Unexpected Lodging Companion [Soma!]

[Deleted]

@soma

The mountain paths were always more perilous when the season began to shift from the white wintry wonderland, to the fertile spring. The melting snow loosened and created flash floods, and sometimes the powder at the peak of the mountains would shift, causing a large treacherous avalanche. This caused the young wolf travelling along one of the paths to take more caution as he went, he was already a quiet sort, so it wasn't terribly hard for him. He barely breathed as he almost tiptoed along. He was looking for a place to shelter, a cave to rest in for the night, he'd be travelling for several days and nights, and his body was beginning to resist movement.

He lifted his nose to sniff the air, his ears becoming alert as he caught scent of a long abandoned cave. Finally. He picked up the pace a little bit as he headed for the cave, slipping inside and flopping against the ground. He panted and looked out towards the night sky, thanking the stars for the shelter they provided.

Crack

His head jerked up as he heard a loud crack bellow from the mountain, alarm in his eyes as he got to his feet, the whole ground began to tremble beneath his feet and he backed slowly farther into the cave, his dark pelt hiding him from view in the shadows. He hoped that the snow wouldn't reach this far, or that it wouldn't spill into the cave if it DID end up this far. He closed his eyes tightly and hunched down as he braced himself against whatever might happen.

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The sky was clear- dangerously so, the nomad noted, as he made his way along the crest of a particular tall bank of snow. Unlike the crisp sounds of winter, it turned into unfavorable mush underneath his large paws with a defeated slosh. The large, male wolf could already feel the lands shifting, adapting to the season's change and its demands for clear geography - the air smelled of moisture and damp rock, no doubt beginning to unfurl underneath the thinning blanket of snow. His coat,too, was making way for warmer temperatures; odd tufts of fur stuck out along his thick, wintry pelt, giving him a somewhat mangy and unkempt look. Coupled with his size and non-animated ways, he didn't look all that welcoming.


Crack

A familiar, loud sound exploded from above as he swung his snout in its direction, his hairs standing on end in caution and alarm. The tell-tale mist began to gather as he watched a massive sheet of snow and ice break off from the sheer cliffs of the mountain face, slowly gaining momentum as it hurtled down in his direction. He hadn't seen any caves on his way up - the only way now was to continue. The muscles in his haunches bulged as he lept forward, each fiber straining to make way forward as the wet snow dragged his paws down. He could already feel the mist and ice at his face, and he looked around wildly for anything that would provide him shelter.

It was a split second before the snow came cascading that he glimpsed the dark smear in the mounting white - a cave. Through a waterfall of snow he blindly jumped into the entrance, the avalanche crashing behind him in frigid, unforgiving waves. He hit something as he skidded into the open space - a boulder by the sound of it, as well as the sharp pain in his side. The wolf lay there a moment to catch his breath, sprawled out on the damp, rocky floor of the cave.

"Great," he panted, his silvery deep voice echoing faintly against the cave's walls. "The one time I head north, this happens. Of course this happens..." His breathing slowed eventually, and it was then that he noticed a scent; not his own, but indeed of another wolf. The ice and lingering mist however dampened his senses; he couldn't quite tell whether it was an old or new scent, and so he simply lay there against the boulder, trying to discern whether he was indeed with company.

[Deleted]

Etienne: Etienne stretched against her cramped den walls, in the small crevice of the cave she'd found shelter in. She squeezed her head out of the small crack she'd previously squeezed in slightly, wondering how she fit in the first place. Revealing her deep pink eyes, she looked up at the sunlight coming from an open slit of the cave roof, many metres above her. 'How long have I been asleep?' She thought, letting out a groan. The best meal she had in months seemed to have made her lethargic. She rolled over with great difficulty, to make a cover out of her long skirt of underbelly fur curled up in a tight ball. "Just ten more minutes" She said to herself, her voice echoing pleasingly around the cave. She giggled and let out a short, loud bark, pricking her ears to hear it echo.

Crack

Her eyes widened as the snow piled on top of her through the open slit. She scrambled to the crevices entrance and yelped "No, it's blocked!" She jerked her head around the place, spotting a ledge with a crawl-way. She jumped as high as she could, but only her forepaws could reach. She dangled on the edge for a second, then lost her grip, ending up underneath the small ledge. An avalanche of snow packed the surrounding area, the mostly dark grey wolf whimpered and screwed up her eyes. The avalanche then came to a sudden halt. The small overhang had saved her from being pounded by the snow, it was only up to her belly. She opened her deep pink eyes and gave a sigh of relief. She shook the snow off and panted, very shaken 'Did I do that?!' she pondered. She didn't ponder for long. 'There could be another.' She thought and with that, the she wolf climbed the snow hill that had formed around her. The snow compacted as she stepped over it a few times, soon making it easier for her to hop onto the ledge. She delicately pawed snow out of the crawl-way, onto the floor where she once stood. She hated dragging her hair along the floor, but she had no choice. She crouched, lowing her ears and squeezed into the crawlway. Sharp bits of rock dug at her shoulders. She grimaced. Thankfully the crawlway became larger, larger... Etienne froze as she saw shadows in the distance. The scent was of a wolf, maybe a few. Etienne sniffed, but her nose fizzled with the amount of snow she had took in. It had now turned to water and made it hard to breathe. 'What if it's an evil pack?' she wondered to herself, becoming very worried. Not wanting to make sound, she breathed slowly through her mouth, hoping the scent from her breath didn't waft their way and stayed in her creeping stance, hoping her dark fur would hide her in the darkness.