That morning the sun rose to shed it's pallid light upon a world dressed in white. Thick snow lay like sugary frosting on rock and root, hill and toppled tree and all around the trees stood with powered hair as though dressed for a feast. Perhaps they were too. The peak of winter was fast approaching, the nights were long and dark. But it would turn soon. Before long the golden rays, now barely strong enough to make the snow glitter and draw blue shadows beneath the evergreen trees, would regain its power and begin the march towards spring.
Soon, but not yet. Winter still held the world in a firm grip and would not relinquish the hold for days and weeks and more, and in the grueling wait for better times the creatures of the world was put to the test. Only the strong and the lucky would survive to see another spring, only those quick on the feet with their wits about them. But there was nothing new with that. Such had been the way of life since the beginning of time.
The snow lay thick beneath the heavily laden boughs and walking through it was a monumental task indeed. Tracks and paths crisscrossed the shimmering surface, made by smaller and lighter animals that wouldn't break through the thin crust. The stallion was not so lucky. His considerable weight made him sink almost to the chest in the cold powder and the progress he was slow, his shuffling straining and more akin to swimming than walking. Every now and then he stopped to rest, nares flaring in pace with the labored breathing, expelling plumes of frosted breath worthy of a dragon. Then he would be off again, shuffling and weaving through the trees on a fixed southern course, never straying far in either direction.
Something small and bat-shaped broke the pattern of shadow and light on the needle-tainted snow and Lace stopped in his tracks and looked up, smiling as he caught sight of the white dragon.
"Caught anything?" he asked, following her movements as she fell into a loop above his head, decreased the speed with expert skill and dropped down to land upon his back. She was light, hardly even a burden, and the prick of taloned claws to the skin was as familiar as it was comforting.
"No" the dragoness replied, expressing dismay with the flitting tail and the ooze of black smoke that rose from her nose. "Runner was quick, close to the dig. Too close, too quick."
Lace nodded sympathetically, careful not to so much as think of being amused. He had followed the hunt through the bond; Fajira would have been perfectly able to catch the hare if she'd wanted to. But either she wasn't as hungry as she claimed or she had grown soft, because the chase had ended before it even really began and the thrill of it seemed to have weighed up the loss of breakfast.
"You'll catch it next time" he assured instead and turned to lip at the spiny tail that swished over his side, sparing a second for affection before he continued on. The dragon warbled wordlessly in affirmation and slipped off his whithers, taking to the sky again to glide in lazy loops and serpentines. She kept him company, pitying as always the lack of wings that kept him earthbound.
"Is it this much snow everywhere?" Lace asked, panting slightly.
"Yes", she replied. "All forest, and meadow beyond, all white. Lots, lots of pretty-shiny-shimmer-white."
She trilled happily and made a graceful pirouette, clearly delighted. Lace laughed, in high spirits despite the bad news and the weariness of the limbs. He couldn't remember when he'd had a full night's sleep last, or a day where he hadn't been on the move...
"It feels good to be home again" he said with a smile. "Too much time away, I swear this is the last time I do any old friends a favor. I hope Cat's been able to find the help he needs... I didn't like sending him off on his own like that."
Worry drew lines around the gleaming amber eyes, but Fajira seemed far less concerned about the first and only son of her bonded and wouldn't let him descend into brooding, not on a fine day like this.
"Hatchling will be fine" she stated firmly and veered around a tree. "He no fool, knows what to do. Strong heart. Dragon heart."
Lace nodded but didn't reply. She was right about the weather at least; it was a beautiful day with light bleeding down through the boughs and branches, the air was crisp and very cold, and it felt too good to be within Helovia's borders again to ruminate. Laughing aloud to himself and no one in particular the silver-coated stallion pushed himself forward in a serious of bucks and leaps, sending the snow cascading high into the air where it hung like a glittering mist;
"Hellooooo! I'm hooooome!" he shouted out to the land, grinning even as he was forced to slow down - it was impossible to run here, desire as he might.
The echo spread over the hills, bouncing from tree to tree until finally it faded. Fajira listened intently and once all traces of his voice had died out she parted her jaws and added her own call; a haunting, hoarse screech with overtones of silver bells and jubilant laughter. Together they listened to that echo too, and once it was gone they looked at each other for a long time in the dense silence that followed. Then, as one, they both began to laugh, and continued to smile as they continued deeper into the lands.
Home.
[Open to any and all, come say hi! :D]
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