Winter was coming and Locha could already feel the biting cold on the wind. Although she had been a tad secluded from the rest of her family for a while, she did watch and chat occasionally. Right now she was preparing for whatever the winter might bring. Her food stores for everyone were steadily rising. She didn't know exactly how much pups ate, but at the rate her two nieces were growing she guessed there couldn't be enough. Better to get stocked while she could! Achoo! Locha had woken up with a stuffed nose and it felt like her head was made of fluff! Drowsily she'd made her way down to beach but was assaulted by the cold wind. Ugh! Time to find somewhere warmer... Still half asleep, Locha climbed her way up to the family den. The morning sun hadn't stretched it's too bright rays to the back, so Locha, careful to pick through any sleeping family members, padded to the back of the splendidly warm cave and promptly fell asleep, curled up with a faded blur tail over her muzzle. ""

Walk | Talk | Think Gale was one of those slumbering bodies that her sister avoided treading on as she stepped toward the back of the communal den. With her favored space heater - also known as Glacier - distracted by his lovely little ray of Sunshine, the lavender marked girl had been left to fend off the growing cold on her own. It was not that she lacked a particular tolerance for the cold, not the way that Serefina did, but while she enjoyed the bracing nature of it she also enjoyed the warmth too, and each more when it was less accessible to her. And with the growing chill beginning to herald in winter's speedy arrival, warmth was becoming a luxury. She lay coiled tightly, greedily hoarding what warmth she created on her own, and barely flicked an ear as she heard someone else enter the cave. It was not the heavy tread of her elder brother, and with a curious lift to one of her closed eyelids Gale peeked at Locha as she situated herself all on her own at the back of the den. Part of Gale did not want to move - moving meant giving up her warm and cozy spot - but neither did it seem fair to keep it to herself when her sister looked a little worse for wear. Not that she intended to say so aloud, but there was definitely something about her that lacked her usual spryness. Without a word, even as she gave up her warm spot, the little green-eyed wolf uncurled and drew herself to her paws, taking one quick second to shake her fur before softly stepping over to her sister. Not bothering for an invitation, she curled around her sibling, sharing what body heat she could. "Glacier's not here," Gale informed her jokingly as she muffled her words in her sister's side, "so you'll have to do." She fell still a moment and closed her grey-green eyes once more, understanding that she ought to let her sister sleep since that appeared to be her purpose in returning to the den at this time. Even so, she found herself asking quietly, in a sisterly whisper, "How are you, Seabird?"

A sleepy blue eye opened just in time to see a murky shape pick through the sleeping bodies, one that looked suspiciously like her purple litter sister. A few seconds later, she heard a thump and then something snuggled up against her. A little contented grumble escaped Locha's mouth as she instantly warmed up a little more.
"Glacier's not here so you'll have to do." Gale quipped.
"I'm offended I'm not your first choice." The girl mumbled back, half-asleep. Snuggling a little closer to her sister, Locha sighed. Just as she started to doze off, her body feeling lighter, Gale spoke again.
"How are you, Seabird?" she asked. With a soft whine, Locha slowly turned around to face her sister, moving to bury her head into the crook above her shoulder. The soft fur was pleasantly warm and Locha smiled faintly, although her sister could not see.
"This seabird's sleep was a tad better, before a certain talkative sister decided to use me as a stand-in-older-brother," she joked, mindfully quiet for the sleeping family around them.
"But I think I'm coming down with a stupid cold." she grumbled, eyes drooping closed once again.
"What about you, Dasher?"

Walk | Talk | Think Gale's ears immediately folded back the second she heard the soft whine her sister made, knowing in that moment that she should have stayed quiet. Locha was not in here to talk - no one came to the den to talk - and she knew that she was interrupting what was supposed to be valuable resting time. Especially given Locha's dismal appearance, or at least the way she had carried herself, it might actually have been necessary and not just wanted, which made it all the more important and all the worse that Gale was currently preventing it. Time and a place for everything, Gale, she scolded herself, and this isn't it. Even so, Locha answered with an obvious joke, ribbing her sister and lessening a bit of the guilt she had taken from her inconsiderate actions. Gale smiled sheepishly, grateful that the Seabird had been able to take it so lightly and not become a grump about it. Heavens knew that could have been just as likely with some of their other siblings. And it seemed she actually had more reason than most for a grumpy reaction. Gale drew her head slightly back away from Locha in order to see her better - maybe the cold was what she had seen in Seabird's changed demeanor? - and then proceeded to curl more tightly around her. "That stinks," she murmured sympathetically, wondering if there was possibly anything she could get Rocky to make for their sister to help her along the road to wellness. As the question was turned around on her, Gale went with the obvious answer. "Cold." Realizing how it could have been misconstrued given the circumstances, she continued, "Not a cold, I mean. The weather's colder now, and there's not a big blue mountain to steal warmth from in here anymore." Not that she wished Glacier's girl was gone, or that he did not spend his free time snuggled up next to her rather than his greedy siblings, but she did miss those times. "Though you're a really close second," she added through a smile, nuzzling her sister once more.

Locha sighed a little as her sister snuggled in closer. Already she could feel more warmth seeping in to her. That stinks. Locha nodded before smiling drily. "I'll try not to breath on you too much." she mumbled playfully. When Gale complained about the increasingly baltic conditions, she hummed her agreement. Ah it seems she wasn't the only one to notice the declining number of nights their older brother seemed to share in their company. She couldn't exactly blame him though. She could see how happy it made him to have Anais. Locha smiled, amusement in her eyes as her sister declared her a close second before snuggling close and wrapping a paw around the girls middle. Although she herself was relatively small herself, she was as good as their older brother in when compared to Gale. Locha could easily pull her smaller sister close. The girl reciprocated her sisters nuzzle before exhaling quietly. "Alas! I will have to take his throne." she said, her words slightly muffled due to the fact that her muzzle was half buried in the fur of her sister "It's good he has someone to snuggle up to, of course. But who wouldn't want two little sisters crawling all over you every night, especially when one of them drools." she said, her voice becoming increasingly teasing. "SPEAK!"

Art by Evelyn