Word Count→480 ::
The frigid temperatures of the mountains had sunk in as she lay there, surrounded by a blanket of wet ivory. Gabriel had been right about the mountains; they were too dangerous to wander with the excess of snow. She had been stubborn and stupid in trying to find solace atop them. Stubborn, and stupid, and now dead. She knew she was dead, for the sounds of angels came to her black-rimmed ears. Or one angel, at least. One angel with a rather deep tone of voice.
It seemed she wasn't dead, as the touch of a strong hand with strong fingers sought for a heartbeat beneath her skin. She was rescued by some strange knight in blue knitted yarn who had been just stupid enough to brave the winter wonders of the Halcyon mountains himself. Her crimson eyes opened, without their normal sparkle, and turned to his face. If she hadn't been so chilled, she would have been startled. The man who sat before her was young, but far larger than she was herself. In fact, it could be that he was far larger than Gabriel, and Gabriel was the biggest man within Inferni, built with the blood of a wolf coursing through his darkened veins.
This stranger was clearly of the same make and model, a wolf hidden under the clothing of something else, something with patterns and pelt that she had never experienced before; a dog over a coyote. Taboo in the lands of Inferni, cast into the fires for their wicked ways. He seemed innocent enough, concerned for her and with nothing in tow. Briefly, she thought of Ezekiel, the golden prince who thought only of her welfare. But no, this was not her perfect coy-mutt brother. This was a perfect stranger at the perfect moment.
A sign from the heavens.
One delicate russet hand found his and clutched the fingers with impressive strength for a woman frozen in the snow. His fur was soft, thick and better for the winter than her own coat, and she marveled for a moment at the feel, so different from the coyotes. If her teeth hadn't been chattering as they were, she might have smiled an oh-so-innocent smile geared toward finding shelter. As it was, her mouth stayed neutral, sharp off-white teeth clicking together from the bone-chilling cold.
"I c-can hear you fine, dear prince," she murmured, past the chattering jaws and into the air to cause a puff of soft white fog. Her lungs burned with each breath, taking in air so much colder than she'd been prepared for at that moment as she readied herself to speak once again. "I'm dead a-aren't I. And that means y-you must be a lucky wolf, in Heaven like you are." Prejudice was still thick on her mind despite her gratitude, something she would have to surpass were she to expect survival.
.talitha-redflowers {font-family:Georgia;font-size:11px;letter-spacing:0px;word-spacing:1px;text-align:justify;margin:0px 25px;padding:0px;background-image:url(http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/7463 ... flower.png);background-position:bottom right;padding-bottom:200px;background-repeat:no-repeat;}
.talitha-ooc {font-style:italic;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10px;text-align:justify;}
.talitha-division {border-bottom:1px solid #000000;margin:5px auto;width:100%;}
.talitha-wc {text-transform:uppercase;font-weight:bold;}
.talitha-redflowers p {text-indent:15px;margin:0px;padding:0px 5px;}
.talitha-redflowers b {letter-spacing:1px;font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:-.05em;}
.talitha-redflowers img {float:right;vertical-align:text-bottom;}
.talitha-poetry {text-align:center;font-size:10px;font-family:Lucida Console, Monaco, monospace;letter-spacing:.5px;word-spacing:.5px;font-variant
mall-caps;}.talitha-shade {font-family:Impact, Charcoal, sans-serif;color:#696969;text-transform:uppercase;}
.talitha-graceful {font-family:Comic Sans MS, cursive, sans-serif;font-variant:none;text-transform:lowercase;}
.talitha-flowers {font-family:cursive, sans-serif;}
</style>
[/html]