Thar Shaddin

Simply around in a large bend. There is a meadow nearby I think that the deer came from. If we follow it back around and stay low, we can slip past him and behind him. We'll be in open space but it is better then running blindly through the woods. Shade pointed out with a snort. Besides, he is upwind from us that way. We'll be able to smell him.

He glanced up at the bright sky and snorted, irritated by the bright.

If it was dark, this would be easier. he grumbled but continued heading through the cold snow.

The trees began to thin out as they neared the clearing. She could see so much space between them, a vast plain of white snow seeming to stretch out between each trunk. She listened to the sound of Shade's paws hitting the snow, a barely audible crunching that seemed to echo through the woods.

It was not long before she could hear the guard too. As they entered the meadow, ready to loop around and bypass him, she could hear his heavy breathing, his trudging boots slamming into the snow. She heard herself whimper at the thought of being caught and her arms tightened around Shade's neck, fingers digging into his fur slightly. Quietly. Even her thoughts in his head were a whisper.

Shade smelt the guard and felt his body stiffen, his eyes and ears immediately alert and searching as he froze in his tracks. His lips curled up in a silent growl as he hunkered down and glared, looking for some sort of shelter in the thinning area.

No, couldn't climb the trees. No, couldn't run or he'd hear. His eyes looked at the young woman in his arms and he frowned. Then, a thought came to his head and he promptly scurried towards the largest tree he could find. Coming to a halt just out of sight from the searching guard, he dropped her gently in the snow then proceeded to bury her.

He's looking for a dog and a girl. Shade said as he worked away at trying to cover her while making little noise. I may be able to lead him somewhere else if he catches glimpses of me without you. No offense, but I run faster on all fours and carrying you loses that ability.

Her eyes widened in outrage as he dropped her into the snow. So your plan is to bury me? Her thoughts were shouted now. She knew the snow would insulate her, but the thought of being covered in the icy bits still made her shiver. She kept still as the snow swallowed up her legs and torso, bit by bit. Before he finished, she grabbed his arm suddenly.

Wait. You will come back, yeah? Her eyes were huge with fear. The thought of being abandoned in the middle of the snowy woods, complete ignorant to the whereabouts of an angry guard was not comforting. I will stay with you as long as I can, but mind-speaking with you is much more difficult than it is with the animals. Taking a deep breath, she released his arm, allowing him to bury her completely. Hurry. Please. she whispered.

I wouldn't leave you. Shade chuckled as he gave his tail a brief wag before setting off in a lope back towards the guard.He made sure to be noisy, giving a semi-hidden wide berth around the suddenly stilled tincan. He growled and barked before setting off in the opposite direction, careful to keep himself just out of sight. He brushed heavily against a rough tree as he ran, losing a piece of fur to help him track better.

The guard was following him now, looking at the dog like prints with triumph as he followed them farther away from the prairie and closer towards rocky tundra. Here however, the snow dwindled and the tracks become more and more distant. He followed them until they had vanished completely near the ridges of a high cliff. He'd been tracking the two of them for nearly three hours. He was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't have let that little girl take the mutt....wait.

Little girl.

Freezing the guard quickly backtracked, following the prints he knew was Shade's. He tracked them until he met the snowy area once more and stared in disbelief at the single strip of dog prints. There were no girl foot prints, not even a sweeping of a dress if she rode him. Shade was alone. With him.

A loud crack of a breaking twig made his head turn sharply, staring in hopeful horror at the large black dog that stood mere feet from him. His eyes remained locked on the creature while it stared at him with glowing green eyes, its lips curling up to reveal yellowed fangs.

He didn't see it move, didn't even feel much pain. He yelped as he clenched his eyes when it lunged forward, knocking him to the ground and pinning him. The guard screamed in terror, struggling despite the claws that dug into his wrists. Above him the werewolf snarled. Only a stupid person couldn't see the message in his eyes.

Get out of here and leave me alone.

She listened as Shade ran away from her, the sound muffled by the snow coating her. He seemed so far away, even in just few seconds. Eventually his reckless barking and growling was completely gone and she heard nothing but her shaky breathing and her steady heartbeat. The snow pressed on her chest like an icy iron, seeming to gain weight with each passing second. Would her chest collaspe? It is only a few inches of snow. she reminded herself, though her body was trembling still.

Closing her eyes, she held herself in Shade's mind, clinging to it like a fragile leaf to an old tree in a storm. Already her head was pounding, pain radiating through in pulses that matched the rhythm of her heart. It is okay. You are still alive. You heart is still beating. she told herself. Dudun. Dudun. Dudun. Dudun. Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out. My head hurts. It is cold. What if Shade is- No! Stop. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Suddenly Shade's thoughts were screaming in her head. She focused on him, realizing his mind was yelling at the guard with all it had. It was almost over. Soon they would be safe.

Shade galloped quickly back through the woods, his eyes wide and ears pricked as he leaped over tree and brush alike. He'd screwed up. He messed up and now he was going to pay for it. He hadn't meant for it to happen but it still did. He had killed the guard.

Snarling and acting fierce to try and drive the man back, he hadn't realized how close the cliff really was. He'd frightened the man off the cliff and the poor man never got back up. Shocked and realizing he was once more the run, Shade ran back for the woman he'd left in the snow, his thoughts plauged with plans and fears alike.

She felt his thoughts shift, suddenly becoming frantic. They were like dark spirits flying around in his mind. She tried to focus on them but her head suddenly began ringing, as if it were a bell tower on a Sunday morning. Moaning, Ari let go of his mind, letting it clumsily slip through her fingers. For a while she could barely even think her own thoughts, each one a hammer to the bell, resonating all through her skull.

Where was Shade? How much time had past? She did not know. She could not even register enough thought to sit up. Instead, she lay still in the snow, frozen as a dead body, despite the blood rushing through her veins and struggling to keep her warm.

When Shade found the young woman again, she was curled in on herself clutching her head. He whined at her, glancing around as though the forest itself harbored enemies. Though, to be truthful he wasn't in his right mind either. Part of him wanted to run back to Drayel and make him fix his screw up like always, but to do that was to enter the city without a collar. He'd get killed before he even caught the scent.

Shade dug out the girl and carried her off, moving instinctively northward away from Marn. He carried her like a bride, clutching her close in an attempt to warm her up while moving at a quick leaping jog. He growled, pointing his muzzle at the girls face while peering upwards in an attempt to see.

He'd save the girl, regroup in his head, then figure it out from then. After all, he didn't have much choice. She needed warmth and he needed to stop freaking out. He whinned again, leaping over a log before heading onward. He needed to figure this out....

The cool snow no longer froze her limbs. Instead she felt something warm, so warm, that she felt like she was burning. Ari moaning, but she could do nothing more than turn her head away from this furry, warm thing, where her face was met with the chill of the wintery air. Her head still rang and she could not open her eyes, lest the daylight burn its way into her skull and worsen her migraine.

Every movement Shade made was agony. Each of his footsteps was a gun shot in her head, and tears began to loose themselves from her eyes. Eventually she was able to think more clearly. She understood it was Shade who held her, but her thoughts could not form themselves well enough to give her speech, and she dared not try to reach his mind again. She simply turned her face away from the cold, pressing it into his chest, which's warmth was now a comfort. Safe. You are safe. she told herself, and feebly stroked her rescuer's chest once as a sign of gratitude.

When Shade stopped, he'd come to the mouth of a cave. It was large, and open but deep inside it held tunnels that twisted and turned. Those who didn't know it like he did would easily get lost. He walked in and gave his fur a shake, tossing loose the snow that built up in his shaggy fur.

He'd played in these tunnels before when he was a child, and if he remembered correctly the farther down you went it got darker but warmer as well. He growled in satisfaction. He'd carry her there and warm her up, then from there live like cave people with her taking care of the cave and he hunting and tracking.... yeah, no.

Oh well, it would work for a hide out for now. Shade growled as he went deeper inside the cave, his ears on high alert as he kept his eyes on the walls. True, he'd lost color vision in this form but he'd gained night vision in it's stead. Normally it was useless but for now, it was pretty damned handy.

He nudged the girl gently with his nose.

"Arororoow." he grumbled pleasantly as he huffed warm breath on her. "Grrrowowarow."

The light behind her eyes slowly began to fade, the pressure letting up until there was nothing. The air had stopped rushing around her and everything felt still She whined weakly, stretching her arms out, trying to feel her surroundings. Nothing. Just emptiness. And then there was him. Warm and soft and strong. Her face scrunched up as he huffed on it. "Mmmmm," she murmured, slowly opening one eye and then the other.

Black. Everything was black. She could feel him and knew he was there, yet she saw nothing. "I.... I am blind? How... What?!" she exclaimed and struggled against him a bit, blinking furiously. Nothing. Just nothing. Nothing... No, there was a shape. There were inside of something. She could see the blackness getting darker ahead. When she looked up she saw two tiny white dots, the shine of Shade's eyes.

Hearing her panic Shade whined and gave her a firm bop with his chin. He needed her quieted. These caves echoed something fierce and one wrong move could send the guards after them. He debated on turning human but decided against it for now. He'd need to find her fire, wood and the works before he even thought of it.

Instead he nudged her and gave a low rumble.

I'm here. I'm here. You're not blind you silly woman.

Reaching up, she found his face, still covered in fur. "Where are we?" she asked. She heard her voice echoing. "A cave?" She spoke in a whisper this time. Somewhere deep inside the cave water was dripping, echoing all around. The damp darkness spread all over. Ari reached her hand out into it, feeling the silky nothingness.

"You can put me down now, yeah? My head feels much better," she said, squirming a bit in his arms.

Shade paused for a moment before putting her down, his voice grumbling an affirmative to her questions before he stepped back a little. He debated changing. He'd be naked but then at least she'd talk to him right. He grunted a little before sitting on the ground and huffing.

She looked almost awkward standing in the dark but he couldn't really blame her. Even with his dog like sight, he could barely see in this black surrounding. He grumbled some more before huffing. He'd have to change human. He'd be blind but it was better than her talking to herself and getting the wrong idea.

So, with a heavy grunt he forced himself into a crouch and pushed himself to change.