Bless the Broken Road

The desolate landscape trailed the fae as she did not know where she had walked off to. One moment she was in the pack's territory, and now she can't even remember where she had been. The land was sheeted with a blanket of white, cold flakes that trickled down the sky like rain. The trees were coated also with the white droplets of frozen water that rained down from the heavens and onto the landscape below. Her paws crunched underneath the cold sheet of white, causing the salmon colored pads of her feet to freeze from the frigid temperature. Without a second thought, she lied down near a frozen lake. Her salmon colored tongue licked the ice that had formed in between her toes and paws, sometimes, she would also bite the ice.

She went too hard this one time, yipping at the surprise that her teeth pierced the sensitive flesh. The temperature plummeted even more, but, she thought the only way to go would be to cross the lake. Her paws touched the frozen watery landscape and began to walk, small droplets of crimson from where she pierced the flesh dripped onto the ice.

It appeared stable to her, but, underneath, there only was a few inches keeping her above before reaching death by water. She walked steady, trying not to break the ice, but, it was too late. The frozen liquid began to crackle and split. Esperanza shifted her body from the places that were not splitting, but she was still caught. She sighed, whimpering and closing her eyes as the ice broke free, sending her under. She knew how to swim, but since the ice was there, it would be a challenge for her to get out by herself. Only a miracle could save her from sudden death. The temperatures were below freezing, and if she stayed in the water for too long, she would be knocking on death's door.