Picking her way down the icy mountainside had been an arduous ordeal. In the sliver of unclaimed land which bordered both native kingdoms, Ida bulldozed through the deep snowfall and pushed against the frigid winds, grumbling and huffing to herself all the while as her bushy fur froze into haggard clumps. She should have sheltered beneath the cliffsides earlier to avoid the oncoming storm, but for once in her life she'd found it impossible to lay still and slumber; it was as if something were pulling her paws forwards and crawling beneath her pelt. She felt itchy, and the only thing which could scratch her found itself as sharpened ice digging into her hide as she stomped through the haze of white.
She just had to keep moving.
It almost felt as if she were hungry. Hungry for what however, Ida had no clue. Trees began to dot the landscape around her as she trudged forwards, ears pinned and grimace bared as she worked her mandibles irritably. Their thick trunks and naked branches broke the whipping wind and allowed some respite from the storm, but snow still settled heavy on her backside and clung to her frozen paws. She cursed and spat beneath her breath, pausing only to shake her pelt and clear the newest snowfall from her hide when the burden grew too heavy.
Through the winter haze, the great dog spotted something strange. The copious snow blanketing the earth petered into slushy puddles, and the ground beneath her paws in certain spots felt strangely warm--familiarly so. She remembered the hot springs further north, and she broke into a run. She'd hated those things before, but in the midst of such a storm, Ida could not picture anything more beautiful.
She squinted against a fresh blast of sleet as she broke the treeline, and there before her stood the largest geyser she'd yet seen. The storm still raged around her, but the damp earth and stone felt hot beneath her paws as she dragged herself forward and slumped several yards from the water. The geyser's steam shot upwards and momentarily scattered the wind, and for the first in a long, long time, Ida felt warm. She groaned in relief, practically throwing herself onto the ground and rolling to absorb as much heat as she could. Deep down she could still feel that persistent itch, but the urge to keep moving was outweighed by the exhaustion that crashed upon her now that she found herself safe and warm against the storm. Ida sprawled out on her belly and fell asleep in plain view, her underside warmed and back thick enough with fur and fat and chitin to brace against the remaining wind.
She just had to keep moving.
It almost felt as if she were hungry. Hungry for what however, Ida had no clue. Trees began to dot the landscape around her as she trudged forwards, ears pinned and grimace bared as she worked her mandibles irritably. Their thick trunks and naked branches broke the whipping wind and allowed some respite from the storm, but snow still settled heavy on her backside and clung to her frozen paws. She cursed and spat beneath her breath, pausing only to shake her pelt and clear the newest snowfall from her hide when the burden grew too heavy.
Through the winter haze, the great dog spotted something strange. The copious snow blanketing the earth petered into slushy puddles, and the ground beneath her paws in certain spots felt strangely warm--familiarly so. She remembered the hot springs further north, and she broke into a run. She'd hated those things before, but in the midst of such a storm, Ida could not picture anything more beautiful.
She squinted against a fresh blast of sleet as she broke the treeline, and there before her stood the largest geyser she'd yet seen. The storm still raged around her, but the damp earth and stone felt hot beneath her paws as she dragged herself forward and slumped several yards from the water. The geyser's steam shot upwards and momentarily scattered the wind, and for the first in a long, long time, Ida felt warm. She groaned in relief, practically throwing herself onto the ground and rolling to absorb as much heat as she could. Deep down she could still feel that persistent itch, but the urge to keep moving was outweighed by the exhaustion that crashed upon her now that she found herself safe and warm against the storm. Ida sprawled out on her belly and fell asleep in plain view, her underside warmed and back thick enough with fur and fat and chitin to brace against the remaining wind.