"Oh, Kutcha, maybe it really was just a dream," the young shewolf lamented, glancing up to her feathered companion who winged overhead. He croaked his disapproval of her dismal tone. "We've been searching for more than a year, my friend. We've combed every inch of the territory more times than I care to count. Surely there are better ways that I could be contributing to the pack than looking for something that likely doesn't even exist anymore, if it ever did in the first place." The dreams had begun the summer before last, dreams of a cave within a glacier, embedded within the heart of the mountain itself. At first she'd thought she could see herself walking in the cavern, but then a white raven had alighted upon the shoulders of the reflection of herself and Moonfeather had realized the wolf was truly her grandmother, MoonGlow. She'd met that raven before, Orba had looked out for her as a pup until Kutcha had fledged and become her personal guardian.

Ever since she'd realized it was MoonGlow and Orba in the cave, Moonfeather had become convinced that she was remembered something from her grandmother's life rather than simply conjuring the wolf she would never be able to meet in person. For some eighteen months now she and Kutcha had been searching for the entrance to the cavern, but continuously coming up empty. She had thought maybe it was her destiny, the connection she would share with her grandmother as she followed in her footsteps to become the next shamaness of Spirane. If the cavern really did exist, it would be the perfect place for her finally create a true pharmacopeia for the pack's healers. Extensive space in a climate controlled grotto that would never become too hot or dry in the summer, or suffer from windy winter days either. She wanted to find it so bad, but it just seemed as though all she and her companion had achieved was wasting their time.

Kutcha swooped down and pulled on the fur at the base of her tail, crackling his disapproval of her apparent readiness to give up on their quest. "Ouch, Kutcha!" she chided, snapping her jaws at him, though they clicked shut with plenty of space between her teeth and where he had been moments before. The bird banked and lifted above her once more. Suddenly, he dove at her once more, but this time at her face. Moonfeather was taken aback - he'd never truly attacked her before. She turned, fleeing from him, just as the ground beneath her paws began to tremble. Kutcha darted along just behind and above her, harrying her along, chasing her away from the danger he'd sensed moments before it had struck. A roaring sound filled Moonfeather's ears, and she chanced a look back.

Snow rushed down the mountainside, a small yet still potentially deadly avalanche sweeping down the path where she had been walking only moments prior. She looked up at Kutcha, who urged her forward again, silently thanking the bird before continuing to widen the gap between her and the avalanche's path.

It didn't take long for the earth to still once more, and the billowing snow the recede and settle. Avalanches were not unheard of in Spirane, and most wolves knew what to look for to keep themselves out of danger. Usually she was better about paying attention to such things, but it was lucky for her that Kutcha had sensed the shift when he had. If he hadn't saved her life, he'd certainly kept her from sustaining some kind of injury if she'd been swept up in the snow.

"Come, we need to check and make sure no one was caught by it." Together, they made their way back to the aftermath, trekking up alongside the snow that now buried bush and tree alike, anything that had been in its path. Continuing ever upwards, Moonfeather called out occasionally, stopping to listen for anyone crying for help. Kutha soared overhead, and suddenly he cawed out to Moonfeather. Thinking he must have found someone buried in the snow, Moonfeather took off at a lope, bright eyes following Kutcha as he dove.

When she reunited with him at what must have been the top of the slide, however, it was not a wolf in need of medical assistance that she found. It was the mouth of a cave. Moonfeather stood, mouth agape, simply staring for a moment. Could it be? Had the entrance been trapped under snow and ice all this time? She looked too Kucha, who fluffed out his chest and then walked over to her before jumping up into the air and alighting upon her withers. His beak picked at the fur along her neck in an affectionate matter, before reaching up to nip at her ear, as if to say, We've been looking for it all this time, let's not waste another moment! Craning her neck around to give him a stern look, she couldn't hold it for more than a moment before she laughed out loud. They'd finally found it! After all this time...

Confidently she stepped forward, moving inside the cave, ready to explore the treasure trove that she was sure her Grandmother had left just for her, somehow knowing she would need it someday. Maybe she had protected it from prying eyes and wandering animals until this very day, casting the snow aside only when Moonfeather was truly ready to take up the mantle of shamaness.

Walls of ice stretched high above her, the cavern even larger than she had imagined. Feeling the power of this place in her paws, she strode forward, exploring each nook and cranny that it had to offer. Light filtered in through unseen ventilation in the ceiling, allowing her to see the way. She discovered old stashes of herbs and medicinal supplies - none would be of use to her now, but they told the tale of what this place had once been, and what it could be again.

Moonfeather's heart swelled with so much happiness that a tear came to her eye. "We found it, Kutcha," she breathed softly, lifting her eyes to look into the reflection on one of the icy cavern walls.

And for a moment, she could have sworn the wolf looking back at her had lavender eyes and a white raven perched on her shoulder.