...HELP HER GET HOME

You’re brought back to reality with a blink, then a wordless nod as you began leading her around the mountain crags. She was following with stumbles and grunts, making you slow down to match her pace. Your legs are much longer than hers after all.

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But invading your space once again, she was short enough to fit under you, keeping her ears in your chest fluff to keep them warm. “Ah, that’s much better!” She beamed a smile up at you when you stopped walking to glare at her. Unperturbed by your stare, she just said “Thanks, Mr. Snowfall!”

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This position made the trip much slower, but you both walked for a while, carefully guiding her around steep slopes and slippery ice. The whole time she was gossiping about her “herd” which of course you didn’t care about but also couldn’t help but listen to. The silence you were used to was changing whether you liked it or not. 

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“Oh! That tree!” Scylla ran out from under you and approached a withering pine tree- its sad stems drooping downward from the blizzard last night. “I stopped to scratch my back on this tree, I think we’re going in the right direction.”

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“I… scratch here as well.” You said, feeling stunned by the coincidence. 

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“It’s a great scratching tree!” she giggled.

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“…Yes.” You agreed.

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Before she could say anything else, they both pricked their ears at a whinny sounding a lot like Scylla’s name. 

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“Saudade! I’m over here!” And before you could stop her, she yelled back at the call, and the ground rumbled ominously. You approached her in a hurry, your eyes wild. “Keep your voice down!”

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But it was too late, and the deadly sound of cracking ice made you both look up at the cliff above you. Hills of snow and debris were making their way towards the bottom. It’s an avalanche!