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)Yay! -flail- New thread! :D(



A snowflake landed on Zabranjen's nose, alerting him to the new day of an eerie, quiet winter. Everything was white. He felt the urge to shake the snow off of his wings, but then he remembered that Laya was curled beside him. A mouse in the shelter of a raven- the situation was ironic. But Zabranjen would never hurt Krin in any way, even if she was reborn as Laya. He stretched his unsheltering wing and watched the blanket of snow pull apart and pile onto the ground.



Alexsei woke up in the Hunters' den, curled close to Cicero. He felt his fur puff up. This was an indignant act for an Alpha, a demoted one even. Hopefully she wouldn't wake up soon.

Laya: Zabranjen didn't know that I was awake... I laid there, eyes closed, deep in thought about everything that was about to happen. I decided to open my eyes and get up. "I'll be leaving in a few days, Fell."

Zakku: I rolled over in my den. The floor was still cold, even after the Guards had went and got soft materials from the forest for all of the den floors. My den was covered in soft owl feathers and ferns, and a little moss. I stepped out of my den and stretched. I looked around and saw every limb of eery tree covered in snow. I was worried about what we hunt in the winter. Certainly wouldn't be any rabbits, bears, ducks, or much anything else...

The mostly white, slightly black wolf frowned. "In the snowstorm? I won't let you go alone. The pack might not let me in, but I'll at least guide you there."

Laya: I glared at him. I always found him quite creepy. "No! I have to go alone! I don't need an escort!"

((So I take it that another year has passed, since it's winter again?))

The cold sank into Gryon's long, rusty-brown fur. He was sleeping in the den in the classic cold-wolf posture: his spine curved into a circle, his paws tucked under his body, and his fluffy tail over his nose. Only his silvery eyes showed in the mass of tawny and scarlet - they were flicking about his surroundings, watching for danger, while his ears were relaxed flat against his skull in contentment. After all this time, the pack had proved to be peaceful, and Gryon's worries had faded. Mostly. Zakku wasn't acting painfully suspicious, and so the fire-wolf had no reason to fret. At least, not yet. Somewhere deep in his mind, Gryon still thought that the alpha's ulterior motive was something less than desirable. His belief wasn't deeply set, though, and so he never voiced it to other wolves. He kept it in his thoughts just in case the need arose, and he was constantly on his guard.

The snow gently falling, bringing with it a chill wintry wind, Gryon's eyes closed again, and he appeared to relax. Although, the moment his eyelids shuttered over their orbs of silver, his pointed ears pricked up.



Somewhere farther away, off on his own, a stranger wandered. So far, he had not reached his destination, but someday he would. He just had to find it first.

(Not a year, just two seasons)

Ashra: Ever since Danalli's death, I had gained my sight, but I hadn't told anyone. It was hard to act blind... I padded passed the Fighters' den, where they snoozed peacefully. It was difficult finding herbs in the snow. Ever since Keapamy had run away from the pack one night, only telling me, I had been lonely. The den was colder and creepier. She had told me to tell the pack that she died. But i never told them anything, when someone asked, I'd shrug. But somehow, I think they knew. I saw Gryon at the mouth of the Fighter's den, laying there, slightly farther than the others. But I had to act like I couldn't see. I padded over. "Gryon, can you help me try to find herbs, I can only try and smell them, but the ice blocs out the scent."

Whitefeather felt at home in the snow, unlike most of the other wolves. With the build of an arctic wolf -- short legs and muzzle, thick fur and smaller ears -- it was easier for her to stay warm. The only thing that sucked warmth out of her was her wings, so she almost always kept them folded to her sides in this weather. Now she slept inside the fighters' den, against the wall, actually more toward the entrance. She would rather get cold than let her other pack mates get cold... especially Shadow Scar. She had grown rather close to him recently.. hopefully the other wolves wouldn't make fun of her.

Meanwhile, Mika-Mei slept peacefully in the hunters' den next to Dex. It was at times like this that she was glad that she had her scarf. The lavender wolf's fur was shorter than most other wolves' fur, so she got cold easily, but she was glad that she was no longer alone. She had never been in a pack until recently, and admittedly she was glad to have others around.

Zabranjen sighed. If only I could tell you what's really going on..

Celestia shuddered as a cold wind passed through the cave. She had left Uisce about three days ago to try and restart her life in -possibly- another pack. The world seemed emptier without him. Her powers were limited to the heat inside of the snow so the only thig they were useful for was to know who was coming after her. Speaking of heat...

Dex: I awoke next to Mika-Mei. I had... fallen in love with her, but I haven't told her.

Shadow Scar: I laid around in the small area behind camp I had found in the Spring. Nobody knew about it but me. It had large rabbit holes, big enough for a wolf to crawl in. I thought about it once... but never actually did it. The small clearing was warmer, seeing that it had large canopies of fern. The clearing's canopy was only a foot over my head, quite low for a clearing. I knew that if anything serious were to happen, I would lead the pack here.

Zabranjen nodded finally and shook out the snow from his pelt. It fell loosely from his winter coat, and he headed more torwards the Old Lands. "Alright then. If you need me, just call. You know I'll be- around." He said, skipping around the truth. He could hear Pond Dust from within the demon realm.

Celestia stood up slowly, looking around the mouth of the cave. She had made a slightly unwise descision by leaving Uisce behind. He was her only other source of heat. If Fell's not around, I could use the armor. . . The green wolf thought, still cautious since that spar where the demon had taken her form and chased him away. It's worth a try at least.

Laya: I didn't hesitate. I nodded back at him, then ran into the dark forest. Though it was day, and a long way away from the Camp, it felt dark and close. I shivered as I walked, remembering the first night I met Fell. The memory became vivid...
I walked across the ground, deciphering if it was solid or frozen water. I felt someone watching me. Then I noticed some light yellow eyes string me down from a tree. I glanced, they vanished in smoke. I started galloping over the frozen ground or water, determined to reach the shelter of the trees. Then I felt something on my shoulder. It felt like feathers.
"Y-yes?" I asked through gritted teeth.
"I've seen you. I'm Fell." The black wolf hissed.
I tried to run away, only to feel the smoke envelop me and then I blacked out.
I awoke later in a cave. He had said it was closer to Pond Dust than where I was earlier.
I came back to reality only because of a crow, who squawked as I stepped on a stick. I always loved birds. I refused to eat them or kill them. I wore several feathers I had found. Bluejay, Raven, Crow, Eagle, Hawk, and others. I wore them on the back of my neck, which was thick furred.

Ashra: I shrugged, "Sure whatever, c'mon."

Whitefeather had still never really been able to talk to Shadow Scar. Every time she looked at him or thought about him, that horrible moment where she had tasted his blood on her tongue burst into her mind, and she couldn't help but flinch. Guiltily, as she woke, the winged wolf's eyes were cast downward. She hoped he didn't take it personally. It was more of her problem than his...
Since the incident, the pitch-black markings on Whitefeather's otherwise purely white body had spread. The streak that had previously only been on one side of her muzzle had elongated to reach from her eye to her nose, and her left leg was covered in black up to her elbow, where it had previously just been her paws. She didn't really know what caused it, but she felt creepy.

Mika-Mei had awoken at about the same time as Dex. Somehow she felt some sort of air of tension around him, but as the sleep faded from her mind, that feeling disappeared like an illusion. She smiled over at him silently, not willing to move and let the cold slice between them just yet.

((Whitefeather's markings don't have any importance to the plot; they just spread over time because she's close to Shadow Scar and he used to be Envy, so it's really just a visual representation of the darkness that he had had inside him.))

Shadow Scar: Soon I would investigate the rabbit burrows, but not today. I stretched and went back to camp. I passed Crow, my secret son, who was on guard for the night. "Go to bed!" I called playfully. The pack didn't know he was my son, but our bond was unbreakable. I saw Whitefeather and nodded, she was a good friend. Made me feel comfortable. A snowflake fell on my nose and I bit at it. The rebirth of my soul made me feel so new. Young! My bones didn't ache after running and I looked peppier. It's like I was reborn a new wolf in a new body under the same Name. I don't know why, but I dropped in the snow and started rolling on my back, covering myself in snow. I saw the small pup, Alice, named after her mother who died in pup-birth, padding out of the Medicine Wolf's den. Ashra took her in and nursed her with herbs in the summer, she's now old enough to walk and play. I saw her and she giggled as I stood and shook the snow off me.

Dex: I looked at Mika-Mei, then noticed Shadow Scar rolling around. "Hard to believe I'm related to him... at least we're distant cousins and not too close." I snorted, still laughing.

Zabranjen silently released a small portion of his form, causing his image to shudder as if an illusion. Raziel would be proud of him for letting her go freely. Cassiel, keeping to whatever maternal instincts a demon could have, would most likely look down upon him. Krin lives! That was the only thing important.

Raziel: I sat in my cave, growing old, feeling my bones ache. I was ashamed of my son, trying to capture a little pups soul like that.

Zabranjen materialized on a basalt cliff that was seemingly the only thing in a pitch void. A cloudless streak of lightning illuminated his spirit. Up Above, the Forbidden One was the same size as any other of the packs' wolves. The truth was, in his kingdom, Zabranjen was more like the size of a horse. There was barely any clarity at the edges of his form. His soul vibrated with the howls and cries of the wolves who were downcast from StarPack. The lightning vanished again and the fluorescent orange of his spirit cast a glow onto the shadowed forms of the downsiders. An eclipse overlapped the orange as his wings wrapped around him. The orange returned taller and brighter as an equally-sized forest-hawk. His markings pulsated from coal black feathers.

Cassiel's lavender soul faded and throbbed as she approached him. "Why did you abandon your task? Krin was almost home.." She reformed into her natural shape, a slightly smaller Barn Owl.

The Forbidden One gazed at her past his sharp beak. "Krin is not herself. Laya is still alive. The pup is being called by Destiny. I protected her until I was no longer welcome." He stated simply. Both of the demons' voices echoed and rolled like a deep thunder. "I rejoin her when Krin calls me." Zabranjen stared down at the fallen souls emotionlessly.

)Okay, enough with Rift stories.. ^-^(

Aeton padded out into the snow, listening to the methodic crunch of his broad feet on the frozen land. He exhaled and watched the steam from his breath billow and dissolve into the snow. "Perfect dive weather." He mumbled, padding out torwards his usual spot.

Time Talon: I had abandoned my armor for the winter. The gold made me more visible and colder. I blended in perfectly without it. Grey eyes and snow white fur with a silver nose and ear insides. I was practically invisible. I saw Aeton. It might be nice to go hunting. "Wanna hunt?" I called.

Ashra: "Smells like Yarrow." I picked the herbs and crunched around. I saw some small yellow leaves of Goldenrod over a few feet. "I smell something over here."

Aeton's head whipped around at the sound of Time Talon's voice. "What? Oh, yes. I'll hunt with you." He turned and padded torward him swiftly.

Time Talon: "where to?"

Aeton thought for a moment, then answered. "Riverbed."

Time Talon: I hadn't been there since the day we sacrificed the bones and skin to the spirits. "Alright, though the only thing we could find there is salmon and whatever else wanders by."