Escaping the Chill

When he had first left to meet his family, he had hoped there was something more besides slush and mud. He had hoped that the clouds, dreary and gray, would give way to snow or rain or something. But when the snow had made an appearance, Airikr was quick to realize how much he regretted that. Sure, there wasn't much reason for him to be complaining; the South only had to deal with a few flurries. It wasn't pleasant either way, because there was still a nip in the air that bothered him, but he had planned to stay where he was. Safe and warm, tucked away in a den and not having to deal with anything more than the occasional snowflake here and there.

But his plans never seem to work out the way he's wanted; although this is of his own volition. He could come up with several different ways to explain his reasoning- he was bored, he didn't have anything better to do- but in the end, nobody had forced him to wander away from the warmer areas of the South and into the eye of the storm.

He's quick to regret a lot of things, but this...This has to be the worst mistake of his life. Something's taken pity on him, apparently, because it doesn't quite snow enough to get him lost. It comes close, with a cloud of snowflakes clouding his vision and casting everything in dreary shades of gray and white. Not to mention how the snow clings to his paws and to his legs. Not for the first time, he wishes he was taller. His siblings wouldn't have to deal with the feeling that the snow is almost up to their shoulders, and he shouldn't, either. But he is, and it's cold, and it makes him feel even worse when it starts to melt.

By the time he finds somewhere to stop, he doesn't even realize that there's not as much snow here. He does notice that it's a lot warmer, and he practically flings himself towards the damp grass, trying to ignore the other wolf nearby. The second his paws touch grass, he's shaking the remaining snow off of himself and moving towards the nearest source of warmth. Something tells him that he wouldn't want to touch the hotsprings. Probably the fact that, even from where he is, it's warm. Much warmer than he would have expected.

Stretching flat out on his stomach, he extends his paws. It's an awkward pose, and he's sure to get uncomfortable soon enough, but for now he doesn't mind basking in the warmth.