Unexpected Refuge

Quote:Her stinging eyes closed again as the wolf informed her of having found no other survivors himself. That was unfortunate. More than unfortunate, it was disheartening. Where had everyone gone when they fled? Had they all stuck together while she raced off on her own? Could she have followed them to wherever it was that they sought shelter? And could she possibly find them now, in this unfamiliar, unpredictable land? There were far too many questions and too few answers.

Drawing a breath and releasing it in a slow, measured sigh, Ashtoreth tried not to let it overwhelm her. It would do no good in the end. She needed to keep her wits, her strength, in order to even attempt to locate the pack she had lost. If she gave in to despair before even setting off on her mission, then there was no chance of her ever succeeding. She needed to cling to hope for as long as she could.

On reflex, her gold and purple eyes fluttered open again, an ear turning upon her head as she caught her name. Working sluggishly, it took a second for her tired mind to realize that she had not, in fact, given her name at all. A furrow appeared upon her brow as she lifted her head inches from her paw, her eyes squinted to attempt to make them see more clearly at this stranger. How does he...?

His name rang like a crystal bell through her mind, immediately plunging her into a memory of standing beside a half frozen river within the Valhallan land, making small talk with a fellow pack mate, a pack mate named Leon. Her gold and purple eyes sparked with recognition as a sleepy smile drifted across her face, her own tail managing a few wags of greeting. "Hey," she responded slowly, her sense of relief renewed. Not all of the Valhallan wolves had perished after all. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," she added with an attempt at her usual good humor, resting her muzzle again upon her paw with her smile still in place as her eyes closed once more. "I'd come over to greet you properly, but I'm afraid my paws might fall off and be carried down stream."

A little breathy chuckle slipped from her muzzle at her own joke, relieved to know that she still had it in her to laugh, and for a proper reason. Through all of the chaos of escaping their home, she had felt quite lost and not herself. But given the chance to ease the mind of one of her fellow pack mates, even if it was only one, allowed her to feel more like the old Ashtoreth she thought she might have left behind.

-- ashtoreth