Snow Castles

[ulrica]

She was closing, just a few more feet, and there! But her jaws closed on empty air and suddenly everything was going black. "No! No wait..!"

Ula jumped as she awoke, her head jerked up and her front legs uncrossed and widened as if she was steadying herself from a fall. She looked around, surprised that she wasn't in a forest, until she remembered where she was and settled back down. Gann and Ea had moved around to the fire but Darklight was right next to her. The young she-wolf shied away, unsure about why Darklight had woken her up. "Um... What..?" She kept her voice quiet so that the others wouldn't hear her, just the gray beside her.


Ea's humming was beautiful, he immediately felt the soothing powers of her voice washing over him like a cleansing rain. His head cleared and the warmth of the fire touched through his fur. Hearing her lullaby-like song was reassuring and comforting and he calmed down a great deal. A smile came to his maw and he rocked his head in time with her rhythm. Soon, he felt his stress and tension melting away as the fire and Ea's song soothed all his problems away.

[Moon_Song]

Darklight looked down at the black female. Her tone was still demanding and harsh. "So you really don't remember anything, huh?" If she could trigger the right emotion, she may be able to bring back whatever it was Ula wasn't grasping.

The song continued. She had seen Darklight walk back to where Ula was, but she paid no mind to it at the moment. She was just glad that she was at least helping Gann. She hated to see other like that...like the way things used to be.
The lullaby was one she had known from a very young age. She had been taught this song by her beloved mother. The thought of it pained her heart, and she accidently let some of it into the song. She quickly brought it back to its soft and comforting vibe, but it slipped none the less. She hope Gann didn't catch it. She didn't want to bring anymore negative emotions here tonight.

[ulrica]

Darklight seemed mad at her for some reason, but Ula couldn't figure it out. Well, duh, it's cause the whole time you've been here you haven't done anything to help pull your own weight! Why wouldn't she be mad?! But she wasn't talking about food she was talking about her not remembering anything. "But there isn't anything to remember.." Is there? There was that dream she kept having and how the answers to all her questions kept dancing at the edge of her memory. What am I forgetting? But it was hard to think when Darklight was angry, it made her scared, what if she got angry enough to attack her? Ula knew she wasn't near strong enough to expect she would be able to defend herself very well in this state. Still, if she did attack what else could she do. But then there was always the chance that Darklight might just ignore her and with her Ea. But she really couldn't remember anything. What do I do??

Ea's song was beautiful, the sounds rich and delicate but strong and sure at the same time. He laid there, memorizing the notes of her lullaby and then something sounded wrong. One split second of sadness tweaked the note, it lasted hardly a moment but it had been there, and it had been her sadness. He looked over at her without moving his eyes, quietly wondering what could make such a kindhearted creature so sad.

[Moon_Song]

She could plainly see that Ula was becoming frightened. Perhaps she was too harsh. Darklight sighed and lowered herself to the ground, her paws crossed in front of her and her head held high. "Think, and think hard. What do you remember from before you woke up here?"

The song was nearing its end now. Her eyes were closed and she swayed a little to her own beat.
The melody slowed, and the last note was held, long and smoothly. Ea stayed quiet for a moment, letting the quiet calmness stay in her system for a moment longer, holding it in her heart like a precious gem...like the gem she wore around her neck. Slowly, almost hesitantly, she opened her eyes. They were shining now. The blue deep and mysteriously reflective, and the gold bright and reflective. It was a strange duality that complimented each other in an odd way.

[ulrica]

Ula felt massively relieved, a Darklight with her head on her paws was better than an angry Darklight any day. She shrugged though, thinking about what she had been doing. I'd been tracking something hadn't I? "I was hunting I think." Her reply was somewhat distant, like she was thinking even harder to make sure she was correct. Even so, her voice sounded sure as if there could be no other answer. But what is there to hunt in the middle of a snow storm..?

Gann's eyes had closed by the end of the song, his breathing even and slow with his head resting peacefully on his paws. As Ea's final note ended, he opened one eye to look up at her and saw the brightness in her bi-colored eyes. A small whimper came from his throat as he lifted his head, cocking it slightly to the side. "Something the matter Ea?" His thoughts briefly flashed back to the moment of grief in her melody, could this be because of that? But what exactly was that?

[Moon_Song]

With her head still held high, she glared into the other females face. "Think, now, Ula. What were you hunting? What or who could it be?" She didn't blink, her gaze burrowing into Ula's eyes. She wouldn't be surprised if it was hard for Ula to shift her eyes.

She had been lost in her own mind for a moment. Gann words almost made her just, but she kept herself composed.
What was the matter? She had brought up thought of her past...the one she had lost...and it was all her fault. Regaurdless of how she felt, she kept it out of her face and voice as best she could. "Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking too much." She smiled at Gann, but it was half-hearted.

[ulrica]

Darklight's gaze held Ula in a trance, she couldn't look away, she could only sit there helpless and defenseless as the slightly larger wolf glared menacingly at her. Think dang it!! What had you been hunting?! But the gray female had offered another choice. What if it was a who? The dark female thought back as hard as she could, forcing herself to think back past when she had collapsed past when she had even entered the northern lands. And then it came to her. Of course. Darklight's glare was scary sure, but just at that moment Ula was annoyed, angry even. But it wasn't for the gray wolfess in front of her, no it was for the large male sitting next to the fire.

As months of memories flooded back into her mind, her anger grew. Her madness gave her strength, strength to look away and strength to get up and stay up. That stupid, good for nothing, slacker! It was all coming back now, he had left her. After weeks of begging to stay when she didn't need him he finally listened and left when she did. He had wanted to protect her she had known that but why hadn't he stayed? Why hadn't he known? And now, why didn't he remember, had he locked his memories so far away that he couldn't find them? But then, wasn't that what she had done? No, it was my weakness that made me forget, that's all. I was going after him, I was going to find him and ask him why he had left.

Her legs shook slightly as she walked over to Gann, her tail stiff and the beginnings of a growl working its way up her throat. "You dirty, no good, slacking, liar!" Ula's voice was a mix between a growl and a scream, she couldn't remember a time when she had been this angry. "You said you would always be there! Even when I begged you to leave! And then when I really needed you, when I was bleeding to death in the middle of no where you disappear?! What's up with that, Gann?! You said you would protect me, not let me die!"


Gann was about to protest at Ea's vague answer when an angry she-wolf came growling down his back. Ula was awake, angry, in his face, angry, shaking, and very very angry. But it was what he needed to spark his memory, just as with Ula memories flooded back into his head and everything she said suddenly made perfect sense. So, he did the only sensible thing to do at the moment: groveled.

The young male turned and faced his assailant, crouching down on his belly with his tail tucked around his side and small whimpers coming from his throat. "I'm sorry Ula, you said to go so I went. I thought since there hadn't been any one around for such a long time then you would be safe and that I was just weighing you down. I never thought you would get hurt, and that I would fail you. I'm sorry, please, I'm sorry." For a moment, Ea and Darklight had been forgotten, the only thing that mattered to him was pleasing the angry wolfess that stood growling in front of him. If i make it out of this I swear I'll run down the biggest game I can find and give it to them. But from his perspective, his chances seemed pretty slim.

[Moon_Song]

That was it. The trigger was reached, and the reaction was explosive. Ula went from a docile female to a female scorn. Darklight stood as soon as Ula did. The female eyes matched her coat, dark. She had a vendetta to settle. Darklight didn't interfere right off, however. She walked around the opposite of side of the carcass, never taking her eyes off of Ula. What is she going to do? She headed straight toward Gann.

Ea stood as soon as she saw Ula's expression. Whatever memories she had unlocked, they weren't pleasant ones. She headed straight for Gann and chewed him out, almost screaming at him. Gann coward. Ea was surprised by his reactions, but almost expected it. He was not the confrontational kind. Then again, neither was she. However she knew a bad situation when she saw it.
Ea stepped between Ula and Gann and took a breath. "Ula. Please, calm yourself!" Ea's voice rang out, saturated with the gift. The was one of the only times she did not hold back any part of it. It was on full blast, there was no getting around it here, not when there was potentially life at stake...that life being Ganns.

Darklight lowered her head and bared her teeth as Ula began her growled screams. She would not attack, but if Ula made any sort of move, Darklight would have her down before she could yelp.
Ea suddenly stepped up and spoke with the full force of the voice gift. It hit her just as the words left Ea's lips. You couldn't say it was a harsh as a rock hitting you, but more like a powerful wave. The calmness washed over her with a forceful, yet gentle, vigor.

[ulrica]

Ula was only partially aware of Darklight moving around the caribou's carcass for a better position. Anger coursed through her veins as thickly as her blood, the strength she gained from such an emotion burning away at her like a fire. She never did have good control over her anger. Oh well.

Gann was smart, he crouched down in submission, even whimpering a little bit. But she was still mad, what right had he had to leave her like that? Just when she needed him most and then he left her. Why? "How dare-!" The young wolfess would have continued on except for Ea's words: "Calm yourself!" But there was something different about her voice, something so exceedingly calming and soothing that she couldn't help but obey. Instantly, she felt her anger begin to subside, replaced with a cool numbness. However, with the loss of her anger came the loss of her strength and she quickly sat down before she fell down, her eyes glued to Ea's and studying her curiously. Just how did she just do that..?

Ea's voice was like water rushing over Gann. It calmed him and Ula, washing over them like a wave. He looked at her in front of him, her white fur reflecting the light of the fire and her muscles tensed. Darklight was a little behind him and to the side, poised to attack. He silently sent a desperate plea to Ula, begging her to stay calm. Please, for once in your life listen!

[Moon_Song]

She had to grimace a bit at herself. She hated having to force her will like that, but there didn't seem to be much else she could do, and she would not stand for fighting. before she spoke, she lessened the voice, but still kept enough of it present. Even without the accompaniment of the gift, Ea's voice was calm, and almost pleading. "Ula, please." She softened her voice more. "What has caused you to be angered so?"

It hit Darklight just as strongly as everyone else. The only downside, for her anyway, about the gift was that it was impossible to develop any sort of immunity to it. Every muscle in her body relaxed and her stance weakened. She had not seen her sister use this much in a long time...if at all. She had to wonder how much energy she must be using.

Ea glanced around, touching her gaze on Darklight, then Gann, then back to Ula.

[ulrica]

Ula cocked her head, something like hurt crossing on her face. However, the emotion was brief if noticeable at all and she soon recovered, her visage once more detached. "He left me. Right when I needed him he left..." The young female turned her gaze to Gann, her silver eyes boring into him like needles. "You left me... Without even saying goodbye... You just...left." There was something like confusion in her eyes and the want for anger, but Ea's spell held strong and the rage she once felt couldn't muster itself back into existence. She could only sit there and wait for Gann to explain.


Gann's face was pained as he stood, Ula's eyes staring at him coldly. "You told me to leave so I did. I never knew that you would get hurt, I never knew you couldn't handle it by yourself. Ula, I'm sorry." He stepped forward, standing beside Ea. The young male had handled Ula in one of her rages before and he knew how unpredictable she could be. While Gann still felt the effectiveness of Ea's voice, he couldn't help but wonder if Ula's sheer will and determination would overcome it. He could only wait and hope for the best.

[Moon_Song]

Was her usage of the gift hurting Ula? She had never com across such a situation before. "What do you mean he left you? Please,"Ea glanced again at Gann, then back to Ula. "tell me exactly what happened. What do you mean by he left you?"

Ula seemed to want to rip into Gann, rather that hear what he had to say. Ea had loosened her grip on the senses, and it allow Daklight to regain a bit of her focus. She slowly made her way to the other side of the fire so the the three could be seen beyond the flickering of it.

Ea moved a bit so as to not be in Gann's way. She stood beside him as he spoke. She looked into his face. Each word pleading and sincere. What he had said only made the situation more confusing. What could have happened between these two?

[ulrica]

Ula glanced over, Darklights figure a shadow through the fire. The young wolfess knew what the gray was doing, however rather than angering her as it usually would have done, she felt only a twinge of annoyance. So this is what that caribou felt like... She would have laughed if she weren't in such a situation as this. Returning her attention to Gann and Ea who were in front of her and therefor her primary focus, the female lowered her dark head, something like sadness playing in her silver eyes. "You tell them Gann. You always were better at telling the past."


The large male sighed and fell back on his haunches, closing his eyes and thinking hard on how he would word their travels. "We met on the outside of the Giaku territory, and I have to say she knocked me breathless. Quite literally, I don't think I've ever been hit that hard before or again." He smiled playfully, the youthfulness once more playing on his face as Ula smirked, looking into the fire. "You came flying out of there like you had the devil on your tail, which I suppose given the region that wasn't too far off from the truth." He chuckled a bit then continued, once again speaking to Ea and Darklight. "Anyway, after Ula's encounter with the Druin wolves and after me seeing how they affected such an experienced fighter neither of us wanted to go in their alone. So we decided we would travel toge-" Ula clearing her throat quickly cut him off and he fixed his sentence. "Rather, I decided we should travel together. Along the way we encountered many different foes and each time we were the victors. However, as hunger set in from such a sparse and desolate area, tempers heated and we both said things we didn't mean... She repeated almost every night how much she wanted me to leave and I repeated almost every night how stupid of an idea that was. While she argued we were attracting too much attention traveling together, I argued by ourselves we would be ambushed. So a day before we would reach the opposite side of the Giaku territory, we got in a rather heated argument. Things were said, hits were taken, and I decided I would leave... When I left, she was attacked. I came back and helped her when I heard the commotion and we were able to reach the territory line... We slept that night and I left again, putting any memory of a darkly furred female behind me... And I guess I forgot, and so did she." He looked at Ea and grinned a bit, giving a halfhearted shrug as he did so. "And that's our past..." He turned to Ula, his eyes pleading. "I'm sorry... I never meant to hurt you."

[Moon_Song]

The story sort of shocked Ea. The two had forgotten something like that? She looked from Gann, to Ula, and back, noticing her sister ready on the other side of the fire. The two wolves before her had had a long journey that had come to a disastrous end.
Ea sighed and turned to Ula, her eyes soft and her voice still gentle. "Ah yes, the heart of a woman is a complicated thing."

What is she talking about? Darklight, too, looked between the two wolves. Suddenly, she realized what it was. She smirked a bit at the thought.

[ulrica]

Ula watched the fire, different emotions playing on her face. At Ea's words she looked up with a small smirk. "I was more worried about my skin than my heart." Her attention turned once again, this time to a nervous Gann. "You know, you shouldn't have left me. I know you're sorry about it, but what I don't understand is why you left a second time. I figured after the first little mishap you would at least stay a couple days to make sure I was safe... That's what confuses me." She cocked her head, the smirk having melted from her face replaced with a sad smile.


Gann looked guilty, and he glanced at Ea as if asking for help but it was so inconspicuous he wasn't sure if she even noticed. Finally he sighed, silvery-amber eyes raising to meet the detached steely eyes of a frustrated female. "I couldn't see you hurt like that. But... I like the gray better than just black." He gave a small smile, hoping to turn the attention away from himself.