[ P ] A Pep in Your Step

A

s with all pups and yearlings, the concept of something new, something adventurous (at least within safe quarters) was an exciting one. Juniper’s eyes widened at Willow’s explanation of her origins. “You have two moms?” she said, not with any hint of distaste, but with curiosity—she had never heard of anyone having two moms before. “I have four sisters,” she exclaimed soon after, thinking that these relationships might have had some sort of parallel.

And, thus, the games began. Juniper dove after her newfound friend, climbing through the drifts in the snow, voice raised to the air in a fit of light giggles. She did not have the pleasure of interacting with many other pups—any youngsters she played with did not stay for long, as she and her sisters were somewhat nomadic. So, she enjoyed her time—they became elves and imps and dragons, chasing after urchins and faeries, their imaginations running wild.

The snow began to swirl, falling faster and faster, winter bringing cruel strokes of wind and ice. Soon, their fun was no longer fun. It was blinding and cold, and it struck a sense of panic withing Juniper’s heart. Oh, how were they so careless?

“Willow!” she called in response. Her voice seemed to echo among the trees and slopes. “Willow, I can hear you—just barely! I’m over here! Can you hear me?” She scampered, trying to make sense of where her friend was, but the storm rushed faster, becoming more furious, and she felt so, so lost.

@Willow

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

he situation seemed to go from bad to worse, and the dangers multiplied with every second. There was nothing but whiteness, pure emptiness, all around her, blinding her senses, stinging her pelt with the intensity of the worst of storms. "Juniper! I'll -- don't worry, I'm gonna find you!" But as the seconds slipped away, this felt more and more unlikely.


She was not sure what to do in such an emergency -- if she were near home, she could simply howl, and her mother would come to help her along the way. But Willow was certainly nowhere near her cottage or garden or her mothers. Faintly, she thought she could detect the voice of her new friend, but the raging winds carried away all the sounds, leaving Willow feeling more helpless than ever before in her year of existence.


Still uncertain of what to do, and with the fear of panic threatening to overwhelm her senses, Willow thought extra hard. Playtime was over! What she came up with seemed silly, and the girl had no idea if it would help at all. But though she could not see her friend’s terrified face, Willow knew that Juniper had to be very scared, and that thought motivated Willow. She had to save Juniper!


Her aimless circling ceased and she stood in one place, tilting her head back. She howled with all that she had in her, hoping that someone, anyone would hear her desperate cry for help.


@Juniper + @Baelfire

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

The storm had gotten bad... fast. baelfire had been making a trip through redwood, to go see sorcha up in perth again but he hadn't made it far before everything was blanketed in thick, white snow. de could see patches of brown and red where bark and shriveled leaves peaked through but then he blinked and the wind blew and everything was white again. de was about to stop and dig himself a shelter like his parents had shown him when he and beltane were young; edinburgh had seen it's fair share of blizzards and there was no cover there vs this forest. and even so, he could hardly tell the difference between either with such low visibility. he bumped into a tree with his shoulder and then turned, intending to dig into the snow around the base and hunker down till the storm blew over.

except that was when he heard a voice rise above the wind.

voices. his stomach dropped. the frantic call for help pulled at him and he knew he had to find whoever it was.

without a second thought, he set off into the snow towards the call. while he couldn't see well, he could still hear despite the noise and thankfully that had been enough as he soon stumbled upon a young girl. he came closer, allowing his larger body to loom over her so that he might shelter her from the worst gusts of icy wind. "are you alright?" he shouted, trying his best to assess her for injury. she didn't appear hurt, from what he could tell. "we need to get out of the wind. we need to make shelter." he said, nudging her shoulder with his muzzle.

when he did, he was shocked to find a familiar smell upon her pelt. nephele? this girl was too young to be her wife, so perhaps... a child?

this fueled him all the more to get her to safety. he only hoped she would be able to follow.

(ooc: he has approached willow in the storm first.)

H

er voice was hoarse as she continued to yell out for help. At first, she did not see her would-be rescuer through the density of the falling snow, as his ivory pelt almost rendered the brute invisible in the flurries surrounding the young girl. She could not smell him, either. It was his voice that first reached her blinded senses, and at first, she thought it was a mere illusion of the wind. But then he appeared like a guardian spirit to take her away. The stranger was her very own hero in the most dire of moments.


She looked up at the unknown brute as he sheltered her, stunned, before immediately remembering her biggest concern: ”Wait! Wait! We have to find Juniper! She’s --” Well, Willow was not sure where she was, only that she was near, and she couldn’t just abandon her new friend to the cruel forces of nature. ”We have to find her right now! Oh, why had she not seen the signs? She scolded herself internally for getting both of them stuck in such a terrible situation so carelessly.


@Baelfire @Juniper

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

W

ailing winds, the stinging cold, callous and unforgiving, Juniper remained buffeted by the blizzard, pulled in every direction, frigid snow thrashing her about—she could barely stay on her paws. “Willow!” she cried, her voice like a sob, muted by the storm. Perhaps her friend had left her for a safer place? In a way, Juniper certainly hoped so. She did not wish this on anyone.

Oh, why had she ventured out so far from home? The regrets began to consume her as she was tossed this way and that; she tried to fight the blizzard at first, but she could barely dictate the movement of her own limbs. Instead, she broken down, hitting the ground as the snow began to consume her, certainly covering her tracks, piling atop her small body.

“Willow, where are you?” With no response, Juniper gave up, numb with cold. This was surely the end. Her sisters would worry about her, but they would likely never find her body, not in this terrible storm. She lay still, accepting her sorry fate.

@Willow @Baelfire

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

The girl protested and Baelfire his stomach drop as she mentioned there was someone else out there in all this. He couldn’t be two places at once and if he left this girl to find the other they might then not be able to find her again. He didn’t say anything of that though, instead he tried to soothe her. ”We will find her but first we need to make shelter so we all have someplace safe.” he said. He nudged her again, hoping that she’d be more agreeable. They had to hurry if they were to find the her friend before it was too late. He moved towards a small swath of trees, branches whipped furiously in the wind, some even snapped off and flew away. Still, the trunks seemed sturdy and would provide coverage. There was brush around and through it all he could see the tall slope of a hill of snow already blown up for them. He wanted to thank whatever higher power there was but in the moment his mind was blank. He dove headfirst into the pile and began to dig furiously. After he got a good start, he looked back at the girl who he hoped was still close by. ”I need you to keep digging until you can fit inside. It will protect you from the wind and cold.” he said. He pulled away from his spot and pointed with his noise to show where she could dig. ”You can do it; I will bring your friend back— what does she look like?” Not that he could see all that well but it would help if he spotted her anywhere.

Once he got a brief description and set Willow to work, he took off into the woods, hoping that he’d remember the way back once he found her. He ran, his blood pounding so loud in his ears he almost didn’t feel the bite of the cold or hear the howl of the wind. Adrenaline fueled him as he searched, calling and calling out till his voice was hoarse. It felt like forever but really it had only been a few minutes before he tripped over something. Baelfire stumbled, turning to glance at the half-buried obstacle... only to notice it was fur. His heart sank and he turned and began to quickly scrape off the snow, revealing another small girl that fit Willow’s description? Was he too late?! He reach down and nosed her cold body. ”Juniper?” he said as he tried to rouse her. Oh, god he hoped he wasn’t too late...

S

he could scarcely hear the brute’s voice over the roar of the storm, but she followed his example and began to dig with all the strength she could muster. Panting, she squinted against the falling snow as he asked about Juniper. Willow practically screamed her response so that he would make out what she was saying: ”She has light fur! Light! Like sunshine!” In an instant, the male was gone again, and Willow crawled into the hollowed out snow drift. It was still cold in there, but not nearly as deadly.


The girl, frightened for her friend and for herself as her body warmth has been quickly dissipating, could feel the tears freezing as they fell down her cold cheeks, leaving trails of ice on her tri-color features. Juniper was so nice, too nice to just die out in the snow. It made no sense in her young mind, the unfairness of it all.


There were still so many things she had neve seen or heard or smelled or learned… And her mothers would be so sad, not to mention her brother and sister… It seemed hopeless in that moment, even to the girl known for her enthusiasm and sunny attitude. Maybe her desperate mind had simply conjured up the vision of the white male who could save them, a cruel illusion of the blizzard.


Bright green eyes closed tightly as she silently prayed, though Willow was not sure to whom. Please let Juniper be okay. Please. I'll never be bad again, if only Juniper is okay!



@Juniper @Baelfire

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

T

his was the end. She was sure of it. As she lay there, curled up, instinct guiding her to preserve the remainder of her own body heat, the snow began to pile on—this would, of course, make it far more difficult for any rescuer to respond and locate her, but she did not know any better.

No one was coming anyway, and in that moment, her nightmares pulsed through her mind, bringing her back to that terrible night when the villagers dragged her out of her den. They tossed her into the dirt and began to bury her—their reasoning was to return the changeling back to her earthen mothers so that the village might be spared from misfortune.

Juniper was frightened, sobbing, her tears freezing upon his face. She did know what to do, and even if she did, could she execute?

No, she was as good as dead. She’d been living on borrowed time as it was.

@Willow @Baelfire

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

This girl looked too much like the one Willow described and he decided to assume it was her. She was too cold and frightneed to say much at all but the tiny whimper told Baelfire she at least still lived. Not for long if you don't get her to shelter... his mine whirled. Baelfire shook his head and decided there was no other way. He looked at the small girl as she tried to curl into herself to get warm, but he knew that was not going to help. Time was running out, for all of them.

Baelfire didn't say another word before he bent to grasp her by the scruff and heave her up out of the snow. Maybe it was the adrenaline or maybe the fear, but she was lighter than he anticipated and so he began to half-carry her as best he could through the snow, back towards the shelter Willow should have made good enough progress on by now (hopefully). He could spot the small, black hole in the near distance through the wind and he made way as quickly as possible towards it. He didn't release Juniper until they were both under the small shelter with Willow. He laid his much larger body against the girl while also trying no to sit on her and crush her, and look to Willow to do the same. "Stay close to keep warm." he said, the cold finally getting it's chance to seep into his bones as the immediate danger starting wearing off. He shivered, his teeth clicking slightly as he looked at the pair. When he really looked at them he realized they were so young they probably weren't even a year old yet.

Where... where were their parents? "Willow, where are your parents?" he asked, hoping that when the storm died he would not find Nephele, dead beneath the snow.

L

ike a wolf possessed, she had burrowed further and further into the snowpack. She could not remember a time in her life when she felt half as frantic and so frightened.


But her worst fears were calmed, at least for the moment, when the pale stranger returned with Juniper in his grasp. Willow was so relieved and so happy that she could find no words to express it, instead hurrying over to the other pup’s side to cuddle against her. Both were soaking and freezing, but alive, despite the odds. She wanted to tell her new friend how sorry she was for not seeing the signs, for not being prepared, but for now, all she could do was lean closer in the hopes that their shared body heat would revive them to a proper state.


The stranger asked the whereabouts of her parents, and Willow looked confused for a second, not comprehending that the brute had any connection to her regular life and her mothers. ”They’re -- they’re back home,” she admitted, still too frightened to feel the full extent of her shame for having wandered away. She didn’t even care if the grown-up told on her, for even if it meant getting into trouble, she longed to see her mothers again after such an ordeal. ”I’m from the Lowlands.”


The sound of the blizzard continued to fill her senses, but at least in here, her voice could be heard, though it came in choking sobs now. She still could not control the shivering that consumed her entire form. ”Th-thank -- you -- for saving -- us.” Her attention turned again to Juniper. "Are you -- okay?"



@Juniper @Baelfire

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck