Footprints

xxv. affanno

Her fire danced through an unidentifiable time of day. Evening, probably—that seemed about right. The sun would be making a run for it soon, taking any leftover dregs of light with it. Sigh. From within an expertly-located nook, Chloe pondered her prior decisions.

She was a hot-headed person. She knew that. But she was also a logical person. Sometimes, just sometimes, she became a little too hot-headed. This, she thought, was such a time.

Grey snow fell. The tempest above swirled with rage and might. Darker and darker it became. They would be able to find somewhere to hide, she thought, but would be very cold and scared in the morning. Good! Maybe they could grow some. Become more responsible. And then they could all head off in a different, more exciting direction.

Surely they wouldn't try to set up camp outside... they weren't quite that stupid..

Admittedly, she had taken some bitter pleasure in leaving Ichimi and Home alone. But it was very, very cold. Terrifying sounds were conjured out of thin air. She fiddled with the fluffy jacket. Was this a mistake?

Ichimi's airheaded insistence and Home's endearing uselessness were gone here. She had expected some sort of liberation—this was anything but! She felt scared. Like bad things were happening. Like teeth were violently chattering. Nothing here, it seemed, was mattering.

"This is meant to be," Ichimi had said, "This is fate, what we're looking for." But Chloe thought that fate, if it really was a thing, would have to be a nasty, sick, unfair thing. For at that moment, the howl of a wolf resounded through the sky.