Deepwood Weald loneliness lingers through unfamiliar towns

She constantly glanced over to make sure Kalika was with her as they fled from the great white bear. Akantha had never seen anything like it, but she recalled stories from her childhood of the enigmatic white bears of the northwest islands—where Aktaie the First settled her sect. Were they all so massive? It was clearly hungry enough to risk hunting wolves and she didn't want to think of what would happen if it stumbled across their camp full of slumbering Sisters.

Between the deep drifts of snow, and the lack of sustainable food, Akantha's energy was waning. A crash of undergrowth heralded the approach of the bear, and she looked at Kalika, then past the pale gray woman—in the distance she saw their savior. Two elk legs stuck straight up out of the snow, surrounded by scavanging ravens. The smell of the bloated caracass was pungent. "With me," She grunted, changing direction and leading her Sister past the half-eaten elk. She reached a thicket and nosed Kalika to crawl underneath it to hide while she waited to see if the bear would take the easier meal.

The massive beast lumbered out of the woods and stopped, sniffing about. Between the pungent, rotted smell, and their own... it was difficult to distinguish where the pair of wolves went. Akantha breathed a sigh of relief as the shaggy white bear turned his attentions on the elk and gave up the chase. 

"Fuck." She exhaled between ragged pants, and she swung her head around to find Kalika's eyes with her own.