"Hey Ty, catch!" Tyrela, an ice striped Wocky, turned around just in time
to dodge the snowball. Growling and gnashing her teeth together, she started
running across the snow after her sister, Teekala. Teekala laughed and turned
around to run, but the snow made it hard for her to lift her feet.
Tyrela, immobile to the weight of the snow on her paws, ran across the snow
like a floating angel. For some reason Tyrela was born with the ability to run
across snow like it was regular ground.
"Hey! No fair!" Teekala cried as Tyrela pounced on her. "Your paws are too
fast!"
Jumping off her sister, Tyrela laughed. "At least I live up to the Family Name."
Teekala sneered and walked back home.
Giggling, Tyrela looked at her right paw. Taking a claw from her left paw,
she traced the creases on it. Tyrela Wokey Softpaw was her full name, and she
certainly lived up to it; Tyrela meant "shrewd," which she was. Wokey
was another word for "snow Wocky" and softpaw, of course... Tyrela
was softfooted when running across the snow.
While tracing the creases, she came across a little red scar. She knew where
she got that from; her father, but her father didnt purposely slash her. When
she was very young, she wandered out of the house during a snowstorm and her
worried father (Tyler) came after her.
When Tyler finally found Tyrela, who was cuddled in a small cave, he picked
her up. His claws (which he hadn't cut in a long time) accidentally brushed
against her soft, fragile ones. Ever since then, there remained a little mark
that reminded her to never ever get lost again.
Frowning and wishing her paws were perfect, she heard a loud crash and harsh,
biting wind blow by. Knowing that these were the signs of a storm, Tyrela ran
back home.
***
"I don't like the looks of this storm, Tyler," said Mella, Tyrela's mother.
Tyrela looked up from her book and stared out the window of her house of ice.
It was so white, and she barely saw anything. Teekala, who was busy playing
with her Usuki Dolls, hardly made a sound.
"It'll be okay, Mel," assured Tyler, who was also staring out the window.
Tap, tap, tap.
Looking up, Tyrela saw a large rag figure out of the window. Screaming, she
jumped from her chair and ran to her father. Teekala followed.
Cautiously, Mella opened the window and in came the large rag figure.
"Your poor thing! Are you okay, Pterisis?" asked Mella, taking the rags off
the figure. From the rags sprang a little blue Pteri, Pterisis, the messanger
of the mountains.
In a chilled voice, he said, "Me-m-message for Mister... mister So-soft-Softpaw,"
he stammered, revealing a piece of paper folded inside his beak. Carefully taking
the paper out, Tyler read it silently while Mella handed Pterisis a cup of hot
borovan.
"What is it?" asked Mella. Tyrela and Teekala strained their necks to read
the letter in their father's paws.
"I have to find someone," said Tyler quickly, placing the letter in his coat
pocket.
"In a storm like this? I shall not hear of it!" yelled Mella. Tyrela and her
sister were frightened; their mother was rarely mad and when she was it was
scary.
"I have to," he said, putting on his three overcoats.
"Well, if you must, bring your ear muffs, hat, socks, gloves, mouthveil-"
Mella was interrupted by Tyler slamming the door. "Well, I'll be..."
Three hours passed and father had not yet returned. Mella sat by the door
with a worried expression, crocheting a crooked edge to the pillow. Teekala
sat by the window with a lamp on the windowsill. If father was lost, he might
spot the light from the lamp and follow it.
Tyrela, on the other hand, was the only one who didn't worry. Ever since she
could remember, her father was called to find a missing pet in a storm, and
always returned safely with the missing pet. Though her father couldn't run
in the snow like she could, he could run as fast as her with his snowshoes on.
Another hour passed. Tyrela could hear the thundering winds pounding against
the house. The window was cold as ice and there was a little chill in the once
warm house. Father had not yet returned, but Tyrela again didn't worry. She
had confidence in her father, but that confidence soon faded as three more hours
passed.
The sky was dark, and the storm still roared.
"Time for bed, girls," said Mella, her eyes red. Teekala whimpered a little,
but went to her room obediently.
Tyrela, who was crying like her mother, put down her book and stared at her
mother hard. "Please tell me when daddy returns, mama," she pleaded. Mella nodded
in reply.
In her room, Tyrela retreated to her bed crying. In the comforts of her blankets
and matress, she cried herself to sleep.
The next morning, the air was freezing, but the storm had stopped. Tyrela
found her mother asleep on the chair near the door. Father was nowhere to be
seen. Tears formed in Tyrela's eyes as she walked into the kitchen to get a
box of her favorite cereal, NeoCrunch. Crying as she got the bowl, she heard
Teekala.
Because Teekala was younger, Tyrela knew that she would be very disturbed
if she knew father had not yet returned. Rushing to Teekala's room, Tyrela blocked
the entrance.
"Father and Mother need some time to talk, Teekie," Tyrela said quickly.
"Father's home?!?" cried Teekala. Tyrela nodded. "Oohh! Let me see him! Please!
PLEASE!"
Frowning, Tyrela shook her head. " I told you, they need some time to talk.
Stay in bed, it's still cold. I'll bring you breakfast."
Whimpering, Teekala went back to bed. "It better be a good breakfast!" she
shouted to Tyrela, and Tyrela shut the door.
Walking back into the kitchen, Tyrela got out another bowl and filled it with
cereal. Her mind was so confused. How come father had not yet returned?
she thought, while pouring some milk. Bringing Teekala's bowl of cereal to her,
Tyrela walked over to her mother.
"Momma?" Tyrela said in a whisper. "Momma, wake up..."
Mella slowly lifted her eyelids and looked around the room. She started crying.
Putting her bowl of cereal on the ground, Tyrela climbed up into her mother's
lap and cuddled in her arms. "Its okay, momma. It's okay..."
***
Tyrela looked up from her hooded overcoat, the little baby Meerca in her arms.
Covering the baby Meerca snugly, she started walking across the vast, stormy
cold terrain.
Spotting a light in the window, Tyrela smiled.
"Loyal Teekie," she thought as she approached the light. Knocking on the door,
she heard some squeals and the door opened.
"Tyrela!" cried Mella, taking her daughter in her arms. Revealing the baby
Meerca, Mella quickly took it and wrapped him up. "His parents must be worried,"
she said as she gave him a cup of hot borovan. "But they'll be thankful that
you found him," she said quickly, looking at Tyrela.
Sighing, Tyrela slumped into the couch, the same couch her father sat in.
She thought of that fateful day five months ago, when Tyrela learned that some
citizens found the frozen statue of Tyler, perfectly preserved. Ever since then,
Tyrela had taken on her father's job and started searching for lost pets, becoming
the well known Tyrela, Softpaw of the Snow.... | 
