Day 33: Waiting Out the Storm

"Good evening to you," Choice said to Milo, returning his smile. Since Choice preferred to be awake at night and Milo tended to work during the day, it was dawn and dusk that gave them the most opportunity to spend time together. "Not ready for sleep yet?" He had himself gone for being awake during the day this time, to keep up with the travels of the hunting party. The sudden change had left him woozy and a little giggly. "It sounds like the weather has quiet a temper tonight. I hope the ones outside and the hunting party find shelter; that wind must be bone-chilling."

For the last few hours, the wind had been picking up, the snow falling harder. "YAH!" FarSight shouted to the large, white wolf that was pulling his sled. It was a 2 day journey in the best of conditions to get to the Human territory, and who knew how long until he found their camp. He was grateful for the small amount of milk he was able to get from the mother wolf, but she wouldn't nurse the two cubs. The new Alpha had killed all but two of her cubs and she wouldn't risk nursing them. It was The Way and he knew it. Still, the two small bodies wriggled and whimpered against his torso, the sling holding them tightly in place. The only hope he had to get a steady supply of milk was the human tribe across the Frozen Waste. They herded branch horns. Surely they'd have one that was nursing its own young.

The wolf, Frostbite, panted heavily, running at full speed. He understood the urgency the elf-friend had. The snow was getting deeper, the sled feeling heavier with every step but he had to keep running. It was hard to see, but he'd run this trail before so it was familiar. This made it all the more confusing when his paws went from snow to stone. Suddenly in front of him was a stone wall. He turned, skidding on the stone, frantically trying to avoid a collision.

FarSight was slower to react. The first hint something had changed was when there was a blinding flash that caused him to reach one hand up to shield his eyes, which were already covered by a mask that only had a small slit, designed to protect his eyes in conditions just like this, and from the sun, when it actually was present in the cold tundra. The skidding of the sled was his next clue as he felt himself being pulled sideways. He wasn't sure if the loud crack he heard next was something on his sled, or something in his body, he wasn't sure which. He slumped to the ground and remained still for a moment, briefly dazed from the impact.

Anyone in the Beacon Room would be alerted to something happening when a large wolf, standing nearly twice as tall as a normal wolf, came barreling out of thin air at a full run, pulling a wooden and bone-shaped sled and a rider, all covered in snow and ice, leaving a trail behind them as they slid across the stone floor and crashed into one of the walls of the cave sending a large amount of fresh snow and ice up against the wall of stone. The rider was wearing heavy leathers, white fur lining the hood, sleeves, boots, basically anything that could open or be exposed to the air. He had a leather wrap covering his face, save a small slit where the eyes would be. A loud 'OOF!' was heard immediately following a loud crack of something snapping before the rider fell to the ground. It was several moments before the figure moved again.

The large wolf whimpered, his ears flattened against his head, tail curled around his haunches as he looked around, confused and afraid. As FarSight slowly stood, one arm was wrapped almost protectively around his torso. He looked around, trying to get his bearings, not noticing anyone else in the room just yet.

"How did we get in a cave...?" Soft whimpers came from his torso region, which he still held protectively, though it might look as though he was holding an injury.

Just as startled he jumped at the sudden appearance of not only an elf, but a wolf and a sled too, bones protesting, falling over his own feet in the process and only not taking a dip right onto the floor for some instinctual hovering. It only lasted a moment before gravity got the better of him, but that was enough to sort himself out some, land safer and away from the fire. ~**All good**~ he send back, a echo of hurt shining through, this not coming from anything new though.
Gathering himself up he kept back a bit on account of how others had reacted to his human side. “I'm... Milo” Still a bit of hesitation there, would he prefer to use his actual name, but that too seemed a sore spot with everyone else. The way the new arrival craddled his arm had him worried though. “Are you hurt? We could try and get your sled in the storage area for now – there is a big storm outside, so better to stay inside during it.”

Safe in the knowledge that Milo wasn't badly hurt, Choice focused most of his attention on the newcomer. The poor thing seemed to have been in a great hurry before the Beacon carried him away. Searching for calm would be the best thing here, Choice thought, as close to impossible that likely would be at first.

"This will sound very strange," he said, keeping his hands open and visible in a soothing gesture, "but you are not where you were moments ago. There is a great crystal in the wall behind you. It snatches elves up from all manner of places and bring them here. We don't know why or how, just that it has happened to all of us. You haven't broken our cave." At least not much of it. The sled had surely done some scrapes to the cave floor, but that was hardly anything that could be called 'damage'. "I am sorry for this. What is your name stranger and what has you so rushed? Can we help?"

FarSight continued to examine the runner of the sled, hearing Choice beginning with the warning that things will sound strange. He knew he wasn't where he was moments ago. Moments ago he was in the midst of a storm, which they said was still raging outside. He didn't know where the cave came from, so of course he wasn't where he was before. He was now in a cave. The explanation of the crystal taking elves from other places and bringing them here got his attention and he turned to look at the indicated crystal shard. He then looked back at the spot the snow appeared. Middle of the room. He looked up. No hole or break in the cavern ceiling.

Thinking back on the dozen or so times he had made the trek with his tribesmates to the meeting grounds with the Human tribe, they had never found a cave. They were at least a day away from the canyon that bordered the south of the Human lands, and the only other place that a cave could have been was south of the Frozen Waste in the wooded areas at the base of the jagged mountains to the south of the tundra. They'd crossed the terrain on ice, snow, and even during a melt when the snows were less than average. They'd never found a cave, never fallen into a cave.

Choice's words came back to him. The crystal takes elves from all manner of places and brings them here. This cave was not in the tundra... If there had been elves in a cave in the tundra, they'd have been found, what with all the open sendings that took place during the annual treks to trade with the humans. They'd have not remained hidden.

He collapsed back against the front of the sled a look of despair on his face as the realization hit him. The crystal took him? What chance would the cubs have, now!? His arms crossed over his torso, holding the wriggling and whimpering cubs, still hidden within his coat and the leather sling.

The one called Milo spoke next, offering to help with Frostbite's harness. The words were heard, understood, but he didn't seem to respond to them. His mind was on the cubs and how he'd save them from their own starvation. Food for him wouldn't help. When he spoke next, it was soft, almost defeated sounding.

"Is there milk here?"

The stranger seemed to lost in the situation to reply or do much – understandable. Asking for milk though, that had him blink irritated. He doubted the elves here kept livestock for that reason, this always hitting him as more of a human thing, for solid settlements. And while it appeared there were humans around, none of them wished to approach a potential danger. Milo choose to let Choice deal with that, instead coming closer, crouching down to be less imposing, carefully focusing on the wolf in the harness. <”Hello friend”> he greeted the wolf, stretching out his hand to let the beast get used to his smell. <”Let's get you in a more comfortable position, yes?”> Habit that he slipped into the human tongue, but more comfortable with it.