Hrafn- Hunter- 46 Summers.
Having checked on the wolves in the back half of the group and gauged that they were all whole and had their wits about them, he returned to the tail end of the pack. He fell in line behind them just in time to see Lani run towards the retreating Attican, then balk and return to the group. She truly cared for the Keeper, that much was obvious. In her upset state, she managed to slam into the rump of the pretty blonde wolf. Hrafn tried to remember her name, distracting himself from the murderous monster that stalked them. Piper? Pirouette? Pine? Finally it clicked. Pilot. Pleased with his memory, the big black brute pranced for three strides before returning to his normal lope.
Pulling up beside Lani, he matched her pace, running shoulder to shoulder with the older white female. "I'm sorry, Lani. I didn't mean to leave so hastily before. Experience has taught me that if you don't check on the slowest often, they tend to give up." Casting his dark amber gaze upon her face, he noted the obvious distress in her features. She worried for Attican and rightly so. He wouldn't have run back into the mouth of the bright beast without a damn good reason. Resin was obviously that reason for the Keeper.
Hrafn couldn't remember seeing the dark Alpha as they ran. With her wound, she would have been running at the back of the pack or at least the middle of she pushed herself. Just to double check, he scanned the area, his thoughts confirmed. She wasn't anywhere in sight. Worry bit him in the rump and to distract himself, he continued to speak to Lani, hoping to distract her as well. "He'll come back. He's too smart to let that bright monster beat him. He'll find the ones that he seeks and he'll return. They'll all return." He believed his words wholeheartedly, but worry still chased him.
Resin- Alpha Female- 40 Summers.
Sleep had claimed her quickly and she slept deep; dreams eluding her. The distant crackle and roar of the all-devouring sun beast didn't even cause the femme to stir. What did manage to finally wake her was Ahote. His stirring brought her eyes open quickly and she searched his face, looking for signs of distress. His features changed as she watched. He was obviously dreaming. Every now and again little muffled noises would escape from his maw.
Wriggling her body closer, she placed her head over the back of his neck, pulling him close. Repeatedly she nuzzle the top of his head, the repetitive motion bringing comfort to her and hopefully it would calm him as well. The dream came to a peak and he jerked roughly beneath her. Eyes widening slightly, she brought her head back and licked along the side of his muzzle just as her mother used to do when she was a pup. The action seemed to help, for his struggles lessened.
Now that she had a gauge on his dream state, she pulled herself close to him again and began to do something that she had never done for another wolf. She sang. Now, wolves weren't the greatest singers due to their voices being so gruff, but Resin was an exception. She was quite proud of her voice, but in this aspect she was very, very shy. In all of her years alive, she doubted that anyone had ever heard her singing voice. Had Ahote been awake, he wouldn't have heard it either since the action never would have crossed her mind. Now, however, she sang soft and low, an old, old song that had been taught to her by her fathers father.
On and on she sang, her eyes, as bright as the raging fire outside, locked on the sleeping, injured wolf beside her. When her song ended, she rested her neck over the back of Ahote's shoulders and took to humming instead. She listened and she felt, her senses completely in tune to the brute. He had come back for her despite the dangers that plagued them. He had sustained injuries on her behalf. The least that she could do was to try and make him sleep easy and peacefully.
A loud crack cut the song short and was followed by a heavy thud. Moving forward, Resin pushed her muzzle through the wall of snow, eyes slightly squinted against the outside world. The beast had reached them, it seemed. Against her will, a worried whine poured from her throat. The clearing was completely surrounded by a wall of yellow and orange light. The trees roared in pain and buckled beneath the weight of the bright tendrils that the beast wrapped around them. Resin could feel the heat pouring off of the bright wall. This was indeed the sun come to earth.
What would they do when the monster came to claim them? The clearing was large, but it wasn't that large. Surely they would be seen by the bright monster. Slowly she pulled her head back into the snow cave, covering it once again with the white powder. She curled her dark body tightly around Ahote. There was nothing that they could do but wait. They could be waiting to die or they could be waiting to live. As of that moment, Resin wasn't quite sure what sort of waiting they were doing.
