FSE

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She awoke the following morning to a strange new sound. The cabin seemed filled with strange moans, pouring in from the windows and doorway. Off in the other room she could hear the two awake, moving about with some urgency and seemingly shifting things around.

"Get the sticks you've been collecting into the fireplace, Silver." She heard Roque call.

"Yeah I got it." He followed, taking a cluster at a time into his mouth and carefully placing them into the fireplace.

"Don't slobber on any either, they need to stay dry."

"No worries, I was planning on marking them, that ok?" He cracked. Shaman got out of bed and passed through the hall. The two didn't see her enter the main room, but she noticed right away what was wrong. The windows that once showed the beautiful landscape were wreathed in ice, giving way to a small gap within the middle showcasing the powerful snowstorm outside. The howling wind, cut through the cracks, bringing in a harsh chill she could feel creep under her cloak.

"Shaman? You feeling alright?" Roque inquired right away.

"Oh, yes I'm fine thank you." She acknowledge, looking to the two. "I just heard that odd sound."

"It's the wind." Silver explained. "A snowstorm has come in, looks like we aren't hunting today."

"Guess we take it easy then, huh?" Shaman concluded.

"Yeah, sort of. Shouldn't last more than the day, but just in case." Silver gestured for her to come over. Heading for the small kitchen, he pulled on an old cooler and threw open the lid. Inside were two rabbits, not exactly fresh but still edible.

"Phew, how long have they been in there?" She asked, waving her paw at her nose.

"Since yesterday afternoon. Don't get all dainty on us now, you either eat them or starve, take your pick." Silver advised heading back for the living room.

"Silver, let's get the sheets out of the bedroom. We'll make up our usual spot near the fire." Roque suggested.

"Got it." Silver agreed, heading off to the bedroom. Shaman followed close behind and started to ask.

"Fire? You're really going to try to make a fire?" She questioned in amazement.

"We told you, we've done it before using that human lighter." He answered, snaring up the sheets in his jaws. "Grab the others." Silver requested, muffled by the cloth. Shaman scooped up the ends of another sheet and curtain in her mouth and followed behind. "Roque, gimme a paw?"

"Can give you a talon?" He quipped.

"Now who's being a smart mouth." Silver laughed alongside him. The two were able to form a circular bed with a little lining from the curtain at the bottom.

"Perfect." Roque smiled, satisfied with the job. "We'll get the fire going once the night starts to settle in."

"The sticks should be dry enough by then." Silver agreed.

"I'm sure they're dry enough now. But if the storm carries into the night, we could end up very cold.

"I still can't believe you two can do that." Shaman perked up. "I thought only humans could make fire."

"Well when they leave their stuff lying around for everyone to pick up, you start to learn a few things." Silver countered, looking around the room.

"Hmm, a sad fact indeed. Humans seem rather careless in managing their own materials." Roque nodded. "This, shelter they made is a true display of that."

"Why did they abandon it?" She wondered.

"I've not a clue. Humans typically leave behind anything they feel has lost its value. Perhaps a bigger cabin, or a safer location. But instead of taking it down, they leave it here to rot and fall apart eventually."

"So long as they don't come back for it." Silver threw in. The cabin abruptly began to creek as a massive gust hit the wall and hissed through the window. It seized all of their attention as they waited for it to subside. "Shit."

"Shit indeed." Roque echoed.

"Think it'll hold up?" Silver asked urgently.

"Perhaps. If it holds the night, I'll take a good look at the roof tomorrow."

"Yeah, sounds good." Silver agreed.

"How often does it do that?" Shaman worried, glancing between the two.

"Uh, not until recently." Silver smiled half-heartedly.

"How recently?" She pressed on.

"About ten seconds ago, roughly." Roque replied. Silver brought the sled over to the pile of sheets and started working with Roque to prep the fireplace. Once opened up, they began to place the smaller sticks on before dumping the larger pieces on top.

"Anything I can do to help?" Shaman asked.

"Certainly dear, could you fetch the lighter for us? It's in the small room there with the cooler, just look inside the closet door." Roque requested. Shaman agreed and hastily made her way in. Opening the door a little wider with her nose, she saw the mechanism they described. The blue handle and long barrel with a trigger in the middle. She snatched it up in her mouth, careful not to pull it by accident and brought it in.

Setting it down, she watched as Roque took a quick peek up through the fluke. It seemed the chimney was clear enough save for the flake here or there that found its way down. Silver nestled himself within the bed, leaving a space at his left for Shaman and Roque.

"Alright, c'mon in princess." Silver gestured, raising the sheets up for her. Shaman sighed and snapped back to him.

"Why do you insist on calling me that?" She demanded lightly.

"Relax, I'm just teasing you." He tried to brush off.

"Well knock it off." Shaman insisted, taking her spot under the covers.

"Whatever." Silver rolled his eyes.

"Oh goodness." Roque sighed, covering his face. "Can we please save the dramatics? It's going to be a long day otherwise."

"Fine." Silver agreed. Shaman nodded her approval and settled in. Surprising it was quite warm between the sheets and the heat from Silver's body. Even Roque with his smaller size compared to the two, was very cozy. She had started to forget what it was like to sleep in the company of others. It brought up almost immediately her memories of home, the nights she spent aside Keledrin and Khari in particular.

Still, she took the comfort for what it was worth and settled in, falling asleep under the sheets alongside her newfound company.

Shaman woke up to the sound of a massive boom on the side of the cabin. The wind had really picked up. The howling that used to cry out and fade earlier was almost constant now. The cabin seemed to groan in pain, sharp cracks fired along the beams across the roof as the sound of the creaking walls filled in the rest. Roque was wide awake already, barbeque lighter in his talons he was set near the fireplace shivering. It had gotten cold inside, she could feel it whisk across her muzzle, stinging enough to almost cause her to sneeze.

"Roque?" She asked softly.

"Almos-s-t-t got-t it-t-t" He stammered, in an attempt to light the pile of kindling. Shaman watched patiently as the flame kept flickering across the tip of the lighter. "Come on." Roque moaned, slipping the tip in deeper.

Silver threw the covers off and took a stance between the coming wind through the window and the spot he was trying to light. Shaman was shocked at his sudden burst; she failed to notice he was awake.

"You got it?" Silver asked, his teeth starting to chatter. At last the wood caught ablaze, Silver smiled as he leaned down, giving soft breaths to encourage the little ember to burn more rampantly.

"Steady now, Silver. Soft, long breaths." Roque encouraged.

"I got it." Silver acknowledged between long breaths on the one spark of warmth. Within a few moments the larger pieces were catching, and a blaze appeared before them.

"HAHA!" Roque cried out triumphantly. "Well done my boy!"

"You to." Silver nodded. Roque balled up his foot and bumped it with Silver's front paw. "Hahaha, there's enough wood here for a little while, huh?"

"Yes, yes of course. We'll have to pull some of those logs from the side though after this storm, we don't have enough in here for another." Roque reminded him.

"Ah yeah. I'll pull em in first thing tomorrow, give em a chance to dry out."

"Amazing." Shaman breathed, watching the flames dance on the logs. "It's been so long since I've seen- I mean, I can't believe you pulled it off."

"It's amazing what you can do, when your mind is set to it." Roque stated proudly. "Silver is a good testament to that." He complimented briefly before raising his brow. "Now if only I could get him to bathe, regularly."

Shaman covered her mouth and giggled while Silver brushed off the jab at him with a smile. The two crawled back under the blankets and watched the fire dance away. There was a strange, almost hypnotic feel to watching it crackle and spark. Following the little embers as they shot up the chimney. With the warmth of the two bodies beside her, and the soothing vision she found herself in a state of tranquilly, lulled back to sleep.

The storm had passed, the morning had come and the house had grown quiet with the fire having died down. Silver, Shaman and Roque still lay asleep in the bed they had made, quite warm and cozy. With an adjustment to his muzzle however, Silver felt the sudden drop of water hit his nose. It was enough to crack his eyes open, to see that a few droplets, no more than a second apart were dripping onto him.

"The fuck?" He asked himself quietly. Wiping his nose he looked up to the roof to track the source. What he saw shot his body with horror. The roof looked heavily saturated; droplets were dripping all about him. He knew, something had weakened the roof to let water flow so freely in.

In a snap, he threw the covers off and snatched up Roque in his mouth and tossed him over to the kitchen. He barely woke before tumbling over and over, completely blindsided by the move. Silver then snatched Shaman in his arms and tumbled with her off toward the wall. The commotion immediately woke her and her agitation with it.

"Ahh!! Silver what's the big-" She tried to ask. With a booming snap, the roof gave way. Weakened by the water, the wood came crashing down, burying the sheets and flooding the fireplace with snow. Shaman and Silver covered their eyes, while Roque hid behind his wing. As the crash settled, the center of the cabin was littered with broken logs and mounds of snow.

"Oh no." Roque moaned, rising to his feet. Taking a brief look up he could see the gaping hole and the overcast sky beyond.

"Damn." Silver sighed, releasing Shaman he rose up and hung his head. "I really liked this place." Shaman leaned her head on his shoulder, giving what little condolence she could.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. Roque swooped over the rubble and took to his friend's side.

"Thank you." He praised, grasping his paw. "You were very brave and swift. You may very well have saved our lives."

"Anytime." Silver gave a slight nod, his head still dripping low in sorrow. Shaman leaned in, giving his cheek a soft kiss. Silver's ears perked up immediately as he turned to her in surprise.

"Thank you for saving me, and I'm sorry about the cabin." She continued to console.

"You're welcome." He smiled feeling some needed ease to the situation.

"Well." Roque sighed, sifting through the snow. "The sheets are buried, the cabin won't stand much longer now with the roof caved in. Silver? We need to get moving."

"Right, lets pack away the food from that box and go search for a den somewhere." He agreed.

"No, I've a better idea." Roque smiled, glancing to Shaman.

Silver and Roque passed through the door and placed themselves just ahead of the cabin. The snow had really piled up, making large banks alongside the outer walls. The roof in particular seemed to suffer, not only with the crater in the middle, but with the warming weather the snow was steadily soaking it through the wood.

"I knew you'd try this!" Silver scolded, snapping away from Roque he began pacing angrily around him.

"Oh, and you have a better suggestion?" He inquired.

"Yeah! I told you; let's just find a den with a good perch for you nearby!" He reinforced.

"Silver, how long do you plan on living like this?" Roque demanded lightly, looking up to the pacing wolf.

"However long I want." Silver firmly stated, planting himself on his backside. "I told you my history with packs."

"Your one, pack." Roque corrected. Silver snapped his head away from Roque. "Silver, if we bring her back, they may very well welcome you with open paws. You shouldn't live like this, it's unhealthy for you." Roque pleaded.

"We've done just fine so far." Silver retorted, returning his attention.

"So far and not much longer than that." Roque suggested.

"What?" Silver questioned, puzzled by the statement. Shrugging his shoulders, Roque took a deep breath and explained.

"I'm getting old, Silver. You know this. My last year's approach and you will be alone for a long time to follow."

"Stop talking like that-"

"But it's true." Roque cut off. "Now I'm not ready to fall over and perish but you must understand that I greatly desire to see you well off before I do. That is not going to happen here."

Silver's head sunk, he knew Roque was right. Though he hated when he spoke of his own mortality.

"Still, a pack? What is that gonna do for me?" Silver pleaded.

"They will make you feel part of a family again. It does not happen to everyone. But if Shaman can find her home with them, then I have no doubt you could do the same." Roque insisted, reaching for Silver's paw. "Your scars might not be as evident as hers, boy. But I dread the idea of living a life alone. Never again do I want to see that broken wolf, wandering the wilds."

"Please don't bring that up." Silver pleaded once more.

"I know. But will you at least consider it?" Roque insisted. Silver took a deep breath before nodding his approval. It wasn't the best idea in his opinion, but he didn't want to disappoint his friend.

"You know." Shaman called, exiting the door. "If you really want to join, there's some ground rules I'm going to have to insist on." Both Silver and Roque turned to her in shock.

"What did you hear!?" Silver demanded.

"I'm a good listener; just ask Keledrin when we get there." Shaman fired back with a smile.

"It's none of your business-"

"It is!" She cut off. "Listen, if you want to join my pack I'm happy to put in a good word with Marodan but I can't do that if the two of you are always sneaking around and having these little talks behind my back."

"My lady, with all due respect, if we choose to speak privately, that is our choice." Roque stated.

"Were you discussing something you wanted of me?" She posed, glancing down to Roque. Brushing his chin he hummed and thought a moment.

"Yes, I suppose we were." He conceded.

"Then trust me enough to talk to me." Shaman pressed, leaning in closer to him.

"I must apologize. We have been alone here quite some time; even I must admit I'm feeling a bit reclusive." Roque noted, smiling to the young wolf.

"So, are we agreed? No more secret meetings?" She posed to the two.

"Sure." Silver nodded, giving his approval.

"Your terms are agreeable." Roque nodded proudly. "So I suppose the next question is, how do we find where you are from exactly?"

"Following the tracks I suppose." Silver suggested.

"Yeah, at least it's a start." Shaman agreed.

"Yes, but I doubt it will hold off forever. You know, humans set stations for these trains. Drop off and pick up points where they load there things to transport them. Perhaps it'd be best to start by finding one of those?" Roque posed to the group.

"Yeah! Great idea!" Shaman bounded happily. "We find a station then take a train back home!"

"Getting there will be tricky. We'll have to stay light on our feet, move quietly when we're low on the mountains and swift when were up high." Silver pointed out.

"Yes, bears are getting ready to rest up for the winter. They won't suffer even a pair of wolves, lightly."

"Bears?" Shaman asked nervously.

"Don't ask, just hope we don't run into em." Silver answered, shaking his head.

"When can we leave?" Shaman questioned.

"Let's gut the place first. Drink up the sled; eat the last of the kills and bail. Let the humans clean up the mess." Silver decided.

"If the snow does not bury the place first." Roque interjected. Silver gave a sharp laugh and headed for the door.

"Come on, if we're doing this we need full stomachs."

"Right." Roque agreed, flying off to his side. As Silver opened the door, Shaman caught up and headed inside. He didn't bother closing it, as eating and drinking inside were not an option. The cabin still creaked and dripped from newly forming gaps in the roof.

They gorged themselves on the remains of the rabbits, followed by a long and thorough drain of the sled. The water was nice and cold, but drinking so much was hard on their stomachs. They didn't finish it entirely, but did bring the water level down quite a bit.

Their bellies swollen and the cabin made useless, Silver and Shaman looked on toward the tracks on the hill. It was the best and safest place to start given the weather. The storm had dumped a goodly amount of snow but as trains pass, they plow the rails clear, making for a much easier route.

"You ready?" Roque asked, patting Silver's shoulder. He took a quick glance back at the cabin just long enough to hear another support beam inside give way.

"Not much choice, as always." He sighed, looking on ahead.

"Oh c'mon Silver, cheer up!" Shaman beamed with joy, patting his shoulder as she passed by. "Warm den, good friends, plenty of game and a beautiful stream with water as crisp and cool as a fall morning. You'll love it there!"

"Yeah, alright." Silver rolled his eyes, following behind her. As she entered into the field, the snow began to envelop their bodies more and more. Shaman was able to keep her footing fairly well, the snow only taking her up to her belly; however Silver's situation was much different. Nearly paddling through the snow, being a fair bit heavier than her his paws nearly found bottom. His head just above as he waded through the deluge of snow. Shaman turned around and couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"Working off that rabbit already, huh?" She giggled.

"I'm used to it." Silver tried to casually brush off.

"Oh I'm sure." She cooed, still snickering to herself. "Look how well you swim in the snow." Silver raised his brow before taking a dive beneath the snow. She was baffled by the move, having never seen snow so deep you could dive, Shaman struggled to figure out what he was up to.

In a snap, her hind paw was snatched, pulling her down beneath the snow. She screamed, as all but her cloak was left on the surface. Eagerly digging she tried to regain the footing she had before, feeling the weight of the snow clumping to her fur. Silver burst to the surface, laughing aloud.

"Told you." He quipped.

"Ugh, now I gotta, try and get." She tried to say, still fumbling through.

"Uh huh, you keep doing that." He chuckled, swimming his way past her.

As they drudged up the hill, the shallow snow of the train tracks was a welcome relief. Silver took one last glance back at the cabin and hung his head in sorrow. He really had felt at home within its walls, something he felt like he was almost giving up too lightly.

Swooping down to him, Roque perched himself on Silver's back.

"Going to miss it, huh?" He asked, shuffling himself a little closer to his head.

"Yeah. We put a lot of work into it, you know?"

"I know my dear friend. But life will always bring about change, some fair, some disheartening. Perhaps though, this will bring about some good in the end for you. Roque posed to him.

"Guys?" Shaman asked, looking back. "You coming?"

"Yeah, let's go." Silver conceded, heading back on track with Shaman. Roque took to the air and flew just a little further up ahead. Silver quickened his pace and caught up, keeping alongside her. "Excited?"

"I can't wait." She bounded a little at the phrase, rustling the cloak on her back. "It's gonna be so nice to see my friends again. I really miss Khari and Keledrin."

"What are they like?" He asked. Shaman smiled and began to regale him with stories about them. The two carried the conversation on a good while, long after the cabin disappeared behind the horizon as the train track lead them on, toward the heart of the mountain range.

Traveling along the tracks well into the afternoon, the trio were privileged to a fairly easy start to their journey. The tracks circled a large, half frozen lake decorated along the edge with lavish amounts of pine forest, followed by a fair ascent up along the side of a steep and rather barren mountainside. They watched the clouds break upon the face of it, before being torn apart by the neighboring peaks as the day carried on.

Their only hindrance was the strangely random weather. A few shallow and seemingly stray clouds would pass, bringing with them a fair burst of snow that would leave them with thousands of flakes stranded in their fur. Within moments after, the clouds seem to give way to a warm, radiant sun, thawing them off before could touch the skin.

The space surrounding the tracks grew ever more narrow as they ascended up along the mountain side. There path began to hug close to a fairly steep cliff as it hooked alongside, aiming toward a tunnel near the end. Shaman couldn't help but be astonished by the view around her. White covered tops that cascaded down, forming frozen rivers, streaming down the mountain into the depths below.

Shaman made the mistake of taking a peak over the ledge. The drop was near a thousand feet, overloading her eyes and sending her head spinning.

"Whoa." She shook her head, pulling herself away.

"Watch it." Silver cautioned. "Do that again, you might fall the wrong way."

"Yeah, sorry. I'll be more careful." Shaman agreed.

Roque flew ahead, diving into the dark tunnel. The halls within seemed to moan and wail from the wind as even his wing flaps seemed to boom along the walls. His eyes could quickly adapt to the dark and sure enough, rounding the second bend a bright light shined, finalizing the route onward. Smiling, he swung back and made way for the two who were already waiting outside.

"All clear?" Shaman asked.

"Yes, just follow my directions once we get inside. There's just a couple bends before we make the exit." Roque explained before breaking for the tunnel once more. "Come now, we shouldn't linger."

Shaman and Silver made their first steps cautious ones as they rounded the first turn. The tunnel was pitch black and aside from the occasional flap from Roque's wings, the howling of the wind echoing through the tunnel took prominence over all else.

"Ow!" Shaman cried out, her foot falling on a sharp rock. "Jeez, that one hurt." She shook her paw.

"Can't really be helped, just lemme know if you trip on something major ok? I got your back." Silver said, nudging her backside.

"Uh, I appreciate it, but don't have my backside that close." She chuckled nervously.

"Yeah sorry." He backed off, scratching his head for a moment. "Kinda just feeling my way around." Shaman let out a sharp laugh, scurrying up ahead a little further. "That didn't come out right, did it?" Silver laughed along.

"No, it really didn't." She replied. Roque guided the two around the last bend as the light at the far end of the tunnel became clear. Flying up ahead, he cleared the entry and took to the open skies.

"Ahh, what a relief. That was quite the stuffy little cavern." He spoke to himself. On his descent back down, he could hear something approaching just ahead along the tracks. His heart took a sudden leap into his throat as he landed upon the track. Sure enough, just off in the distance, a massive freight train was coming, it's weight sending vibrations through the iron track. Looking back toward the tunnel, the two were still deep inside. With haste, he broke for the tunnel panting in fear. "MOVE IT!! NOW!!" He screamed down the tunnel.

"What?!" Silver shouted back, his echoing voice reaching him.

"TRAIN!!!" Roque cried once more.

"Oh fuck!" Silver breathed.

"Move, now!" Shaman stammered. The two began to race for the end of the tunnel, chasing for the light at the end. Panic started to set in with Shaman; she was running headlong into a collision with a train. Her legs started to quiver, fumbling now and then along the wooden planks in the track. It was light enough now; Silver could see her at his side fumbling through the dark.

"C'mon, c'mon!" He encouraged, pushing her back end. "Keep going! I don't wanna be a smear on the wall in here!" The words rang a familiar tone with her. Just a couple of weeks ago Khari had told her the same thing. She felt a spark of courage hit, the panic bringing more adrenaline to the surface. She was able to keep pace alongside Silver.

The end of the tunnel was close, but the train was in plain sight. Silver and Shaman pushed as hard as they could, hurling the ground beneath them, desperate to gain every ounce of speed their bodies could muster. "Fuck, you, train!" He taunted, giving each word its own punch. The horn blasted, it was almost deafening as it shot down the tunnel and reverberated in the ears.

Pushing over to the right wall and into the gravel and rocks they made their last ditch effort. The train blared its horn once more, about to breach the tunnel. Finally the wall had passed, leaping from the entrance and tumbling into the grass nearby the train had just missed them.

They took a moment to lay on the grass, both their chests rapidly rising and falling while their tongues dangled from their mouths. Roque landed in-between them, flopping onto his tail feathers, he wiped his brow.

"You two scared me to death." He fumed, glancing between them. Silver closed his eyes, a shallow laugh forming in his chest soon exploded into a full blown fit.

"That was awesome!" He carried on. Shaman couldn't help but feel it creeping up her throat to.

"My luck with trains." She laughed, rolling onto her side.

"Hahaha, it paid off hey. We didn't get crushed." Silver noted.

"Yeah I suppose." She agreed.

"Well, I should say. This has been an interesting start to our journey, no?" Roque perked up.

"Hell yeah!" Silver cheered lightly, flopping onto his side. With his panting subsiding, he glanced briefly beyond the tree line. "Huh?" He exclaimed, rolling to his feet.

"What?" Shaman asked, watching him get up. She followed suit and looked on in the same direction. Roque smiled as the two took in the view with awe. Down the slope of the mountain was a gorgeous valley, several frozen streams scattered like stray hairs on the ground fed their way into a crystal blue lake that seemed untouched by the ice. The bank was lined thick with evergreen, fern and birch that seemed to reach up onto the mountains behind it, before being buried in enormous sheets of snow. The sky adding in its own finishing touch, as thin clouds were aflame in orange, red and yellow, the colors brought to life by the setting sun behind the mountains.

"Wow." Silver breathed, taking in the view.

"I keep forgetting, you've never seen them like this before." Roque stated, hopping over to Silver's side.

"Wait." Shaman interjected, coming closer to the two. "You've never been here, Silver?"

"No, I was born out east. Forested area about two months away from the cabin." He explained quickly, refusing to take his eyes off the view.

"Oh." She spoke soft, fixating once again to the west.

"Silver, Shaman?" Roque addressed the two. "We should rest up somewhere nearby for the night. I think were clear of any weather for now."

"Sounds good to me." Silver nodded. Shaman gave her approval, as the trio settled in close together. She couldn't take her eyes off the sky, watching the red slowly over take the orange and yellow as the sun found its home beneath the horizon. Once again she was being treated to a whole new sight that was so foreign to her. She began feeling more comfortable around Silver in particular, having been so unsure of his stance with her until now.

"Good night Shaman, night buddy." He spoke up.

"Good night my friend, good night Shaman."

"Night you two, I" She tried to speak, but the words seemed trapped in her throat.

"Hmm?" Silver answered, turning to her.

"I just, wanted to say thanks." She blurted out. Silver chuckled softly and looked back out toward the sunset.

"You've said thank you more than enough, Shaman. Trust me, you're welcome already."

"No, I mean. For the tunnel." She explained.

"Oh?" He looked back.

"It means a lot, you know? Knowing you have my back."

"My pleasure." He smiled. "Let's get some sleep. We gotta get at this bright and early tomorrow."

"Right." Shaman agreed, shuffling herself a little closer to Silver. She watched on as the colors slowly faded away, the stars beginning to light one by one. It was a strange warmth; for the first time since she had been away from home, she felt truly safe.