12-03-2009, 05:51 PM
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Dagrun tittered with an odd sort of glee as she fluttered around Hemming's head, watching the wolf wince as he made his way into the deeper waters in the middle of the river. He was lucky enough to have come from a long line of northern-dwelling wolves, so his fur was thick and warm, but the chilly water nipped at the bits of exposed skin between his toes. The male was used to the warmth and comfort of village life and on his many excursions he managed to keep his feet nice and dry. The liquid nature of this cold seemed to make it all the more potent, and as he moved further out into the river the water started to seep past the thick outer layers of fur onto his tender skin. Hemming hesitated every once in a while, rubbing his hands against his crossed arms and looking around to see how his friends had managed it. Catherine and Ember had both dunked themselves beneath the water with seeming nonchalance, and Hemming envied whatever strengths they possessed that had enabled them to do so. He stood in the middle of the river for a long moment, watching the water as it trudged slowly past. The little willow flycatcher continued to dance around the air, apparently rather amused by his situation. Well aware that the longer he stood there in the water the longer time it had to soak through to his bones, Hemming cast a defeated glare to Dagrun, took a deep breath, and dropped himself in. The cold seemed to suck the breath out of him, and he surfaced quickly, taking another quick breath before plunging back in six more times. After surfacing for the final time, he made his way quickly to the shore of the river, draped a woollen blanket across his head, and made his way towards the fire and his Kalona. Now safe from the looming threat of being dunked in the water along with him, Dagrun assumed her normal position on the top of Hemming's head. The uncertainty on his face had disappeared, replaced with a smile as he greeted his friends and tribesmates. Despite the rather unattractive necessity of dousing oneself in cold water, the meetings of the tribe were always a wonderful opportunity to meet the rest of AniWaya. Waiting his turn to approach Dawali, he held his hands out towards the fire to warm them. Once the tribesmember in front of him was done, he smiled at Dawali and stepped closer, nodding his greeting. |