Lone Star Mountain Sometimes you gotta bleed to know

@Alessia /Zephyr @Rosalie @Helios @Polaris @Lainie @Soter @Morena @Atwood

It was cold in the mountains, and he worried about his decision to go this way. As he done many times since uprooting everyone, he worried about whether or not he was doing the right thing. They had so many children to take care of, and now he was leading them through a pass in the mountains too close to winter for comfort. And with Lainie so badly injured, he constantly worried this was too much for her. Snow covered most of the ground, and the temperature had dropped some as the sun began to lower in the sky. 

Thankfully, there were plenty of caves hidden within the mountain, and since he knew this pass well, he knew where to find them. As he came to the opening of a decently sized cavern, he paused at the doorway and inspected the scents inside for anything dangerous. When all seemed clear, he turned to the group. Let's rest here for the night. He turned to meet gazes with Alessia and Rosalie. I'll go see if I can find something for the children to eat. Stress etched lines into his face as he turned from them and padded away, assuming no one objected to his leaving.

The cold caused everything to ache so much that moving was quickly becoming a problem. There were many moments when she stumbled and fell, twitching or spacing for a moment before getting up and making a display of pushing herself to move closer to the group and continue for another while before tripping up again. She didn't complain because she was afraid to do do, she was scared of becoming a burden on her family. Instead just before they reached their resting place she tried to chat up Polaris, approaching with a big grin "I...It got cold q...quick huh Polaris?" she said happily, going to nudge her before a spasm in her spine made her convulse and stumble into her. She cringed back and apologised before running ahead toward Papa, panting and staying completely still as he spoke and declared he would go hunt.


She opened her maw to speak, to say thank you, that she loved him, but he turned and walked away before she could and she hung her head eyes stinging as she felt guilty. Without a word she slowly made her way into the cavern and lay down curling away from them and closing her eyes. 

for now she is skippable. I may jump in again. Small PP of interaction with Polaris, if that's not okay lemme know!

The Creek is left; a decision the adults have made due to the Wilds fighting back against them. No matter where they run, it never seems to stop. Helios follows his family group, sticking close to @Zephyr, and then straying from their group when he can. Investigating the Mountains could be costly, and Helios is careful as he picks his way through. His heart leaps silently into his throat whenever he hits loose rock underfoot.

He is wandering closer to the group again, when he hears his father's voice—they're camping here for the night. He can feel the bitter cold seeping through him, his skin tingling, paws numb from their contact with the ground and his breaths coming out in wheezed huffs. For now, he is thankful, and wanders into the cavern—curling up just out of reach of the wind.

this could have been the best day of her life, key words being could have. the situation accompanying their current expedition was too dire a thing however, to find any joy in and the idea of giving into the occasional spark as her paws covered new ground seemed like a sin in itself. luckily anytime her heart was tempted into lifting at some of the marvelous things she was being exposed to for the first time in these vast mountains; it was shrouded in darkness once more. for surrounding these rare sparks of wonder was the destruction her paws threaded lightly over, the struggling of her damaged sister; the weariness of her entire family as they wandered cold and hungry through the frankly harsh despite its beauty, landscape. homeless, not having a safe base was a new experience for polaris and as much as she'd felt a constant want to give into restless paws and flee the borders and any ties holding her down, the reality of not having a home was shockingly terrifying. 

they had each other though and although she couldn't deny the ugly feelings to writhe in her gut as zephyr and helios "shockingly" kept to themselves and hadn't the power to stop her gaze shifting glumly in their direction every now and then, at least they were here. for she did love them and perhaps her uneasy feelings stemmed from nothing more than the fear of losing them, whether it be physically or morally. shivering lightly, the dove moved on with a dulling determination only to slow as ears tilted back to catch approaching footfalls from behind. turning mismatched eyes to rest on her beloved sister, a weak smile paints silvery features at the expression to greet her. how was it that despite everything she'd been through, lainie managed to continue shining brighter than the rest of them put together. she nods, relaxing into the positive tones lacing the dark girl's words. she was still lainie, she must remember that. a soft laugh slips free in a visible exhale "very, the wolves who live in the mountains must be v-very tough...and fluffy!" her tone manages to remain upbeat, in fact she almost feels it too until...

she prepares to lean into the shadow's embrace, only to let out a startled yelp as lainie's whole weight falls against her slender form causing weak limbs to buckle and she only just manages to keep herself from hitting the ground. but that's not what causes the painful constriction of her heart, the tears pricking at the corners of startled eyes; it's lainie's face. for true, lainie's light was brighter than theirs but it had become a fragile flame; brilliant when lit but extinguished at the slightest breeze, how many more times could it be relit? the girl raced off with a rushed apology before polaris could even organise her thoughts and she could only look on with a helpless guilt. why did she yelp like that? yea she'd gotten a fright but she didn't have to make lainie feel worse, and then to freeze up like that and say nothing, let her run away without trying to stop her? ears fall back against her skull and she barely registers papa's words, simply watching the small shadow by his side detach itself and wander into the cavern. inhaling shakily, she follows at a brisk trot and without uttering a word, simply curls her small body protectively around lainie's frame. no matter what, they would always have each other.

 

His search for food took far longer than he would have liked, but he refused to return with nothing. Even with his persistence, all he managed to find was a mostly deserted rabbit warren. The two hares that remained were quickly dispatched and they both hung between his jaws as he returned to the family. 

It's not much, but here kids. He dropped the rabbits and waited for the children to begin eating. Assuming they did, he wandered back to the opening of the cave and tiredly dropped to the ground in front of it, blocking the entrance so that the family could rest easily without fear of intruders. He would stay there for the remainder of the night, keeping watch until morning when they would need to set out again.