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[the-snowstep]

sorry about no story yesterday! work got busy and then home got busy

[the-snowstep]

snowstep/coigreach day 4

It feels as though I’d just gotten the pox smell out of the den, when Desert Rose and Spice, two of the hunters, came in reeking of influenza. It was rare, but not impossible.

I got the two of them settled in quickly, then checked my stores of pre-prepared medicines. Luckily, every herbalist of the modern Snowstep prepared for anything, and medicines seemed to keep almost indefinitely. If an illness had a cure, the Snowstep would make it their business to stockpile it.

I snarfled around the back corners of the den, where I found… two doses of influenza cure. And - right, it was made of herbs not native nearby. Someone would have to journey to get more. Carefully, I split the herb solution in half and placed each half in front of the sick wolves.

I heard paw steps behind me and turned around in time to greet Wintley, who’d come to check on the hunters. I reassured her I knew what they had, and I had the cure for it, and remembered to ask her to send someone to look for the components soon. I’d have gone myself, but… I’m needed here.

Shortly after Wintley left, I decided to get some water for Desert Rose and Spice, but stopped when I realized I could hear Wintley yelling from inside my den still.

“...It’s cold season.” She was snarling. “We lost half our wolves to sickness. Some to ambush.” Her voice shook with grief. “And the rest vanished. From thirty, to three. If we don’t eat, there’s no pack!” She was barking angrily by the end.

I waited.

She came back in the den, her pawsteps much heavier, as though she’d rather be clawing fur than dirt.

“That wasn’t what I meant when I asked you to spend more time with our hunters,” I said, after taking time to think of my words carefully.

“Y-you heard the talk with Ruby?” she asked. At least she didn’t sound angry anymore.

“Yes.”

“Then you know I’m right!” she burst out. "He was saying-"

“I know a wolf without a pack can get by. And I know a pack needs to function as One if it wants to survive and thrive.” I tipped my head thoughtfully. “Yes, food is a problem for us. Especially now. But everyone is eating. Midnight is growing bigger and stronger. Blink is growing up nicely. And Rosela is just about an adult now.”

It was working. Wintley was calming down, seeming comforted by my words.

“We - us wolves - will survive. Make sure the Snowstep does, too.”

[the-snowstep]

Snowstep bios

Wintley - lead wolf of the Snowstep. Site personality: arrogant. She was a loud and happy pup, and the Snowstep’s link to the dreamlands, through her and Lumen, who became her mate and her rock. After her father’s sudden death, far away from the territory, she found herself full of stress and anxiety, having to lead a pack full of older wolves before she’s ready. Lumen left the dreamlands and joined the pack to offer full-time support. With his help, the Snowstep and Wintley calmed down. Following his and most of the Snowsteps’ members’ death, Wintley again finds herself struggling, and experiencing the same fears Farley did.

Winter - co-founder and former herbalist of the Snowstep. Site personality: optimistic. Winter was the last surviving member of a mountaintop pack, who found Farley and nursed him back to health. They agreed to form a pack together. They weren’t in love, but they were friends, despite Farley’s prickly attitude. Their ability to meet and befriend any wolf helped Farley connect with his sister, and helped the pack build its numbers after losing most of them. After Farley’s death, Winter retired from the herbalist position, taking up pupsitting instead. Now, watching their pup struggle, they wish Farley could guide both of them.

Feldspar - once a former wanderer, then scout of the Snowstep, now herbalist of the Snowstep. Site personality: adventurous. Feldspar was found by Winter, ill and on the verge of death, and was very grateful to be healed. He kept to himself when he wasn’t scouting with Lumen, but over time he grew close with one of the hunters, Snow Cap, and they even had puppies. Being attacked, blinded, losing Lumen, and then his mate and pups all so suddenly affected him badly. He had grown close to Faux while staying in his den for recovery, and learned his herbalism skills from him. Taking over his role and his den after his death helped Feldspar feel like he was contributing to the pack again, although he’s still nervous around Wintley, feeling guilty about not being able to save Lumen.

[the-snowstep]

snowstep/coigreach day 3

Blink caught pox.

Thankfully, it was actually just pox this time, and Feldspar got a fair amount of practice making pox balms when he was learning from Faux. He’ll recover, and nobody else was ill.

Feldspar told me how he got his name. He had been named after his fur pattern and color, he said. It had been a temporary name, but he’d liked the sound of it so much he kept it into adulthood.

There should be triumphant howls and the smell of fresh hunt with the return of the hunters, but instead there are snarls and the scent of mud. Desert Rose and Ruby were ganging up on Spice about something, and the three of them kept talking over each other so much I could never tell who was telling what story. I snapped at them to get along and work together.

Everyone got to eat, but if the hunters don’t get along well enough to bring home fresh food, there may not be a home to bring food to anymore.

Feldspar suggested I spend more time around them and get to know them. It’s too late today, but maybe tomorrow. After they bring back food from a hunt.

[the-snowstep]

snowstep/coigreach day 2

Over the last several seasons the Snowstep pack lost most of its members, some to sickness, some to ambush, and many just went missing with no bodies to be found. Wintley was devastated with each loss, but none hit harder than Lumen’s. They had relied on each other since they were pups. Wintley wasn’t sure how to move forward without him.

Winter needed her, though, and Feldspar needed her, so she’d tried her best to lead them, bottling up how she felt. That ended up going terribly, with her snarling at Winter, so they decided to lead as a team for the time being - Wintley is still leader, but the three of them can discuss major decisions together.

Once that was sorted, things started moving again. Feldspar would take stock of herb and pre-prepared medicines supplies, and figure out where the gaps in his knowledge were based on that. Winter knew Farley liked to overstock food, so they offered to look for any frozen supplies in the old mountain territory. Wintley would wander around outside the territory and try to find new hunters, hoping they’d be willing to join a pack so small when the first snows had just started.

On her way, Wintley encountered a wolf searching for her lost mate, and after talking for a while, learned that many packs in all sorts of areas were reporting missing wolves. The news made Wintley shudder, but she suspected her own pack’s troubles came from somewhere else. Knowing she had too much to do already, Wintley agreed to help the lost wolf and her packmates when she could.

Wintley returns to her pack later to find several strangers relaxing and chatting with Winter. Two adults, two adolescents, and a pup. She learns Winter DID find their old food supplies, and they were still good, and she found “help” carrying them home. Wintley has a lot of thoughts all at once, like Why did you trust this entire pack - bigger than ours - with our food and We can’t feed five more mouths! That last one came with a jolt of fear deep in Wintley’s stomach.

One of the adult wolves introduced himself as Ruby. Wintley glared at him. He explained he was traveling with the other wolves and they wanted to offer up their hunting ability in exchange for shelter - for them and the pups. Wintley was about to voice her thoughts when the other wolf chimed in, saying one wolf can’t hunt for a pack, but two can manage. Especially if someone watches the pups. Winter closed their eyes, delighted.

Wintley knew it was a good idea, so she agreed and welcomed them to the pack, learning the rest of their names. The other adult was Desert Rose, the adolescents were Blink and Rosela, and the little pup - thankfully fully weaned - was named Midnight.

Ruby and Desert Rose hadn’t hunted in a while, it seems, and being out of practice combined with it being the cold season meant unsuccessful hunts. Wintley had to find more wolves to help them. Eventually, she found three wolves: Soil, Spice, and Dawn Seeker. Spice was injured, and would need some time to heal before she could hunt again. But the pack finally had a full hunting party again.

[the-snowstep]

snowstep/coigreach day 1

First, pups started going missing.

The hunters, most of whom had pups and had trusted the pupsitters, were furious, and demanded the pupsitters track them down. Half of them went. They haven’t come back.

Then you and Feldspar were attacked by something while scouting. Feldspar was blinded almost immediately, and couldn’t identify the attacker.

You were killed.

My lunar pendant doesn’t glow anymore.

Feldspar is sharing a den with Faux while he recovers. He won’t be able to see again. Faux is sharing his knowledge of healing with him.

Then sickness came.

Faux thought it was pox, with how quickly it spread amongst the pups and killed them, despite treatment. Until it spread to the rest of the pupsitters. And Faux. And took their lives.

Winter has their own den they once shared with Farley, so they didn’t get sick.

Feldspar decided to stay in Faux’s old den. He knows most of the medicines, so it won’t take long for him to settle in his role. He seems happy to be contributing to the pack again.

The hunters tore down the old pupsitter den. If we left it for a year, any trace of sickness would be long gone, but nobody in the pack could bear to look at it. I don’t blame them.

They should have been back by now.

…

I don’t think our hunters are able to come home.

Me. Winter. Feldspar. Can we even call ourselves a Pack anymore?

I don’t know how to lead without you, Lumen.