Lost in the snow

Two forces struggled within Mæva. The force to get up and take advantage of a brand new day and the force that wanted to stay curled up, warm, in the makeshift den in the Mile High Woods. The winter weather was proving a struggle for the journey and the terror of the previous day was forgotten when the strands of golden sunlight that had filtered in. Her dad would rescue her. He'd proven that yesterday and in that moment she was a young pup who was content to do nothing more than cuddle.

At least until the sound of movement outside the den caught her attention. Birds were singing and oh what was that? Mæva quietly got up and slipped out of the den into the morning. Maybe she'd just go ahead and start her day now. It was gorgeous out. Sunlight cast down on the snow drifts sparkled like gems and the wild life about her was busy. Yes, she better get busy to. She was flush of the victory of the previous hunt. First she'd brought down a rabbit by herself and then a fawn. She was getting better each day and anxious to practice more. The band encouraged independence, even early in life so it wasn't all that strange, especially for one who was a season away from being a yearling. As long as she stayed within a few territories she shouldn't cause her dad too much stress. She just needed to be sure she stayed in earshot.

Bounding through the snow she went about her day, chasing squirrels and having a good time til she came on the border of the battlefield. It felt like ages since she'd worked on her battle skills. The clouds were starting to darken again and she squinted at the sky then around her to get a sense of the territory and where she should turn to head back. It started to snow but she worked her way into the battlefield anyway. She should learn how to navigate winter weather and hunt in winter weather and fight in winter weather. She wanted to make her dad proud.

Mæva stood there on the battlefield uncertain what to do when she heard a voice call out. It sounded young and not far from her. She followed the voice, approaching slowly in a crouch as though she were stalking prey. She knew to be wary of strangers but to her surprise the call came from a pup about her age. He was huge! And had strange fangs and paws and spikes. Oh he looked cool to fight. He'd probably kick her ass but now she was curious and nothing stopped Mæva when she was spurred on by a large dose of curiosity.

"Hey! Are you here to fight to?" She stood and shook her coat. The wind had picked up and the snow was falling heavily again. She had no idea how to fight in this kind of weather but it was worth a try.


WC: 501
Total: 963