STARSEERS

The earth trembled underneath the weight of heavy snow; the mountains ached, the wind howled across the tundra in a ghoulish cacophony. The night was impeccably dark, and with the hidden and stars hidden behind thick gray clouds, there was no soft light to reflect off the snow. The forests had provided dangerous, the powerful storms capable of toppling even the largest trees. Her makeshift den had been destroyed when she had returned to it after an unsuccessful hunt, and the bitterness that had already settled had only been put to flame by the sight. Jendayi knew she had to move on to somewhere safer—but with such a large and powerful storm come just after nightfall, she was limited in her options. Her sense of direction was hindered, and any scents she left behind her were quickly swallowed in the storm. At first, it was just wind, but as Jendayi left the line of trees protecting her from the snow and sleet the sky opened up, and quickly poured its content onto the earth below, with little sign of stopping. Powerful legs trudged through the blistering storm, her nose frozen at the tip, her claws aching with each slow step. Meters felt like miles, and the journey grew even worse as the land sloped upwards, and grew harder, slippery. It took all of the maiden’s strength not to stumble, and fall; she could no longer see more than a few feet in front of her, the perpetual and daunting white-out the only thing in a long time that truly frightened her. She had always respected nature—she had never feared it.

Perhaps it was the will of the Gods that the mouth of a large cave soon appeared. Jendayi cursed herself for the thought, but even she knew better than to toss aside her old beliefs in such a moment of desperation. Energy long drained suddenly became reinvigorated, and the long path to nowhere quickly led to somewhere. It was safety, it was a shield against the frost and the frightening storm. She did not care what strange beast lurked within (for it would always be a much more noble death dying at the fangs of a bear than it was to freeze in a snowstorm), and quickly, her claws unfurled into the earth and lunged her into the mouth of the cave. Immediately inside, the temperature did not seem as fierce, and the stillness in the air allowed it to feel almost insulated. Her fur was frozen at the tips, wintry coat long fluffed out and nose searing red from the pain of the frost. A thick coat of powder had formed over her back, quickly shaken off before she entered further. There were scents, but they were stale, and it gave Jendayi the opportunity to let down her guard.

Even though she feared the might of the snowstorm just outside (and feared yet even more than an avalanche always had the chance of caving her in, trapping her), she was content to settle near the mouth of the den, just outside of the frost and the wind, and watch it pass. She could not see further than a few feet past the mouth of the den, and nothing but the perpetual white-out and the quick dance of snow across the harsh wind. The herald that did seep through curled off the cavern walls in a loud and eerie wail, enough to keep Jendayi from sleeping. No, this night would be spent watching, and praying, the storm passed soon.