Hideaway Strath Iron tight

For @Fury

Don't forget.

Her eyes were shut tight, the gleaming light combating the darkness behind closed lids, she growled and curled her huge body up tighter, her body heaving for air. Her lungs no longer turning to ice when she breathed, instead they were filled with warmth and the pollen of spring, making it almost sickening to breathe. She curled her tail up over her eyes to shut out the light, her breathing was heavy, fighting for survival.

Don't forget.

She felt as if she blinked and darkness was upon her, she moved her tail and opened her eyes to find she was surrounded by the darkness, that it had consumed all light and joy from the earth. She breathed again and caught the smoke in the air, her lungs caving in to a hard cough. She chose to stand and her once giant body seemed to shrink in under her. She had lost weight, her pelt was unkept. She chose to look out into the darkness and soon found that there indeed was light in the horizon.

A fire. A devastating fire she had only seen once before during warfare.

She howled a war cry, she felt the fire within rise as ghosts of the past flickered before her eyes and she ran toward the fire. War was coming, war was here and it would never end.

Don't. Forget.

The words were a small whispering within her mind, and an image formed. A white scarred face painted itself across her inner eye and she blinked. The darkness and fire was gone, the past had become past once again and she found herself standing in the open, shaking and panting. The war wasn't real, none of it was real. It was all in her mind. She shook her head violently and sniffed the air and ground. She was on a mission, she was on a trail, a hunt for someone.

She had lost the trail several times during the months that had gone by, constantly lost in the past she found herself haunted, but the echoes of her past were nothing but memories. She couldn't get lost in it, not when she was supposed to remember.

Don't forget, her.

Nyra.

Fury woke at some point to the sound of distant snarling. It sounded like a struggle of some sort, but no other snarls accompanied the sole noise.

A battle cry in that same distance made Fury nestle her cubs into the very back of the den. To their protestant whines, Fury soothed, murmuring she would return to them.

Then the Warchief sprinted for the sound she was hearing within the Strath. 
A scent soon accompanied her, made her run faster.

War.

War! 

Fury skidded to a stop a few yards from the she-giant, tail swaying with relief and joy.
"War...?" Fury called to her over the small distance, eyes full of familiarity and warmth. 

Love.

The trail was strong here, the scent was actually overwhelming and she wondered why. She wondered if she had come close, but she had thought so, many times before. She pushed onward, her body screaming for rest, she couldn't recall when she last slept or for how long. She didn't know of reality anymore. Just her mission was real, the present, the reality was Nyra. Somehow War thought everything would return to normal when she found her, her power was declining because she had gotten lost.

"War...?"

Her head snapped upward and darkness consumed her. War - War was here. The fire raging like a storm in the darkness and War looked confused around her, not seeing a living soul, but she heard her voice, she knew it was her. "I am here!" I found you. I looked everywhere for you. She howled again to call her back, to hear her voice once again. Her nose scented nothing but the smoke, her brain turned everything off from reality, there was no Nyra, just fire and smoke.

War's eyes turned darker, they saw nothing of reality, they were caught up in the past of the smokes playing tricks on her. "I am here!" She called again, stumbling forward she found herself tripping over her own paws and landed hard. Head first into the ground. She felt a ringing to her ears and different darkness took over. A silent kind, the real kind. She opened her eyes which she had closed upon falling.

A white figure.

"Nyra." The much skinnier version of War tried to rise, but her body was finally telling her she was done. She had barely slept for days, her mission was complete. Reality and the present had come back to her, she had found who she was looking for, but nothing returned to normal. Nothing was ever normal again, the veteran had seen the fire.

The warfare had torn scars to her soul, scars that would not heal. "Nyra I found you." She scrambled around on her side, trying to get a grip on the ground, but her body would not.

Her mind wouldn't give her rest anymore. There was no turning back.

War's head snapped upward, but it was clear that the russet veteran didn't see her.
Strangely, Fury was patient as War looked around and called I am here! 
The howl that followed was heartbreaking, made Fury's eyes start watering at the corners as War fought through whatever she was fighting through in her mind.

And then she stumbled, and fell hard on her face.
This time though, when the silver eyes opened, Fury knew she was seeing reality again.

Seeing her.

"My name is Fury, now." She corrected with gentleness, coming closer and lying down in the snow with War, a silent message that everything was alright.

"My pups are here now too, I gave birth towards the end of winter." She added.
"And I've been laying down a pack here. The Saints." There was so much to catch her up on, but she would try to do so a little at a time for War's sake.

"My name is Fury, now." War looked at Nyr- Fury with confusion and wonder. Why the sudden change of name? Should War change her name too? She wanted to ask, but did not find herself with the strength to listen just yet. She had to trust her white companion that there was a reason, a good reason for a name change. Maybe the pursuers they had thought they left behind were still on their trail?

Nyr- Fury lay down in the snow, so War stopped her struggling to get up, thankful she did not have to right now. She were able to get herself into a more comfortable position on her side and she watched the white female as she continued to tell her of all the things she had missed.

"My pups are here now too, I gave birth towards the end of winter." Navigating emotions like guilt was unpleasant, and had she been different she would have felt it stronger. But she understood she could not have done anything differently either. "Are they well?" It was still cold times, snow was all around them. Were they safe? Warm? She wondered if they would be alright out here in without their mother.

"And I've been laying down a pack here. The Saints." This was brand new information to War and it sprung open a box of intense emotions for her. She rolled herself over, suddenly finding herself with renewed energy and strength. She was able to stand and even though she did not look her best she felt it. The readiness, the purpose coming to her.

"I am ready to serve again." For her? She was always ready to serve.

Fury nodded in confirmation that her kids were alright. 
"There's four of them." She chuckled softly, then, upon the mention of laying down a pack here, the russet soldier stood with renewed vigor. Fury smiled with fond approval, standing also.

"I would have it no other way." She agreed, with obvious acceptance. 

"There are three others with us so far. Arashi, big like us. Sakari, a lithe black girl, and Gennesis, a scout. Kynareth and Simmik are also here, but not part of the pack. So far, anyway." Fury still didn't know how to really feel about them staying, but she allowed it for Alduin and Tulok's sake.