[M]Three four Shut the door

[Nuki Rakezael]

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Her eyes watched the almond boy as he darted off ahead, but little did he know that they would never find the plant. It did not grow wild here. At least, not that she had yet found. Nuki still had it stashed in one of her many pouches but she was not about to clue the boy in on that fact.

Once he was several yards up ahead she gathered her various packs and slung them onto each respective shoulder, her eyes carefully watching her surroundings the whole time. Her talons wrapped around a thick branch and with a hearty tug she yanked the piece off of the tree. There were several other small twigs and some old leaves hanging from it. She used it to brush the footprints from the snow. If someone came by soon they might detect the disturbed snow, but in even an hour the wind, fauna, and new snow would erase all traces.

She walked on steadily, diligently erasing every paw print as she went; her own and Denali's. The boy was far ahead but she followed his paw prints easily, not to mention that he was still making a good deal of noise from time to time. She wondered if he would ever stop if she never called to him.

Finally, after a little over a mile out, she paused and glanced around. Their trail had been covered enough to keep anyone from following them immediately, though a good tracker would still be able to make their way out there eventually. Still, Nuki had plenty of time.

She dropped the branch and let her two heaviest packs slip from her arms. The packs were just provisions, niceties that were good to have around but if it came down to it she could abandon. Still she hoped to find a place to store these things so she would not have to resort to that. This would probably be her next task.

“Denali!” she called to the boy and waited for any sign of him doubling back. “Denali, come back, you missed it.” As she waited for the boy to come back to her she sidled up next to a small bush, barely surviving the winter's cold but with a few remnants of green leaves. She glanced around; Denali was not here yet. Quickly she snatched one of the pouches from her belt. It was a heavy linen bag reinforced with fur for warmth, and it seemed to twitch with life. Nuki shook the bag, enraging whatever was inside, untied the end, and deposited it in a secluded place in the bush then moved away and awaited Denali's approach.