A Test of Courage

The world turned into a swirling, blinding white. Snow, thick and relentless, descended from a sky the color of bruised plums, erasing the familiar contours of the mountains and swallowing the narrow path they had been following. A blizzard, fierce and unforgiving, had descended upon them with a sudden fury that stole their breath and their direction.

"Corvus! Luna! Ragnar! Willow!" Corvus's name was snatched by the wind, a desperate cry from Ragnar, his voice muffled by the gale. Corvus strained his ears, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. He could hear the panicked yips of the pups, their small bodies buffeted by the wind, but he couldn't pinpoint their exact location. The snow stung his eyes, and the biting cold seeped into his feathers, threatening to freeze him in place.

He closed his eyes, forcing the image of the pups into his mind. Luna, with her bright, eager eyes. Ragnar, his fur a dark shadow against the snow, always watchful. Willow, her gentle gaze a balm to his anxious spirit. He focused, reaching out with that strange, innate sense that allowed him to converse with the wind. "Wind," he whispered, his voice barely audible, "where are my friends?"