Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Erm... no where in particular, really." Astrophel said. "Anywhere is fine as long as the snow doesn't fall on us too much." He started forward again, when Houkou caught up. "Playing on snow can be fun, but it can be dangerous, too. It's cold and easy to slip on. You can catch a cold if it's on you too long." he paused, looking around. There were straight, green rods that were native to the east but they wouldn't offer much protection. "Just keep close to me." he said, starting to get worried. Did the Easten lands have trees at all?

"Well, not right now," Astrophel admitted. "since it just started. Like I said, it's fun to play around in and it's a common activity but if you get stuck..." he paused. "then, it's dangerous." He stopped when he heard Houkou's stomach rumble. "Oh, sorry. I should've asked if you were hungry." he said, mentally whacking himself. Houkou seemed to have amnesia. Of course he would be hungry. And he's just a pup, too. "I'm afraid I can't catch anything in this snow." he said regretfully. "But I'm sure there are other things to eat." He tried to keep his voice calm and chipper, as if he wasn't, right at that moment, panicking. He was new to the Eastern Territory and couldn't even find shelter for them. How was he supposed to feed them both?

Astrophel stopped in his tracked and perked his ears, wondering why the little pup aws suddenly growling. Was he mad that Astrophel couldn't provide the meat he so obviously needed? He watched as Houkou ran off, thinking it was because he was angry with him for not being able to provide his needs. So, obviously, he was surprised to see Houkou run straight into a bush and even more surprised to see a rat run out. He saw Houkou struggling to free himself and he was stuck between saving Houkou or getting a meal. Deciding Houkou could wait a bit but that the rat wouldn't, he ran after the rat. He pounced once, twice, and then a third time, missing. Growling, he ran faster and managed to strike it with a paw. He grabbed it and shook it vigorously while it was still stunned until he was sure it was dead. Then he went back to Houkou and, dropping the rat neaby, he started untangling the poor pup from the many curling branches of the bush.

Astrophel started to get giddy as well, the pup's excitement getting to him. "No, you got it." Astrophel said, poking Houkou's nose with a paw. He smiled, rolling the dead rat to Houkou. He wasn't sure how Houkou managed to find it when he couldn't detect it but that didn't matter. "Here you go." he said, offering Houkou the rat. He laughed when he noticed that even the pup's hindquarters were shaking and he said, "You deserve it." He didn't plan on taking any bites himself, he was older after all, and he could survive for a few more days, but no need to tell the pup. Houkou seemed to be the nice, polite type, and he didn't want the pup to starve just because he saw it as necessary that Astrophel eat, too.

Astrophel smiled when the pup ate without complaint, releasing the breath he had been holding. The speed with which the pup ate worried him. A simple forest rat might not be enough. He frowned when he noticed Houkou's alarmed tone and looked back to see the snow by the edge of the trees much higher than it was before. There wasn't as much snow in the forest yet, since the trees were catching most of the soft powder, but it wouldn't be long until the fragile leaves gave out. He was surprised at the pup's question until he realized that, well... Houkou was a pup. That would mean he was less than a year old and this was his first time seeing snow. "It's snowing," he said, starting to explain. "Snow is cold and soft when there's not that much, but they can stick together and freeze." He knocked aside a frozen block of snow to show what frozen snow looked like. "It's dangerous to walk on that snow because you can slip and fall into traps. Usually, around this time, your pelt grows so that you can still stay warm with all this cold around."

Astrophel cocked his head slightly and raised a paw to close Houkou's mouth. "You should save your heat." he said, nodding once. "Well..." he looked around again, unsure. "Follow me." he said uncertainly. Helixes were relatives of the wild wolf and, like them, he thought pups to be very important. They were the future, after all, and he would protect that. He padded deeper into the forest, looking for a place with trees dense enough to protect them. He hoped the flames of the pup would warm him a bit and he took tentative sniffs of the cold air, his ears swiveling with agitation. He didn't recognize any of the scents and the snow level raised along with his worry.

Astrophel raised his ears, nose twitching as he searched for a good shelter. "I know." he said distractedly when Houkou spoke. "Don't worry. We'll move on soon." He had scented the burnt air a few ways back and had gone in this direction in hopes that a bit of warmth would still be left. When that wasn't the case, dissapointment had filled him and he wondered if it was such a good idea to leave his parents in the first place. He seemed incapable of taking care of himself, let alone a pup. He turned suddenly when he heard the pup's surprised yip and called out, "Houkou?" He padded to where he last saw the pup and when he noticed the hole, he peered down at the den, his nose wrinkling from the smell of flames. "Are you all right?" he asked, looking for a way to get the pup out.

Astrophel, startled with the desperate tone in Houkou's voice, barked back, "I'm coming!" and hurled himself into the den. It wasn't very large and he barely fit. He had to duck his head just to remain standing and he was glad Houkou was pressed against the far wall so that his decent hadn't harmed the pup. The scent of old flames filled his nostrils and he wrinkled his nose with distaste, his eyes widening at the sight of the bones.

Crouching tentatively, he sniffed one, turning it over with a paw. It shattered, releasing a cloud of ash and he coughed. "These bones seem to be very old." he said, trying to crawl closer to Houkou to help lessen the pup's fear. There was one good thing about the situation they were in. It was warm.