Time ticks like water in a still cave. After a turn of events out of their control, the renegades have scattered with a promise to reunite in a year and a season. They are not the only ones who have disappeared from the South Forest. While hope blos...
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Years ago
The wind howled as two Mountainair kits struggled through belly-deep snowdrifts towards the closest semblance of shelter. The cold heads of the north mountains gazed over them like neither they nor the snow existed.
The older of the two, Winter forged ahead. Her little sibling followed in her footsteps, head bowed and paws shivering. Standing still on an exposed slope like this—even for a moment—meant almost certain death. Winter's teeth were bared in a snarl. Hot clouds billowed around her muzzle and were whipped away, leaving ice in her fur.
The air hurt Autumn's lungs. She stumbled as the wind dragged her sideways, but clamped her mouth shut. Winter hated crybabies. The gust came again, whiting out the world. Autumn was forced to a halt. Deciding a cry was now worth her while, she called ahead, "Winter?"
There was no sign of her sister.
"Winter?" Autumn tried to force her way forwards, but she couldn't move. Already snow was filling Winter's tracks, erasing them.
"Winter!"
Her voice was lost in the storm. Autumn crouched down like Winter had taught her to do and began to count heartbeats as the wind stole the heat from her body.
A strong tail landed around her neck and dragged her upright. With some impossible reserve of strength, Winter plowed across the field to the cliff at its far side. A twenty-tail-length snowbank rose up the lee side of a buttress of stone. Autumn was dumped in a drift. Her sister flung herself at the bank, carving out chunks and wrapping her whole body around them to pull them loose. Before long she had disappeared into the snow.
