[Chr24] Frozen Beliefs

Akela glanced at her companions as they traversed through the densely covered woods on a cold winter night. Beside her was her main companion Kirsch, even the ever-confident buckleo seemed to flinch in the dead of night when a twig snapped in the distance. 

“Probably just an animal wandering the woods…” Akela grumbled under her breath to the buck padding along beside her.

“Mmm…” A gruff sound of agreement rang out to the side Torben occupied next to Akela, opposite of Kirsch. Floating beside him was his trusty gingerbread shoon, “I could offer you folks a gumdrop from Sugar’s cloud if you think it would calm your mind.” The massive brown and green alpha mix spoke into the chilly air, hoping to offer some solace to his companions if he could.

I think that's the most I’ve ever heard Torben speak at one time, Akela noted in her head, she hadn’t known the buck long but he was certainly a quiet guy, that much she could say for sure. 

“Pshhh, no one here should need anything to calm their mind, like you guys said it’s probably just a bavee causing some ruckus or something. What are you guys scared of a little creature having some fun in the woods or something?” Arven mocked his traveling companions, as he looked back at his own polar bavee, who seemed to flap its wings in agreement.

I always thought those two suited each other, with Arven’s dreadful personality, Akela commented on her distaste for one of her companions in her head. “Thank you Torben, but you know I like to keep my mind sharp in situations where something could go wrong, I need to be able to think on my feet y’know? And Arven why don’t you just keep your trap shut? I’ve seen you get jumpy just from the sound of the snow crunching beneath your hooves!”

“Well speak for yourselves! I’ll definitely take one Torben.” Kirsch nodded over to his companion and opened his mouth trying to signal that he wanted to attempt to catch the gumdrop from his Shoon.

Just then the group noticed a bright white light flaring through the tree line, and just as quickly as it had appeared the light faded away. 

“Now what the heck was that?!” Kirsch sounded off in alarm.

“I don’t know but I do NOT want to find out, we should head in the other direction Akela…” Arven suggested and even began to turn around to head the other way.

“So much for not being as scared as the rest of us huh? I think we should check it out-” Akela began to suggest they went to see what the mysterious light was all about when she noticed Torben take off in front of the rest of the group, his massive paws thundering through even the powdery snow laid out beneath them. “Wait! Torben, hold up we should plan our approach out more carefully!” Akela called after him but none of her words seemed to reach him, as if he already knew what was going on. She, Kirsch, and Arven all raced after him but even the trained sled team couldn’t catch the massive buck. 

Akela continued to race through the woods after Torben, with Kirsch at her side and Arven and his bavee, and Torben’s shoon falling a bit behind. Once they had reached a clearing in the woods she skidded to a halt, upon seeing Torben in his feral form crouched down, practically laying in the snow. “What did you find?” She questioned as she carefully padded forward, but that's when she saw two things or more like two creatures. A female buckleo collapsed in the snow, and the closer Akela came to them she knew that the female had perished. The second thing she saw was a tiny stark white buckleo hiding behind it’s mother’s body. The only coloring on its fur were some cool blue coloring on its limbs Mysteriously, an icy snowflake jutted out of the child’s chest protecting where its heart lay, and two tiny horns that looked as if they were made of pure ice donned the top of it’s head.

Akela glanced at Torben who seemed to be mourning the loss of the mother’s life in silence, she even thought for a moment that she could see a single tear fall from the large male. “Torben…what is this?”

“The mother must have lost her life in childbirth…an entity smiled upon this child and saved it.” He muttered softly, his gaze turning to the shivering child. “From the smells and tracks around it seems a Kaeraa was chasing the mom.”

“A Kaeraa?!” Arven exclaimed, “Then what are we still doing here we need to run far away, leave the kid it’ll slow us down. It’s better if we protect ourselves right now, if we get caught by a Kaeraa I’m dead!”

Torben’s massive form stood as he glared down at Arven and in this moment Arven seemed like a puny Bearing Blitzer compared to the massive size of the sundire, ascendant, and alpha cross. His huge furry body towered over the lycan “How dare you suggest we leave this defenseless child to die in this blizzard to save your own behind.” 

Akela had never seen or heard Torben this angry before, and prior to this, she wasn’t even sure that he was capable of it.

“Uhhh…guys well I can smell that Kaeraa’s scent heavy in the air so we better decide what to do right now!” Kirsch commented his haunches raising.

“I will take the child with us,” Torben simply stated, before gently picking up the child between his teeth. “Any complaints?” The large male questioned, with a pointed glare at Arven.

A few moments of silence passed by following Torben’s question, not even someone as defiant as Arven dared to speak against the older male when he sounded this angry. “Well, we need to head out,” Akela called and began to lead the way away from the stench of the Kaeraa. As it would seem the group had gained another traveling companion that night.