Cave In

There were times when the snow would cease. When the air was still and the storm would calm, leaving nothing but a vast expanse of white quilted over the endless valley.

Now, was not one of those times.

The wind whipped viciously at the landscape. The scattered trees creaked against the brutality of the storm. It had been relentlessly snowing for two days and the blizzard had just reached its peak.

The air was frigid as the temperature continued to decline, as well as the four spirits fighting to survive the futile trek.

It was obvious there was no getting through the storm. Even Kiba, whom had insisted upon continuing for endless hours, knew the pack just could not go any further.

The alpha cast a knowing glance over his shoulder towards Tsume, whom gestured with a flick of his head to Toboe , the smaller tan wolf struggling several paces behind.

They had been going since mid-evening yesterday. Up until now the wind had been bearable,but now it took all of one wolf's strength just to lift his head against the tumultuous gusts of icy wind.

Kiba peered through the fog that had settled and begun to thicken the farther they tucked into the valley. The surrounding mountains gave little refuge from the blizzard but he figured there would be some sort of grotto they could find haven within nearby.

After another bone-chilling hour of trekking through the harsh winter, the wolves came upon an opening in the bottom of a cliff-wall. Kiba signaled for the pack to stay behind as he examined the dark interior of the cliff.

As he peered into the dark opening, he noticed it was just large enough to slip through and he did so with caution.

The wind no longer seemed to exist the moment he stepped into the black hole and the numbing-frost seemed to seep from his coat. Slowly, the wolf's amber eyes adjusted to the dark and he noticed it opened up into a decent sized cave. Farther back, the stone walls split into two different paths, both leading into a dark abyss.

Kiba turned to usher the rest of the pack inside but noticed that Tsume and was already slipping through to stand at his side.

"It's about time we found some damn shelter." He muttered under his breath as he shook snow from his grey fur, sending it flying in the air around them.

Hige was next to slink inside, Toboe following close behind.

"This isn't half bad." Hige commented as he walked over to them, allowing his human illusion to show as he sat up against the stone wall.

Toboe changed as well and walked over closer to the group, wearily wrapping his arms around his torso, "It's pretty dark..." He murmured, his caramel orbs glinting in the dim light that manged to stream into the cavern.

Kiba nodded his head in acknowledgment to their statements, "We won't stay here long, just until the storm subsides. Then we will head out and hunt."He replied as he peered down into the black void of the two paths.

Tsume grunted, leaning back on his heels letting a hand settle on his hip as he rolled his eyes, "If everything's not buried ten feet in sh-," Tsume's words faded as he watched the alpha change into his human form and wander down one of the cave's seemingly endless walkways. "Now wait just a damn minute. Where are you going?" He called after Kiba whom continued into the darkness without another word until it swallowed him whole.

Toboe walked over to Tsume's side, peering down into the darkness, "What is he doing? He doesn't know what's down there." He pointed out in slight alarm at Kiba's strange ways. He started to walk towards the opening where their alpha had wandered into.

Tsume reached out and firmly grasped the boy's arm, "Oh no you don't, runt. That doesn't make it any smarter for you to go in after him." He stated blatantly.

Toboe's nose wrinkled in slight offense, "What if he gets lost? Or even worse, gets hurt and can't get back?" He argued, his eyes flashing with a new spark of determination.

The boy's naive perspective irritated Tsume and his eyes squinted ever so slightly down to him, "It would be better than getting both of you caught up in a mess. It's best you stay here and don't get in the way." He snapped.

Hige stood up, walking by the two of them as they bickered. He raised a hand, waving it submissively as he walked down into the darkness, "Don't get your tails in a wad, I've got him."

"Not you too! Don't either of you have any sense?" Tsume snarled as he grabbed the hood of Hige's jacket from behind and gave it a rough tug.

Hige stumbled back slightly but didn't give up his resist."Just chill, I'm sure he's not gone too far. I'll bring him back and we can all get some rest."Hige stated as he slipped from Tsume's hold. Just as he was almost into the pit of the darkness, Hige felt an invisible force pin himself against the cool stonewall of the cave, causing his bones to rattle and his mind to stir.

He realized it was Tsume whom towered over him, holding the hem of his jacket balled in the fists of his large hands.

"Look, we need to stick together if we're going to get out of here in the morni-"

A large growl echoed through the cave, drowning out Tsume's scolding, and it wasn't Hige's (empty) stomach.

Tsume's brow furrowed as he peered around the cave as the ground beneath their feet and the walls of stone surrounding them began to rumble, causing small pebbles to break off from the ceiling, showering down on them, followed by a few billows of chalk dust to settle in the air.

Just then a sharp grinding sound split the momentary silence that surrounded them and a large sheet of rock burst into shards as it hit the cave's floor. The sound reverberated deep around the cave and Tsume's cursing was cut short when several more boulders fell from the roof around them.

Hige looked up to the ceiling in surprise and instinctively shoved Tsume back. The motion had been strong enough to throw himself off balance and Hige stumbled back into the dark just as a shower of stones fell where the two had been standing merely seconds before.

Toboe lunged forward as the ceiling began to collapse and the young wolf pulled Tsume out of harm's way as the stone above cracked, caving in on itself before the rest of hanging rocks toppled over and the cave was consumed in darkness.