EVENT -- AVALANCHE

The snow has been steadily piling up on top of Dreamer's Col, the mountain slopes growing heavy. Before too long, it cannot hold on to it anymore. One gentle gust of wind was enough to rattle the piles of snow, a rumbling sound heard far and wide. The avalanche grew quickly, blocking the mountain pass completely. There was so much snow that the end trails of snow cover Soul Sand Cove, coating the pack lands in a thick carpet. Some wolves may even have to dig themselves out of the den.

During this time until December 5th any thread started in the Dreamer's Col will get an extra +3 skill points to their navigation thread. These wolves are walking a dangerous path, as the remaining snow on the mountain can fall at any time. Can you find a new way through the deadly mountain pass? Any thread started by December 5th will count for this skill claim, they do not have to be finished by the end date.

This is the initial thread for the start of the avalanche. The first three wolves to join this event will receive +3 navigation skill. Please do not enter this thread unless you can reply in a timely manner.. Remember that each wolf wanting to claim this skill claim there must be 4+ rounds. If you do not reply within 5 days, you will be skipped over so the thread can continue on.

Brutus had just been thinking of leaving the Cove when the storm hit, heavy snow blanketing the palm trees of their shores in a weird effect. He decided it was best to wait the storm out in one of the nearby dens he'd constructed by digging sand out of the secure parts of the lava rock. He didn't expect it to storm so hard at the cove, and the whole occurance confused him when he referenced everything he'd learned about the coast so far.

He had a feeling that the storm was strong enough to do some damage, but still he fell asleep in the comfort of his den sometime during the night. When he woke up, he was surprised by the darkness in the den even though he was sure that daylight should have woke him up long ago. The thick smell of the ice and snow felt clean as it entered his nostrils, frost hanging on the air in front of his maw with every breath he exhaled; how much snow had the storm left?

The tall brute quickly got to work, both of his forepaws moving in a blur as they pulled out snow. Occassionally he'd roll in the looser parts, trying to find the weak areas of the wall that he could break down and make a stairway to get himself out. It seemed like it took forever, but finally he breached the surface and stood tall as a lone fleck of brown across a sea of white. His blue eyes were wide as he remained captivated, adoring the beauty that could be found in such a circumstance despite the destruction.

He had no doubt that Xephyris and the others would be dedicated to help each other, though the thought did cross his mind to check on them first. Ultimately, he decided against it- too driven by his need to understand as his paws marched carefully over the snow on his way out of the cove. He needed to make his way to the source of the snow and find out if they were at risk for any further avalanches. Did they need to relocate, where there others in need of help, and how much snow could the mountain hold back before it sent more down to the cove?

He silently cursed himself for not having been at the mountain last night, perhaps he could have warned Vyper of the oncoming avalanche. Paws seemed to move with more diligence as the lanky giant carefully started his way through the mountain pass. It was blocked off almost immediately by snow and uprooted pines, so for the moment the brute just stood there studying the best strategy for getting around them.

It was too hard for her to stay on one place for too long, even though the storms were getting worse she needed to get out. Not wishing to go too far, the patchy woman decided to go ans explore the mountain. It had been filling up steadily with snow, and she eyed the swollen hills with careful eyes. She had left in the early morning, just before the steady fall of snow started to cover her back. Shuddering at the chill, she pushed onward. She had heard that there was only one way through the mountain, a narrow passage that could only fit a few wolves wide. With that in mind she picked her way delicately across the growing snow banks, the edges of her scarf coated in the white flakes. Her bells made muffled sounds, clogged nearly to the brim. The metal froze painfully against her skin, making her regret her decisions. Before too long she saw the passage through the col, but just then the storm picked up. Lowering herself, she dove for the slice through the rock to shield herself. However, the sound of shifting snow entered her ears and she looked up with a panicked look. Oh crap... she knew what was happening. Rising up she fought against the wind, running in the opposite direction of Dreamer's Col. It was hard with the gusts pushing on either side of her. Snow clung to her gray fur, weighing her down. The first bang of the snowfall sounded, echoing in her ears and making her yelp. Racing against the avalanche, Jaelle prayed to all the gods that her clumsy manners would be held at bay. The rush of something cold on her heels let her know that it was nearly on her. Her heart hammered in her chest, fear pulsing through her. She knew she needed shelter, something. Seeing a rock to her left she dove behind it, snow pouring on every side of her. Pushing herself flush against the rock, she held her breath as the snow covered her completely. The rumbling over head stopped, and she slowly opened her eyes. The rock had made enough of a bubble that she was able to breathe. A chill sank deeper within her as panic made her freeze. She was trapped, covered in the snow. She was too afraid to try to dig herself out, not wanting to collapse more on top of her. Was she... was she going to die? No! She needed help. Closing her eyes, Jaelle began to bark. She knew that it would be muffled, but she had to try. "Help!" she screamed, desperation in her vocals. "SPEAK"

Selene is quick and curious, so when it comes to exploring there's nothing that can hold her back. High headed and immensely excitable, Selene is pleased with life. Love and life. Everything is fantastic and beautiful, and the starlit child can't help herself. There's nothing that can hold her back, keep her down. Ripping across the land with her short nails and clicking claws. Everything is beautiful. She is beautiful. High headed and quick.


So when there's new places to be, Selene takes off. She makes her way there, despite being cold. Goddess, she's so cold. But that's okay. Moving would keep her warm. Keeping going. Wouldn't stay still enough for the cold to kill her after all. Light on her feet, she races toward the avalanche site. Selene is lucky, you see, light enough to not break the crust that has settled atop the snow. She is happy. She will continue to be happy. There are new lands to explore.


It is the edge of Dreamer's Col, and someone is calling out. It is not the dark man that she can see a little ways off. No, the voice is coming from beneath... oh shit. Beneath the snow. "Hey, d'ya hear that?" Selene's voice is quick, words tripping over each other as they flow forth. She's calling to the brown smudge in her vision, the one that couldn't be far off in this stark pale.

~Selene

Everything was white, reflecting in his pale blue eyes enough to make them look like shimmering stones of silver for as long as they remained wide and inspecting. He apparently hadn't been the first to arrive, and suddenly the debris blocking his way through the cove made a bit of sense. The avalanche had blanketed this land, too.. and he could only imagine how many feet of it he stood upon at this very moment. It was unlike anything the man had experienced in his years, but he knew of avalanches and remembered his mother warning him of them; it's where he learned to watch the mountains back at home. For a few moments longer, he dipped his muzzle down in slight shame. He should have been watching, they could have prepared.

It was in this moment of silence that a gentle sound touched his ears; it seemed to echo and flutter, tickling the tips of each ear and sending them searching in different directions for the source. He had begun to realize that it was coming from beneath him, in the snow. It was one of the worst possibilities but one he sort of expected when looking for survivors that might have been out in the storm. The tall and slender wolf started to move his limbs, turning clockwise in a circle until he understood where it was coming from. When he heard the other woman call to him, he gave a nod.. thinking that if she could hear it too, then the source must be in the direction of this rogue.

Toes were precisely driven across the snow, minding every step as he remained alert and quick to react if the foundation beneath him suddenly started to shift. Every muscle in his form seemed to tense as his adrenaline rushed, "Yes, indeed I do. Someone is down there," he stated calmly. He couldn't quite recognize who it was but the possibility of someone from Vyper getting stuck out here did cross his mind. Ever eloquent and polite with his speech, he lifted his skull momentarily in her direction, "I would be ever so thankful if you were to help me dig them out, hmm? Careful across the snow." Without her answer, his attention shifted to the route ahead of him.

He would move along areas where trees had fallen and settled along the surface of the snow left behind in the avalanche, knowing that his weight could be sustained if theirs were. He'd just hopped on to the core of a fifteen foot pine, left mostly bald but solid and of perfect use to travel across the still see of white that lay between him and Selene, when he heard another bark. The flyaway fur of his ears would be at the mercy of the wind while he kept his crown standing tall, listening for any change in volume from the voice beneath the snow. About halfway across, he stopped and hopped down, starting to roam and leave a trail from the safety of the tree as he left his prints behind in a long stride. He was still nervous, and hearing her voice only made it worse.. she sounded panicked and he wasn't exactly sure how much longer she could survive down there or really how long she'd been there already.

It wasn't long before he felt like he was right over the woman (he was sure it was a woman, now) trapped in snow; the beast took in a deep breath, his chest expanding before he suddenly bellowed out a rumbling growl. It might have sounded menacing, but the bass his growl created, as low as it was, he was sure would travel down to her.. hopefully enough to get her attention to listen carefully afterward. "Hello? We are coming to get you, We are starting to dig.. just remain calm, curl up and remain protected. If it caves in while we are digging, we'll be right there to get you out!" He looked back for Selene, light blue eyes searching her own as he signaled with the point of his muzzle just below him.

The brute's chest fell closer to the earth, his forelimbs outstretched ahead of him as he immediately started to rake his black claws against the snow and pull it back. It was so cold and it wasn't very far in before half of his body was saturated and frosting. He could hear the weight of the snow around them shifting with what they were doing, though he tried his best to pack to the sides of their tunnel to provide some resistance. He did his best to mind to the left of the tunnel and leave the right for Selene, constantly checking how fast she was going to do his best to slow down or keep up and keep the tunnel consistent.

Panic started to make her breath in quicker intervals, every puff of air fogging before her. She knew that she needed to work on calming down, but it was nearly impossible. What if she died down here? How would she explain that to Xeph? Well she would be dead so she wouldn't have too... Swallowing firmly, she tried to focus on other things, closing her eyes and letting out barks that slowly got weaker and weaker over time. She staid curled up against the rock, focusing on taking deep breaths in and out. After awhile, she heard what sounded like crunching snow above her. Her ears flickered, trying to focus on the sound when a muffled voice reached her. It almost sounded like she was under water, the voices sounding off to her. But she felt an rush of relieve as he said that he was going to dig, and to keep herself back. There was something familiar about his voice, but it was hard to tell through the layers of snow and ice between them. She nodded, even though she knew that he couldn't hear her. Jaelle was almost afraid to speak, hunkering down further until she was pressed as far back against the stone as she could. Before long she could hear the scraping of claws against the surface. Ever so slowly more light filtered into her little bubble, looking blue from all the way down here. She shook where she was resting, her bells letting out faint cries. Jaelle didn't think that there had been a time when she had ever been this fearful. She was unable to tell just how far down she was, but she tried to force down the rising panic in her chest. The male voice had said we, and yet she hadn't heard a second one. Was it just a turn of phrase, or was there a whole group of wolves out there to save her? Well, that would make her feel rather special. All this effort for little ol' her, someone that they didn't even know. It was a thought that brought a little comfort to her, her quivering head resting on her paws. Watching the slowly growing light, Jae thought about what she would do when she got out. Probably hug whoever saved her, that was for sure. Maybe she would just go home and rest, her heart pitter pattering against her ribs with some force. It was exhausting, really, all this fear and stress. A nice nap sounded really good about now, in a nice dry den too. Her fur was nearly soaked through by now, the heat she was letting out was melting bits of snow into her coat until it nearly clung to her skin. Getting dry should be the first thing on her agenda, she did not want to get sick at a time like this. She had to help out more in Vyper and.... Oh shit. Vyper! Was the pack okay? The col was rather close to the shore, would the snows have reached it? All at once she started to stress out again, letting out a series of sharp whines. Her paws worked at the frozen snow below her, eyes squeezing shut tightly again. It was getting harder and harder to draw in a deep breath, her lungs feeling constricted and her throat tight. She had to get out, she had to make sure they were okay. Xephyris, the girls... and what about everyone else? Armai, Brutus, Soleil, there were only a pawful of wolves in Soul Sand Cove but they were someone that she should care for. Whining again, her teeth grit together as she covered her face with her legs. Please get out soon, please oh please. "SPEAK"

It didn't take Brutus very long to realize Selene had opted out of helping. He wasn't sure what had distracted the woman, but he took to packing the snow to both sides as he continued to dig his path down to her. He didn't start directly above her but instead started where he could build a slope. It took quite a bit of time, especially now that it was just him working to create the path. He tried to pace himself, not wanting to overwork his muscles and tire before he was able to finish- but when the trapped victim went quiet, he himself began to panic.

He barked out a couple times, trying to let her know that he was still here. He was sure she could hear him digging, but he hoped the barks offered some sort of comfort as he continued. The path had started off neat, but about five feet into the snow, it was clear to see where he'd stopped caring about whether or not the sides were solidly packed. His main focus now was getting to her and if the snow collapsed in on both of them, at least he knew he had the strength to dig them out of it.

He knew he was close, taking extra care with every rake of snow he made just in case it was the one that breached her little air bubble. When he finally broke it, his eyes would squint slightly as he realized just who'd been trapped beneath the snow. Another member of Vyper, Jaelle if he recalled correctly. He tried not to let the familiar face stun him, and instead rushed to her side to offer his warmth. He nudged her shoulder, "Come on, we gotta get out of here." He wouldn't move without her, but he hoped to let her pass him and get behind her so he could ensure she got out safely in the end. He could hear the snow begin to shift above them and he lowered his ears.. "Run, Jaelle."

Jaelle's ears twitched at the males barks, they registered but didn't quite reach her. She was so focused on keeping herself calm and getting out alive that she spared no energy for anything else. Her fur was soaked, shivers wracking her frame as she waited. It felt like years before the blue light turned to white, her eyes peeling open when the sunlight danced across her features. Soon enough her rescuer blocked it out, saying that they needed to get out of here. She didn't move until he commanded that she run, her name off of his lips seeming to snap her into attention. So she was right about knowing him. There was little time to focus on that though, the sound of the shifting snow vibrating in her head. She knew the sound too well, and it drove enough fear through her that she froze for a moment before springing into action. Looking like a drowned rat, she sprung up and jumped behind the larger male, her bells rattling in a muffled way. There was snow packed in them, hiding most of the sound they they usually made. Quaking, she leaned back as she ran up the slope, not even looking back until she was on top of the snow bank. Even though it only took a little effort for her to pull herself up here, it was enough to tire out her stressed body. Her legs quivered as she sunk slightly into the hard packed snow, glancing over to see if the stranger had made it out alright as well. But it all clicked into place, this wasn't a wolf she didn't know. She had met him ever so briefly at the first Vyper meeting, but it hadn't been much. "B-br-brutus, r-right?" she stuttered, her teeth chattering. Falling to her rump, she looked around them. Jae had heard him say we, but she only saw him standing there. Confusion swept across her features, a single brow rising as she eyed the chocolate man. Who else had been here with him? She was too exhausted to ask though, shivering where she sat. "Is V-v-vyper o-okay?" the monochrome woman asked, trying to push away her own woes to focus on them instead. She couldn't be so selfish anymore, not now that she had promised to help out Xephyris. "SPEAK"

He rushed after her, as fast as he could with the sound of his pounding heart fueling his drive to be free of the tunnel he'd dug. The weight of the snow around them was audibly shifting with their commotion, and for a second Brutus feared that it might collapse on him all together. Could he still dig if the snow swallowed him up, and how long would he be able to breathe? Could he still dig her out if it swallowed her up to, how would he save her?

These were the thoughts racing through his head, so fast they happened in a millisecond- though, luckily their sprint to freedom lasted not much longer than that as well. As Jaelle reached the open part of the tunnel he'd dug in the beginning, his fears started to subside and once he stepped into full light as well, he could breathe again. The sound of the tunnel behind them collapsing filled his ears, the weight of the snow erasing most evidence that the two had ever been struggling back there. The struggle was finally over. They were safe, she was safe.

He stood beside her with his chest heaving and his head hanging, panting with his legs spread apart and his tail hanging freely behind him. He was exhausted, partly from the labor of digging her out and the jog to get out, but mostly because only just then had he realize what the price of his bravery might have been.

'B-br-brutus, r-right?"

His left ear flicked as he lifted his head slightly, blue eyes looking up to the merle woman as she spoke his name. He tried to relax and soften his pant, taking in a long breath of air that inflated his chest and visibly left as he released a heavy sigh. He gave her a nod, confirming his name as he regained his composure. He put his feet together more, lifted his neck so it wasn't hanging and outstretched his tail to be level with his spine. He stood with regained poise and looked her over, ever thankful that she was here in front of him rather than trapped in an icy tomb.

Her next question made him furrow his 'brow dots, his normally soft face gaining just a bit of definition to express his apologies. "I-I'm not sure, I'm sorry. You're the first that I've found. I came up here to study the source of the avalanche and check if we were at risk of further damage, and how long we might have. I think the mountain will be quiet for now, which will give us time to safely check the cove for anyone else that might be trapped." He looked around, his blue gaze squinting over a sea of blinding white in an attempt to look for the woman that had been here before. He imagined she chose to spend her time looking for her own loved ones rather than to dig out a stranger. He didn't understand how anyone could prioritize something like that, it perplexed him. How could someone walk away from another in need? He decided not to voice these thoughts, but instead get back to the matter at hand and remain focused.

"Were you with anyone when it came down?"

The frozen woman flinched when their tunnel collapsed, the breath hitching in her throat painfully. Swallowing against it, she turned to Brutus as she shivered in the snow, her coat soaking wet. She could feel the chill settling in her bones, and knew that she needed to warm up as soon as she was able to. The larger male asked if anyone was with her and she shook her head, her teeth chattering together loud enough to be audible. But he spoke the truth, they needed to go and check on their pack members. Nodding slowly, she began to move back towards the cove, the snow sticking to her damp legs. Her shivers were violent, her bells would have been calling out loudly if they weren't stuffed with ice. Her movements were slow, but she was determined to go and check on the pack. What if the puppies were stuck? Or Armai? Her snow leopard should be able to assist her, but it was enough to make her push onward. She could warm up later, for once in her life she needed to cast her thoughts off herself and think about others. She was part of a pack now, whether she liked it or not she was. Being part of Vyper meant that she needed to look out for others as well, something she wasn't used to. Pausing, she looked back at the chocolate coloured man. "T-t-thank y-y-you," she stuttered out, her lips feeling like solid blocks of ice. Looking towards the shore, she bounded off in the path that Brutus had already cut through the immense piles of snow. It was easier this way, they would be able to get there a lot faster. Just a little further, she could go on for just a little more. -exit Jaelle- "SPEAK"