Moonstone Quarry Boy's working on empty

Raimo halted to survey the area, plotting a route as best he could. He stood out against the snow-covered landscape, which would have bothered him if he had any real intention of hunting in this place. Everywhere he looked there was snow, ice, or bleached rockbeds and boulders—hardly any sign of life at all, let alone anything he might describe as edible. When he resumed his prowl Raimo ducked around a series of stony protrusions and came to a small plateau that tapered sharply, so he had to navigate carefully across the terrain lest he slip or fall. The next time he stopped it was because a segment of snow had moved—shifting oddly in the corner of his eye.

When he looked over to ascertain whether the ground was stable for him to travel across, he found a set of eyes watching him and he froze. The girl could not have been much older than a season—she was willowy, reminding Raimo of the youth that he had grown up alongside.

Hail, he called in reply to the girl's greeting—his tail brushing the top-most layer of snow behind him. The way Raimo had been looming with his head down could give him a menacing appearance and so he tried to ease out of that, loosening his shoulders and lifting his head to look the girl over, letting his friendly posture speak for itself.

That was when the call sounded from the direction the girl had come from, drawing Raimo's attention further. He looked over the girl's head at the white-capped forest, itself rising like the back of a mighty beast through the frost. The call had sounded pained.

They sound hurt, he remarks. There isn't much Raimo can do about it though. He looked over the girl again and pondered over the possibility that this youth might be dangerous, which was not a thought that sat well with him.

The girl looked nervous. I am Raimo. Is that your friend that calls? He decided to ask.