Running Out of Mountain (IC Join)

Summer months mean nothing at the peaks of mountains. Snow still falls, wind still bites, cold air still sparks the lungs. Every breath is seen in a small wisp of white. All animals alike are scurrying about; the warmer months lure them from their cozy hide-outs. Prey becomes easier to snag as they become consumed in foraging, forgetting about the predators that are ceaselessly hungry. Today is rainy, pelting little holes into the peaks’ snow.

Moving gracefully across the mountain side is an Eastern Timber wolf pup. She would be nearly undetectable if it weren’t for her dark grey muzzle. Pelt the color of espresso crema, the young female has found refuge in the snow of the mountains while others distaste it. Her coat is mangy from travel, areas thinner than others from the annual shedding process. Silver-blue eyes melt into her narrow face, giving her a sharp mien. Kahlua stops to stick her nose in the air, her paws sinking into the inches of snow beneath. A scent has caught her attention – a pack’s scent. Hair rises on her spine and she shivers with a trickle of distress; she has wandered onto a claimed land.

Contemplating on to turn back or run ahead, Kahlua finds it’s too late to make any fleeing decision as she hears a rustle of shale on the path behind her. Tail tucking between her long, slim legs, Kahlua turns her head over a thin shoulder to see who has come up behind her.