Seasonal | Snowed In | Cave Dilemma

AberrantKapro

409 Words

As the two raptors, Fudge and Toffee, and the cryo, Toast, had sought shelter in a cave overnight, a somewhat unexpected snow storm had blown in with the cold, ocean winds. They had located themselves deep enough inside as to barely hear it, and hence never fully caught on to the severity of said storm, though they did see it start to form which was the main reason they sought shelter there for the night rather than make their way home.
They snuggled up close to make a warm, feathery pile and fell asleep as usual thanks to their secure shelter. It was chilly, but nothing their fluffy coats couldn’t handle.

As the trio woke up, Toast was the first to rise, leaving her raptor girlfriends to snooze together. She loved seeing them all snuggled up together as she got things ready in the morning. She smiled before walking off to explore their little shelter. They had not properly scouted it in the heat of the moment and just hoped for the best in terms of safety, anything was better than being caught up in a blizzard, they had reasoned.
The cave did seem safe enough, though it did seem rather big, and Toast was not too keen on exploring how deep on her own. She did, however, manage to find a pool of seemingly fresh water. It was dripping down into it from the cave ceiling, so she figured it was originating from outside. Perhaps some snow had started to melt and drip down?

Satisfied with the cave being a safe place for them, she made her way back to the two raptors to reveal her discovery. All they would need now was some food and they would be able to hold out for as long as necessary if the weather continued to be so hostile.
Toast was not much of a hunter, but she followed her girlfriends to say goodbye as they were going out to get food, but to their horror they discovered that the exit was completely covered up by snow. Toast swallowed hard, nervous and afraid that they would not be able to get out. But they had no choice but to start digging if they wanted a chance. They had no idea how deep the snow was, if it was still snowing and adding more and more to their one exit, but they could not just give up and slowly starve, could they?

Zhetan

545 Words

As soon as the clouds had so forebodingly gathered in dark clusters in the sky, slowly blotting out the blue - as well as covering the sun, they had turned to shelter. It was cold, windy and surely it would be a snow storm, shelter was their only, and safest, option. The answer was a, very conveniently placed, cave. Its arched opening in such a way that the wind at most whistled by, and it was deep enough that they only had to round another corner to not hear the sound of it. Satisfied to be out of the harsh weather they had quickly fallen into a deep slumber, hoping to rest through the foul weather and wake up to a calmer climate, their feathered coats protecting them from whatever cold breeze found its way into their little temporary hideout. Though Toffee did hope, after they could do a more thorough inspection in the morning, that it would prove to be a decent home to stay in for a while during the winter months.

Being the last to wake up she slowly lifted her head drowsily, slowly blinking away the sleep from her eyes with heavy eyelids. Toast, as per usual, was already gone from their pile of mostly tan feathers. Fudge was awake but still huddled close to her with a content little smile. She couldn’t stop her own smile from tugging the corner of her lips. Gently nuzzling her partner before getting up on stiff legs, stretching them out behind her one by one with a big yawn. If they didn’t need to stock up on food to be able to keep in the shelter she would have argued for more cuddles and sleep, but as it stood she and Fudge would have to be on their way to find prey, the snow and winter winds would not be of any help.

The world seemed to have different plans for them however, as when they got to the opening again, the same one that had shielded them from most of the winds and sounds of the storm, it seemed to be completely sealed shut with snow. From the very bottom to the top, only letting through filtered and scattered light at the top, indicating the snow was thinner there.
“Do we try to get out?” she voiced with a concerned tone, looking back at her equally shocked and worried partners. Toast seemed to try to think out a solution and Fudge tilted her head, humming thoughtfully at the question. It was hard to hear through the snow if the wind had subsided, and harder yet to tell if it was still snowing outside.
 If it did snow outside and they didn’t dig themselves out right now there was a chance they’d be trapped in here with no food or water, but if Fudge and Toffee got out and found food they could be lost and not found the opening again, and Toast instead be alone inside with the same predicament as before.
 “ Lets go over our options and decide from there” The other Utah finally suggested, getting agreeing sounds and nods. Yes,that did seem like the best action. Better than doing something rash and one or more of them getting in harm's way.

954 Words total