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607 words. Thread backdated to December 17th!
Large paws adorned with long claws made heavy footprints in the gathering snow on the earth, trudging along with sounds of heavy breathing. The great, shaggy beast had nowhere in mind to be, she felt slightly hungry despite all the fat she built up for winter, which was unusual even to her. All Malachi knew was that she had to eat a lot more when the cold season hit, but sleeping it off.. well, she tried to not even think about sleep. Her large body waddled as she moved forward, and it felt as if it was weighing her down, or pulling her back. The instinctive drive, too, of hibernation slowed her actions and movements dramatically, which frustrated her to no end.
It didn't seem like the large creature was walking far enough before she had to stop and rest. Her breath misted in the air before her honey colored eyes, inhaling and exhaling large amounts of cold air. Rounded ears swiveled atop her wide chocolate and cream head, lifting her head from her ruffled neck to survey the scene. Mala knew she was rather far off from her Cercatori, and from her cave just south of that. These lands were different.. ones she hadn't waddled into before. The forest that surrounded her at every angle made it hard to judge, though the scents she did not recall.
A gentle snowflake drifted from the frosty skies and came to rest, and melt quickly, on her nose, which made the beast look upwards. The malachite green shone in her eyes briefly with help from the sun, then the color disappeared into her honeyed orbs when Mala turned her head a different angle. It would snow soon, and how hard and fast Mala wasn't quite sure. She was about to turn her massive self back around when she thought she heard the sound of paws. Large head moved back around to look through the opening of trees, an end to the forest, where she thought she heard the sound. Having lived in a tribe of wolves all her life, and Mala believing all of her years that she, too, was one, her sense of hearing and smell were much like theirs. Though her ears were smaller, they still noticed subtle differences in sound, but no one (or so she thought) could out sniff her sniffer.
Making up her mind, Malachi moved to the opening, where the scents of another wolf became stronger and stronger. Her insides froze up, for she then caught the smells of several other wolves.. indicating a group or pack nearby. The large creature swallowed hard, and nearly shut her eyes when she dared herself to push onwards, cream colored muzzle pushing aside large leaves that bordered the forest and the open plains.
When she opened her eyes, though, Mala's entire body relaxed. In fact, her stomach did a small jump, in both happiness and surprise, at seeing a wolf pup nearby. The pup seemingly looked flabbergasted at the forest before it, as if debating whether to go in or out. The large female was sure she was in plain sight now, and so she thundered a couple steps forward before settling into a more submissive position, the one wolves used to show who was dominant. Of course, Mala knew this pup had no authority over her, heck she was ten times bigger, but the shaggy creature had a feeling she belonged to a pack nearby, and could easily call on others. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you, little one," she spoke gently, with a soft smile. "Wouldn't want your mother to worry."