Divine Intervention

You Can Tell Me

   Morrigeth pulled the caribou skin blankets tighter around her, the only one in the small house of skins and wood that hadn't fallen asleep. She had managed to partially convince herself that this was because she was far less accustomed to the cold than the arctic werewolves were. Even under the many blankets and in her full winter clothes she was still shivering. But the cold wasn't the only thing that was getting to her.

   In fact, there were a great many things getting to her. She had tried to confront her whirlwind of thoughts several times that night, but each time it just knocked her around until she was eventually tossed from it, harshly encouraged not to try again. But maybe she should. Just one more time.

   Okay, Morrigeth. What is it that's keeping you up? Is it Es? Well, she's handled herself in the past. Maybe it was the pack. They were in big trouble, weren't they. But Es was doing her part and Morrigeth was doing hers... Was she? Yeah, the pups needed to be protected. But Amaguq was there for them, wasn't he? Couldn't just he watch over them without her? He'd been doing that for a bit already. He could watch them while she and Es brought the adults home. But Es could do that all alone, couldn't she? Did she really need Morrigeth? Or was it Morrigeth that needed to be there? How could she be so selfish? Her place was right where she was. She was contributing... right? Right? Was she helping at all by being there? Her gut told her no, but then again, her gut had said yes to shooting someone in front of a small child-

  The whirlwind tossed her out again. It was that. That one thing that happened years ago. Every single train of thought brought her to that one day before halting because she couldn't bear thinking about it every time it popped up in her head. It would then veer off the tracks in desperate search of something else to think about before immediately crashing. This was why she hated being sober at night. There was nothing to distract her from her thoughts. No friends to talk to or big adventure to occupy her with. These thoughts kept pilling up, and before she could stop she was pulling herself deeper and deeper down a cesspool of confusion and self loathing. She felt like she was going to suffocate. Oh God, she had to get out of there, just for a second.

   So, that's what she did. Immediately she was taken aback by two things upon exiting the little house. The first was how cold it was outside. The second was the sight of Esmarelda standing before her, with no werewolves in sight.

   Morrigeth looked around, perplexed. Her first instinct was to ask if Esmarelda had given up, but she knew the ice sorceress would take offense. So, she instead asked, "Back so soon?"

   Esmarelda sighed. "Yes," she said quietly, glowing eyes staring at the frozen ground. She wrung her hands and bit a pale lip.

   Brow furrowed, Morrigeth asked, "What happened?"

   Rather than answer, Esmarelda simply sighed again before sitting at one of the wooden stools situated around the unlit campfire.

   Morrigeth immediately sat next to her. She wasn't used to seeing Esmarelda like this. Something about her expression. The faintest of wrinkles between her eyebrows. The way the corners of her mouth pointed slightly downwards. It wasn't something often seen on her face. Whatever it was, it disturbed Morrigeth far more than it probably should have.

   The two sat in awkward silence for a bit, Morrigeth shifting uncomfortably and Esmarelda sitting like a lifeless statue. Morrigeth wiped her numbing nose only to grimace upon finding her glove was now soaked in her own snot. Shivering nonstop, she turned back to Esmarelda to see her unfazed by the extreme temperature.

   "You may light a fire, dear," Esmarelda said.

   Morrigeth let out a sigh of relief and sent a spark to the firewood before her, igniting it instantly. She rubbed her arms and leaned closer to the flames, letting her body thaw. Now more comfortable, she mustered up the courage to ask Esmarelda again. "So... What happened out there?"