Snow Blind And Lost Time

The bear’s claws open a few gashes along Kore’s nose, causing the boy back away and once more, lose sight of the creature. Eyes scan the landscape of white, trying to pinpoint exactly where the angry beast is. Luckily the cold works in his favor with the scratches, the warm blood quickly freezing to form icy clots and staunch the blood flow. The wind whips icy flakes into the galaxy boy’s already stinging eyes and he is forced to squint to continue scanning the snow-covered forest. A form rushes toward him and, with a mighty sinking feeling, the boy realizes the icy-pelted pup is his brother. Kore’s main mission in life to protect to his family, he doesn’t want them to get hurt! So, when Kalyke assures him it is okay and then turns to charge the bear, the boy made of nebulas lunges forward tin a vain attempt to try and stop his brother. Kore fights with the wind, shouting as he tries to be heard over the raging storm, “Kal! We need to run! We have to find Ao!”

But, the wind carries his words away and worry settles like a rock in his gut. He is exhausted, his body already pushed to its limits and he knows this fight isn’t worth it. Taking a step forward to go pull Kalyke away, a soft beacon of light appears in the snow. The glowing form of his small sister appears and she immediately rushes into the fray making the rock of worry become a boulder. Now, to be clear, Kore isn’t afraid of the bear, hell in good conditions he would be the first one to rush in and attack it with his siblings. But here, in the middle of storm, exhausted and freezing, the boy knows they will be fighting a losing battle. Still, he will not allow his siblings to get hurt so he rushes in toward the angry white bear. Kalyke and Ao both are attacking paws so he charges for the face as his growls and snarls are swept away by the angry wind.

As he gets closer to the angry beast, the boy can get a better look at the creature and Kore realizes this bear is thin and sickly. The only reason it is attacking during the storm is because the bear needs the food to make it through the blizzard. It is a battle for survival, the bear needs food to survive and the pups need shelter to live. His moon-kissed sister’s pelt glows and casts a faint light onto the bear, allowing her galaxy-clad brother to see the angry beast better. With the energy the three have spent to trudge through the storm and now to fight, Kore knows that the bear will have to die for them to make it out. He bites the bear’s muzzle earning a roar and a swipe of claws but Kal and Ao are there to pin down errant appendages. With grim determination, the nebula-hued pup rushes in, leaping up to grab the soft spot in the predator’s throat where the vital points lay.

Kore tugs and tears until hot blood pours out in great gushing waves and he backs up, panting heavily, to signalsfor Kal and Ao to give the dying bear space. Blood sprays onto the pristine powder, painting a morbid picture as the creature pitches over. The siblings huddle together as weariness tugs at their bodies and, when the bear stops moving, Kore says, “It can provide us shelter from the storm. Come on, let’s get under it.” Leading the way, he walks up to where the predator lays still, frozen blood pooled around the neck. Kore, with the help of his siblings, quickly digs a small trench in the snow under the body. Once complete, they climb down and huddle close together, sharing their body warmth and companionship.

Before they drift off to sleep, Kore maneuvers the bear’s body to plug the hole they had made to get here, sealing them off from the storm and any other predators. With that done, he curls tightly around Aoede and lays his head along Kal’s back. Heaving an exhausted sigh, he listens to the muffled howls of wind as he slowly falls away into the depths of slumber.


WC: 715
Total WC: 1956/1500

"Kore Regni"