Pawprints?

[Wolfie]

The large otter held him closer gently and tilted his head curiously. Where did who go, Tagg? He rubbed the little otter and wrapped him a bit more in his cloak to warm him up. He didn't want the otterbabe to get sick.

[Taggle]

" Da snow badger....I saw him!" The otterbabe exclaimed, rooting around in the pockets of the cloak curiously, as it enveloped him several times over. "He was right here...den he vanished!" Taggle explained, pulling his paw out of a pocket, clutching a peice of flint.

[Wolfie]

Harry watched the little otter curiously as he played with his piece of flint. Careful with that, Tagg. It's really sharp. So you saw the snowbadger eh? Hmm... I wonder where he went...

[Taggle]

The little otter thought for a moment, returning the flint to its pocket and pulling the cloak around him like a cape. " Dat way!" he pointed to the left, striking what he thought was a noble pose then breaking into fits of giggles.

[Wolfie]

Harry laughed at the little otter's antics before setting him back on his shoulders and standing carefully. Left it is then. He made sure the little otter was safe on his shoulders and started walking left into the trees.

[Taggle]

" You fink if we catch him He'll give us sumfink?" the otterbabe asked, shivering slightly and watching his breath form into little warm clouds. Icicles hung from the branches of the leafless trees, looking like shiny tree bones in the dim winter sunlight.

[Wolfie]

The otter dug out a thick blanket and handed it up to the otterbabe. I'm not sure, Tagg. He might. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. We'll catch, though. Don't ye fret yer whiskers about that, matey. We'll definitely catch him.

[Taggle]

Taggle wrapped the blanket around himself. " Well if you were a bigga bigga badger...where would you go?" the otterbabe asked Harry,grabbing a passing branch and brandishing it about like a sword. "Arrr!" he growled fiercly, grinning.

[Wolfie]

Harry laughed at Taggle's antics as he thought about the otterbabe's question. Hmm... If I were a badger where would I go? That's a good question... Let's check the stream first. He headed towards the stream ford, wondering exactly how on earth they were going to find a badger made out of snow that he couldn't seem to see.

[Taggle]

As they neared the stream, the rambunctious little otterbabe jumped down from Harry's shoulders and over to the stream's edge."He's not here either..." Taggle said, leaning over the fast running stream.

[Wolfie]

Harry followed him closely and looked around. I have to say, you're right about that, Tagg. I don't see any sign of him around here at all. There is a cave near here we could check at....

[Taggle]

The otterbabe leaned farther over the stream, then accidentally lost his footing and fell into the icy stream. Even being an otter, the stream was to much for the poor otterbabe. Screaming and flailing, Taggle was quickly swept downstream and out of site.

[Wolfie]

Harry heard him fall in and ran after him. After a moment, he dove into the water and tried swimming after him, but it was no use. He couldn't see him anywhere. He urged himself to swim faster as he kept looking.

[Taggle]

Farther downstream, snagged on a branch, was a peice of the cape Taggle had been wearing. A puddle of water on the bank and huge pawprints indicated someone....or something...had rescued the otterbabe. The prints lead off into the woods, winding through the leafless trees.

[Wolfie]

Harry leapt out of the cold water and shook water out of his fur as he studied the footprints carefully. He picked up the snagged piece of cloak and followed the footprints farther into the trees until he came to a cave where he saw a rather unusual sight.