Walk | Talk | Think

Mercianne stood back as Awaken worked on setting the long, tendril-like branches of the tree into place. It was curious the way he weaved the branches, drawing them together in such a way to keep the snows and winds out so much better than if they had just let them fall behind them as they passed inside. And as he worked, she could see that his method was sound. The woven branches that he had already tended to rattled slightly against the brunt of the bad weather, but protected the pair within from a majority of the flurries and icy blasts. She was glad he knew to do this. It would make their wait that much more tolerable since the chances of them being able to make it back to the pack's den were slim to none.

As he turned away from the branches, all nice and bound together behind him, and mentioned the young wolf who had led her to him, Mercianne's ears fell flat to her head, a sudden look of worry stealing across her face. Ithurial! She had been so worried thinking Awaken might have been attacked by Sixx again that she hadn't given the poor, frantic little thing a second thought, and now that she knew the pup was still out there in this horrid weather, possibly alone if she hadn't quite made it back to camp yet, guilt ate at Merci's stomach. "Oh," she murmured nervously, her head lowering as the weight of the pup's fate felt as if it was settling upon her shoulders, "I hope she made it."

Her thoughts still reeled thinking that something might happen to the pup outside in the storm when she heard Awaken suggested a game, some twenty questions to pass the time. Though part of her almost wished to dive right out into the storm and look for the pup, to properly thank her for leading her here, Merci knew it was a fool's errand. More than likely she would end up lost out there in the white out as well, just another to be claimed by the weather. She would have to content herself with waiting, and distracting herself with a game seemed as good a way as any to do that. "Sure," she answered with a little nod of her head as she came to sit near Awaken, her expression still worried as she glanced downward at the base of the tree even though she listened to whatever question Awaken might wish to start with.

Awaken thought to himself silently for a moment. Thoughts on their game to pass the time. His left ear folded to the side in thought while his other remained up. The tip of his tail flicking upwards every so often.?

The wind outside blew hard against the branches of the tree but it still sheilded them from the dangerous blizard. It wasnt much but they could survive here untill it was over. That is if they could survive the boredom.?

Awaken then thought of his question. "Is it an animal?" he asked for his first question. Dragging a claw through the dirt to mark the first of his twenty questions to guess what she was thinking of.

?? Ithurial's ears flicked when gargoyle licked her head. She actualy smiled for the first time in weeks. She really learned to look up to Gargoyle. "I'll stay here. It's scarey out there!" ? ?She eased near Crusade shyly as her adoptive daddy bounded out the door. She was alittle afraid of the large female. Shed never met her before and didn't want to make her angry. Memories of the massive white wolf snarling at tearing her mother appart continued to haunt her. For some reason crusade reminded her of sixx. Perhaps it was the mostly white fur. She was mentaly scarred of white wolves and frankly didnt trust them anymore. And with good reason.? Speak,

Walk | Talk | Think

Quiet filled the space that she and Awaken shared beneath the tree, while outside their makeshift shelter the winds and snow continued to dance and blow about. It was oddly peaceful, quite comfortable despite the ever present winter chill, and though a part of her still worried about the possibly lost young wolf who had left them in the span of a few moments without even bringing a little attention to herself, Merci tried for distraction. While Awaken thought about what he might ask first, she tried to think of an object, something, living or otherwise, that she might use for their game. For the first short while, Ithurial was all she could consider, but as she attempted to assure herself that the yearling had left with enough time to get close to the pack's den, or at least close enough to get wrangled in with the others when they sought shelter, her thoughts drifted away with increasing ease.

By the time Awaken asked his first question, she had her object in mind and listened to him make his inquiry, gently shaking her head to either side. "No," she said aloud, curious how long it might take for the dark colored wolf to figure out her choice. Mercianne held the image of it within her mind as she waited, an ear flickering lazily as the winds gusted outside their cover. Attempting to get comfortable, she took a turn there beside the tree and lowered herself to her side, curling her paws up toward her stomach and bunching herself in a fluffy ball of creamy white fur. She kept her head up, watching Awaken attentively as she continued to try to keep her thoughts light, using him as her distraction.

~*~ (Meanwhile:)Gargoyle growled through his teeth as the winds buffeted him from all sides. He kept along the roots of the mountain, keeping the ridges of stone so close to his right that he was brushing them with his shoulder as he walked. He knew Galciem like the pads of his paw, but he knew how dangerous these sort of storms were and how easy it was to get lost unless you had a clear landmark to guide you by. Gargoyle felt his body being pulled downhill - he was heading into one of the valleys, and he knew, or at least was pretty sure he knew, exactly where he was. Sure enough, at the bottom of the valley was one of the mountain runoff tributaries that fed to the great Northern Lake. This particular one branched off towards the south. All he had to do was follow it, simple enough considering that at this time of year, the waterway was frozen all the way through. Gargoyle had himself a highway. Though the winter fury spent itself in roars of arctic winds, and snow and ice streaked down from the heavens, the male wolf continued his steady, slow lope... ~*~

Awaken thought some more. "is it a plant" he asked. Trying to keep his mind off the pup that had wondered off. "ill be right back. Im going to try calling for her. he got up off his haunches, shaking the dirt from his pelt and stalked outside.?

He tensed up at the sudden bite of cold that nipped through his thick coat. The wind blowing strange patterns in it and flipping it every witch way. he tilted his head up in one of the loudest howls he could muster, hoping that if Ithurial hadn't made it back by now that she'd hear it.?

He perked his ears about to listen in every direction possible for a response. The cold white abyss offered no noise but wind, witch bit at his ears harshly. He sighed howling again and again. Soon it got too cold to do anything else or even stay out any longer.

He eased back through the branches, pullibg them back together and reassumed it spot by Mercianne. "I think she made it back.

Walk | Talk | Think

Another pause filled the air around them while Awaken considered his next question and Mercianne watched him think. Were it not for the yearling wolf possibly wandering around in the snow, she would have found the moment enjoyable. Without quite knowing when, Awaken had made himself a constant in her life, someone whose presence she had grown to enjoy and look forward to. He brought security to her when things began to feel chaotic and continued to wheedle his way further into her thoughts.

He posed another question to her for their game, breaking her train of thought with a blink of her dark brown eyes, and with surprise she realized he was close. "Yes," Merci answered, managing to smile just a little at his quick guessing. At the rate they were going, she was sure he would have it figured out in little time at all. Hopefully he was already figuring out an object for himself.

It seemed she wasn't the only one plagued by worry. No sooner had he made his guess than Awaken told her he was going to try and see if Ithurial was close. Nodding her head, Mercianne turned to watch him leave the shelter of the tree, feeling the chill as the branches were parted and the subsequent quiet that settled around her now that she was alone. Outside she heard her friend howl, the sound distorted by the wind and made all the more haunting by their isolation. She curled herself up tighter where she rested, listening as his howl died down and then two more followed. There were no answers that she could hear, but she knew the shelter she was in could prevent it from reaching her. Still, she listened closely, half expecting to hear some noise, any sort of answer, at any moment.

Without hearing anything herself, she glanced expectantly toward Awaken as he returned inside the shelter of the tree, weaving the branches before he joined her beside the tree's trunk. No answer, as she had thought, but her companion was ready to believe Ithurial had made it safely back to the pack's den. "I certainly hope so," she murmured, feeling the worry beginning to resurface. Trying again for distraction, she added, "You're getting closer. With your guesses."