Unexpected Refuge

Quote:Her mind had long ago ceased to think, ceased to worry, ceased to process anything but the monotonous, repetitive action of setting one paw in front of the other. Breathing labored, the typically alert and active wolf's gold and purple eyes stared ahead as if unseeing, too exhausted to even attempt to make sense of the unfamiliar land she traversed, barely having the energy to keep themselves open. Her lips parted, Ashtoreth panted, having lost the capacity to even hope for a drink to wet her parched throat and merely willing every last ounce of energy her body possessed to keep walking. To stop would be to hand herself over to the mercy of the desert and its dangers, to give up on the pack and its wolves who she had grown to see as an extended family of sorts. And she could not in good conscience do that.

Where were they, she had wondered when she had still had the sense enough to think. Had they all made it safely away from the volcano as it exploded? Had anyone been lost? Was it anyone she knew personally? Her list of acquaintances was small and meager, but still she hoped that they had persevered, brandishing their strong wills and determination in the face of adversity and succeeded in living to band together wherever their frantic retreat took them.

So far Ashtoreth had seen no familiar - or even unfamiliar - faces, but those were all thoughts for a later time. Most important of all for the moment was finding herself a drink.

She could not say when, exactly, the sands beneath her paws had given way to grass. Nor could she say when the heavy, oppressive heat of the winter desert had given way to cold and chilly grasslands. The cold was like a balm to her body as she moved, her eyes blinking for what felt like the first time in hours as her jaws clicked closed together. It seemed her incessant march was paying off. Grass meant water; she was getting closer.

It was not much further before the small wolf quite literally stumbled into a creak. The jolt of the unexpectedly cold water caused her to clench her jaw in reaction, practically frozen in place as her over tired muscles seized up and cried out in protest. But it was water! She had found it at last!

Ignoring the ache in her legs, the tingling in her wet paws, Ashtoreth inclined her head and lapped eagerly at the cold creak, feeling the water travel down her throat and spread into her stomach. She was certain that she had never been so grateful to have a drink before, never so glad to feel the cold water numb the aching pads of her feet. It was wonderful, refreshing, exhilarating. The desert had not claimed her; she was free to rest and attempt to find her pack mates.

With her stomach near full enough to burst of the cold, delicious water, the little grey wolf lifted her head and licked at her lips greedily, not willing to spare a single drop. Her gold and purple eyes glanced around with renewed vigor, taking in at last the large expanse of tall, fertile grasses and the very tips of trees somewhere across the grasslands. Whatever this land was that she had ended up, it seemed promising for finding others, if not familiar faces from her home. Turning to drag herself at last out of the creak, Ashtoreth plopped down onto the creak's bank, just far enough to be out of the water. She had no intention of sleeping, but her legs complained that a rest was needed. Muzzle resting between outstretched paws, Ashtoreth sighed and closed her weary eyes, assuring herself that she would only just rest.

-- ashtoreth

OOC: Hopefully this works well enough for a starter involving the volcano and move. c: