((Ah, Resin, you made my day! I was seriously just thinking about PMing you about there maybe being a wildfire for an event. Just a scene I've had in mind for poor Wolf, and now I get to do it much sooner than I thought!))
Ahote
Male | 46 | Fighter
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The sound of Hrafn's warning call cut through Ahote's peaceful sleep and he awoke with a jolt, nearly leaping to his feet. He seldom slept as soundly as he had with Resin beside him, and it had left him a little out of sorts, but he quickly came to his senses as he processed what he had heard. There was no doubt that was an alert call, and it seems as though the Alpha had already gone to investigate. Concerned, he glanced back towards the cave, though he couldn't make out just who was awake, the sound of hushed voices reached his ears and surely there must be at least a few wolves still awake. Even the youngest pup would take notice of someone unknown entering the cave, and though his memory is a bit foggy, he is fairly certain Xani had returned as well.
Having pretty much talked himself into it at that point, Ahote turned on his heel and followed the now clear trail that lead into the forest. Not having to bother tracking, he quickly picked up speed, running dodging through the trees as he followed Resin's fresh footprints. Strangely, the further he went from the cave, the heavier the air grew around him, the dim night seeming to get darker as though the blackness of the sky had fallen in on him. Yet, Ahote has worked though such hardship before and refused to slow his pace.
Almost imperceptibly, the sky in front of him began to brighten with a flickering, reddish light. At first, Ahote assumed that it must be near dawn, but soon remembered that he was headed in the wrong direction to be facing the sun. At last, he made his way out of the trees and spotted Hrafn and Resin's forms silhouetted against the brightened sky. Slowing his pace, he climbed the little hill and was about to ask them what was wrong when he saw it. An astonished gasp escaped his throat, and he stared, transfixed at the sight that spread out below them. There, in the lowlands beyond, there was a great light flickering at the tops of the trees. Dancing and wavering like a thing alive and hungry as it leapt from tree to tree. Awestruck, he could do nothing more than stare, it was as if Father Sun had stepped down and left a great paw-print of light behind.
Without even realizing it, Ahote stepped up next to Hrafn, his eyes wide as he stared at the sight below them. For a long time, that was all the more he could manage, and eventually sunk down to his haunches. Finally, he was able to tear his eyes away and look back towards the other two wolves, only to find that the brightness of the light had ruined his night vision and they were nothing more than dark shadows agains the darker black of the forest behind them. Closing his eyes, he shook his head.
"How... How can this be? Is it an omen?" he asked in a soft, hoarse whisper. Light had always before come from the sky. What could it possibly mean if light had fallen? He turned away then, not wanting to look any more.
"We... I... Someone should tell Attican..." he said, trailing off. Still blinded, he began the painstaking task of following their trail back to the cave at a slow walk, waiting for his eyes to readjust.
Lani
Female | 57 | Hunter
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Sweetly oblivious to Attican's troubled thoughts, Lani lay next to him relishing their closeness. Yet, the fact was, even if she had known, it would have changed nothing. She had already made up her mind, all of the Keeper's guilty thought and worry about not hurting her were unnecessary. Even if at that moment, had he gotten up and told her to leave and never return, she would still love him. Thus was the gift of the simple, it ran so strongly in her that it kept her in perpetual, blissful ignorance. Of course, she would never willingly hurt him, Lani would never willingly hurt anyone. Had she known that her presence made him feel, and how acutely he still felt the passing of Annu, she would have pitied him. Her own sweet Stok would always be her first true love, but they had both been of the practical sort and she had no doubt that he wouldn't mind her finding some warm companionship in his absence. After all, there were now more years behind her that ahead of her, and they would be together soon enough.
As Attican turned to sniff the tip of her nose, Lani smiled softly and licked the bottom of his chin before he could pull away. It was a sweet gesture, and even that little bit of recognition made her feel warmer inside. At his stuttered words that eventually agreed to let her stay close to him, her smile broadened and she looked at him affectionately.
"Yes, I think it would," she said affirmatively, and snuggled in closer to his side.
Though the cave was already warm, the Keeper made Lani feel even warmer, and she purred softly at his side. The soft, trilling rumble was a strange and funny sound for a wolf, but for the chubby hunter it seemed to suit her. At lease she didn't throw her head across his shoulders, or climb into his lap, both had briefly crossed her mind, but she was at least prudent enough not to press her luck. Thus, she just laid her head down next to his. Though she was tired, her eyes refused to close, and she took deep breaths, pulling in his scent. It was as if she was afraid to sleep, and miss even one moment that might have been shared.
Hoever, it seems as though they will not have too long a peace, and before either of them can drift off the black pup, Mirage squeals from the other side of the cavern. Startled, Lani's head shot up, and she watched him as he seemed to recover himself from some sort of night terror and make his way over to where they lay. Though she let out a little unhappy harrumph, she was quite curious as to what he had to say, and so simply kept quiet and waited to see what Attican had to say. She just hoped that they would decide to stay and speak rather than walking off, so she could stay snuggled up next to him.
Wolf
Male | 20 | Straggler
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Snuggled into his warm little snow-den, Wolf awoke with a start, gasping for breath. The air had grown thick around him and he choked, coughing and sputtering, as a thick, black cloud poured in through the entrance. Panicked, he leapt to his feet only to fall back down again, he was light-headed and woozy, and the world around him seemed to spin. His mind reeled as an unaccustomed fear swam through him. SInce he had reawakened after the sickness, he had not felt fear of anything, not even the raving beasts who cried and bit at themselves. Of course, he had a healthy respect for the much larger animals, and enough sense to keep out of their way, but that was nothing like this. Both were merely curiosities to be observed and pondered on. This was pure terror, as he was attacked by an unseen assailant.
Panting heavily, Wolf struggled to get up again, this time moving slower so as to not be overcome once again, and he managed to make his way out of the den. Outside, the black cloud still hun over him, but at least there was a little bit of air and Wolf drank it in happily, devouring it in greedy mouthfuls. It wasn't until he had stilled his racing hear and calmed his breathing that he looked up. What he saw made him forget everything else, and he stared, slack-jawed up at the sky. Just to the south of him, a great column of black smoke rose up like an angry beast. A dull, incessant roar filled his ears, punctuated by the sharp snap of trees as they broke before its wake, causing him to start in surprise. All of that though was dimmed by the blinding orange and yellow light that leapt from the forest to the south. Dancing and twirling, it lapped at the sky sending a flickering warm glow dancing across the snow, lighting up the valley like the sky at sunset. From the blackened sky, tiny orange embers fell slowly to the ground, hissing when they landed in the snow beside him. It was as if the stars had given up on hanging to the heavens, and now fell to the ground about his feet. Wolf stood awestruck, for this there were no words, no reasoning and he had absolutely no idea what to do.
While he stood there transfixed, Wolf noticed one of the bright specks was now drifting down directly towards him. His eyes locked onto it and he stared in wonder as it slowly made its way towards him.
"What are you?" he asked, his voice full of wonder and reverence. However, as with most things, it had now words for him and simply fluttered down to land on his nose. With a yelp, he leapt back from it, pawing at his nose where it burned, tears immediately welling up in his eyes from the sting. The panic from before welled up in him, and he soon realized that one little burning speck was not alone, and thousands more were wafting down from the sky, directly towards him.
Eyes rolling in fear, Wolf turned and ran. Paws flying beneath him, he had no idea where he was going except away from the monster the perused him. Invariably that meant North, and he soon found himself running back up the wide trail that was cut by the massive herd of reindeer that had charged through the area earlier. Wherever he ended up, Wolf didn't care so long as the searing beasts stopped taking bites out of his hide.
