archived.

Crisp, cold air greeted The Young Prince as he awoke from his slumber. Resting deep inside his den, which he and The Great Prince shared, he had managed to avoid the bitter chill of the Old North Wind and keep dry. Last night, when the moon rose to its highest point, a bank of dark clouds rolled overhead, blanketing the forest below with snow. The wood was covered in a sheet of crystally white powder. It glimmered in the morning light, catching Bambi’s bewildered golden eyes. Fresh, glittering morning skift, accompanied by the sun, meant the forest would steam and create a warm mist. He supposed the sun would eventually melt the snow, but it wouldn’t be until later that day.

It wasn’t often that this part of the thicket received snowfall, perhaps only a few times a year, so it was a special treat for Bambi to take a stroll through it. The two Princes, his father and himself, were responsible for keeping the forest and all of its inhabitants safe. His father had already awoken before the dawn, the depression of his soft leafy bed looking rather empty. Standing up on his long sleek legs, Bambi stepped out from underneath the giant fallen evergreen, readying himself for his early morning trek with a sleepy stretch.

He’d first stop for a drink at his favorite pool which resided at the base of a large weeping willow tree. It was usually a good idea to get a nice, long drink before visiting any other part of the wood. Through the long frost-laden grass he walked, ears always staying alert for any sound that may arise around him. His eyes sparkled at the majesty of the wintery wood, the sheer beauty of the seasons inspiring him. The long willow branches slouched from the snow that clung to them. Perhaps it was the dawn’s diamond light that cast a scattered surreal beauty upon the enviornment, the mist creating an ethereal presence.

Stepping into the small icy pool, the Prince dipped his head down and began to drink, taking large gulps from the water’s chilly surface. Fog laid across Bambi’s surroundings, shrouding nearly everything in his vicinity in a cool, gray haze. It wasn’t more than a few moments before Bambi’s ears flicked to the side, sensing a slight sound beyond the mist. Quickly craning his neck upwards, he observes the source of the sound intently. Narrowing his eyes, he peers through the fog, curiously and cautiously approaching the noise. Cloven hooves gently splash in the clear, shallow pool beneath them. He tried to ignore the tingling numbness in his extremities.

After the gray gave way, the clear air revealed a dusty colored wolf laying upon the pool’s bank. Blood turning to ice, Bambi froze, tail tucking between his legs. It seemed the wolf hadn’t noticed him yet. Truthfully, one lone wolf didn’t cause fear for The Young Prince, but it was the potential of more pack members that he really worried about. Oddly, the wolf didn’t even seem to be drinking, or looking for prey, it just sat there upon its belly like it was in pain. Curiosity piqued inside Bambi’s mind, but he didn’t trust his initial empathy, as all of his learned logic would suggest that running would be safest option. Backing up slowly, the young buck didn’t dare take his eyes off the canid. Accidentally stepping upon an ice-covered stone, his back foot slipped out from underneath him. Down he went into the frosty water, making a large splash that obviously echoed around the small glade. He sat there on his large brown rump, legs foolishly splayed before him. Freezing in place, the deer feared that the wolf would attack, and he could only stare in terror– awaiting any kind of movement that would signal the Prince to turn tail and flee.

     The  splash  startled  him  from  his  troubled  thoughts,  jolting  him  to  sit  up  straight  with  amber  eyes  wide.   Prior  to  this,  he  had  been  simply  lost  in  his  own  burdened  head  that  he  must  have  missed  newfound  scents  &  now  apparently  had  company.   In  an  unfamiliar  territory,  it  was  good  reason  to  be  on  alert.

     Fur  is  bristled  as  the  wolfdog  looks  into  the  direction  the  splash  sounded  from,  only  to  spot  a  BUCK  sitting  in  the  stream  looking  terrified at  him.   Oh  ------  of  course,  wildlife  out  here  probably  mistook  him  as  a    t  h  r  e  a  t  .   Quickly,  Balto  makes  the  decision  to  clear  that  up  right  away.

In her exhaustion, the red husky did not hear Balto, but she still felt that somehow…he was here in this cave. She sighed as she curled up into a ball, her tail over her nose, trying to entrap the remaining heat she had left. Maybe that was why she felt like she could rest here…for a while. Balto had to be close, had to be alive.

     He  sat  a  decent  distance  away,  wondering  what  to  do.   She  looked  exhausted   .  .  .   she  must  have  TRAVELED  all  this  way  on  her  own.   What  for?   It  was  already  TOO  LATE,  he  knew  ---------  this  is  why  he  hadn’t  bothered  to  return  to  that  village.   &  yet,  she  was  here.   There  was  no  denying  that.   Balto’s  heart  is    u  n  s  t  e  a  d  y    in  his  chest ;  he  can’t  just  sit  still.

“I’m not angel material at all. First off-”

“-I’m not even a virgin.”

                  LONG SIGH escaped her as she nearly rolled her eyes.  They got around halfway there before she managed to stop herself.  Tail was restless behind her, not so much out of agitation as it was just a TIREDNESS that never seemed to leave her bones.  “Welcome to New York City, Cujo.”  A dry greeting, moving to lie at the edge of the dumpster, front paws just c u r l i n g over the lip.  Green eyes flickered over his appearance, taking him in more fully.  Husky?  Husky mixed with German Shepherd?  Certainly he wasn’t a wolf, though it would be a lie to say he didn’t appear as such.  “People in this town just don’t fall for the dog face like some other areas.  Though it doesn’t help you’re so massive.  Genes certainly didn’t put you on the small and cute side, huh?”

With a tiny breath of relief, Perdita relaxes a tad and smiles. She was glad to know she wasn’t imposing on him.

“Of course…! I’d love that, sometimes the better paths are the ones less tread upon. Where shall we go first, Balto?”

Excitement ebbed at her voice, the pleasant tone that her words carried only inspired her avid curiosity more. Eagerly trotting forwards, she turned her head to watch the wild looking dog follow her. Inside she had always craved adventure, but as a delicate pet in a classy neighborhood she was forced to sit still and look pretty.

Now that she was on vacation here in this new territory, Perdita’s senses ran wild with interest, and Balto only piqued her curiosity farther. Was he avoiding the dogs on main street as well? Perdi pondered the thought internally as she walked along the soft powdery snow. Her pink pawpads began to tingle with numbness. The Dalmatian shook her short coarse coat, trying to ‘shake off’ the cold feeling. She didn’t want to have to go inside just because she was a 'skinny dame who couldn’t handle the cold’.

     He  hardly  expected  his  day  to  go  like  this  when  he  woke  up  on  the  boat  this  morning.   Balto  was  used  to  entertaining  A  GOOSE  &  POLAR  BEARS.   Dogs?   Now,  this  was  something  he  hardly  had  a  chance  for.   A  reliance  on  charm  might  be  the  only  way  to  go  here.   Besides,  he  liked  the  sound  of  her  eagerness  ---------  it  only  showed  that  she  wasn’t  as  dainty  as  her  appearance  gave  the  impression  of.

“Balto–you have to come see this!” It was still fairly early in the morning, a natural behaviour for this lombax. Although, Meredith rarely ever interrupted the wolf’s sleep, but the circumstances were anything but ordinary.

“They arrested Mayor Lionheart, and the ZPD had a press conference… it’s… not good.”

     Tired  eyes  flickered  open  at  her  urgency,  in  which  large  paws  move  to  rub  as  he  sits  up  from  the  couch.   This  is  where  he  slept,  but  even  so,  Meredith  was  quite  quiet  in  the  mornings   (  at  least  until  it  was  time  for  her  to  prepare  for  work  ).   At  her  second  statement,  Balto  realizes  just  how  SERIOUS  this  must  be.   Attention  turns  to  her  as  he  finds  himself  waking  up  in  seconds.

     The  blizzard  had  finally  subsided  &  therefore  his  world  was  no  longer  blinded  by  tempered  snow.   Since  he  had  fallen  off  that  cliff,  he  had  wandered  to  the  nearest  shelter  which  wasn’t  much   (  just  a  fallen  log  that  he  stumbled  upon ).   Once  it  had  passed,  he  trekked  deeper  into  the  forest  to  find  something  to  eat  as  well  as  fresh  water  to  drink.   The  chilling  BITE  of  the  snow  trailed  him  &  left  his  nose  dry,  but  that  wasn’t  what  got  to  Balto.

     He  could  feel  his  body  beginning  to  weigh  himself  down  as  he  wandered  closer  to  a  water  bank  he  spotted  from  afar.   It  could  be  taken  as  nothing  more  but  EXHAUSTION  after  all  that  he  had  been  through  with  the  lack  of  subsistence,  but  it  was  a  MENTAL  WEIGHT  that  drew  him  down  onto  his  stomach.   Tongue  barely  reaches  to  graze  the  surface  of  the  crisp  stream,  but  after  his  thirst  is  quenched,  the  wolfdog  simply  curled  up.