Watching and waiting (goldie)

Nahashsan · January 21, 2024, 03:31:37 PM

Nykole lay in the middle of the tent with her legs pulled up to her chest. Lucius lay behind her leaving room in front for the little ermine.

"You hanging in there alright" Lucius asked Kat. She had been through a lot and he knew it.

Goldie · January 21, 2024, 04:03:43 PM

Tired...came her quiet response. She was curled up at Nykole's feet, close enough that her soft white fur was pressing against her to provide as much transfer of warmth as was possible. As they existed together, their bodies were filling the tent with warmth - though that was all relative. Just because it was warmer inside than out didn't mean that it was warm.

We should shake the tent every so often to keep from getting smothered... her eyelids were drooping and it was getting harder and harder to keep them open.

I'm sorry I couldn't do better... she murmured before exhaustion claimed her.

Nahashsan · January 21, 2024, 09:57:45 PM

"Then sleep, I'll take first watch and you did fine." He was sure she even heard the last little bit. Soon he was alone as both Kat and Nykole were asleep.

Kat was growing on him, but when you see someone's emotions lead bare like that it was hard not to care.

Goldie · January 22, 2024, 01:59:41 PM

Kat woke an indeterminate amount of time later and only the sunlight that pierced through the walls of the tent told her that time had passed. Time had passed and the clouds must be gone.

She was alive.

She was alive!

And then dread crept in. She was alive but was her pack? Had they survived the blizzard?

In a panic she scurried around and began nudging Nykole with her nose while calling for Lucius, Lucius! Lucius are you ok? Are you with me?

Nahashsan · January 23, 2024, 02:28:37 PM

Lucius sat up with a groan. He had tried to stay awake but had succumb to exhaustion some time in the night.

"Yes, yes I'm here" he answered her pleas.

At the same time Nykole also stirred from her slumber. "The sun is out, that's a good sign" she said aloud.

Goldie · January 26, 2024, 06:32:55 PM

Oh thank Gods, thank Gods! she could practically cry for joy. Somehow, someway, they had managed to survive a blizzard. They had managed to do something truly spectacular.

In frenzied excitement she ran circles around the little half-collapsed tent and around Nykole's feet. Tiny ermine squeaks emitted from her as she moved and then she froze.

How long has it been? A day? Two? I have to be human every two days!

Nahashsan · January 27, 2024, 09:38:36 AM

Nykole sat up as best she could in their ramshackled tent. "What has gotten into our little friend here." She ask Lucius as she watched Kat run around the tent.

Lucius chuckled as he to watched the spectacle "She's just excited to be alive after last night." He responded.

Nykole thought for a moment. "Once we find the sled I think we should take the rest of the day to rest. That storm took a lot out of us."

Goldie · January 28, 2024, 09:53:14 AM

"I'll go find it!" she practically bounced about and then went to the front flap and wiggled open a tiny hole with her nose and....was met by snow.

Well...that wasn't good. There was barely enough room in the tent for the three of them when she was a tiny weasel of a thing. And she didn't have hands, or height, to open it further to actually get out.

She stepped back and tilted her head at Nykole, "Door needs thumbs." she told Lucius.

Nahashsan · January 28, 2024, 01:17:15 PM

Lucius held up a paw "don't look at me, I have no thumbs." He said with a smirk. " Nikki please get the door for Kat, she thinks she can find the sled."

At his request Nykole got up and opened the tent flap the rest of the way. The snow was piled so high that she had to crawl out on her stomach. Once out she stood and stretched. Her joints stiff from the cold.

Lucius followed the others out before stopping to survey their surroundings. What had been tall ruins looked like a series of low walls and pillars. Their tent was nestled in a deep depression.

Goldie · January 29, 2024, 06:50:36 AM

Kat zoomed from the tent the moment Nykole was out of the way and buried her nose in the snow. With the sun shining at the wind calm she almost felt warm in her fur, warm and full of joy she never expected to feel towards anyone in the expedition. Her job had been to be an ass to everyone – something she had no issues doing and even enjoyed making people feel miserable.

For a time, at least.

Now, however? Now they had survived a blizzard with little to no protection. She had done her very best to try and save these two companions and she damn well wasn't going to make that effort be in vain. No. Now that they had survived she would make it her life's mission to keep them safe until they were forced to part ways.

The snow was crisp and sent tingles of pleasure through her nose, but that wasn't what she was here to do. She needed to find their supplies buried in over four feet of snow. She should be able to sniff it out and then burrow to find it. Once she found Elarick's clothes she'd be able to change back for a bit, maybe eat some smoked meats or whatever they had.

"Here!" She called and simultaneously squeaked for Nykole's benefit before digging her tiny claws into the snow and disappearing beneath. It didn't take long to find the top of the wagon and used her nose to find her way to the foods that they would all need in order to start their trek. It would be along haul yet and there was no way they'd be able to dig this entire thing out by themselves.

Nahashsan · January 30, 2024, 04:32:57 PM

Nykole followed Kat's lead and started digging down to the food. In this cold it food was important.

After a solid fifteen minutes digging in snow up to her chest she emerged victorious, the bags of pemmican and hardtack in hand.

"Eat up you two" she said opening the bags for others before laying on her back exhausted.

They needed to get the sled out to carry their supplies but it was going to take a lot of time and effort and she didn't know if she had it in her.

Goldie · February 04, 2024, 10:38:10 AM

Kat helped Nykole dig with her tiny little ermine claws, but even still it was faster for the elf than it was for her. But sooner rather than later the food was rescued and topside. That didn't stop Kat, though, she needed Elarick's clothes so she could transform back into her human form. She wasn't sure how long they were all asleep, and though she doubted it was longer than eight hours or so, she didn't like not knowing her clock.

That and it was abundantly clear that her little self-protective forms weren't doing much to help the rest of the survivors.

So she dove back under and kept digging around, grabbing furs in her mouth and pulling them up with extreme efforts.

Nahashsan · February 06, 2024, 01:22:36 PM

While she rested Kat continued to dig. "Ask her what she is after" she said to Lucius.

Lucius was about to ask Kat when she returned with some of her furs. "I'll help" he said as he started to dig next to the ermine helping to retrieve the clothes.

Goldie · February 07, 2024, 08:14:40 AM

Kat was thankful for the help and together, she and Lucius were able to pull up the extra large furs. Once they were all laid out on the snow, Kat began the transformation process. It was slower this time. Terrifyingly slow. She didn't think that he had outrun the clock, but maybe she had gotten too close to the deadline and that was the issue....but....she'd been within minutes before and things had still happened normally. Now, though? Now she was struggling....

That wasn't good.

She had been transforming a lot. Maybe there was a daily quota she had never actually met? Maybe she was just tired and cold and hungry? Whatever the issue, she had a gut wrenching feeling that she wasn't going to be able to transform back and, if she did manage it, there was no guarantee she'd be able to transform back within the 48 hour window.

Gods dammit.

After an excruciating few minutes, she was finished and laid panting in the snow. Her body was hot from the pain that came from transforming and the elongation of the process made it even worse. She wasn't sure if she had been able to keep the grunts and quiet closed-mouthed screams from escaping – normally she didn't have a problem but it was also typically faster.

The cold overtook the heat soon enough and she crawled, exhausted, towards the pile of clothes and began pulling them on as fast as she could until she was a pile of oversized furs sitting in the middle of the snow.

"Sorry..." her voice carried out of the pile softly. It was impossible to even see where her face was. It was comical, really, her small frame encompassed by the clothes of an over six foot heavy-set man.

Nahashsan · February 09, 2024, 12:29:22 PM

Kykole laid on her back gnawing on a bit of hardtack. She sat up when Kat said sorry. "What are you saying sorry for, you have been most helpful."

Goldie · February 10, 2024, 01:50:16 PM

"I don't think I can shift back." Her small, tired voice came from the pile of clothes again, "Not for a while."

It made her feel defeated to admit it, like she was admitting something horrible and nasty - something you'd never want company to know. It made her weak. Without her abilities she was just another squishy human.

Nahashsan · February 15, 2024, 04:56:14 PM

"You just need some rest, we had a long night, you have to be exhausted." She flopped back onto her back and let out a tired sigh. "I know I'm exhausted"

Goldie · February 17, 2024, 01:48:03 PM

Kat shivered, trying to figure out what to do and how to make the best of this situation. She was a survivor, it's what she did, it's who she was! But here, in the tundra? She wasn't prepared for this. She didn't know how to survive without her own personal set of skills. Despite surviving the blizzard, they were still in an exorbitant amount of danger.

"We don't have time." She replied, pulling the furs even tighter against her body, "We have to move or we're going to die. You know that, right? The cold will take us one by one."

Nahashsan · February 24, 2024, 01:04:52 PM

"All I'm asking for is one day to rest and get the sled dug out." She didn't mean to raise her voice but she did. "We have to get things in order. Rushing off without supplies or a plan will get us killed."

It was three or four day to the nearest hot spring if the stayed on course which was nearly impossible without a compass. They were tired and weak from exhaustion, did Kat really expect them to just move on carrying all their gear.

Goldie · March 14, 2024, 08:22:57 AM

Kat couldn't believe what she was hearing and she could feel anger boiling beneath her exhaustion. She stared at Nykole, mouth ajar, and then exploded.

"And then what?" She bellowed from her too-big clothing and through chattering teeth, "Then fucking what, pointy? Are you going to pull the sled?! You volunteering to do all the work?! I fucking keep you alive last night and pulled all that shit the day before. I don't have anything left to give you."