Śnieg

Name means snow

Dec. 23rd, 2023
Śnieg wandered through the tough terrain of the tundra. She'd been separated from her pack during a snowstorm and she lost her way back. The days were much shorter here, so there was less time to follow the direction of the sun and the wind seemed to come from all directions. Śnieg shuttered against the cold as a large blast of tundra air rolled across the landscape. She looked up and squinted her eyes into the distance. Everything around was blanketed in snow and even the air seemed to glow white from all of the snow falling. She looked left and right, but all she saw was snow. Suddenly, she heard the call of another wolf. A distress call! She started in the direction of the howl, following the sounds of running. As Śnieg approached, she heard the roar of an angry bear. Through the dense snow, she was able to make out the outline of a small polar bear. Luckily this was young and not very good at defending itself. One lone wolf was out here, all alone in the tundra. Śnieg had never seen this wolf before, but she was gray and black, standing out against the white surroundings. Seeing this mysterious wolf was good, Śnieg was able to shout out instructions for this wolf to escape the claws of the bear. It was obvious this newcomer had never fought a bear before, let alone by themselves. Since being a part of a tundra pack all her life, Śnieg was quite skilled at stopping polar bears. She wasn't an expert hunter, but she knew a trick to take them out. She shouted for the mysterious wolf to keep dodging any swipes from the bear and to make it go in zigzags to wear it out, as wolves are much more nimble. Śnieg began frantically looking through the snow. She needed a good, sturdy stick. Nothing too big, nothing small enough to break. She found a lone tree, long dead since the harshness of this winter. She began digging at the roots, hoping for a fallen branch. She came across one, though it was a bit too big for what she needed it for. Sticking off of the large branch for a smaller one, which she snapped off and carried towards the fight. The mysterious wolf was yelping for help as she led the bear in circles. Śnieg called out for the wolf to get away for the bear and let the bear charge them, then she would come in and kill it. The wolf seemed hesitant to let the bear charge her, but she eventually agreed with Śnieg's plan and got into position. As the wolf stopped her running and made eye contact with the bear, Śnieg picked up her stick and started running towards the bear. The bear hadn't even noticed her in the brightness of the snow, Śnieg was white and blended in very well. She smashed her side into the bear, her head lining up behind theirs so the stick went into their eye. It wasn't a good shot, but it did the trick. The polar bear let out a roar of fury and ripped the stick from its eye, it stared at Śnieg with its one good eye, infuriated, but defeated. The polar bear let out a mighty roar before turning to go deeper into the tundra, away from the fight. The mysterious wolf came up to Śnieg and thanked her for saving her. She let her know her name was Kolka, and she was one of the new scouters for the Wolven Angels. She had just come to the tundra for the first time and stumbled upon that polar bear looking for a meal in the deserted tundra. Śnieg told Kolka it was no problem to help her, but told her of her own issues, how she had lost her pack and had no where to go. Kolka lit up with excitedment telling her that the pack she was from, Wolven Angels, liked to help wandering wolves and that she should come back to the pack. Śnieg agreed, grateful for the opportunity at being part of a pack again. She would miss her family and friends of her own pack, but it was for the best she join a group for her safety, maybe one day she would come back and rejoin her family. Śnieg followed Kolka south through the tundra. Night was starting to fall, but it seemed Kolka knew exactly how to get back home. They descended down the mountain side, slowly reaching flat ground. The snow melted away, revealing small flowers perking up through the frost. There became more and more trees and soon there was a beautiful creek. The snow water that had melted flowed into a beautiful creek, fast flowing and clear. Śnieg stuck her snout in for a quick drink, the cold water tingling her throat. Kolka did the same and they enjoyed a moment of silence while they drank. They then continued down the path through the woods next to the creek, chatting about their experiences, especially bears because Kolka was determined she would not let one defeat her so easily. They quickly bonded and it was a nice conversation and walk to her new home.