Crux wasn't really sure what he was even doing. He was not really a tracker. Maybe he should have asked Vanta, she'd seemed much more interested in tracking than he was, but as Crux narrowed his eyes against the glare of the sun on the snow he reconsidered that idea. Here he was, trying to track something he'd seen flitting through the trees earlier, a heady scent he couldn't identify had wafted towards him and he had made a categorically dumb decision... Follow whatever that was all by himself. But of course, he was slow, especially in the deep slow which made lifting his cuffed leg much harder as it clumped to his fur and added extra weight to the limb. He also hadn't considered what would happen if it turned out the thing was a rogue wolf, or another type of predator. Crux was not a fighter. Maybe he was being a little reckless...

The young Fatalis tipped his head back, trying to catch the scent again. It was faint but still something he could follow at least. He tried to focus on the white feather pendant that bumped against his neck as he moved, it helped to keep him grounded. Crux desperately hoped he would see his fiery friend again, there was so much he wished to tell the boy... But maybe more than that he just wanted the comfort of the only friend he had his age, his siblings were still grieving, and he could not lean on them the way he desperately needed.

"Speech!"

Art & Code © Skelle 2022

The sight of her crystal cuffed brother moving through the snow had caught the young Andy’s attention. She knows that Crux has difficulty walking, let along wading through the deep snow in the forest and, not wanting him to know that she worried for him, she trails after him. The girl hangs back, silently tracking her brother as he moves and she works not to give away her stealthy pursuit. The grief of losing their mother has affected them all deeply but, to make matters worse, it feels like the family cannot openly talk about it… or Zee.

Out of all the pups, Andy likes to think that she is adjusting the best because she has been able to find a support system. Her sister Briar, the sweet wolf Isa, and even a ghost named Zuriel are all wolves that she can vent to, giving voice to her frustrations and sadness, while receiving the love and acceptance the pup so desperately needs. Maybe that is why she is really trailing after Crux, keeping downwind while she attempts to figure out what he is doing. She does not worry about him physically but she is concerned with his mental and emotional wellbeing.

When her brother stops to tilt his head back, trying to scent… something, Andromeda detaches herself a snow bank she had been using for cover and, with deft paws, moves up to where her brother is. As she moves up to his side, she softly asks, “What are you trying to find, Crux?” Pale blue eyes look up at her taller sibling, blinking up at with curious eyes while quietly offering her help without actually using those words. Crux hates to be thought of as disabled and Andromeda tries to be respectful of that fact while still trying to help.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

Crux would normally not have heard his sister's approach but he was focused very hard on finding a clue for what he'd been tracking that he nearly jumped at the light crunch of snow under paws, he looked at his sister. He almost hadn't noticed how much taller he was getting, surrounded by siblings who were also starting to dwarf him he hadn't really realized that Andy was the one being left behind in that regard the most. Her words were soft and Crux sighed, just how long had she been trailing him? He decided he didn't want to know and so instead would focus instead on answering her question. "I don't know." He admitted softly. "It had a scent I've never smelt before..." Crux trailed off, as he'd been answering he'd swept his gaze over the snow again and this time he'd spotted something.

Making his way over to it as quickly as he could Crux looked down at a very clear paw print, it was bigger than his own and smelled lightly of the scent he'd been trying to track. "Look!" He gestured to his sister. "Look at how big it is!" The excitement in his voice lifted it from the soft volume it had been at before he'd spotted the print, his eyes widened and he suddenly flattened himself a bit, mentally cursing himself. He looked at Andy again, embarrassment clear in his expression. He cast around for a trail to follow, surely whatever this thing was it hadn't just taken off, it would leave other prints right? But as he cast around the base of the tree he'd found the print under he couldn't seem to find anything...

"Speech!"

Art & Code © Skelle 2022

As she approaches her brother, Andy’s ears slick back in silent embarrassment that she had startled him. Offering him an apologetic, shy smile, the purple girl joins Crux, ready to lend him a helping paw. All of her siblings are getting so tall and the pup has to tilt her head back slightly to meet his gaze. A gentle smile is on her lips as he explains that he is hunting something he had never smelled before and she nods slowly, beginning to scent the air as her brother looks around. His voice calls her attention to a set of prints and the lavender pup quickly moves to where they are.

Nose lowers to the ground as she pulls in the scent left in the track while mentally comparing it to animals that she knows. After a moment, Andy lifts her head to look up at Crux and she says, “It kind of smells like Bast but… different.” Their father’s snow leopard is the only animal she can think of that semi-resembles this creature’s scent. Turning her eyes back to the track, she points out the rounded toes and says, “It is definitely a feline. We should watch the trees. Bast likes to climb.” The words are warning that their target may not even be on the ground as she tilts her head back. Andromeda pulls in the cold winter air as she tries to pin-point the animal’s location with her brother.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

How Crux had missed the similarity in the smell to their father's feline companion he did not know, he tried to hide his embarrassment by nodding thoughtfully, casting his gaze around as his sister added her warning about watching the trees. It was true he'd seen Bast climbing from time to time, though he'd spent more of his time in the col he remembered seeing the snow leopard's long tail draped over a large branch. He swallowed hard, suddenly not feeling so comfortable standing at the base of the tree, and he slowly, ever so slowly turned his steel gaze skyward.

He wasn't able to clamp down on the startled yelp that escaped his throat as his gaze met a pair of dark brown eyes, he was to focused on quickly scrambling back from the tree to notice much else about the figure watching the two wolves in the tree, especially when he tripped over his own paws and plunged into the snow. If he'd been a little less startled he might have noticed that the figure in the tree was spotted much like Bast though her colors were less snowy, light blue claws griping the branch tightly and fur lifted in fear, eyes full of apprehension as she looked down at the two wolves.

"Speech!"

Art & Code © Skelle 2022

Andy’s eyes slowly roam the branches above her own, horned head as she attempts to pull in the scent of their target. The still air is muddled with scents and it is difficult to pin down where exactly the feline might be hiding. Suddenly, a startled yelp pulls the girl’s attention to her brother and her body tenses as she watches him tumble backward into the snow. Body now on high alert, the purple pup prepares to jump between Crux and whatever danger there is.

Muscles coil, ears flatten, lips pull away to reveal her sharp teeth when her eyes lift to meet the dark browns of a scared feline. All the tension leaves her body like the wind from a sail as she looks up at the scared cat. With Crux on his butt in the snow, Andy begins to slowly move toward him, trying not to make the leopard any more frightened than she already is.

Voice pitched low and kept soft, Andy says, “She seems afraid of us but did not attack. Normally, predators would try to fight back or flee. I wonder if she is hurt?” A small smile appears on her lips as she keeps her pale gaze on the treed feline, ready to defend her brother if necessary. Yet something keeps her from attempting to chase of the predator, like her father had taught her to do.


"Andromeda Fatalis"