Rineswept
A shriveled pile of leaves, barely appetizing even in their prime, scraped together aside the mostly-eaten carcass of an already hunted grouse and a crippled butterfly, half-smushed into the ground-- but still protein, perhaps. The bitter chill of the wind as it bit into your fur, not to mention the cold that had already seeped through the ground, up your paws, into your veins and even the pit of your stomach, where a once agonizing fire had dulled to a painful ache, frozen like it felt everything else around should be. It was too gray for proper prey. Too bitter for snow. Your breath clouded in the air as you exhaled, sides trembling with the effort, and gulped the remnants you could fool yourself into calling food down.
It was gritty, not unlike sludge as you swallowed. It would've been laughable to presume it warm in the first place. But where it should have brought a sense of fulfillment, there was only hollow mediocrity, settling in your gut to twist and fester along with the hopelessness that had been slowly but surely brewing. Your front and hind legs ached. The pads of your paws had long since split open and attempted to heal, only to be broken once again, leaving behind a cracked, leathery surface that dried far too easily. You were exhausted-- sleep was all that you wanted. Sleep was tempting. Sleep was respite.
Sleep would mean death.
Wearily, you dragged yourself to your paws. The extra twinge of pain that crept in was barely noticeable, another note that faded into the background. You could've sworn something howled in the distance, faint and far-off. Not a wolf, like yourself. There seemed to be none of those within miles. It must have been the wind. You tried not to stumble as you forced your stinging limbs forward. One more step. Just one more. It was what you had been telling yourself for hours. Maybe days. It was hard to tell. Time had seemed to blur together into an unremarkable mass, lately. Not that it was shocking. Trudging aimlessly in hopes of finding a place to rest where the threat of bigger, stronger enemies wasn't present didn't exactly soothe an overstimulated mind.
You had heard some parts of the mountain were quite lovely. It was why they had been the place where you'd planned your escape, the final destination. You would give anything for one of those parts, now. You didn't know how you got into this territory— tucked closer to the top of the frost-capped peaks, the air thin and the terrain jagged, a hike to the bottom at least an hour's journey. The smallest, stupidest mountain of the vast bunch, probably. Your luck really was nonexistent.
You didn't realize you were falling until your paw twisted, hindquarters collapsing to the ground as your balance gave out. Your jaw stung as it crashed into the dirt. Was this how you went out? The dreary sky your witness and the bugs wormed into the ground your funeral procession?
It couldn't be. You hadn't done what you needed to do. What you promised you would achieve. Unfortunately, your body was incapable of listening to your mind. In your dazed state, you could've sworn you heard muffled pawsteps. Saw a flash of icy eyes, deciphered the faintest trace of a feminine, amused drawl— distinctive enough that you could imagine the way her tail flicked as she said it.
"Well, this is quite the sight. I suppose I didn't name us Rineswept for nothing. Still, I feel bad. The poor soul's half-frozen. Asterios, can you help me carry them? I think we've stumbled across our latest visitor."
Maybe this wasn't the stupidest mountain, after all.
It was gritty, not unlike sludge as you swallowed. It would've been laughable to presume it warm in the first place. But where it should have brought a sense of fulfillment, there was only hollow mediocrity, settling in your gut to twist and fester along with the hopelessness that had been slowly but surely brewing. Your front and hind legs ached. The pads of your paws had long since split open and attempted to heal, only to be broken once again, leaving behind a cracked, leathery surface that dried far too easily. You were exhausted-- sleep was all that you wanted. Sleep was tempting. Sleep was respite.
Sleep would mean death.
Wearily, you dragged yourself to your paws. The extra twinge of pain that crept in was barely noticeable, another note that faded into the background. You could've sworn something howled in the distance, faint and far-off. Not a wolf, like yourself. There seemed to be none of those within miles. It must have been the wind. You tried not to stumble as you forced your stinging limbs forward. One more step. Just one more. It was what you had been telling yourself for hours. Maybe days. It was hard to tell. Time had seemed to blur together into an unremarkable mass, lately. Not that it was shocking. Trudging aimlessly in hopes of finding a place to rest where the threat of bigger, stronger enemies wasn't present didn't exactly soothe an overstimulated mind.
You had heard some parts of the mountain were quite lovely. It was why they had been the place where you'd planned your escape, the final destination. You would give anything for one of those parts, now. You didn't know how you got into this territory— tucked closer to the top of the frost-capped peaks, the air thin and the terrain jagged, a hike to the bottom at least an hour's journey. The smallest, stupidest mountain of the vast bunch, probably. Your luck really was nonexistent.
You didn't realize you were falling until your paw twisted, hindquarters collapsing to the ground as your balance gave out. Your jaw stung as it crashed into the dirt. Was this how you went out? The dreary sky your witness and the bugs wormed into the ground your funeral procession?
It couldn't be. You hadn't done what you needed to do. What you promised you would achieve. Unfortunately, your body was incapable of listening to your mind. In your dazed state, you could've sworn you heard muffled pawsteps. Saw a flash of icy eyes, deciphered the faintest trace of a feminine, amused drawl— distinctive enough that you could imagine the way her tail flicked as she said it.
"Well, this is quite the sight. I suppose I didn't name us Rineswept for nothing. Still, I feel bad. The poor soul's half-frozen. Asterios, can you help me carry them? I think we've stumbled across our latest visitor."
Maybe this wasn't the stupidest mountain, after all.
| Pack Leader Areti | ||||||||||||
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