Under the Weather (Open)

[Tiel]

Kimiko:
In Mama's mind, traveling was always a fun time, but Kimiko guessed she had never experienced weather like this before, and was therefore unprepared for the blizzard her family was caught in. There was nothing to do but wander aimlessly until they discovered some form of shelter. Kimiko had no idea what else to do, with her lack of knowledge on blizzards, never having had experienced one before.

Kimiko was no longer a pup, and was already larger and lankier than her small statured mother. She felt as though she would be faster on her own, but her brother was disabled with a limp in his back leg, and her mother was chin deep in snow, so she stayed at a slow pace for their sake.

Wind howled around her, and she could only barely see her mother and brother on either side of her. It would be easy to lose them in the storm, so she tried her best to keep them both in her line of vision, calling out to them every once in a while in case Kimiko left their range of sight and they were forced to use their ears to guide them. Anyway, it didn't do much good, for the wind was so loud she could barely hear her own voice. But she still called to them, even when the cold made her throat sting, and her voice was giving out.

Her mother turned to her rather abruptly, and called something to her. Kimiko couldn't hear what she said, but through the rapid snowfall, she caught a glimpse of a panicked expression on her face. Whatever she was saying, it was important. "What?" she called back. Her mother gestured to something behind Kimiko. Probably her brother, Dae. She turned around to see what was the matter, and found her brother was no longer walking, and was struggling to keep himself upright in the snow. Her ears perked at the sound of her mother calling something else she could not make out, but thought she heard the words "go help," so she rushed to her brother's side.

Dae had been born with a limp, as if trudging through a blizzard was not difficult enough. Kimiko feared she had overestimated her brother's ability to trek through snow up to his chest with winds threatening to knock him over. As she arrived at Dae's side, he collapsed in the snow, and Kimiko bent down to lift him with her nose. "Kimi…" he faltered. His voice was shaky. "Where's Mama…?"

Kimiko turned her head, her mother no where in sight. She had expected her to follow her to her brother's side. Had she lost sight of them in such a short time? "Mama!" she called. There was no answer.

She felt Dae's nose touch her side and she turned to face him. Shivering and desperate, he looked up at her. "Kimi…" he said again. "Don't go…"

She was torn between staying with her brother, and going off to find her mother. She couldn't just leave Dae immobile in the blizzard to freeze, but she knew that if she refrained from searching for Mama now, there was a good chance neither of them would see each other again. She glanced in indecision from Dae's freezing face, to the treacherous beyond where her mother was lost somewhere. In frustration, she stomped her front paw angrily into the snow, but instead of stopping when it reached the ground, it kept going, as though there was some sort of hole in that spot.

Kimiko turned to Dae, a twinkle of hope in her eyes. She could tell from the look on his face that he just figured out what she just did. And immediately, the two began to dig, Dae doing all he could scooping snow with his muzzle.

Eventually, they managed to dig up what appeared to be a den, and Kimiko did a triumphant leap in the air. But the celebration didn't last long. She began shoving Dae into the den as best she could. He used his two front paws to pull himself, but that didn't help much. Soon enough, they were both inside the den, and Dae was shaking snow off his snout.

Other than the faintest glow coming from the entrance that reflected in Dae's blue eyes, the den was dark, but in a safe, comforting way. However, Kimiko could tell by the lingering smell in the air, and the way the wind whistled far in the back of this cave, that this was no wolf made den. It was a tunnel—a labyrinth more like. A rabbit warren, she thought. At least that meant they weren't barging into some random wolf's den.

Kimiko came to Dae's side. She was taken aback by his ice cold fur, but stayed pressed against him as they stared wistfully out at the blizzard. They were both shivering.

"K-k-kimi…" Dae broke the silence. "Y-y-you're not going back out there, are you?"

Kimiko didn't respond, and Dae's voice grew more urgent. "You'll freeze! Just wait it out."
"I can't wait that long, Dae," she said. "She'll freeze before I can get to her. Just promise you'll stay in the den. I'll—we'll come back by tonight."

Dae sniffled, then nodded, and Kimiko stepped out of the safety of the warren, back into the ruthless blizzard. She called out to her mother, but there was no response. The loud winds blocked out most of the sound, so perhaps she couldn't hear her. She called again, then again, but still no response. Oh power, what was she going to do?

[Deleted]

Aurelia:
Aurelia was trudging back to Wildwater Falls after visiting the Vista. Her blue eyes tried in vain to find anything in the whiteness. She hated Winter, it was cold and dead. It reminded her too much of what she had lost. She had been traveling in silence for most of the day it took to get home, so it surprised her when she heard a voice. Her fluffy dove grey coat and stocky thick body where good for winter treks, so she knew that delaying her return home wouldn't affect her. She would be a few hours late home. She was just under a year old, so she wasn't that tall yet, so the snow was brushing her belly, but man she could trudge. Still, she trudged forwards. She was a determined little she-wolf, and she wanted to help. "Hello? Is anyone out there?" Her voice carried, but at that moment she wished for Siren. It would carry her voice much better, her power Teleportation was useless in this white out.

Finely spotting someone, Aurelia sighed. "Hey!" Her blue eyes struggled to keep the wolf in her vision. "Hey,
over here. I'm Aurelia, who are you looking for? Do you know where any shelter is? If you do, we need to go there now. You are going to freeze to death if you don't." Aurelia definitely knew of what she spoke. She was a fluffy wolf, this she-wolf wasn't. They both needed to get inside, though. Aurelia hated snow, it was cold and unforgiving as death. She was better acquainted with death then she would care to admit, to.

[Tiel]

Kimiko:
As Kimiko trudged on, she grew less hopeful. What if her mother froze to death, and there was nothing Kimiko could do about it? She continued to call out, but stopped when she heard another wolf's voice. It was not her mother. It was a fairly young she wolf. Kimiko was immediately envious of her thick coat, clearly providing much more protection from the snow than Kimiko and her brother's thin flanks could ever do.

She called back to Aurelia. "Hello! I'm Kimiko!" she said. The wolf told her she needed to get to shelter, but how could she bring herself to abandon her search for her mother? However, here was Aurelia, searching for shelter. It would be the right thing to do, showing her to the warren, to safety. Anyway, maybe this stranger could be of some use to her in finding Mama. "Shelter is this way! We can talk there!"

Kimiko beckoned Aurelia in her direction, beginning to turn around. She made sure she kept the direction of the warren in mind at all times, so she wouldn't lose track of where she was going. She trudged toward the shelter, making sure Aurelia was behind her at all times, then eventually reached the entrance.

[Deleted]

Aurelia:
Aurelia followed Kim, trudging along. Dark coat coated in snow, she was able to pick out where Kim was. Thinking, Teleport, she was by Kim's side. Her pink tipped nose was twitching for any smells. She was reminded of when she was a young pup, staring into the whiteness with her brothers by her side. All three were just as in awe of the cold and power of the late winter storm. Just like the previous year, she sighed. Before she had seen the green and life of Spring and Summer, and the colors of Fall, she had though Winter was the prettiest. Now she knew better. Winter brought death. It was the anniversary of her parents death, it was when her family was shattered beyond repair.

In short, Winter was Aurelia's least favorite season.

She finally spotted the shelter Kim had spoken of. "I see it. If only I could teleport us both.." Aurelia's anger at her lack of practice was obvious. She trudged on at a increased speed. "Follow behind me, it's easier." She spoke from walking in the winter when she was small. Her aunt carried her most of the time, but sometimes she was too tired to carry her or didn't have enough strength. So Aurelia would walk behind her aunt, careful to walk in her footsteps.

When they (Finally) reached the shelter, Aurelia sighed again. It was so tiring to trudge through the snow, she wanted to curl into a ball and sleep. But she had to get why Kimiko was outside in this snowstorm. It was dangerous. As she sat down, she glanced at Kim's brother. "So, Kim, why were you outside?" Her blue eyes boared into Kim's, like she was thinking hard about any possible answer.

[Tiel]

Kimiko:
A shiver—perhaps from the cold, but mostly from the shock—ran down Kimiko's spine when the stranger appeared directly next to her, leaving an imprint of where she had been standing in the distant whiteness, which was quickly filled in by a fresh padding of snow. Kimiko had heard of powers, and had even seen the tattoos on various wolves around the valley, but she had never seen them in action. No wait, yes she had. A memory flashed through her head of a wolf she had met called Sasha. She and Dae were only pups at the time, and he had levitated a fish out of the lake, leading Kim to believe that she herself had a power. The thrill she had felt, the triumph, it was amazing, and Kim found herself close to envious of Aurelia, previously of her thick winter coat, but now this power. It was wrong, of course, because Aurelia had only been helpful this whole time. So Kim tried to be more grateful.

Something flickered in Aurelia's blue eyes, a twinkle of distant pain. A memory. What could she be relating this blizzard to? Kim had always had a happy life, so she knew little of the hardships other wolves must face. She tried her best to understand, but deep down inside, she knew only experience could provide enlightenment to the nature of their misery. The misery she had never known. And to think, Kim had almost envied Aurelia's warm flank and glistening tattoo she wore.

Aurelia lost the flicker of memory when she began to scan the snow for the warren Kim had gestured to. She seemed frustrated that she could not teleport the both of them, but moved on, directing Kim to follow behind her because it would be easier. She was right. It was easier. Kim had kept her mother and Dae directly next to her as they trudged through the storm so that they would not leave her line of vision, but perhaps it would have been easier on them if they had followed behind her. Maybe then her mother would not have gotten lost. Kim's own frustration showed through the extra kick to the snow she walked with, along with the clench of her jaw.

When they arrived by the warren, Kim slid through the snow into the entrance, less graceful than she had hoped for. Dae was in the same miserable state he had been in when she left. She saw his features perk hopefully when another figure trudged in with Kim, then deflate as he realized it was not their mother.

"Dae," she said. "This is Aurelia." Dae looked over the she wolf in distaste. Kim knew it wasn't that he disliked Aurelia personally, Dae was upset that she was not Mama. When Aurelia asked why Kim was out in the blizzard, she exchanged glances with her brother, then sighed. "I was out looking for our mother. She got lost in the blizzard." Kim slid closer to Dae, and her brother buried his face in her fur. "I want to go back out looking for her, but I'm afraid we might have to wait the storm out. But what if she freezes?" The weight of the situation made Kim's muscles weaken. She wanted to find her mother. No, what she wanted was to be with her mother and know that her family was safe, away from danger, and away from the blizzard. She felt disoriented by the whole thing. But Kim was not one to collapse under pressure. She was determined to do everything it took to bring Mama back.

[Deleted]

Aurelia:
Aurelia saw the he-pup look over her with distaste, and she wished the scar over her face was gone more then ever. Was this how her cousin would react when he first saw her? Was this how her brothers would react to seeing her? Was this how her parents would react if they ever saw who she had become? Aurelia begged the Power that it wasn't, she couldn't take that. She didn't want to see the dislike in anyone's eyes when they looked at her, only seeing her flaws. The pup's gaze reminded her of Allegro, too. Allegro had never liked anything as far as she knew. The look in his eyes was something she had seen in his eyes when he called her a crybaby. He hadn't been wrong, at least not then.

Aurelia looked away, focusing on Kim. She nodded along, bright blue eyes bright with a wisdom beyond her years. "You two are staying here, wait the storm out. I'll go out and look, what dose she look like?" The eyes that she had inherited from her Great Grandmother glittered with determination and worry. Help was something she was going to have to decline from these two, they were so much smaller then she. Their coats were so thin, this must have been their first winter or something. Not like I can talk, Aurelia thought to herself, This is my first full winter. The fluffy she-wolf then turned back into the snow, large dark grey paws sinking into the snow. She had a mission, she would fulfill it. It could end with bragging rights to, a story she could tell her cousin when she finally got to meet him. That and the harrowing tale (That he could never tell Aunt Stormstar or Uncle Zelax, Aunt Stormstar would kill her if she knew Aurelia had gone alone) of how the large -at the moment bright yellow- pawprint over her right flank had come around, and why it glowed bright orange before she disappeared in a single second to appear on the other side of the clearing or halfway up the falls on some outcrop of stone.

A memory crashed into her head unwarranted. The first time she had ever set foot outside of the den she, her siblings and her parents had shared before they had been shattered and thrown to the wind. It had been in a winter storm just like this, and she had stepped a paw outside into the blizzard, following Adante. The adventure had scared her at the time, she could barely make out her snowy white brother in the whiteness, and it had scared her. She needed to be able to see him, make sure he was okay. Drag his sorry half-tail back to then den and tell Mommy what he had been doing. But the second she had set foot into the snow, all thoughts of ratting out her brother disappeared, replaced by wonder for the white world. Her fur was washed of it's color by the snow caking it, turning her white as a White Wolf. Her blue eyes had been the only features that stood out from the snow, just like Adante's lighter blue eyes ahead of her. He had smiled at her, and she had smiled back, rushing out to play in the snow with him.

Now she smiled, her eyes closed for a brief moment. When she opened them again, she could almost believe Adante was out there, and she just had to get him to look back and smile. Then they would play in the snow, just like before. They wouldn't tell Mommy, she wouldn't be happy with them at all if she found out. So, pretending she was searching for Adante like that snowy day so long ago, she set out to find Kim and Dea's mother.

[Tiel]

Kimiko:
Within the tunnels, there were only small rays of light that filtered into the darkness, but it was just enough for Kim to see Aurelia's stoic expression. For a second, through those knowing blue eyes on this stranger, Kim could read her mind. She saw the thought forming and she didn't like it. But before she could silence her, the idea was out of Aurelia's mouth, and she was already asking follow up questions.

Kim hesitated. Dae was leaning helplessly into her shoulder fur, and she couldn't tell if it was fear for their mother's safety or just frostbite that caused him to feel so limp. Someone had to stay with her brother, but someone had to go out looking for Mama.

"She's pink, short-statured and has green eyes." Kim said. Their mother looked nothing like them, of course, because they were unrelated. Mama had told them about how she found them abandoned and all alone, and adopted them as her own. She took care of them in rough times, so Kim would do the same. "Thank you, Aurelia," she said as the she wolf left the warren, trudging straight out into the blizzard, perhaps into certain death. When this was all over, and everyone was safe, Kim would owe Aurelia something. She wasn't sure what yet, but she would owe her.

Nishi:
How long would this blizzard keep up? Nishi could no longer walk—her muscles were limp—and she was separated from her two children. She feared for their safety more than her own. What kind of mother was she, suggesting they should travel for fun, then have her whole family get caught in a snow storm? It was her fault they were gone and might freeze to death. Nishi would never be able to forgive herself if something awful happened to them. She thought of Kim and Dae, probably scared to death. She could only hope they found shelter, and that they were not separated from each other.

Nishi had given up calling to them when her voice gave out. She couldn't speak any more, only helpless whimpers came from her throat that got lost in the sound of howling wind. Her short stature didn't do her any good. She was chin deep in snow, too weak to climb out of the fresh padding beginning to cover her body. She was a limp body, all hope lost.

[Deleted]

Aurelia:
Aurelia trudged forawrds, searching for any sign of pink. Her nose was frozen at this point, she must have been searching for hours. Aunt Storm and Uncle Zelax would be worried by now, but they wouldn't go out looking for her yet. Aurelia was known to wander, and she knew the way home. They wouldn't start freaking out for another day or so. If she was gone longer she was in for it when she got home. A bittersweet smile worked it's way to her lips, thinking of how her aunt would dote over her like Aurelia was sill two months old. Like Aurelia's own mother had when she was little.

With that happy thought, she wondered how Kim and Dea were doing. They might have stayed put, they might have followed her. Pups were unpredictable that way. She was checking behind her periodically, checking for tiny followers. It was while she was looking back to check for any pups when her paw landed on something solid, and furry. Aurelia scraped the snow off the side of the wolf, finding.... Pink fur. Kim and Dea's mother, this must be her.

The dove grey she-wolf nudged the pink one, frantically trying to wake her up. She was cold, colder then any wolf had ever been that Aurelia had seen. Scraping more snow away, Aurelia found the she-wolf's head. Shaking off the memories of her parents bodies lying in the snow, Aurelia grabbed the she-wolf's scruff. She tried to drag Nishi back the way Aurelia had come, but then it hit her. I'm lost out here... Blue eyes widened, and her dark grey ears went up like a cat's. She was nervous now, and the grey she-wolf now only had instincts to guide her.

Needless to say, she was more surprised then she should have been when she found her way back to the den. Her coat by this point was crusted with snow, and her paws were numb. She was carrying the she-wolf on her back, and they were nearly the same size. Aurelia could barely lift her paws now, and she practically collapsed once she was inside the den. Her breaths were quick and her breath misted in long puffs. That was something she was never doing again.

Aurelia was grateful that she had gotten the she-wolf home to Kim and Dea. They would keep their mother, if Aurelia had anything to say about it. Losing your mother at a young age was something she would never wish on anyone, not even the red she-wolf or the Ice King.

Long puffs of misty breath slowed back to normal, the cold still burning her lungs.

[Tiel]

Kimiko:
Nestled in Kimiko's fur, Dae was falling asleep. Kim was leaning against the frozen dirt wall of the warren, close to the entrance so she could watch for Aurelia. She had tried repeatedly to doze off like her brother, but she couldn't seem to fall asleep when her mother was still out there in the storm.

The hours seemed to drag on and, if she was not imagining, the air grew colder. The howls of wind eerily resembled that of wolves. Kimiko was sick and tired of that melancholy noise that seemed to sound more and more like cries of pain the more Kim listened. Then suddenly, there was the yellow and grey figure of Aurelia approaching. Kim strained her eyes, searching for another color, and to her delight, there was pink!

Kim's face lit up as the shapes resolved into Aurelia and Mama. Her mother was in terrible condition, but Kim was just relieved she was out of the blizzard. She turned to smile at Mama's rescuer who was probably exhausted. "Oh, thank you, Aurelia!" she said. After closer examination of her mother, her face grew serious. "We'll have to get her to White Magic, but she'll be okay," Kimiko knew a few things about healing which her mother had showed her. Though Mama had probably not been thinking selfishly when she taught them, those skills could save her life before they could get her to White Magic.

Kim hadn't noticed Dae wake up and sit by Mama's side, but now he was looking up at her with wide blue eyes. "You can't go back out in the blizzard! Just wait it out this time. Please, Kim."

Kim was afraid that was their only option. The blizzard had to pass by morning. Mama could hang on until then, but they would likely have to bring White Magic to her. After contemplation, Kim sighed. "You're right," she said, and Dae seemed to relax. "As soon as the storm passes, I'll go get White Magic. Dae, you have to stay with Mama, okay?"

Dae's tail brushed against Mama protectively. "Okay."

"Good." Kim turned to face Aurelia, who despite Kim's thank-you before, the two of them had basically been ignoring until now. "How can I repay you, Aurelia?"

[Deleted]

Aurelia:
Aurelia sighed, watching her breath mist. The cold had penetrated her fluffy coat, and she knew that the further down in the earth she was the warmer they would be. "How about we move further down, it'll be warmer." Hauling herself to her aching paws, she picked up Nishi. Dragging the pink female further down the den, by some wonder Aurelia didn't pass out.

Once she was satisfied that they were indeed far enough down in the earth, Aurelia set down the pink female and fell onto her side with a loud THUNK!!. Her breath still misted, but it was much warmer down here. Faded memories of sleeping in the sandstone den in the midst of winter flooded her mind, fuzzy as they were. Her mother and father's voices were long gone, as were their faces. Every thing from her family's coats to the den walls were faded, muted in color. But their eyes were clear as ever. Adante's light blue, Allegro's deep purple, Mama's golden, Daddy's light purple. It was so clear and fresh in her mind it was almost real. Homesickness stabbed her heart, and she seemed to ignore Kim and Dea. She looked at herself, reminding herself that her father had been that shade of yellow. That her mother had been black as midnight and light as Aurelia's chest. That the yellow like her father was almost the gold eyes of her mother.

Closing her blue, winged yellow eyes, she set her head down. She lay next to Nishi, hoping that it would help keep the pink she-wolf warm. Softly, she began to murmur a lullaby to herself. "Hush now, mo stóirín, Close your eyes and sleep. Waltzing the waves, Diving in the deep. Stars are shining bright, The wind is on the rise, Whispering words of long lost lullabies."

(Full song is here)

[Tiel]

Kimiko:
"You're right," Kimiko said, when Aurelia suggested moving farther to the back of the den. She and Dae both watched her carry their mother, wondering how she managed to muster the strength after pulling her through the blizzard. Kimiko felt pressured to adopt a penitent manner, since Aurelia had shown her and her brother such kindness, and there would be no way they could repay her. The least she could do was help carry her mother farther to the back of the den. Kimiko put her head under Mama as support, but since the warren seemed to be at a downward slope, most of her mother's weight was forced onto Aurelia.

Dae scampered after them, his back leg dragging behind him. He tried to do the same as Kimiko was doing, but she snapped at her brother "Dae, don't. You'll hurt yourself."
"But, Kim…" he whined.
"No. Stop pretending you can do these things. I don't want you getting hurt." Dae's bottom lip quivered, and his ears flattened. A hurt showed in his expression that only Kimiko could afflict on him because they were so close. She and Nishi were the only wolves whose opinions Dae cared about. But Kimiko, unlike Nishi, would only ever tell him the truth.

Kimiko regretted her words as soon as she saw Dae's expression. She waited until they, along with Nishi, were farther at the back of the den before apologizing. Dae followed pitifully behind them. Aurelia was right. It was warmer back here. When Aurelia collapsed, Kimiko came to her side and wrapped her long tail around her. She sighed.

"I'm sorry, Dae." she said. "I just don't want you getting hurt. I love you, and if you ever… I mean…" she trailed off.
Dae curled up between Mama and Kimiko. He grunted. Since Dae was a wolf of few words, Kimiko had resolved long ago to interpret his grunts and sighs. This grunt suggested forgiveness.

After that, they just listened to Aurelia mumble a lullaby. When it was over, Dae lifted his head. "That's beautiful, Aurelia. Where'd you hear it from?"

[Deleted]

Aurelia:
Aurelia was on the verge of a exhausted sleep, her breaths becoming slow and even. The lullaby, even when sung to oneself, worked it's magic on putting the young she-wolf to sleep.

But then Dae asked where Aurelia had heard the lullaby. Aurelia was fully awake in seconds, seemingly startled. Then she became quiet again, thinking it over. How should she respond? Should she tell the truth? Should she lie? Should she tell a truth but not the full story? She decided on the first as a response. "My mother would sing it to me and my brothers when she wanted us to sleep but we had other ideas. Adante, he would love to rush outside in the middle of a blizzard. He got out of the den once without Mama or Papa finding out, and I tried to drag him back in by his half-tail. Then I stepped out in the blizzard, and I was enchanted." Her tone became wistful. "He was the most adventurous of the three of us, I was a scared little puppy who would prefer to stay inside to going out. That was how I found a small river cavern,
though."

She yawned. "How would you like to hear another one, one that my aunt sings to me and my cousin? It is late, and you both need to be asleep." Her blue eyes looked at the two pups with care. Then, she began. "Lay down your head.. And I'll sing you a lullaby. Back to the years, of lo-le-lie-laay. And I'll sing you to sleep, sleep til' tomorrow.. Bless you with love, till' the end of your days..." Her song was one of softness and love, much like her aunt had when singing it to her when she was young.

(Full song here)

[Tiel]

Kimiko:
The pair listened to Aurelia tell her story, and both nodded when she suggested another lullaby. It was lovely like the last one, and Aurelia had a beautiful voice to sing it. Dae was the first to fall asleep. Kimiko tried as hard as possible, shutting her eyes and picturing memories of her family, but she couldn't seem to drift into sleep until long after Aurelia's lullaby was over. But as soon as it took over her, it was a sound sleep for the rest of the night.

—Time Skip—

Kimiko awoke to something extraordinarily relieving. Silence. Not the sound of direful wind from a viscous blizzard, but a wonderful perfect quiet. The storm had passed and it was time to get White Magic. Kimiko turned her head to her blue-coated brother snuggled with Mama. His head was resting in the crook of her front leg, angelic and soft in sleep. He looked so peaceful, it was almost a shame when Kimiko nudged him with her snout, causing him to moan and twitch his paws until reality took over and he was wide awake. As he stared up at her with irritated ocean eyes, she whispered, "I'm getting White Magic. Tell Aurelia when she wakes up." Dae nodded in response.

Kimiko padded down the long tunnel, guided by a soft blue light in the distance promising escape into the chilly winter morning. Her back was brushing against the dirt ceiling as she trekked up, its icy surface making her shiver. Finally, she reached the wide exit, halfway covered with snow. She pawed at the barrier until there was room for her to squeeze out and be greeted by bitter breeze. Everything as far as she could see was white. Kimiko took the snowscape in for a long while, her eyes wide and amazed by nature's beauty, then she began walking off through the snow, the start of her journey to pay a visit to the White Wolves.


Dae:
When Kimiko left, Dae rested his head on his paws, still pressed against his mother's stomach. He felt her breathing, which he supposed was a good sign. It was probably frostbite which was afflicted on her. Treatable, but it had to be soon. He silently wished his sister good luck. There was nothing he could do now but wait, so he just stretched out his back legs behind him and yawned, mildly glad that he had to keep an eye on Mama so he wouldn't be forced by Kimiko the Morning Bird into the cold. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aurelia sleeping. He hoped she would wake soon so he would have someone to talk to. But at the moment, the warren seemed rather lonely.

[Deleted]

Aurelia:
Aurelia cracked a blue eye open, watching sunlight filter into the den from above. Stretching out her short, stocky legs and taking a deep breath, she felt some tension leave her body and her shoulder emmit a loud 'Crack!' and it popped. Instantly she felt better.

Looking around, she noticed she was down a pup.

That was bad. Very, very bad.

"Kimiko?" She called, hoping the pup was just further in the den or that she was just outside. There was no reply.

Aurelia stood up, shaking out her coat, and started walking to the entrance. Kim couldn't have gone far, and even if she had Aurelia was faster.

(Sorry it's so short, I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things)