Buried in Thoughts and Snow

It was a cold night compared to most, a kind of cold that bites at your hide and claws, while also freezing your very breath. The dark sky was softly snowing, white specks swirling in the sky and clinging to anything it landed on. Cloud’s scrubland home was covered in a coat of white, although it, thankfully, wasn’t super deep. It wasn’t often that she saw snow, she really ought to be enjoying the powdery blanket underneath her. Instead, her mind was troubled, and she decided hunting would help clear her head.
Carefully stepping over her pack mates, she finally managed to slip away from her sleeping pack, and so she set off to find something to bring back. Snow crunched under her foot as she paused to sniff the air. Thankfully, cryos didn’t struggle too much with cold, not even a featherless one like herself. Despite this, the chilly air still stung her nostrils a bit with each inhale.
The stress of leading a growing pack was getting to her. At least she's lucky to have her siblings by her side to help out. Sometimes she misses when it used to just be the three of them… things were much simpler when all Cloud had to worry about was her siblings. Now she had to worry about more mouths.
Yunnan and Ghoul… she’d always protect them, look out for them, be there for them. Cloud is the oldest, it is her duty to take care of her younger siblings, and it’s certainly something she takes very seriously. Although… nowadays, it seems more like they’re the ones taking care of her. They’re always quick to remind Cloud that she needs to relax, and that she has others around her to help, so she shouldn’t be carrying everything on her shoulders.
Cloud paused, lifting her snout into the air and inhaling the frigid air deeply into her lungs. Alongside the chill of the air through her nostrils was a hint of something musky and furred, seemingly that of elk. For the time being, she opted to shove her worries aside, lest they start swirling and spiraling like the snowflakes falling from the sky. If she were to catch an elk worthy of a meal, she needs to focus.
After stalking the scent of the supposed elk for a bit, she finally found it, and had the elk fully within her sight. Cloud's vision is certainly better than the elk’s at this hour. She made sure to approach from downwind, so it should be an easy kill.
Cloud stayed hidden, creeping up behind the grazing animal. The elk’s pelt was beautifully illuminated in the moonlight, casting a silky silver glow on it’s body. It would be a good meal to bring back to her sib– the pack. In a split-second decision, she leapt. Cloud’s sharp claws hooked into the elk’s haunches, but before she could do anything else, hooves flashed in her vision and a sharp, stinging pain spread across her snout. Cloud released the elk with a cry, clutching her nose as a flow of crimson from her nostrils began to drip and stain the once pure white beneath her.
The elk wasted no time in fleeing as soon as it was freed from her now scarlet claws, and all Cloud could do was hiss in pain and frustration. She misjudged her leap and left the elk enough room to land a solid blow against her face, what a hatchling mistake! Letting out a huff, she slumped to the ground in defeat, pressing her aching snout into the snow, allowing the cold to slowly soothe the pain.
Dark orange eyes gazed up at the starlit sky, gleaming with the reflection of the constellations beheld to her. Cloud does enjoy the wintertime, taking pleasure in the extended nights and the cold that gently bit at her skin, but she's always loved to gaze upon the stars themselves while they're so clear the most. The young cryo often wondered what it’d be like to be a star, high up in the sky, twinkling at all the other living beings below the perch of the deep black vastness beyond the sky's edge. To be able to watch over anyone from anywhere... to be a guiding light, reminding you of what direction you are going. And to just watch over and guide her siblings, no matter where they are.
With a small hiss, she scooped up a handful of snow onto her snout. That elk really did get her good… Cloud didn’t want to think about her struggles anymore for the moment, and slowly rose from the snow. Her nose had thankfully stopped bleeding. After shaking herself, she started to scoop more snow. Each passing left a long, branching trail of three lines from her claws. Cloud didn’t let herself think about anything as she dug up the snow, creating a little pile behind her. It didn’t take long before she displaced enough snow to uncover the dirt and sparse grass underneath, a dent in the earth big enough for her to lay in. She finally settled in this shallow hole, facing the pile, before impulsively scooping and tossing the removed snow over herself. Cloud was somewhat half-buried in the snow now, content with the cold embrace of winter’s soft tears.
After being still in the snow for some time, she decided it was best for her to just confront her thoughts instead of pushing them aside. Maybe her siblings are right, she really needs to learn to relax and take it easy. The little pack they’re forming is something good, and something she did truly care about. The others could be a handful at times, but she cared for them all the same. Each of them were uniquely themselves, skilled in their own ways, all eager to help out wherever needed.  Cloud respected all of them… her pack. They were special to her, just as her siblings are special to her heart. She likes to see them all get along with each other, hearing their laughter, watching them teach each other, guide each other… and truly care for one another. She wanted to protect her siblings, but she also wants to protect her pack as a whole. Cloud wants to keep them all together as long as she can, keep this good thing going as long as possible. They are all her responsibility… but she’s still glad to have them all regardless of the stress. Her siblings have her back, and she’ll always be grateful for it.
Finally deciding she's had enough time to think by herself, and missing the warmth of her loved ones, she slowly rose from the snow she buried herself in. Once Cloud was up, she began shaking herself vigorously to get off the last bit of snow on her hide. It was time to finally go back home. 
Cloud may not be bringing back a juicy elk, but she confronted herself and feels much better now that she'd done it, ready to get back to her family.