Firefly Glen Come as you are

Rodyn moved through the glen. Eyes searching throughout it's gloom. He hadn't seen @T.K. in some time and it worried him. he had even looked for his friend after coming home as he had offered, but T.K. Hadn't shown himself.

Rodyn moved further into the canopy of trees, the early morning sun blocked by the wide expanse of trees. The ground was frozen, so it didn't suck at his paws as it would in autumn, spring or summer. And there was alittle more light than usual thanks to most of the leaves having left their home on barren tree limbs.

bless ya danni <3

winter bad bad winter chilling to bone and so hard find prey too when snow deep and even thought step light dog sunk deep.

day and day and daydaydaydaydaydayday without any white winterfur in teeth and spindly frame grew skeleton thin and dog grew weak 

weak

weak

until even tears froze on cheeks.

so many thoughts trough head; home, warm blankets, leather couch that tasted bad when chewed, home, heater, food bowl, benji the plushie bengal tiger, home, floor heating, shag carpet, home, home, home...

skeleton dog curled into tight little ball under roots of grand bald tree at very edge of forest, shivering shivering, 

but wonderful thing was happening! 

snowflakes piled on and on, until snow covering dog felt like the warmest, softest blanket...

what was dog doing in this forest...?

it would come back to herhim, just after this nap...

Hello love :D

He had followed the scent trail, however faint of T.K. and he came to a mound in the snow. He was going to pass it by, but it moved. Suddenly Rodyn was pushing forward and unburying his friend.

Oh my god. T.K.! T.K.!

He howled in anguish and dug, hard and fast, so anxious. His tiny little dog beast was almost frozen through. Skin and bone and sadness.

Holy....

Rodyn curled around the tiny dog protectively. His own winter fur, warming and toasty. He wasn't thinking of T.K. not wanting touched. He was just thinking he may die if he wasn't.

nap was coming close yes. yes. little winter noises fading, going. there was only white sound of white, soft, warm snow.

it was gong to be a good sleep, yes.

in dream, there was voice that wasn't heard in long, long while. dog smiled, thinking the happy thought of "rodyn!". but it was only thought, and in dream it would become more happy. it would be summer, in dream, and there would be quickfast pronghorn antelope, and rodyn and tk would be chasing them over plains, happier than ever...

warm blanket was draped over herhim. it was soft and fuzzy. so, it was not tk, after all. it was little toblerone, snug in box next to betsy, warmed by many squishy bodies to either side.

toblerone exhaled, content because toblerone did not know hurting hunger, or biting cold, 

or rodyn.

There was no stirring, no blinking of eyes. Rodyn whined, absolutely petrified that his friend would succumb to the elements. He pulled them tighter into his stomach and side. Squeezing paws around him.

T.K.! He spoke hurried, worried. He blinked hard and fast, it would not do well to cry in this weather. But he couldn't get them to wake up. And he knew that taking them to see Kuku was not an option. Last time he tried to take his dog beast friend to another wolf, it had caused an almost unrepairable rift.

Oh. T.K. He whimpered softly.

toblerone enjoyed the softness of family, of blanket nest, of squirming siblings. sleep would come easy, and heavy. tightened brows came loose. a pleased expression melted across the face.

but, there was a smell, as pleasant as everything littlest toblerone knew. and since the brain barked at it, yanking into the stream of thought memories both happy and anxious, toblerone quickly knew that it could not be toblerone because toblerone did not know rodyn and this was rodyn rodyn rodynrodyn-

one eye cracked open.

"...rodyn?" voice was weak. it was surprising, but dulled by blury sight of very good face up above. toblerone t.k. hadn't ever seen rodyn from so very close. rodyn had eyes that were pretty and soft. those were very good eyes. 

but they were wet with tearwater. dog's tongue poked out in half-try to lick it away like dewdrops off of a grassblade.

"it's... okay... rodyn." speech was drowsy and slow. words were plucked from mind like carried by river, instead of blasted by hose. "don't... cry. we'll... hunt. t.k, just... needs...

to..."

like thick curtains being drawn, eyes closed. 

a smile on greyhound's muzzle.

T.K. curled up against him, which was great for warmth, but they wouldn't wake up. Rodyn needed T.K. to wake up, or he'd die here. His fur was barely there.

A sad laugh left Rodyn's lips. Hey T.K. He blinked his yellow eyes at him, tears on his cheeks. A gentle lick to his cheek and Rodyn sobbed harder.

Rodyn couldn't handle it. Oh gods Please forgive me T.K.

He shifted and bent to press against and push under T.K. he couldn't carry him by the scruff and he couldn't drag. This would be hell on his back and his legs, and he would have to stop often, but they were too far away to howl for Moonwoman. If it were summer or spring absolutely he could, but with the wind howling, it would do no good.

Rodyn shifted so that T.K. was atop and then with pure determination, he pressed forward.

We'll get there. T.K.

He would continuously howl for @Kukutux, perhaps she would hear him the closer he got to the mountain.

rodyn's voice was filled with worry.

moonwoman did not come without herbs wrapped in a good skin.

she came down to meet firsthunter; she looked at him and then the odd striped animal he bore. the shape was vaguely canine and was too thin, too thin.

she pulled the wrap from her shoulders and offered it to sivullik for this creature. did he mean to protect the dying thing? she waited to hear.

dream and real.

bony chest fell and rose.

t.k. was somewhere deep within own mind. place that was warm, and safe, and familiar. the briefest time of comfort in short life.

eyes would open now and then, little slits where pupil was single blurry pinprick. snow passed by.

eyes closed again. the howl, so near, seemed year and years distant...

fireplace crackled in old house.

Rodyn saw Moonwoman and he almost collapsed with relief. Moonwoman! he gasped out. His legs almost buckled.

Do you remember be talking of the skittish dogbeast T.K.. This is them. I found them half frozen, their fur isn't like ours. Please tell me we can help them. Though, it maybe too late, though I hope not. T.K.'s a fair hunter in theirown right, fastest creature i've ever seen. Wolves scare them. I've tried to bring them home before.

Rodyn didn't know what he would do if Moonwoman told him they couldn't help T.K. It didn't bear thinking of, he'd doubt very much she'd turn them away. But it was winter and they needed to take care of their own pack mates first.

the creature was dying.

kukutux looked at rodyn and then the one called tk. "bring him," she decided, gently tucking the edges of her wrap around the dogbeast's shoulders.

she would help rodyn on the long journey back, back to moonglow and her ulaq.

then healing might begin, and if the spirits saw fit, they would keep tk's life inside the thin chest.