Racing into the storm

As Nirvana walks, the air around her continues to tug at her coat and find every space beneath her cape to brush over her fur. She feels the cold, recognizes it, but her curiosity of the riverbed encourages her onward as her pink pads crunch over the previous day’s fallen snow. Her breath comes out in short, frosty pants, her tail swishing in thought. The stones, at least what she can make of them, are worn from years under the influence of water. Many of them are smoothed over, a fact she realizes as she brushes a layer of snow off the nearby side of the wash. The effects water could have on stone, an element believed to be unbreakable, is fascinating to the woman. She barely notices the flurries get thicker as they cascade from the heavens. Doesn’t notice how the wind seems to grow even colder, nor that the sky has gone from a light gray to an angry steel. She is absorbed in her work, her favorite hobby now before her. Everything else, even her own safety, is forgotten.

For a time Nirvana is alone, the snow gathering upon the feathers of her cape as she makes her way along slowly. Her paws are starting to tingle from the cold, and just as she blinks, seeming to pull herself out of her focus she becomes aware that she is not alone. Her head turns to the femme waving at her, her head tilted to one side as she regards her. Had the woman said anything? She hadn’t heard her. The whipping wind around them gives an idea of why. Nirvana’s ears fall against her head as she squints her eyes against the flurries. Shit… how careless. “Uh… hey…” She frowns, looking this way and that. There was no way in hell they were going to get through the entire territory in this weather. Although she had seen what appeared to be a den on the other side of the wash.

Her red gaze flicks to the smaller woman. “Thanks for breaking me out of my thoughts. Come on, if we stay out here we’re going to be part of the snow by moonrise.” She turns, traveling to the other side of the wash. It would be near impossible to gauge how far they needed to go with sight… but if she felt her way along she was confident that she’d be able to find the opening. They might even get snowed in but… it would be much warmer there than out here. Hopefully they didn’t need to fight off another predator to use it. She pressed along, prodding with her paw every so often to reassure herself she didn’t miss the entrance. But as she goes, she realizes it is only getting colder. They are running out of time. Maybe the girl has better eyes than her?

“Heyy! So there's a den somewhere along here. But we're going to need to find it quick. Pick up the pace, and don't lag behind!" It could be buried if they keep plodding along like this. Nirvana broke into a run, praying for the best as she started an race against the clock... and the she-wolf that had found her.

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Nirvana vs Dierdra for Race to find shelter from the blizzard
Round 1/?
Age: Over one year
Size: Extra large
Build: Light
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Navigator

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Word Count: 540 Words
Total Word Count: 1,414 Words

"Speech!"