─ ❛, FROSTBOUND ◦ ─── [ roleplay thread ]

[cicardia]

discussion

[cicardia]

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
THE SLED DOG TEAM PERSEVERANCE IS composed of the most skilled sledding dogs of their time. These dogs were bred for the cold, for resilience, and for endurance the likes of which isn't easily fathomed. They've scaled frozen mountains high, delved through ice-laded valleys abound. A few of the older canines on this team are decedents of the mission that spared Alaska from a brutal pandemic that nearly wiped out the entire city of Nome. They've roots of brilliance in their blood: their success speaks for itself. To be part of Team Perseverance is a dream that ever snow-born pup holds close to heart. Mushers from all around the world dream of meeting these dogs, or perhaps one day being as phenomenal as the man that calls the team his pride and joy. The fame, of course, can go to one's head - arrogance is a most lethal predator.

As a brutal winter storm unlike meteorologists have ever recorded throughout history brews on the horizon, Team Perseverance is given a daunting task. This winter storm has the capability to destroy the world as we know it- and to be unprepared, would be signing your own death certificate. Called upon to fetch crucial supplies from a small town far across the Puget Sound, the sled team embarks on a journey they've no idea will be their last as a team of sled dogs. Soon into their race against snow and ice, tragedy strikes. While traversing treacherous terrain, the ice shelf gives way beneath their paws. They all tumbled and tangled with one another, losing a few of their precious family members on the way down, including their musher. Injured, hungry, and terrified without their Master, the surviving dogs endure hellish nights in the Alaskan wilderness until they stumble upon a small village that looks to have been abandoned. Here, they stumble upon the dogs who'd soon become their reason to endure - their reason to persevere.

This group of dogs consist of strays and pets that have been stolen right from the streets or from under their humans' noses. Some are pampered pets, others were dogs that had beautiful pelts that greedy hearts saw profit shinning within their coats. They have been warned by an intuitive murder of crows that a vicious storm is on the way and they are ill prepared to fortify their shelters and haven't a clue how to store food to make it last much longer than a few days. The leaders of these two groups come to an agreement - the stars placed them together for a reason. They were meant to endure this nightmare together. In an attempt to save their lives, the lead dog of the sled team suggests that they find man's sacred power: fire. Racing against the clock to find it, these dogs must carry home a torch to keep their den warm against winter's wrath. If they fail, then they too, will be bound by the frost forever.
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[cicardia]

──────────────────── ⁺˖⋆.★ ── 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑔 𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠 ─

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 , 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄 ♀♂
─────────────────────────

─────────────────────────
𝑆𝐻𝐴𝐷𝑂𝑊 / 𝑇𝐸𝑅𝑅𝐴
X
𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 , 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄 ♀♂
─────────────────────────

─────────────────────────
𝑆𝐻𝐴𝐷𝑂𝑊 / 𝑇𝐸𝑅𝑅𝐴
X
𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 , 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄 ♀♂
─────────────────────────

─────────────────────────
𝑆𝐻𝐴𝐷𝑂𝑊 / 𝑇𝐸𝑅𝑅𝐴
X

[cicardia]

RES

[shadow~wolf]

██xx𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐔𝐄 w𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇
age. two years gender. female breed. border collie x role. n/a mood. n/a tags.--
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

her hopes rushed in and out like moving water. she had conflicting feelings surrounding her current dilemma, and of course as always she was being too introspective and quizzical to really let herself feel, grieve, mourn, whatever she needed. too caught up in her head. only considering how she should think, and react to the situation at hand. the stress was getting to her already to some degree, no wonder as she is the most sensitive dog most will ever meet. not exactly being outwardly emotional, but without a doubt carrying a soft heart at all times. nimue took a deep breath, bringing herself out of her deep thinking. just take one day at a time...she thought as she quietened her mind. that was a sentiment she found was useful to remind herself of, and she happened to do so often, especially in these unfamiliar times. it grounded her the past few days any time she felt she might burst with emotion.

she gave a quick shake to her coat before moving forward. it was still quite early in the day, and in the frigid climate it was difficult to know exactly when the sun would come out and warm her, if at all some days. even on those good days it didn't seem to be of much help this time of year. with the winds picking up and most not being able to remember the last time they saw the grass beneath the powdery layer of snow, it was already proving to be a harsh season. nimue continued her exploration into the settlement that the strange dogs had found. she had to give them full credit for that, as she would have never been resourceful enough to find a semblance of temporary shelter. the border collie ventured into a few small structures. her stomach growling as she did so and reminding her just what she was after. food. though her hope for a bowl of homemade dog food- not only topped with gravy but separate treats as well, was wearing low today... she knew at this point, though they weren't in dire straits, she and the other dogs would take what they could find, or otherwise hunt before heading off. nimue was a skilled hunter, that is.. a hunter of fallen chips and unaccounted crumbs from a human's plate. this activity was right up her alley. at least she was putting herself to use. whether she succeeded or not, if there was food.. she knew she would surely find it. the female continued sniffing and searching, lifting and pawing objects in her path. though grateful for many things, food was quite possibly the only thing she gave her owner trouble with. nimue got her way easily enough. as her owner seeing her look hungry, or at least.. acting picky and stubborn.. was enough to move her master to make her a balanced meal more expensive than a full menu at a restaurant. tweaking and perfecting it until nimue was perfectly content with it. this is the way she grew up, truthfully having quite the easy time in her household as her owner had endless adoration for the young dog. it had been roughly a week or so since nimue found a few of the dogs who had banded together, after finding themselves all in the same situation as she. she was generous with her hospitality. trying to stay on the good side of these strangers wasn't difficult, as she was born with a knack for drawing others in. despite this, nimue was in a rush to find her beloved home more than being focused on friendships. sarah was her girl, and she could only imagine their reunion after an entire week of being apart. this, perhaps being the longest time they've been without eachother. she couldn't wait to get moving. to see sarah and get her long overdue belly rubs that were in order. this week dragged out slower than ever, it felt like a hundred dog years to the collie and she was itching to sleep in her own bed. the group of dogs found this small area for shelter while they awaited the harsher portion of the weather to be over, the wind to die down some over the past few nights before going on their ways. there hadn't been much chatter or planning, as most of them were just more disoriented than focused like nimue. talk of banding together wasn't even on her mind. the pets in the small group were all ready to get back to their homes and all just as clueless of how far away they really were. nimue was certainly over her head, imagining that once the winds died down she'd be able to follow her nose home and be there in no time. though in quite the predicament, she was sensible enough to wait until the wind slowed so she could have some sense of direction with her sense of smell.

xxxxx
xxxxx

[cicardia]

─ ❛, 001. SURVIVE, SURVIVE, SURVIVE ◦ ───
lead dog ◦ tags: sled team ◦
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Just shy of the chaotic ice fields of the Puget Sound, a team of sled dogs and their musher fought for their fleeting lives.

White. Subzero, frost bitten death. All that which yawned before the inimitable souls that made up one of the most renowned teams of their generation, promised something lethal. Lost in the wash of the beginning of the Earth’s coldest fury yet, Team Perseverance crept closer to the concealed precipice of change. At their lead, a white-furred she-dog and a broad-shouldered malamute drove all their weight into the mountain snow drifts making it impossible to gain distance at anything better than a slow crawl. Muzzle parted, saliva dripped in thick trails off of Kalika’s sodden, ice caked muzzle. Not a word had been exchanged in nearly an hour between the dogs, but their fright needn’t vocalization to be felt and ricochetted. Their union, their hard-won bond with one another, united them on the same front: survive, survive, survive.

Kalika, though the husky couldn’t have been at fault, took them far off of their beaten path; the storm had come in hard and in search of vengeance. It ripped at their pelts, stung their tired eyes, deafened their ears to everything but the threats the howling gales that did not thaw beneath the reassurances the she-dog no longer bothered to share with her companions. Instead, she shared her strength within every aching ripple of burning muscle - within the downward bend of her head that gave life to her defiant determination to see them through the worst race of their journeys together thus far. Visions of her posh bed by the fireside, a right not every dog trailing behind her had been given, served as Kali’s torch light at the end of a tunnel eclipsed by improbability and the odds stacking around the dogs in thick columns of winter’s rage.

She felt the ice packed beneath her paws shift before the harrowing cracks echoed around them in strange, garbled grunts that lived in her worst nightmares. Eyes widening, the pale dog’s ears flattened against her head. With the malamute hitched to her side, she shared a wide-eyed, horror sick stare that the male’s gaze mimicked. They’d not a chance to make a plan of action, nor profess that they were not ready for what was sure to become of them within the next few seconds. For with an ear-splitting crunch, the slope they’d been fighting to descend gave up on its fickle support of their encumbering, unwelcome weight. A few of the dogs let out startled yaps. The eldest wheel dog’s scream would live on in Kalika’s haunts for the rest of her life. It was the last sound Buck ever made.

It happened too quickly for any of them to make sense. In a mess of harnesses and their lines, supplies, and other bodies, the team went tumbling down the mountainside. Caught up in one another’s limbs, Kalika and Mickey rolled over one another the whole way down, cracking their heads, their flanks, their throbbing legs against each other and the rocks tall enough to still jut out of the growing mounds of snow. With their master long lost, the sled went on and on, dragging each dog down with its splintering frame. It was in pieces before the dogs reached a flat stretch of the slope, thank the stars - for it pitched over the edge, taking with it both wheel dogs, one of the swing dogs directly ahead - leaving poor Tilikum and the other two team dogs to support their dangling weight. Tilikum’s paws slipped over the edge. The dogs still remaining on solid ground were jerked back toward the ledge, barely able to catch themselves before they too, could pitch over.

Panting, Kalika untangled herself just enough from Mickey to throw a petrified look her teammate’s way. She let out an attention demanding bark, trying desperately to pry herself free of the malamute’s squirming barricade.

“Pull!” she howled at them. Driven by panic, they obeyed.

A testament to their immense strength, the dogs slowly returned their dangling friends to safety. Once Buck was resting listlessly in the snow, the canines sank to the snow in unison, their breath creating a thick cloud around them as they panted and heaved, shivering within the unforgiving clutches of shock. On legs that could not carry Tilikum fully onto his paws, the russet-coated siberian husky leaned close to Buck, his bright blue eyes peering at a sight he’d never forget - his friend looking peaceful in eternal sleep. The male lunged away, but didn’t get anywhere. With a yelp, he was jerked back down into the snow, taking the she-dog quivering at his side to the snow with him.

Kalika stared at the dog she’d known since she’d opened her eyes and ears to the rest of the world, disbelief rendering the husky speechless.

What had she done?

[shadow~wolf]

██xx𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐑𝐀 w𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐓
age. three years gender. female breed. siberian husky role. team dog mood. shocked tags.team
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
The wind, sharp and freezing, stung the dogs' lungs as they trudged on. Akira had been struggling to catch her breath for hours at a time, and she looked to the further end of the line, where Mickey and Kalika were taking the brunt of the snow mounds. Mickey in particular seemed to have an almost disheartened look on her face. A look she hadn't seen much from any of her pack members. Especially not while doing their job. As much of an airhead Akira could seem at time, even she was beginning to slow down and put question on their safety. She looked up at Mickey ahead of her again, almost wondering if he would bring them to a stop soon. Maybe even giving up. But he was the last canine willing to lose a battle to anyone or anything. Being unbelievably determined in his training and work is exactly what he was valued for. His most prominent trait, perhaps, as this is what was so often bragged about..by him, his owner, and even some of the team members. This is exactly what left on-lookers in awe when they watched broadcasts of the team and their musher in a race, having great admiration for all of them but especially the two lead dogs as they seemed invincible, winning every race they entered in and leading everyone behind them to success. Anyone would bet their life-savings on the winning chances of the world renowned team. Pulling and heaving at his master's commands. Though infrequent now, as the man was struggling just as much if not more without a protective coat of fur to keep pushing forward. He wasn't doing well, and all of the dogs were starting to catch on to this.

The she-dog was still in her head a little, wishing for some audible direction or encouragement from anyone ahead of her, or even behind her. Without warning she was tumbling down over her fellow teammates. She hadn't been present enough to realize the ground beneath her shifting and cracking, so without anytime to brace herself she was one of the first to catch air-time, crashing into the dogs around her instantly. She yelped and whined as the sled continued to pull her backwards down the steep slopes. Her life flashed before her eyes, seeing her master's loving face in her imagination as she thought she prepared to take her last breaths. Miraculously, she felt her body hit the ground with a thud and they had a moment of being stationary. Her legs collapsed beneath her, letting out a horrified whine as she opened her eyes and gazed at the sight around her. By the grace of God she stiffened her legs again hurriedly at the lead dog's command. Knowing as one of the closer dogs towards the back of the line she would be over the edge with the others in no time.

Without processing anything that was happened, she used all of the strength she had to pull forward. Immediately after the weight let up from her harness she fell on weak and shaking legs. Huffing and puffing, she looked at the snow beneath her, not only because her vision was blurry now but because she was too afraid to face the horrors around her, and see which if any of her teammates remained. As she felt Til yank her forward, she yelped and shot her head up. Still trying her best not to look down at Buck nearby, she hurriedly crouched down and flailed about, the harness pressing against her bruised bones. Eager to get out of her harness she used her last ounce of energy to escape and back out of it. Being a smaller, slim dog the harness had never been quite snug enough anyhow. She pounced forward a few bounds into the snow, and let out a sharp breath, her heart pounding in her ears.

Finally looking around, she realized who was and wasn't present. Mickey was standing still, shaking with bloodshot eyes and silent as he'd ever been apart from the small whines escaping with every breath. Shell-shocked, he couldn't even make eye contact with his fellow lead dog yet. Facing anyone ever again seemed unimaginable. Akira cringed and whimpered at the sight of the senior dog, Buck. Half of the dogs she'd spent her entire life growing up beside were out of sight. She opened her mouth, didn't have much time to cry out before realizing the young puppy that was in their master's lap was missing as well. This was what horrified her most, as the puppy was so, so young and Akira had grown very close to her. Despite there being a few team members breathing, still tangled up in their harnesses and gear.. she felt that she had lost everyone, and every bit of optimism was leaving her body.
(Jasmine is still alive just missing)

xxxxx
xxxxx

[cicardia]

─ ❛, 002. NO ONE◦ ───
lead dog ◦ tags: sled team ◦
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Her mother had told Kalika she was bred for something phenomenal. Within her, she carried the spirit of dogs who’d saved the lives of children, descendents of the masters that cared for them now. To be destined to guide Team Perseverance, well, it was the highest honor a dog of her roots could have. Strewn behind her, tangled in harnesses and their now quiet comrades, lay her dreams; silver eyes skated across the horrors behind her. A quivered cloud huffed out of the siberian’s pink nose; how could this have happened? How far had they strayed from their path? Could the sled even move? Their master… the pup resting in his lap- was this her fault? Had she shifted off their trail or had Mickey? Were they to blame? Was she accountable for the loss they’d suffered? Had their master doomed them, or had his team?

Kalika’s head drooped. Eyes unfocused, she stared at the snow, eclipsing her vision in a sheen of white.

Her thoughts ran rampant circles, skipping off their logical tracks into hysteria. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do?

The husky wasn’t sure how long she lingered in the crevices of her mind. There, with insurmountable strength, she pieced herself back together for her family. With every slow breath she drew, she tucked her slumbering friends into safe spaces within her heart, to hold them in grief when those she could still save were safe and sound. Their run was not over. They would persevere - ice be damned. Chest swelling, the white furred dog rose to her aching paws and flung her might into wrenching herself out of her harness. Once free, she approached the shell-shocked malamute who had yet to believe the disaster was finished. Gently, to keep his abrasive temper in mind, Kalika worked to pry the harness off of her fellow lead dog. As she did so, she lowered her voice to provide a sense of privacy, to protect the malamute’s fatally wounded pride. Kalika struggled to recognize when feelings should be spared, but now was certainly not the time to be anything but tender. Mickey was a dog that fought the world alone - this was not time to find comfort in isolation.

“Slow breaths,” she suggested under her breath, keeping her tone hushed. “We must keep our heads. If we panic, we will die. Our team needs our guidance now more than ever. We must work together if we want to survive this storm.” The harness slid away, Kalika tugged it over the malamute’s square head, struggling with the tight bands; with a final wrench of her head, Mickey was free.

To give him the chance to find equilibrium, Kalika trotted over to Tilikum, who had hunkered down in the snow to shudder and quake. Sighing, the white dog wrangled the russet male out of his tangled straps. Once he was loose, Tilikum shot away, disappearing for a moment within the white out, before he came racing back, mouth agape and tongue dripping slick with saliva. He circled around the surviving dogs, whining with the occasional yelp to harmonize. Wandering over to Akira while keeping an eye on the frantic dog, she lowered her nose to take an investigative sniff of her teammate. Nothing seemed amiss, save for the undoubtful aches she was certain Akira felt.

“Are you alright?” Kalika asked - a stupid question, probably. “That young pup, did you see where she went? She must be near our master.”

Kalika raised her head, craning her neck to get a better look at the slope they’d tumbled down. The storm’s rage prevented even her keen eyesight from piercing its frigid curtain. She flattened her ears and narrowed her eyes.

“Climbing the slope this way will be impossible. We will have to make our way down, go back around, and climb back down to find them. Turning to face the other two dogs in her midst, she went against her own advice - panic set in, digging their teeth deep into her chest until she felt she may just burst into flames.

“Are you mad?!” Tilikum wailed, stalking forward with wide eyes and hackles raised. “No! I’m not going back up that mountain. Forget it, they’re good as dead - and if we try to go back up there, we’ll be right there with them!”

“I will not leave our master behind. There’s a young pup lost up there somewhere. You can stay here if you want to, but if we can’t find our way back to you, then you’ll be wishing you went.”

Tilikum bared his teeth and hunkered down in the snow, glaring up at his leader with stubborn defiance agleam in his amber eyes. Kalika shook her head once, turned away, and limped onward. If she had to wander up that mountain alone, so be it.

No one gets left behind. No one.

[shadow~wolf]

██xx𝐍𝐈𝐌𝐔𝐄 w𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇
age. two years gender. female breed. border collie x role. n/a mood. uncertain tags.--
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The collie was thinking she was in a clear enough head-space to judge the conditions ahead. Though usually sensible and level-headed, her mind began to wonder again. Her heart began to pull with ache and she mindlessly picked up her feet again. Making perhaps an illogical decision to stray further from the others that had all banded together. She knew they were better equipped in close proximity, she knew this was a bad idea, she knew she could get lost and never found. Despite knowing this, she was rather distracted from these logical points and she carried on. Nimue continued on with her exploration of the surrounding area hesitantly, wincing as gusts of ice stung her face. She was out of her mind, but had enough clarity to at least made a point to drag her feet a little in both the higher and lower banks of snow, trying her best to keep some semblance of a path. This was to follow back to the sheltered area she and many other lost dogs were camping out in. She pushed her feet deep into the snow, feeling the damp and in most parts, frozen mud far beneath her. If she were to lose her way, so much that she couldn't find the path visibly, she could at least pick up scents from her paw pads trekking through the hills.

It was early morning, and it seemed most, if not all of the canines she'd met previously were still resting as best they could before she left. Some huddled in the same space to share body heat, others creating some distance as they weren't trusting the new group quite yet. They were all recharging their energy as they waited for the weather to lighten up. They'd need it if they were to all split up and find their families soon. Nimue, usually a social and friendly soul, wound up being rather indifferent to the dogs she'd met, her mind occupied not on making friends here but how she'd get back home. Home. Her human needed her greatly, and her heart ached thinking of how upset she must be. She had some semblance of hope that her female owner would be out searching for her. Imagining that her owner's faint silhouette would appear across the white tundra, she quickened her pace. Not long ago, her survival instincts were keeping her close to the other pets. In the blink of an eye even she was so frazzled even she couldn't understand how much trouble she could be heading towards. Her mind absent and fuzzy with memories of her beloved owner, she began to quicken her pace. In an instant, she was brought back to reality when she heard a chorus of panicked howls. Oh man. Not only was she seeing things that weren't there but hearing them too?

Seeing what looked like debris fly down from a peak some distance away from her, she recoiled. She couldn't tell what was happening at the high point of the rugged mountain ahead. Hearing the faint howls, whines and other canine noises Nimue hesitated not to follow her curiosity. Carefully she crept through the lower snow banks, on top of thick white snow that had frozen so she wasn't sinking into it. She followed a rugged, rocky ridge around and began to see bits of debris sitting atop the snow. She kept glancing up, trying to see where this came from. Where the noises came from, but she couldn't quite tell. There were unmoving shapes she could barely make out along the side of the rocks above. The collie began to struggle against the wind, when she came to a halt. it was difficult to tell, but.. was that the scent of.. no.. her heart thumped harder in her chest. Someone, something had recently been deceased. Very recently, in fact. Nimue hesitantly glanced around, noticing the red dots in the white plains. Nimue, in a panic, turned on her heel and hurriedly began to return to her path. As she made a shortcut through the icy and slippery terrain, she reached a patch of fluffy powder on the start of a higher snow bank. Her paw hit something right beneath the surface, and she reached out her other shaking paw to brush away the layer of snow. Something furry and warm appeared and Nimue admittedly feared the worst. Had she really stumbled across someone who had just fallen victim to the harsh grip of death? Gathering the courage she needed, she squeezed her eyes shut as she leaned forward to sniff this furry mass. It didn't smell injured, dead, or otherwise. Miraculously, it seemed to be breathing! She nudged the thick fur with her nose, gathering the slightly sweet scent of a puppy. Hurriedly clearing out the snow around her and the little one, she laid her eyes on just about the cutest thing she'd ever seen. A young dog, cute as a button with paws too big for her body and floppy ears on either side of her head. She sure was adorable, but more pitiful than anything. Worry set in as she realized the tot hadn't opened her eyes or made a peep. Breathing, though... was a good sign. Nimue carefully used her jaws to pick up this puppy, and she glanced up again. Those sounds earlier. They certainly sounded like other dogs. After sitting idly in thought, more quizzical than pitying herself now.. she wandered up the slope. Puppy in tow.

xxxxx
xxxxx