It was difficult trekking through the storm, paws sinking into piling snow as the young wolf tried to find his way back to his pack. Toboe didn’t know whether to turn left, or right, or walk on straight; he couldn’t see far ahead, and had lost his sense of direction long ago already. Although he wasn’t sure how long it’s been since he lost track of the others, anyway ( it felt like HOURS despite it being mere minutes most likely ), or how far his voice had carried when he had howled out for them. It was useless, though, and it drained more of his energy than he would like to admit -- thus, he gave up after a while and walked on quietly, eyes squinting as he gazed through the storm.
Soon enough, he felt drenched, the snow that melted on his fur weighing him down and making him freeze even quicker than before. The pup’s winter coat had just begun to grow since they left the domed city, and it had protected him well enough up until now; it just wasn’t thick enough yet to protect him from a storm such as this one, as swift as it may be. His goal to find the others soon shifted to simply finding some form of SHELTER, where he could warm up, but this task was still as impossible to fulfill as the other if he had no experience in fending for himself OUTSIDE of a city.
It hurt to move after a while, and even then Toboe pressed on further -- until he couldn’t anymore. He was COLD, and TIRED. He didn’t move any further from the spot he collapsed on, his breath evening out whilst the snow, still falling continuously, began covering him. Maybe he’d feel better in a few minutes, and could continue walking on then...
He didn’t notice falling asleep, and the voice coming closer didn’t reach his ears; only when he was being shaken roughly did Toboe stir, blinking disoriented as he came back to his senses and noticed the other wolf next to him. “ ----- Tsume...?,” he asked partly in disbelief but there was relief washing through him, and after a few seconds, he struggled to get back onto his paws ( with the gray wolf at his side, he felt an influx of energy, and if only because he didn’t want to disappoint ). “I’m sorry, i-it’s just... so cold...”
