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She laid Natsëlondë to rest.

Her claws dug into the frozen ground, and the tears left icy trails on her face as she covered the grave of the one who had raised her. All of her life Natsëlondë had been there for her, had loved her and cared for her along with the other priestesses.

When the attacks had come, Natsëlondë had fled with her to a mountain cave where they had kept their vigil of prayers as they waited for the priests and priestesses to rejoin them. Though Eala prayed and prayed, no one came.

The minutes turned to hours, the hours to days, the days to weeks, and then finally months. They lived off meager rations and their frames grew gaunt in the winter snows. Night after night, Eala Liante prayed to the Spider Goddess Neferet.

"Hear my prayers, oh Neferet, Goddess of the web. Deliver us from the White Walkers that come upon us in the snow. Thaw our frozen hearts. We keep the faith, do not forget your devout. Save us from the white winds, and bring us strength to endure. Let your mercy continue."

Though she prayed and prayed nothing happened. Eala Liante kept to her faith, and thanked the goddess for answering her even if it was a no. The winds howled outside, the ice deepened as they grew thinner until one night the old priestess Natsëlondë closed her eyes for the last time, a prayer on her lips as she died.

Eala stood up from the grave, whispered a prayer, and headed south into the land of the Kawani to fufill that dying wish. She would find the last kin of the Spider Queen and rebuild the herd of which she alone survived. She had survived for a reason, and this--this had to be it.

She paused when she saw him. He was all grey with a great white wolf that moved like snow and wind. Eala looked on them both with gaunt eyes, she was tired and she was hungry and she was afraid.

These were not the kind she was used to seeing, she had never had experiences outside her herd. She trembled in fear as she looked at them, her first meetings since the death of her mentor. She should trust them or should she run?

Could she even make it very far? She was so hungry and so cold. The journey had taken a lot out of her. She had never hunted before, never had to provide for herself. If she remained still, maybe they wouldn't see her. Maybe--

Then she heard his voice--strong and young like herself. He was afraid of her, she thought. Maybe he would help her.

"I'm not moving," her voice cracked like ice. "Don't hurt me," her voice was thin.

Eala shivered, "I...I don't know what you mean. I just, some food. Do you have some?" Her voice wavered. She had come so far, and it was still so very cold. The wolf was sniffing around at her claws, and she felt her self shiver with more than cold.

She didn't know what to make of the wolf or his master. She did not understand what he wanted with his strange question. "What are white walkers?" She asked. She could tell there was power in the words. There were power in words.

The wind whipped around her as she stared back at him, not knowing if he would believe the truth she told.

Eala shivered as she tried to stay up with him. She felt as though she'd never be warm again. She had never known a winter so cold. She hoped that he wouldn't harm her, that he might bring to her some food. She had no idea what she was getting into, she hoped it was food. It was all she could think of.

The white wolf stayed with it's master as they moved into the covered cave. The walls threw the heat back at her as he stoked the fire. She felt as though she was finally thawing.

Stretching out her claws to the fire, she took a deep breath. When he pointed to where the food was she grabbed a salted fish hungrily and tore into it. She knew she must look uncivilized, but it had been a long time since she'd had something that tasted so good.

Eala Liante ate the fish faster than she should have. Her stomach felt queasy after so long without real food. She put the food aside though she felt as though she'd never be full. Smaller portions, that's what she needed.

His question caught her off guard.

She took another bite of the fish to give her time to put her words together. What should she say? Eala glanced at his big paws again. To tell the truth, that she was alone could put her in terrible danger--but a lie might serve.

"We were traveling on a pilgrimage," she lied. "We were going to offer something to the Spider gods and gather supplies when the storm came up. I got seperated in all the snow. They should be looking for me, I'd hoped to find them before now."

The threat made her skin tingle with fright, made her want to run out into the cold. It seemed as though the cave had dropped another ten degrees. But it had to be her fear. She bit her lip and chose her words carefully, "Natsube raised me. I was given to Priestesses to raise. Something happened, I don't know quite what....but Natsube and I bairely escaped."

She paused, "Others were not as fortunate. As far as I know there was only us. The Great Spiders, our protectors, were dead the next time I saw them. The Walkers--Cursed and Pure had killed them along with other ravenging beasts. Natsube died a few weeks after we fled. So, I alone, Survived."

What to say? She had heard stories of them most of her life, but she had not seen one until a few weeks ago after she had buried Natsube beneath the snow. So she told him in a halting voice how she had buried her mentor, the one who had treated her as a mother and felt the tears freeze on her face. She spoke low, whispering almost into the fire of how the winds had rose and she had felt colder than she had ever felt in her life.

When she had turned, she saw them. They had eyes like blue stars, and they moved with a terrifying fluid motion. They looked as though they were made of ice and death. She had thought at first that she was seeing things, that it could not possibly be what was happening.

Then she remembered the stories, of how the wind would rise and they would come. She shivered as she looked up at him, coming out of her trance-like state, "I do not know more than that. There are rumours of how to kill them. There are rumours they cannot die. Rumours they are just as mortal as you and I. But only ever rumours."