The snow cracked and crunched as the man stepped through the frost crust and sunk into the fluff below. His breath puffed into little white clouds just around his nose and cheeks as he labored with every step through the weighted snow. He clutched a stick he had found tightly in his hand, leaning on it as he slowly stepped along. Every bit of his clothing was covered in the powdery snow. A light dusting, one could say.
The firs around him looked like green mountains with white caps that threatened to fall at any moment. The powdered snow flitted down to cover the crust and fill the holes as the man trudged through the thicket.
A lone bird cawed as it flew off, startled by the trespasser. The snow-covered man snapped his head toward the sudden noise only to see the jet-black streak it made through the perfectly blue sky. His eyes followed the beam as far as the treeline would let him. A sudden thunk from the snow the bird moved snapped his attention back to the task at hand.
"Almost there." He muttered to the snow drifts.
He latched onto a stray bough and pulled himself through the snow up a small incline. As he planted his foot in place, the buttery surface of the snow slicked the bottom of his boot. He slid back down the slope and met a face full of ice-cold snow. His cheeks burned as they met the chilly flakes.
He grumbled and groaned as he hoisted himself back up and over the small incline. His face protested the air and temperature, but he didn't care to listen. He set his gaze on the edge of the wood.
Heavy footsteps raced around the man, crunching the snow as they flew. They didn't hide their presence, rather they flaunted it. They grew louder on each side of the man, racing closer and faster with every passing breeze.
Low snarls and growls accompanied these racing footsteps. These growls seemed to be communicating with each other as they continued closer.
The man froze, holding his makeshift walking stick. His cold breath hung in his throat. It burned and ached as his heart raced, pleading for a break from the cold air.
Snap
The cloaked man turned toward the cracking branch. A wolf, neither large nor small, crept closer to the man. Its fangs bared and its eyes wide, absorbing everything about the man before it.
The man dropped the stick into the snow, a small poof floating around it as it fell. He held his mittened hands out in a sort of barrier, quivering as they were held out. He dropped to his knees and held his head to eye level with the wolf before him.
The white wolf was within arms reach. Its sky-blue eyes glanced over the man, soaking in the features and actions of the man on his knees. They held a hint of suspicion and a lot of hatred as they glanced into the man's blue eyes.
"What do you want?" It snapped.
The man gulped the cold lump in his throat. It immediately chilled his insides.
"I-I"
"Speak clearly." Another wolf barked behind him. "I don't have time for this."
The man closed his eyes and released a tense breath. When he opened them, it was like a new person was there.
"I've got business with Silas." He spoke smoothly.
The two white wolves looked at each other, their eyes meeting and speaking through their mind link. The man bent his head lower and waited for their reply.
"What business do you have with him?" The second one asked, its muzzle snuggling up to the man's ear.
The man didn't flinch as the wet saliva dripped down his face.
"It's my business." He replied calmly. His hands no longer shook. His whole body was rigid. Not from the cold, but from the determination he now had coursing through his veins.
The two wolves looked at each other and snorted. Little puffs of white fog that came from their nostrils evaporated within seconds.
"No one can just go see him whenever they want." The first wolf circled the man, the second wolf circled just beyond the first. Both had their intense gaze on the kneeling figure.
"Tell us what you want with him first. Then we'll decide." The second wolf chimed in.
"No. This is only for Silas."
"Then you won't be seeing him. Hope it wasn't too important."
"You won't be living to see him." The first wolf added. Its eyes thirst for blood to spill over the perfect snow. To create a not-so-perfect winter wonderland.
The two wolves launched themselves toward the kneeling man. But he saw it coming. He ducked into the snow and the two wolved crashed into each other above him. He snatched the staff he had dropped and beat back the wolves with it. He twirled the staff and hit the nose of the first wolf. It tossed its head and snarled.
Foam dripped into the snow and melted a small hole in the pristine surface.
The second wolf dove for the man, but with his staff, he batted its neck and flung it into the powder.
"Enough!" A deep voice boomed over the snow's glossy surface. The two wolves immediately shot up, their tails dipping between their legs.
The man searched for the source of the voice but found nothing.
"What are you doing here?" It spoke again.
This time, the voice had a visible source. A massive black wolf strode through the trees toward the three. It was unaccompanied, but its presence was enough to bring many to their knees.
The man knelt and dropped the staff again.
"I am here to speak to Silas." He confessed again.
"You are speaking to him." The black wolf sat before the man.
The white wolved raced to Silas' side and started pampering the wolf.
"Alpha, you don't need to speak to him. He trespassed on our land. We should kill him."
Silas turned his blood-red eyes to his wolves.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
The two wolves cowered.
"No, Alpha." The first wolf replied timidly.
"Good, because if you said yes, I was going to have to kill my favorite Delta and Beta. Don't interrupt me again, or your blood with run through this snow."
Silas turned back to the man.
"What do you need." He demanded, his eyes piercing through the man's soul.
"I have information for you." The man stood and began to approach Silas.
The Beta and Delta snarled and jumped forward, blocking the man from the Alpha. Their white fur prickled and spiked along their backs.
"Do not approach the Alpha without being told." The Beta demanded through gritted teeth.
The words had barely escaped her mouth before a blood-curdling yelp and crunch ricocheted through the forest. Blood splattered over the perfect snow. Its crimson color blotted out the white. The Beta's head rolled through the snow toward the man. The rest of its body fell with a sickening thud to the ground, limp.
The man's mittened hand remained outstretched, reaching out for the falling head of the beast. The man lifted his frightened gaze to the now bloodstained wolf. It smirked at the surprise.
"I warned her, did I not?" He turned from the man. The Delta cowered behind the Alpha and followed in his footsteps. "Now come, we have much to discuss."