The wind snaps hard across the pass, turning the hard-packed fork into a white blur. Snow needles River’s face and brushes the sled sideways, just enough to threaten the narrow track.
Joseph tightens his grip behind the runners. Ahead, River holds the front line, and Harold shifts, reading the danger at the same moment.
Harold
Left shoulder! Keep us on the crust, River. If we slide, we lose the trail.
River drives forward against the gust, and the team answers. Mack leans into the pull, TicTac steadies his stride, and Ally and Pine square up behind them.
Mack
There. That’s the line. Hold it.
Joseph Lafayette
Good, keep that pace. Don’t let the drift take the wheels.
Another blast hits, but River’s team stays together, noses low and bodies aligned. The pass is still dangerous, but now the path forward is clear, survive the weather as one unit or get swallowed by it.
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep the sled team stable through the storm
“River follows Harold's direction, presuming he does notice something important.”
SUCCESS (Great Survival, rolled +2)
River cuts her shoulders into the wind and matches Harold’s line. The sled stops yawing, the runners bite cleanly, and the whole team settles onto the crust.
Harold
That’s it. Keep that angle, River.
Mack’s weight shifts back into rhythm behind her, and TicTac copies the steadier pace without looking up. The snow still lashes across them, but it slides past instead of catching.
Mack
We’ve got it. Just like that.
Joseph relaxes his grip on the sled rigging for a breath, then braces again as the pass narrows under the drifting veil. Ahead, the hard-packed branch stays under River’s paws.
Banks
Left side holds better in this weather. That’s the smarter track.
Ally flicks an ear toward the wolf’s voice from the ledge, but her stride never breaks. Pine keeps his shoulders square, and the team drives on as one.
Quest Complete
Keep the sled team stable through the storm