C l o u s e ➶ A r c h e r They'd hidden away in a small crag within the cliffside. It was a tight fit to enter and exit, making it a rather inconspicuous choice of housing, and offered many more benefits to the young man who had chosen it as well. Clouse was a touch claustrophobic; moving through the narrow entrance caused him deeply-felt anxiety, and so he only did it when absolutely needed, helping to keep him contained when Scully wanted to take off. The constant ocean spray also washed away all scent and physical evidence of their presence, the sand regularly swept clean of any paw prints by the water. Thankfully, the narrow crevice that allowed them in did give way to a more open space. It wasn't dry and Clouse didn't much like the smell, but he knew they wouldn't be here long (they never had been ever since departing the Dell) and he actually enjoyed the echoed sounds of the ocean. It helped him sleep, most times. Apparently, this wasn't one of them. He tried to focus on the sound, let it lull him into thoughtlessness, but his head refused to cease it's buzzing. What was he doing here, where was he going to end up? Clouse often was okay that they didn't ever have an end goal, or at least felt like he was, but now and then the thoughts would eat at him incessantly, as though something were very wrong with the situation. Scully and Avella had brought food back only an hour previously, but he knew Scully would be back up soon and Clouse wanted to be up and ready to demand a hunting lesson. Somehow they never went right, he always ended up on Scully's nerves one way or another, or at least feeling like he was, and the learning was pathetically minimal. Clouse didn't want to give up though; when he finally met others his age, was he gonna fit in still? Or was he gonna look just as useless as he often felt? He wished there was an off switch in his head. With a frustrated sigh Clouse lifted his head and looked around. Barely any light was able to creep in, but his gray eyes made the most of what was available. Scully's dark form melted almost perfectly into the shadows, but the strips of silver throughout his fur reflected just enough to give him away. The boy could hear his cousin's breathing as well, even and deep. What was missing was Avella's much paler form. What was worse, Clouse wondered; squeezing through that damned threshold or sitting here with only himself for company? Often he chose the latter, but the anxiety already creeping under his skin was too much. He stood, held his breath, and pushed through the thin crack that led to the ocean's sandy edge. Word Count: 470, for Avella only.

They had left this place with the sttange rocks which was fine with Avella. She remembered how to get there and perhaps she'd return there someday. Their journey had brought them to the ocean which gave her the chance to really see what it was about. They'd found a cave to take refuge in for a little while. It wasn't ideal but it served its purpose well keeping them hide from anyone who might be looking for them. Avella was sure they hadn't gotten away from the Dell without anyone noticing.

Scully and Clouse were inside the little shelter as night started to fall. It was plenty big enough for all three of them on the inside but the masked girl remained just outside. She listened to the waves against the shore. The smell of salt was all around her in the air. Mismatched eyes gazed over the sand into the growing darkness, she was keeping watch even though they'd never spoken of doing so.

It gave her time to think about their situation and what she would do if they were ever caught. She was torn into returning to the lore or staying there and finding out what the new place could offer her. She felt that she'd explored the lore to its fullest and she hadn't found anything to keep her there. She loved her family of course but they had their lives in the ridge. She thought maybe she should think of making her own life somewhere. She wasn't getting any younger after all.

For the time being there were more pressing concerns. Keeping clouse from ending up back in the Dell. Luckily she felt they had gotten enough of a headstart that they might not be found but it was better not to take the risk. However, there was still a lot to consider like the pups education. He needed to learn to hunt and all of the other things that would keep him alive. It was up to her and Scully to teach him but so far it hadn't been going well and she wasn't sure why.

Many things had crossed through her mind as she sat there in the sand. A silent guard over their little group her gaze ready to catch the smallest of movements. That wasn't what caught her attention though. It was the sound of footfalls on sand and fur brushing against rock. Turning her head she saw the figure of the pup emerging from the crevice.

"Going somewhere?" She asked from her position just to the side of the crevice. Her mismatched gazed watched him as she waited for a response.

C l o u s e ➶ A r c h e r The air outside of the cave was colder than within, but the fresh air helped revitalize him after the trial of forcing himself through the makeshift den's entrance. It was one of the few situations that made him thankful he was so much smaller than his cousins, he couldn't imagine having their bulk and trying to shove through the same crevice. As his paws sank into wet sand, his grey eyes first looked to the sky and where it met with the ocean. The sun's light was nearly completely gone, but witnessing those last few shades of pink thrown up into the sky reminded him of the sunsets and sunrises witnessed upon the vessel that had brought them here. The sea had made him sick and it scared him to be without land in sight, but dusk and dawn had been absolutely breathtaking. Avella's voice broke through the memory's, and Clouse turned to look at the woman settled nearby. Ah, she hadn't gone far, that was good. Clouse hoped. He had to wonder when she was going to start acting like Scully and get tired of him too. A little prayer was said to the Moon Mother above their heads that tonight would not be it as he padded to his cousin's side. "I was just wondering where you went," he admitted before sitting down, void-black fur mixing with the sand as he did so. "Um. So do you like. Like it here?" He didn't know what to say, Clouse just wanted someone to talk over the thoughts in his head, though he earnestly did wonder what Avella's thoughts were on, well, everything. He'd been trying so hard to stay out of their way and not get on their bad side that he hadn't given himself the chance to really get to know either cousin. Word Count: 305

It wouldn't be long before their little makeshift home would be plunged into darkness. Their only company would be each other and the sounds of the sea. It wasn't like anything she'd ever heard and the soothing power it could have. Even the lapping of the water against the lakes edge couldn't compare. She'd once heard her mother calling this time of day twilight and she thought that it was a perfect word for it. It was the sunset that was breathtaking against the dark waters. There hadn't ever been one like it when she'd been in the lore. The magic of it all was broken by the appearance of Clouse as he exited the crevice.

She watched as he came toward her and listened as he spoke a small smile crossing her pale maw. "I've been here for awhile. Its much too late to go wandering about in the dark." She also didn't like leaving Clouse with just one of them to keep him safe at night. She felt that bad things could happen in the dark.

Her mismatched gaze looked over toward him when he asked if she liked it there. "I do like it a lot here. Though it could be I've seen most of the lore and this is a new place. Maybe there are opportunities here for us."  She looked down at her paws for a moment. "I'm not really sure to be honest. I haven't figured it all out just yet." She gave him an affectionate nudge.

"How are you feeling about all of this?"

C l o u s e ➶ A r c h e r Avella confirmed that she did, and Clouse's eyes drifted back out to sea as he found neither resonance nor dissonance within himself at the answer. She used the word 'opportunities' and he hoped dearly that she was right, as well as admired the subtle confidence in her voice. Clouse had never been sure of anything in his life outside of the decision to leave the Dell, and even then... The question was turned back onto him and his muted eyes glanced at her beige-framed face before casting toward the horizon once more. It took a couple seconds for him to find words sufficient to answer her with. "I don't really know," was the final confession, the youth's brows furrowing slightly as he spoke. "Feels like we're still on that thing that brought us here, in a way. Like we're stuck in... limbo, I guess?" His dark paws kicked idly at the sand a moment before he finally held his gaze firmly upon his cousin. "I mean, what're you looking for, Avella? Like, what's the end goal?" What was the point? Word Count: 180

It hadn't been hard to answer Clouse's question. She really did like it there but maybe it was because there was so many new places to explore. Perhaps she saw something about this place that she hadn't seen im the lore or the Dell. The truth was she hadn't really given much thought to the why. Having been on the run for months she hadn't had the time to really sit down and deeply consider things.

When asked the same question Clouse didn't know. She wasn't surprised. There hadn't been a lot of time for such thinking for either of them. "You shouldn't worry. When the time comes you will know." She believed that and maybe today just wasn't his day really know how he felt about the place.

The masked woman nodded in agreement with his words. "Sometimes it does seem that way but we'll find a place and it won't feel that way anymore." At least that was her hope. They'd only just arrived in this new place and didn't really know much about it.

She held his gaze as she answered the first of the questions. "What I'm looking for is something more than what the lore or the Dell could offer me." As for the end goal, "I'm not sure, I asked Scully that same question and he didn't know. What I do know is winter is coming and we have to be prepared for that."

C l o u s e ➶ A r c h e r Clouse had to admire how collected and reassuring Avella was, and a large part of him wanted to relax and trust in her presence. Those anxious thoughts about messing everything up caused him to hold back and remain alert instead, making sure he did not step on toes or nerves. Still, it made him feel better overall to hear her say that he'd sort it out one day. He wanted to believe her. Something more than the Dell or the Lore, a place the boy had never been but heard plenty about, especially Willow Ridge and Whisper Caverns. They were on the same page then, and it also was a relief to know that Scully was right there with him. Around Clouse, the guy always acted like he had everything under control and planned out. But they were all just winging it, huh? Still, it caused a very specific question to begin eating at him: what if there simply wasn't more? "What's Winter like? What do we need to prepare for?" Clouse asked instead. Word Count: 174

Avella could remember a time when things had seemed so uncertain for her. How scary it had been to have to figure it out on her own. It allowed her to sympathize with Clouse and understand how he must be feeling. There was one thing she envied him. He had herself and Scully to help him through this tough time. She hadn't had anyone else but now looking back she didn't really regret a moment of it.

In the time she'd spent away from the ridge she'd learned to rely on herself. It helped to become an independent woman who didn't need anyone. Still it was nice to have her brother back with her. She did wonder if he'd always be at her side.

Her mismatched gazed turned on Clouse as he asked about winter. "I don't know how it will be here," she admitted, "But I can tell you its cold, sometimes very cold. There's this white stuff that falls from the sky like rain. Its called snow and it covers everything. Its cold and wet and balls up in your fur. Food is scarce cause the prey has gone somewhere else or disappears for the winter," she stopped there to think if there was anything she'd forgotten.

C l o u s e ➶ A r c h e r Avella's description matched what very little he had been told about the season before he'd left the Dell, but still it was not quite what he'd expected. "W-" Clouse blinked up at her, brows slowly knitting together, "well that sounds shitty." "Why do they leave? Should we leave?" the questions were snowballing fast inside his head, but he knew she could only answer them one at a time. Should they be stocking up on food now then? It didn't last that long though even when stored, did it? His ears lowered as another thought hit him. "Are we still gonna be able to travel?" Clouse didn't want to stop moving. Word Count: 110

Avella smiled at her little cousins deduction about winter. It certainly could be crappy and even more so when not in a pack. She'd spent her first winter on her own and it hadn't been easy.

"Yes, it can be but with the right preparations it will go much smoother." Avella had no doubt about it since packs got through winter all the time.

"They leave because food becomes scarce for them too. Plants die or go dormant so they have to go where the food is," she explained when he asked about the prey leaving. "We can leave, follow the herds or we stay and save enough food to make it through." Avella knew that she would prefer to stay in one place for the winter where they could save food.

Her gaze landed on the boy once again as he asked about them traveling. "We can still travel but we'll need to be careful especially in the snow. Continuing to travel will also give us the opportunity to catch any stragglers or scavenge for food if necessary." That first winter she'd scavenged most of her meals and though she'd been a little thinner by spring she'd made it through.

C l o u s e ➶ A r c h e r Clouse was clearly listening attentively to each word Avella said. Every little bit of information chipped away at the fog-of-war that was his lapse in knowledge and life experience, helping to make the coming Winter seem just a little less scary and intimidating. He remembered the thing about the plants from his many questions and concerns when fall first turned back on their home continent. The flora withering rapidly had thoroughly alarmed him, but that had only led to a conversation just like this. 'Follow the herds' sounded like the best choice to him, but he did not interrupt his cousin to say so, and that was good because she added another consideration: it sounded as though travel would be dangerous or otherwise difficult. "Why do we gotta be careful? Wet n' cold don't hurt, right?" It sounded super uncomfortable to Clouse, sure, but he'd never considered what happened when it got to be too cold or even too hot. Word Count: 160

It was times like this with Clouse that Avella liked most. Where he was the attentive student and she was able to impart some of her knowledge on him. There were still so many things to teach him but it was hard to cram it all into one lesson. This way was much better, where he guided what he learned. She felt that teaching him in this fashion would ensure his interest in the topics discussed. She wasn't surprised when he offered another question for her to answer. Avella took a moment to think how best to answer. When she finally spoke her gaze had fallen on him once more, this was important. "Wet and cold don't hurt unless its very cold and you are wet. If you get too cold and wet you can become very sick and die. We have to be careful because we can slip and fall on the ice and hurt ourselves badly. In blizzards we can become lost or separated. Many things can happen but if we're careful and stick together we should be okay." Though she'd lived through a winter on her own when she was only a little older than Clouse Avella believed the last part.

C l o u s e ➶ A r c h e r Avella had the answers once again, and they were quite a bit worrisome. She didn't seem stressed however, even when the word die passed her lips. The gears in Clouse's head were whirring away, digesting all of this new information while trying to imagine exactly what this Winter was actually going to look like. "Well... good thing we got each other then, huh?" He was definitely thankful he'd had his cousins to take him out into the world, watch his back and answer his questions. It was good to have family, and even better to have family with paws as itchy as your own. Motion caught his eyes, and Clouse looked up in time to see a falling star streak through the inky sky. Excitement lit up his face and his tail thumped against the ground. "Look, look! Someone's coming home! Make a wish," he urged his cousin before squeezing his eyes shut and sending up his own little request. Word Count: 160

The Masked Archer smiled at her young cousin when he spoke of them having each other. "That is very good indeed. We can look out for each other every step of the way and if something happens we won't be alone." It had been scary for her that first winter when she had been alone. She was glad Clouse wouldn't have to go through that.

Her attention was drawn to the sky when he spoke of some one coming home. Avella smiled again remembering her teachings. Like her little cousin she closed her eyes and made a wish that everything would turn out alright. Once her wish was made she opened her eyes again. "I hope they make it home safely."

Finally she realized how late it was getting. "We can talk more tomorrow but for now we should get some rest. Lots to do tomorrow." That said she rose to her feet and moved to enter the cave.

~Fade