vaya

Another day, another area it seemed.

Today she found herself alongside a river. It was like a winter wonderland so early in the morning. Everything was still and muted, snowfall the night before having laid a fresh blanket before her. The only sound she picked up was the soft crunch of her own paws through the snow. Her coat was thickened for the winter, so she didn’t really feel the cold. But what was it about winter that made one feel so alone?

Her side brushed an evergreen tree and behind her it spilled a load of snow from its branches, revealing a sharp stripe of green in the white world. The next time she brushed a tree, she wasn’t so lucky. This one decided to dump its load of snow on top of her. For a moment she was somewhat stunned. But, of course this would happen to her. With a small sigh and a roll of her brown eyes she pushed through the drift she had created and shook herself on the other side. Her reddish coat was revealed under the white cover that had obscured it.

She couldn’t help but think that winter was for lying in a pile with packmates, not for wandering past some unknown river.

Though, she was thirsty.

Eyeing the river, she debated whether it was worth trying to get a drink. You see, being doused in snow was a relatively regular occurrence. For the female wolf. She had a tendency to be a bit of a klutz. Add to that a penchant for bad luck… Well, was she really thirsty? She wavered for a moment on the snowy bank before deciding she’d rather risk the river than eat snow. Carefully she threaded her way down the shallow slope, testing the edge of the river with a paw. Frozen solid. Just her luck.

She glanced up and noticed that the centre of the river was still open water. But that would require traversing the ice. Unwilling to leave the solid ground, she tried smashing down on the ice with both front paws. Nothing, except an ache in her ankles. If she wanted water, she’d have to work for it.

A minute later found her out on the ice, bracing herself ever so carefully on what felt like solid ice as her neck stretched out, trying to get herself a drink of the invitingly cold stream. Just a little further… There. Balanced rather precariously, she finally managed to get her tongue into the water and quench her thirst. And nothing bad had happened! It was such an accomplishment that she threw her head into the air triumphantly…

And the ice under her front paws disappeared.

With a gasp she plunged forward, landing hard on her front legs again as she discovered that at least the river was shallow. That was her last thought before her momentum catapulted her fully into the shallow stream. Quickly picking herself up, she launched back onto the ice, streaming rivulets of cold, cold water. No other wolf could have made it back to the bank as quickly as she did. A shake rid her of the worst of the wet, though made her look like a bit of a wet paintbrush. With a huff, she sat. It could’ve been worse. She’d left only her dignity in the river, and not her life. And at least no one had been here to see her failure…

She gulped as she realized a strange scent tickled her nose. She’d been too busy to notice it earlier as she’d been endeavouring not to drown.

Great.