Kasai dragged the snake over to the larger cave.

Arashi eyed her as she entered, then got up and sniffed her. "I smell blood," he narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, the snake just bit-"

"WHAT?"

"It's not a big deal, I'm fine!" Kasai snapped. Arashi was almost as bad as Mizu. She could handle things on her own. She didn't need Arashi watching over her every second of the day.

"Next time you see a snake, get me," he licked her nose, making the bites tingle.

Anger flared inside her. "I don't need you to hunt a snake! I'm perfectly capable!" Kasai snarled.

Arashi's eyes flashed. "Apparently not, because you got bitten!" he retorted.

Kasai pinned her ears, growling, "There was no venom." She dragged the snake to an area farthest away from her brother. She chewed angrily, forcing herself to swallow each scaly, cold bite. Her stomach ached, yearning for proper food.

Maybe because she wanted to ignore her stomach, or because she didn't want to face Arashi, she closed her eyes and laid her head across her front paws. She tried not to admit it to herself, but she kind of missed Arashi's warm flank and his kind blue eyes.

Growling off the thought, she drifted into slumber.

Kasai...

Eerie voices. She lifted her head, surprised to find that she was not in the cave anymore. The stone walls and tiny pool of snowmelt was replaced by black waters, stretched as far as she could see. She was standing on the only sliver of land, barely large enough for her to stand on. But even that was sinking into the water, slowly being consumed.

Kasai...

The creepy voice again.

"Who's there?" Kasai swiveled to try and see. But no one was in her line of sight.

I am Fear. I know what's going on in your head. I know that you're feeling scared, trapped, alone. His tone was enchanting, but not in a good way.

Fear! A wave rose in the dark waters, slamming against her, sending her toppling off the sliver of land. It seeped through her fur, pricking her skin. She coughed, trying to swim, but invisible hands pulled her under.

Fear! She tried to kick upwards, her lungs on fire, but the water pushed her down. She struggled against the waves, but she was still sinking, unable to fight this invisible force. Her lungs ached, praying for air, but none met them. She was drowning, hopeless.

Fear!

Kasai groaned,opening her eyes. Her muscles ached, and her lungs burned. A splitting pain was pounding in the back of her head. Ow... how could I have felt pain in a nightmare? And why do I feel like I just swam a thousand miles?

She glanced around the cave. Through the cracks in the walls, she could see that the sky was still dark. Kasai could barely see Arashi in the dim light, his smoky fur rising and falling with each breath. He looked disturbed- had she been too harsh on him?

Maybe if I find something for him to eat, he'll forgive me.

Quietly, she squeezed through the hole. She knew she had to catch the rat in the large crevice that she had seen yesterday. Kasai peered inside, but did not see a glint of eyes or a sliver of claws. Disappointed, she sniffed inside some other cracks. In a small one, she smelled rat, but the scent was old and stale.

She glanced outside, yearning to slip through the entrance and hunt a deer.

Not that she could.

Maybe a rabbit or a fawn was more her pace.

Kasai took a few steps towards the entrance and poked her nose out. She waited for a couple seconds, sniffing. A meaty scent wafted around her.

The caribou.

Her mouth watered, and she stuck her head fully out. To the right, the dead bull's blood was seeping into the snow. How did it get there?!

She hesitated, then swiftly tried to grab a thigh.

A roar from above thundered through the air. Within moments, the polar bear was in front of her. Frozen in fear, she watched as it drew closer.

"He-help..." she whispered softly. A powerful tug on her tail left her panting, back inside the cave, and she whipped around.

"I might be upset, but you're still my sister."

A/N: Finally, we're back in business. Sorry about the delay, we tried to post yesterday but... (Long explanation coming up)

So, we are currently writing our story on a google doc. But we wanted to share it with you guys, and, being too lazy to rewrite the entire thing, just copy and paste each chapter here once we finish it. It wouldn't work, for some reason, but it does today! ;-;