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nindroidzane ✦ archive ✦ last post )
The winds ━ both the angel and devil on her shoulder.
Their gentle whispers, a soothing lullaby to the knot strung within, but with it they ushered a cruel twist ━ her fears, her anxieties… her unspoken secrets. Those dark, unspoken thoughts unbreathable to the gentlest of souls. The winds… they were darkness enveloped in light. A messenger from the near future, but a harbinger of unrest in the present.
Yet today, the winds frolicked and danced, unraveling like a gentle melody in the tundra. A promise of peace… perhaps for the time.
A gentle nose brushed against her side. “Mom? Mom, over
there. There’s… something.”
Her ears flicked. “Something…?”
“It’s in trouble.” Light paws dashed through the snow. “We need to help it!”
“Wait, Littlepaw━”
Her daughter was gone.
A hollow bark bellowed through the trees. The call of a nearby creature. A large one.
Was it in trouble? Or did it signal trouble?
Her pawsteps quickened as she slipped through the snow, heart thudding against her chest. A large beast and a little cat was not a fair fight. Far from a fair fight. What if…
She swallowed. “Littlepaw?”
“…I gotcha. You’re free now, see?” Soft murmurs accompanied by a gentle coo. The thickets rustled, dried leaves crinkling, then a softer chuff from… another creature. Hooves trod through the snow, summoning a quick pitter-patter as it retreated. A… deer?
Her shoulders eased. Somewhat.
“It was an elk!” Delicate pawsteps drew close, a warm nose skimming her shoulder. “It was just caught in a thorny bush, but I freed it. It’s okay, now… and
oh! It also pointed out some prey.”
(+3FP arctic hare) “Elks are lovely creatures, aren’t they?” A new voice. Unfamiliar… yet pleasant, radiating a genuine warmth like the crackling hearth of a roaring fireplace. Steady pawsteps slipped through the snow, nearing.
“Such elegant and regal beings… and those antlers! Absolutely majestic ━ it takes my breath away each time.” Littlepaw shuffled close. “Who are you?”
The stranger chuckled.
“Why yes, I’m already forgetting! I’m Furzetuft and I don’t believe we’re acquainted.” A pause.
“But… I do believe you know a friend of mine. They mentioned you on their travels and asked me to give you this. Here, they said you’d like it!” (+1 fennel, +1 rush, +1 alder bark, +1 lungwort) It
clicked.
Breezewhisper tilted her head. “You… know Fennel?”
“Indeed. And they’re still looking for that wanderer friend of theirs. They asked me to loop back around and double-check… just in case she came around this way again.” A light chuckle flowed, edged with an underlying solemn note.
“You’d think we would have found her by now.” She cleared her throat, offering a gentle nudge.
“Thing is, I could use a guide navigating this place. Think you could help me out?” ✦ Furzetuft has appeared! She's looking for some help to find Fennel's friend!
Does the patrol aid her or turn her down? ✦
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