brumous (adj.) || of grey skies and winter days

out with a sea of blue sparkling above her and the land glittering around her.

The past few days she spent stuck to her father's side. They tried to put aside their fear and live in the moment of security. They still hadn't found proof that the wolf existed and she found comfort believing that it had only been a part of her imagination combined with the nightly storm. She sincerely hoped so.

If the wolf had tracked her all the way across the country, it could find her anywhere. Yet, the question lingered as to why. If it was possible, why was the wolf after her? Who was she to it? From the day it killed her mother and sister, she had always asked herself why she was the reason they were dead.

She didn't go back to sleep after her father left for work, she was still afraid to do it alone. She had watched the old truck limp through the early dawn, its old headlights attempting to light the way, and she had sighed against the cool window pane when it had disappeared down the hill. She knew it would be a long three days before he returned.

She listened to the snow crunching beneath her feet, matching her steps with the beat of her heart, and kept an open eye on her surroundings. She knew it was highly unlikely to see a wolf in broad daylight but that nagging anticipation in the back of her mind wouldn't rest. She couldn't ignore the faintest feeling that something would happen and it quickened her pace.

The sooner she could get into town and grab her supplies, the better she'd be. She had purposefully set out early so that she could return and finish her work before the sun fell. She could hardly stand the shadows anymore, she had to keep a light on no matter what. She refused to enter a dark room, therefore the house was always lit up. An insecurity that surfaced just as the nightmare.

She was haunted.

"Hey, Miki!" She jumped, startled, and spun to face the person.

She never even realized she'd made it into town, she'd been so wrapped up in her head, and she felt her face stretch into a smile when she saw her friend, Avery. The girl was playing with a bunch of her friends, rolling a snowman family in her front yard, but Avery quickly crossed the street upon seeing her.

"Hey," She greeted the rosy cheeked girl.

Avery grinned, "I haven't seen you in a while."

She rolled her eyes, "A couple of weeks, big deal."

"Alright, but it doesn't stop me from missing you any less," Avery laughed, "Come on, come play with us. Its kinda fun, we're going to have a movie night once our clothes get soaked."

She sighed, glancing towards the cafe further down the road, "Avery, I'd really love to, but I need to get my stuff and head back home. I have things to do."

"Oh yeah? Chop wood and cook food?" Avery teased, "C'mon, it'll be fun!" The girl grabbed her arm and playfully pulled, begging her.

She giggled, giving Avery a soft push, "Stop it, you won't distract me," She tried to pull a serious face, "I gotta make sure my house stays warm, and my stomach, too."

They laughed together before Avery's friends called out to her, and Avery tried once last time, "You're sure? You won't join us for even a few minutes?"

"Not a chance," She stuck her tongue out, "It was good seeing you, maybe give me a call and we can plan on another time."

"Answer my call and its a deal."

"You know that the snow sometimes takes down my powerlines - "

"No excuses."

She rolled her eyes again, "Okay, deal. Leave a message if I don't answer, its not too hard."

Avery wasn't listening as she darted back across the street and called back over her shoulder, "See ya, Miki!"

"Don't get too carried away with Brandon!" She called back, grinning like a banshee.

She laughed until her lungs ached when Avery whipped around with a mortified expression. Avery's friends instantly started whispering and teasing her. She carried on her way, ignoring Avery shouting her revenge, but that grin never vanished.

She found Esther bustling through the little cafe like a tornado on the loose. She observed the business was a bit faster today and guessed it had to do with the nicer weather. Most people would take drives into the mountain side to admire the snowy views on beautiful days, she never really minded because she would do the same thing if she lived in a city.

Esther noticed her standing by the door and hurried over, "Hey, darling. How are you today?"

She shrugged, "I'm great. You have a productive day ahead of you."

"Yeah," Esther continually shifted her weight, eager to serve her customers, "Something about a meeting not far from here, guess a lot of folks are moving through. I called Serina to come in but she won't be here for another fifteen minutes," The older lady gasped when she heard someone calling for the waitress, "Miki, I'm sorry honey, I have to go. Your supplies are in the back, as usual. I love you, sweetie, okay? Take care!"

She barely had a chance to say anything in return before Esther practically flew to the customer requiring service and she felt highly amused with the situation. It wasn't often that Esther had busy days and she was usually the only one working. She glanced around at the people enjoying their meals, most of the faces she didn't recognize, and then she quickly grabbed her supplies.

As soon as she emerged from the cafe, she knew that the weather was changing. A gust of wind tore down main street, whisking flurries of snow high into the air, and she glanced up to observe the heavy cloud bank rolling over the mountains in the distance.

She could tell that a snow storm was coming and it wouldn't be a gentle one. She picked up a light jog down main street, her sled following behind her. The town suddenly seemed vacant as she didn't see another soul and a feeling of unease settled in her stomach.

She made it a few minutes out of town when a darkness settled over the land. Any streak of light was hidden from the land as nearly black clouds took residence above her and it was hardly a minute later when the blinding snow descended. Suddenly, she was trapped in a terrible snowstorm.

Her heart thundered in her chest but she could hardly hear it above the howling of the wind. She kept her head down, protecting her face from the assault of snow, and continued to move as quickly as she could. It was all too familiar to the day she saw the wolf. She was too scared to even take in her surroundings, she didn't want to see its eyes again.

She tried to follow the road but amongst the layers of snow building up and her loss of sight, she soon realized the road was indistinguishable from the forest. She gasped in fright when she braved to lift her head and found her surroundings unfamiliar. A coldness swept through her, her fingers beginning to tremble, and she stood frozen in the middle of the forest.

She couldn't believe she'd become lost so quickly. All it took was a couple of minutes. She spun, hoping to see her tracks, but blank snow and similar trees laid behind her. She didn't know which direction she'd came. Panic rose in her, squeezing her chest, and she prayed silently that she wouldn't die today. She just wanted to go home.

She squinted against the snow and began to move in the direction that felt most promising. She passed several trees that seemed to grow in numbers. Her sled caught a couple of times on sticks and limbs hidden beneath the blanket of snow. She was growing increasingly colder with the chilled wind, a shiver making its home in her bones.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream so that the heavens could hear her. It was quite ironic how she'd promised her father that she wouldn't wander into the forest and yet here she was, not even a week later. She wanted to pinch herself and wake up from this nightmare but it was reality. She was, once again, the little girl in the forest.

Her foot caught on something beneath the snow and she stumbled, crashing into an ice clad tree trunk. She whimpered against the frozen bark, closing her eyes and trying to keep herself from giving up. Her fingers were almost numb and she wondered how much longer until she was frozen meat for the wolves to find.

She took a shuddering breath and peeled her eyes open. Through her frosted lashes, she saw a figure a few feet away, and then she stopped breathing. The wolf had come back, it was going to kill her this time. Her limbs were paralyzed until she took note that this figure wasn't moving. Snow was quickly collecting over its dark grey coat.

Unconsciously, she drew closer to the fallen form. Her eyes sought for a sign of life and she realized that it was a wolf. Her heart gave a painful thump of fear but her mind didn't follow this time, instead she stared a bit fascinated at the beast. Its eyes were closed but the beauty of it captured her, she always loved them, even if she was terrified.

She took a moment to appreciate being in such close presence of a mighty predator until it moved and she let out a shriek. She fumbled backwards, landing butt first in the snow with stolen breath, and then she paused. No, the wolf itself hadn't moved, it was dead. There was no rise or fall in its chest. She squinted, shivering, and suddenly realized the odd little forms tucked against its side. How had she not noticed them before?

She didn't even think. She crawled forward and perched herself on her knees as she reached forward. She grabbed one of the little balls of fur and picked it up. Even in the swirling snow, she could see pale blue eyes open in curiosity. She was holding a wolf pup. Momentarily, she was stunned until it closed its eyes again and shivered. She quickly opened her coat and tucked the pup against her body.

The storm was relentless around her as she sought out another pup curled against the fallen wolf, a coat of snow quick to hide it from plain sight. She murmured to herself, her words lost in the wind, and welcomed the second pup into her coat. They were small and like ice against her but she would be damned if she left such innocent things to suffer a fate as this. They were helpless against the storm and she assumed the fallen wolf to be their mother.

Suddenly, a little head popped up from the snow. The pup seemed to realize its siblings were missing and it feebly investigated. She was surprised when three other pups followed, their eyes closed as they blindly searched, and when they found her leg they chose to snuggle against her as their new source of warmth.

She cooed, gently wrapping another pup within the confides of her coat, and then she puzzled over how to gather the remaining three. She stood, glancing back at her sled, and then she left the pups on the ground for a moment to bring her sled closer. They tried to follow her but the wind forced them back.

As quickly as she could, she tucked the three half frozen pups into her sled. She hid them between the boxes and used her scarf to cover them from the storm. She never even thought about her actions, or her choice to suddenly save the six wolf pups. She acted purely on instinct, something in her soul that assured her, and her fear was set aside.

She found the courage to continue with her new companions as the terrible snowstorm roared around them. She hoped that the pups would survive, as well as herself, and she never once thought about which direction she was heading. She just kept walking and she didn't look back.

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(Not edited)