"Wait up, Kasai!" Arashi barked as his sister bounded across the tundra, sending sprays of cold snow behind her.

"You can't catch me!" Kasai teased, widening his stride. "I'm gonna win!"

"No, no, no!" Arashi argued, pummeling at the ground with her paws as he sprinted.

Gah!

Arashi rocketed backwards, paws over tail. The flustered dog shook the snow off his fur and blinked, looking up.

"Arashi! What have I told you about running when others are around?" Mizu scolded.

"Sorry, mother. We were just playing," he flicked his tail at Kasai, who had already beaten him to the pine tree.

"Well, you need to play more quietly. Your father needs to rest," Mizu motioned towards the sleeping gray figure that was barely visible from inside their den.

"We will, we will," Arashi's paws itched to run again, and he gave his mother a flick of his bushy tail.

"And don't go out onto the lake! The ice is too thin!" Mizu called as her pup dashed away. Arashi rolled his eyes, knowing that his mother was just being overprotective.

"Beat you!" Kasai said triumphantly, grinning.

"Well, I know where we can race to next," Arashi narrowed his eyes. "That tall spruce across the lake."

"Ooooo, yes!" Kasai yipped. She crouched beside Arashi, her eyes glowing with determination.

"G0!" Arashi barked suddenly, and pushed off of the snow, leaping along the edge of the ravine.

He growled as Kasai darted in front of him.

"Ha! I'm always faster!"

Arashi shook his head and pushed himself farther. Pulling ahead, he laughed, victorious, and leaped onto the lake ice.

"Not today, Kas-" He let out a screech as the ice caved in below him. A terrified yelp was drowned by the water as Kasai tumbled in after him.

Arashi kicked his back legs vigorously, struggling to get to his sister's sinking body. It's so... cold...

He shivered, his vision dimming as the freezing water pounded in his ears. Choking on water, he tried to scream his sister's name.

But he lost control.

Arashi... A faint, eerie cry whistled through his mind. Arashi... I'm here... Unable to move, he tried to respond.

Who are you?

The cries suddenly got more frantic, and he snapped awake. "Arashi! It's me, wake up!"

Big blue-gray eyes stared down at him. The blurry outline of his father was bent over him.

"What the-" His sentence was muffled as he was covered in licks.

Kasai, beside him, was rolling away from Mizu. "Ew," she grunted.

Mizu glanced at Arashi, pulling him and Kasai closer. Arashi flinched as he felt his mother's breath on his ear.

"So much work..." Mizu muttered as her warm fur huddled around them.

"Kasai. Arashi."

Arashi snuffed, rolling over. "What?" He grumped.

Mizu nudged his shoulder. "Let's go into the pine woods. Hopefully we will find a deer to eat, it's about time you started filling up. This winter will only get colder, and we won't have as much prey..." She shuddered as the biting wind started up.

Arashi snuggled against his warm sister, not wanting to leave the den. Maybe if he pretended he was asleep, Mizu would leave them alone.

"I know you're awake, Arashi," Mizu growled softly.

Arashi reluctantly opened his pale blue eyes. "But it's warm in here!" He protested.

"Come on, don't be a lazy bones."

"Fine. I'm getting up." Arashi swatted his mother away with a paw. He stretched, puffing out his smoke-colored fur and letting out a huge yawn.

Mizu prodded Kasai until she woke up, then padded over to the entrance of the den. "Follow me. And stay close."

The pups bounded after her, slowing as the pine trees thickened. Icicles hung from the branches, and barely any green could be seen from under the thick white snow.

Kasai giggled as Arashi shook out his pelt, only to have another clump of snow plummet onto his forehead.

Arashi sniffed, plodding along to match his mother's stride. He opened his mouth to say something.

"I-" He choked on a cough as his mother's tail brushed across his mouth.

"Shh..." She hissed.

He dropped, watching as a large caribou plodded out from behind some scarce brush. A bull.

This could feed them for a week.

Kasai sped ahead, skittering quietly through the snow and using some of the leftover autumn leaves to her advantage. Her reddish fur blended in.

Arashi rolled his eyes, keeping in step with his mother. Mizu was stealthily creeping forwards. She had years of experience on her, so he was definitely trusting her tactics over his sister's.

The bull's ears flicked, and he slowly turned in their direction. Its antlers were huge, and Arashi stifled a gasp. He froze with his mother, but Kasai continued to go on. "Kasai!" He whispered, hoping that she would hear him, and the caribou wouldn't.

Kasai growled, pursuing it. Mizu let out a low sigh, sprinting ahead. She leaped onto the bull, but it bucked and ran with her clinging on.

Arashi's eyes grew wide, and he shot ahead, desperate to run him down.

Well, Mizu might call me stupid, but... He held his breath, teetering on his front paws in front of the caribou and trying to kick him. It just ran him over and continued. "Oh, come on!" He howled. Kasai daintily leaped over him, and grabbed one of the bull's legs. It slowed down a little.

Arashi grinned, taking this to his advantage and pelting in front of it again. He smashed into its chest, barely hanging on, and bit down.

The caribou let out a strained grunt, thrashing. Blood spattered the white snow beneath him.

With another sharp movement, it tripped, its bulky weight plummeting down. Arashi barely had time to leap away.

The caribou laid still, its terrified eyes glazed open.

Arashi cringed as his mother continued to throttle the dead bull. "Isn't it dead?" Mizu blinked twice, then looked down.

"Just making sure," she panted. Arashi shrugged, wiggling under its bulky head and trying to lift it up. Mizu and Kasai took the other end.

Kasai snickered. "Don't stab yourself with those antlers, Arashi. You'll miss dinner."

Arashi's fur bristled, but he laughed. "I could just as easily whip these things on your pelt. And who's stopping me?" He started to position his paws.

Mizu snarled, snapping her teeth. "I am. We can't risk anyone getting hurt while we're trying to take this home."

Arashi flinched, muttering, "I was only joking..."

Mizu scoffed, not replying.

"Ugh, this meatsack is heavy," Kasai complained.

"Kasai, do not refer to our next meal as a 'meatsack'. You should be grateful that we have food, because as the winter wears on, animals will be scarce," Mizu scolded.

Arashi grinned at Kasai. "Meatsa-"

"Shh!" once again, Mizu's tail slapped over his mouth. Her ears were pricked and swiveling, her nose in the air, and her eyes filled with something strange.

Fear.

Arashi started to panic. Mizu was never scared. She was fearless.

Or so he thought.

"BEAR!" Kasai screamed, pointing with her tail to a huge, menacing white figure. He looked at its massive paws, more than the size of his head. Jaws that could snap bones. And fierce black eyes colder than the burning snow beneath his pads.

Mizu growled, but her voice sounded terrified as she released the caribou and barked, "Run!"

Arashi hesitated. He couldn't leave his mother. Not when she was facing a polar bear...

But to his surprise, she was running the opposite way. There were some things you just couldn't fight.

Kasai shrieked. "Arashi, hurry up!"

Trembling, he bolted after his sister, who was scrambling into a crevice. It was barely large enough for her to fit.

He pushed his head in, but his shoulders were too big to get through. "Kasai, help me!"

Tears formed in her eyes as she tugged on his scruff. "You won't fit!"

Arashi could hear the polar bear's footsteps as it advanced. "Try harder!" he panicked, flailing his hind legs.

Kasai tightened her grip and pulled. A searing pain formed in his shoulders as they were shoved through. "Ouc-"

"Move!" 

A/N: First chapter finished! This is a book that my friend and I are writing together, and we wanted to share it with you guys! All support is appreciated!
We will probably write more books in this series, so sit tight!

-FalconTiger_Authors