Chapter Four: Another Lost in the Blizzard
Raven had had enough waiting. She woke early, when the others were still asleep, put on her warm winter cloak, and swathed herself in magic to keep the chill away from her skin. She shot a contemptuous glare at Robin's sleeping form and exited the small shelter. Blinding snow hit her immediately and she gasped at the suddenness of it. She created a force field to protect herself. She focused her inner eye on finding her baby sister. Raven shivered and walked on. Despite her efforts, she was cold. "Rowan!" she yelled out with her physical and mental voice, but the wind whipped her words right back at her. She hated to admit it, but Robin was right. It was to cold and the wind was so violently harsh…
She turned to go back, but found her footprints covered in fresh snow. There were no landmarks to direct her path. Heart hammering, she turned around to head blindly in the other direction. Feeling weak, she let her force field drop, feeling the full extent of the cold for the first time.
Oh Rowan! She knew her sister could never have survived this. She knew without even reaching into her sister's mind that she had already perished. Tears began to sting at her cheeks as she began to realize that she would die out here as well. Stupid, stupid, stupid! she chastised herself.
Suddenly, she felt another shiver up her spine as a wolf howl erupted behind her. She turned to see a white wolf standing behind her, it's luminescent eyes narrowed. "Go away, beast!" she snapped. The animal drew back a few feet and Raven continued on, feeling the animal following close behind her.
Raven was exhausted. She had been walking in the snow for over an hour and she knew that there was no hope of finding the other titans or her sister. She was cold, weak, and hungry, and what was wore, that damned wolf was still following her. It's hungry, she reasoned. I'm an easy meal. All it has to do is wait for me to die.
There was no way she was going to be done in by an over grown throw rug. She found herself wondering where it's pack was. Wolves always stayed with their families. She wondered darkly if the pack was finishing off her little sister now. Meanwhile, the beast had grown more bold, coming a little closer to her every time she stopped to rest. So Raven avoided resting, but she knew that wasn't going to work long. Finely, exhausted, she collapsed into the snow, panting. Tears began to sting her cheeks again, but she swiped them away angrily. She tried another force field, but, like all her other attempts, it failed. She was too weak, too tired, and too cold. You're going to die out here, Hopeless crooned in her ear.
"Shut up," she muttered darkly. She closed her eyes, resigned to the inevitable. That was when she heard the second voice. This one wasn't inside her head.
"Grrrrr!" Her violet eyes shot open and found themselves staring down a set of pale milky fangs. The white wolf was standing over her. "No," she moaned weakly. The wolf didn't even hear her. Raven closed her eyes again. She needed sleep, but she was afraid. The animal sniffed her hair and ran it's tongue over her cheek. It nuzzled her in an affectionate manner. Raven opened her eyes hesitantly just as the animal laid down next to her, pressing it's warm body against Raven's shivering one. Raven suddenly felt exhausted beyond all control. She closed her eyes one more time and was instantly asleep.