siblings were pups. At Kiona's statement he stared at her, his bright blue eyes penetrating into her. Then his face softened. "I can't say when the next time we'll get to eat is. I am not going to let any of my pack members go hungry if I can help it. I'd rather go hungry first..." noting her embarrassed expression, he continued. "Winters are hard, with little food. Trying to learn how to go without food now would be foolish. During this time you should try and eat whenever you can to save your strength. You don't know when you're next meal will be..." With that, the alpha turned back to the entrance. "I know this territory well, I won't be long..." With a quick glance over his shoulder that warned her not to try and stop him, the silver and black wolf padded out, his dark form soon disappearing in the white flurry.

            Kiona ran after him. She knew that she should've stayed in the cave with the others, but she had a feeling in the back of her head that something bad was going to happen. She wasn't sure if it was the right thing to listen to that instinct, but she did.

            It was ungodly frigid outside with the snow and the wind blowing unmercifully. She concentrated on staying next to Achak's side and she didn't feel as cold. She didn't know if he noticed her by his side, but she kept running.

            At first, the alpha didn't notice the female next to him, having been concentrating on his current new task. But as a flash of red caught his eye, he glanced at it out of the corner of his eye. So she had followed him after all, even when the wolf had told the female to stay. It made the silver and black wolf frown, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Sending her back would just end in her getting lost, and in this weather, she wouldn't last the rest of the day. Certainly not happy about the new arrangement, but putting it aside for now, he decided to speak to her. "There's a field nearby where there might be some rabbits. But we won't find any thing much bigger out in this storm..." They'd be lucky if there were even rabbits at all. With the cold white snow spotting, and dampening their coats, they continued on.

            Kiona trotted alongside Achak for a while, both stopping to sniff the ground every once in a while. But then the snow fell harder and it wasn't long until both wolves lost sight of each other. They tried keeping a close eye on the other to not get separated, but they ended up losing each other in the winter storm. The weather impaired all of the senses. The wind was blowing harshly and howling cruelly through Kiona's ears, whipping them around, making it hard to hear. The snow was falling hard into her eyes like daggers. And the temperature dropped immensely, practically numbing Kiona, especially her paws and her nose. She tried sniffing around to find Achak's unforgettable scent, but she lost all traces of it. She had to keep moving through the snow to find him and to keep warm. Although she had a thick coat, it was not thick enough for this kind of weather. She wasn't even sure if Achak's fur was thick enough. She called out to him in the wind, but there was no answer. She trudged on, moving slower and slower with each step.

            Periodically, Achak had glanced to his side to make sure Kiona was still next to him. The harsh winds and blinding snow that blocked the senses beat at the two mercilessly. Both their coats were getting wet. If they didn't find food soon they would have to head back or risk freezing to death. Once more glancing to his side to check for his female companion, the black and silver wolf was surprised to see her gone. He stopped immediately; looking around though that was pointless. It was impossible to see a foot in front of him. Trying to catch her scent was also impossible.

            Perhaps going back to find her tracks--no, they'd be covered by now. Standing there for a few moments, the alpha tried to figure out the best course of action. He needed to find Kiona. That was his top priority right now. Calling out into the storm, it was hard to even hear his own voice over the roar of the winds. Growling under his breath, the large wolf shook himself briefly of the snow coating his fur. This wasn't good. Just then, a thought came to him. Taking a deep breath, and lifting his head, he let out a loud, long howl, hoping it carried through the storm so Kiona could find him.

            Kiona picked herself up, for she had collapsed in the snow from exhaustion. She called Achak's name as loud as she could, but it was coming out no louder than a whisper. Thoughts were overcoming her, when her master had abandoned her and she was left in the forest by herself, how she almost froze that night. But when she remembered Achak had saved her, she felt the urge to continue, even as weak as she was at the moment.

            Just then she heard a familiar howl on the wind. It was faint, and could barely be heard through the wind. Achak... Kiona thought. She pushed her way through the snow, almost completely buried in it. She clumsily shook the snow off her fur and continued... but in the wrong direction. She had been out in the cold unprotected for so long, it had reached the inside of her body and she couldn't think properly. She kept calling Achak's name out loud, but it seemed like he would never find her.

            Her body knew it was struggling to survive...so the wolf within Kiona took over; the wolf that lashed out by the touch. When Kiona opened her eyes again, her pupils took over almost her eye, and her vision grew dark. She then ran through the woods frantically in search of safety, not knowing what she herself was doing. When a tree branch would brush against her fur the slightest, she whipped back to bite it, but didn't in case it was Achak. It wasn't. So she carried on in no particular direction, frantic, scared, and wild, praying that someone would find her.

            After his howl, Achak had paused to wait and see if he got a response, straining to hear over the roar of the winds and storm. Hearing nothing made him worry more. Hopefully the female was alright...Shaking the snow and wetness off his coat again, then looking around. Which way...? There was no telling where Kiona was in this weather! But standing there wasn't doing any good either. The wolf had to find her before she, or both of them froze. With a quick glance, Achak took off again, hoping he was headed in the right direction. Even the alpha was feeling the effects of the storm. As he ran, occasionally, the silver and black wolf would lift his head and let out a howl, hoping to get either a reply, or rewarded in guiding Kiona to him.

            Another, louder howl reached Kiona’s ears. She whipped her head in the direction opposite the one she was heading. She ran as fast as she could towards the howl, closing her eyes, but careful not to run into anything. The snow and wind continued to assault her face and body, but she paid it no mind. There were times where she nearly collided with a tree at full speed, which would've surely been the end of her, but the wolf within her refused to die this way.

            The howl sounded again, making Kiona run faster; her fangs were bared and her eyes were still clenched tight. The snow being came clearer for an instant. The silver and black wolf in front of her heard the quick-paced footsteps, and raised his head in hopes that it was Kiona. Surely enough it was. Kiona clenched her teeth together, unaware of the wolf, and head-butted him hard enough to knock both of them to the ground. They landed hard in the snow. Kiona struggled to remove herself, unconsciously knowing she found Achak, but she was just so relieved, she collapsed on top of him and curled into a shivering red ball, but trying her hardest not to fall asleep, or else she would never wake up.

            Just as he was lifting his head at hearing the fast paw falls, a blur of red slammed into him, send them both sprawling across the snowy ground. Instinctively, Achak moved to jump up, until the body collapsed on top of him. Having seen the female just before she had slammed into him, the wolf knew it was Kiona, and was instantly worried.

            "Kiona...?" She looked in bad shape, curled up tightly and shivering uncontrollably. Frowning, Achak knew he now had a real problem. Easing out from under the red female, the silver and black wolf stood above her trying to block the strong, cold winds from hitting her while he looked around. There had to be some kind of shelter around here, a cave or something. The alpha wished he knew where he was, he had lost track when he went off course to look for Kiona. And by now the weather was really affecting him as well, the occasional shiver running through him. His two-colored coat nearly soaked, even coated in ice in some places, and his paws and nose were numb as well. Bending down to Kiona he nudged her face a bit, trying to get