Northstar Vale the snow carefully everywhere descending

When a familiar scent came wafting down the mountain pass and through the pines Ibis stopped what she was doing; it wasn't much, just a quick perusal of the forest further out from the den, making sure it was safe for a small outing with the girls. But the smell was deeply familiar, so deeply that she was struck dumb for a moment. Her mind raced through all the different people it could be — and then a call came. A summoning howl that sounded so crisp and beautiful she knew immediately who it was.

She turned and shot off across an expanse of rolling green, feeling the wind whip her cheeks, her skin buzzing with a subtle adrenaline. It sounded as if Eleuthera needed help. Where had she come from..? How long had she been home, in the valley? If she was here then were their parents...?!

As Ibis rose to meet the idling figure she saw the blushing brown coat of her first friend, and there was nothing immediately amiss. She gathered her bearings and tried to compose herself, but her heart was jackhammering inside her little body, her breathing a little ragged.

Eleuthera...? She called out, exasperated, stunned to find her sister there, sipping the river water as if she had not been gone at all.