You're a long way from the glacier, Cyclone pointed out, casting only a passing glance to the lurker who was far enough away not to be a bother. What happened there? she asked. I was out recruiting, is everything okay? Selfishly, she hoped not. Her parting words to Takiyok had been that the winter would rip them apart. Perhaps that little prophecy had come true. If Takiyok's pride had caused her to lose the glacier, it would be sweet revenge for Cyclone, who thought she could have done a better job.

her ears folded back, eyes darting warily as she responded, snow. ah. . .snow storm. lost. Tahani didn't even have the slightest idea of where she was, much less her family. they lost, too, she said despondently, choking on a sob that rose suddenly in her throat.

the healer glanced around the trees, and finally saw the dark man, lurching to her paws with a small groan. who you? she demanded of @Terance, then stared back at Neasa, frightened but demanding. where am i? surely the stranger must know, if not Neasa, right?

hope it's okay if I passed you over for now, Mags! but he's been spotted

whoop! no worries, i assumed he'd just been ignored <3

terance lingered a bit too long. his nosiness had gotten the better of him, and he was drawn into the conversation before he had a chance to move along. he paused, quiet where he stood, before saying, "you are beside the packs of lost creek hollow and east hollow." that would be enough information. his ears pressed forwards, and he regarded the two with caution, but with no visible signs of hostility. 

"my name is terance," he added, in regards to her first question. his tail swung once or twice at his hocks. he wondered, absentmindedly, what had happened. snow storm, she had said. he wondered who they were. he didn't want to overstep, but all the same... "can i help?" he asked, head tilting gently to one side. all the same, the broad man was ready to leave if that was what they wished.

Snow storm. Of course. On a fucking glacier. Cyclone was not surprised in the least, and it seemed she had gotten out at just the right time. Why fuckin' Takiyok insisted on living there was beyond the Blackthorn's comprehension. And now her whole pack had suffered. It was a lovely kind of schadenfreude, and she felt her lips twitch ever-so-slightly. Served the white bitch right for denying her a chance at leading them to success.

It seemed Tahani was not in the mood to let the lurking stranger pass by without questioning, and Cyclone's ears drew back against her head as the white wolf called out to him. Since Tahani had called him over, Cyclone let her steer the conversation wherever she wanted.

the names floated through her mind and rang no bells; Tahani shook her head, eyes bewildered. that didn't help her in the least. he did offer help, though--she recognized that. she licked her lips nervously, staring over at Neasa before meeting the man's eyes.

my family. . .lost, she said, halting. afraid to stumble over her words as she so often did in this clunky language. i--i no. . . she shook her head again, quicker this time, angrier. she couldn't even communicate her needs properly! they lost, she concluded sourly, looking down. i lost, too.

she glanced up at Terance after a moment of stewing silence. white like me, she explained. sisters. brother. family. except. . . Currituck. daughter. brown. green eyes. her expression became plaintive. you see them?

the dark man shook his head, eyes narrowed on her as he thought. "i have not, i will keep an eye out for them, though," he said with as much reassurance as he could muster. and then, suddenly realizing he might've been interrupting, terance gave a single nod of his head. and then, he continued on, not wanting to linger and be a menace more than he might've already been.

Tahani stumbled through her words, and Cyclone looked at the male who had waltzed up. He seemed to judge that this sort of task was way over his head (or that he wasn't welcome), and Cyclone watched as he turned away. It sounded as though the pack had dissolved, and Tahani was left out to dry. For a brief moment, Neasa considered trying to recruit Tahani, but something told her that would be a mistake. The girl couldn't even communicate properly, and something told the Blackthorn that she wouldn't be interested in the concepts she had in mind.

The glacier is north. Maybe they followed you this way? It might help to head back that way and see if they came looking for you. That was about as much advice as she could offer, given the circumstances. She certainly wasn't about to go looking for her former pack mates.

she dipped her head to the man. th-thank you, she managed, and fell silent again, looking down as he left. only when Neasa spoke did she lift her gaze, swallowing slowly as the girl offered her advice. she had no idea which was even was north, not without looking at the stars.

stars. she would wait for the cover of night, and then look for the north star. that, at least, was something.

come with me? Tahani asked, ears cupping forward. Neasa was, after all, a member of their pack as well. if she was truly out recruiting, then surely she would help the Ateneq reunite with her family.

Cyclone's brow furrowed. I can't, she said, not wanting to elaborate beyond that. I'm sure they'll be glad to have you back. Tahani was perhaps the only quasi-friend she had made during her short stint with Takiyok's lot, but she had a feeling the white wolf wouldn't enjoy hearing the story of how Neasa attempted to overthrow the pack. I can help you get started back there. Cyclone wouldn't be escorting Tahani all the way back, but she could get her going in the right direction.

the despair was beginning to be replaced by a cold, distant sense of practicality, and Tahani shook her head at the offer. i go other places, she said firmly. they not at glacier.

the healer touched her muzzle to the dark shoulder in a gentle farewell, wishing the other the best. goodbye, Neasa, Tahani murmured, and then stole away into the shadows again. she left the glade with no less worry, but with a renewed sense of purpose.

this was a journey she would have to undergo alone.

Cyclone nodded solemnly. Perhaps if things had turned out differently at the glacier, she would have partnered up with Tahani. That wasn't the case. Bye Tanahi, she said. The Blackthorn watched the white-furred wolf disappear, then shook her head. It was very possible that Tahani would learn about Cyclone's actions, but it was unlikely that it would come back to bite her. IkKanattuk was no more, so there was nothing to be done.