Shy Deer Steppes sotuknang

@Ithrik

For a place so void of life, Sitala found a comfort in the stillness that she knew would not sit well with the others. The snow stretched on for miles in every direction. It was deeper where you would least expect it, although the weather was hardly ever an issue for the large woman. She was slow to make her way but she was patient, practiced, as if each step was the most deliberate action - this ghost who melded so fabulously with the untouched blanket of white. Her dark nose gave her away; the flash of golden eyes, too.

She was set on her goal: to find shelter for the daughters, and food for the sisters. Once a foothold could be made in this place then life could continue. They could retreat to the safety of their land (wherever that may be) and the daughters would flourish. She did it all for them—they were the future.

It was not common for Sitala to be on her own, nor far from her family at all. Something about the way Namid had been speaking to Kimala did not sit well with her. The dour look upon the youngster's face had not gone unnoticed. When she vanished within the next couple of hours, Sitala was more than happy to go after her. It was not the first time the girl had ignored her responsibility, nor the last time Sitala would let her maternal instincts guide her to follow.

However, it was not Kimala that the ghost spied upon this evening; the silhouette was patchwork at best, and she could hardly tell where the wolf ended or the night sky began. It was a larger figure than anything even vaguely similar to the girl, and this made Sitala seize in her advance. She slowed to a crawl, then completely, and watched the distant silhouette with a suspicious eye.