Brace for Bad Luck [Ebony's Storm]
09-16-2014, 01:23 PM
It would seem as though wolves were pouring out from the stone itself. From all directions they had come, and even as she waited for Ullr to respond more arrived. Maximous would answer her original question and notify the auburn queen that the stores were well stocked. That was good. Not a moment later her russet cousin would move in as well. He seemed worn by the storm, just as the rest of them were. He had a natural sense of leadership, that much was obvious, but for now she needed his strength. The brute was large enough to offer some protection to the others, should anyone lose their way or become injured. "There should be dry space farther in," Valeriya called to him. "Once we get there I'll take volunteers to search for the others." She remembered a place she'd found when very young, where a jumble of ruins had come together to form a shelter of sorts. She turned into the wind, knowing the short fight to the haven she had in mind would be well worth it. Just as she was about to start of a flash of gray caught her eye. The girl turned and found a bright blue gaze, more intense in saturation than even her own, locked onto the wolf which still cowered below her. They had a certain kinship of features, and Val wondered if they were acquainted. There was no time to offer introductions. "If you're looking for shelter," she cried over the howling winds, "we're headed there. Come on if you're coming." The auburn woman stepped gingerly over Ullr's form, exposing him to the rain once more. Thunder cracked all around them, a constant cacophony that did not seem as if it would stop any time soon. Valeriya turned her course towards the inner regions of the ruins. The ground grew more even, and occasionally she would turn down the overgrown paths and be out of the wind for a few moments. It was a well-needed respite, as fighting the winds drained her strength, making each step harder than the last. Rain lashed down upon her, cold and persistent, eventually soaking past the outer shell of her fur and down into her thin summer undercoat, chilling the skin yet below that. Shaking did no good, and eventually she just pinned her ears against the deluge. She could not count the time that passed before the ruins in front of her matched what her memory attested to be true. It was long enough that her jaw ached from clenching her teeth, and that the muscles of her shoulders burned from the effort... but at long last there it was. One large, sturdy wall support another which had cast upon it at an angle. What was better were the two walls at either end which had also fallen inwards, making a lean-to which was blocked off from the elements on every side, except for a small gap which was just large enough for a wolf to pass through. It would be a squeeze for the larger among them, but it would serve. It was dark within, and smelled strong of moisture and earth... but also something else. As she pushed her way inside a growling filled her ears, growing stronger with each step she took. Her cerulean eyes took a moment to adjust, but finally she picked out a hunched over form in the darkness. At first she assumed it must be a wolf seeking shelter, but it took only a breath before she realized its shape was too different, and it's smell was all wrong. It wasn't until it's beady eyes locked onto her that she saw it for what it was. Wolverine... They could be fierce in battle and she had heard stories of them taking down prey usually reserved for larger hunters, never mind that they were half a wolf's size. Still, she would be having no transgressions today, not when so much was at stake. She lifted her own lip and growled savagely, letting her head drop and her hackles rise so as to add further to her apparent size. The wolverine's breath caught in it's throat, and it seemed to still for a moment before sighing. It too was exhausted from the battle it had taken to reach this place. It crouched farther into it's corner, silent but watchful, half waiting for the auburn bitch to turn her head so that it might latch onto a leg while her guard was down. Valeriya took the silence as acquiescence. She had no time nor energy to spare for one cranky weasel, but would hardly throw any creature out into the wrath of the storm. She kept and uneasy eye on the animal, before turning back to the wolves she had led. "Is everyone okay?" she asked in a much quieter tone. Her voice was raspy, strained from fighting to be heard over the wind and rain. It still crashed down around them, but with a roof over their heads it was somewhat easier to ignore. "I won't force anyone back into that storm if they'd rather not, but we need to make sure the others are alright. I doubt they'd be able to find us without a strong bit of luck guiding their paws." To think of ordering anyone back out there, out to risk their lives and fight the elements to bring in wolves they might not even be able to locate made her stomach clench. Still worse was the thought of burying corpses after it all passed. She spared the wolverine another uneasy glance and found it watching her. She sighed and glared. "Do you speak this tongue? I'll chase you out of here if you make trouble, I swear it." She barked out something that might have been a laugh and muttered in a language Val didn't understand before saying, "You stay on your side, I stay on mine." Val narrowed her eyes at the small, bear-like creature. Well, whatever to her. She turned back to her wolves and asked, "Is there anyone who will join me in searching for the others?" If she got enough volunteers they might be able to go out in groups, but she wouldn't allow anyone to go on their own, the risk was just too great. Still the thought of finding the others too late was one she could not bear. |