Glassy Hearts

Chapter Four: A Cold Place

The night was cold, draped by a deep glossy sky that displayed a moon that seemed to shine brighter than the future of all under it. A ship sailed across a cold, nearly frozen sea. Chunks of ice clattered against the dark wooden hull. A figure would walk up from below deck. It was Nicolas. He was clad in winter clothing. A somewhat dense coat that was made of white leather hide, with black fur that spilled out of the edges, and seams, and a rose red scarf around his neck. He had a white wool sleeveless tunic, and white leggings that were dense, and somewhat baggy. His boots matched the color of the rest of his attire, with metal plating over the toes. He loved the outfit, and yet it felt too good for him. He didn't work for it in the slightest. He stared at the open ocean, and frowned. He touched the scarf wrapped neatly around his neck. Yosano had weaved it for him for free. She said it would do great to bring out his eyes. He felt a soft hand slide up his back. He turned his gaze to see D'valla. She had dark gray fur tucked snuggly under the fishnet that covered her skin. Around her neck was a blackish blue fur scarf that matched her hair nicely. She looked beautiful under the pale moon light. He stared at her for a moment, their eyes locked into each other, before he turned to look back towards the ocean. The woman leaned back against the railing of the ship, her rear pressed against the wooden frame. Her hair blew with the wind softly. She stared out into the ocean with him. They stood there in silence, enjoying each other's presence. The moment they shared was brief however, as they soon saw the glint of land in the distance. D'valla spoke soothingly, her hand brushing along his.

"Even from here, it looks awfully beautiful."

She said hushingly. He moved his hand away from hers, and looked up into the sky, staring at the stars. She looked towards him, and smiled softly. She stood up, and walked back towards the stairs to the lower deck.

"You should get some sleep. We'll be there by morning."

She said, before walking down the stairs. He sighed quietly as he stared into the night sky. Everything was changing so fast. He felt kind of overwhelmed, but at the same time, it was rejuvenating. He was really free. He grinned, and leaned back, planting his boot on the railing of the ship. He reared back, breathing in heavily, before roaring out into the sky, almost as if he was challenging it.

"I'm a bird of prey!!! Yeah! What now, huh!? You did your worst, and yet here I am! Keep throwing your sins at me, I'll just throw mine right back!"

He moved back, and breathed heavily. The cold air rapidly filling his lungs left a burning sensation. He stared at the ice cold waters, and felt the urge to jump in, and swim to the island, however he knew he was getting ahead of himself. His great big grin slowly faded. He turned, and walked back down to the lower deck. He figured he'd need his sleep for their journey tomorrow. He was right. As soon as they docked, he felt the cold wash over him. He walked out onto the top deck with D'valla. They had arrived at the snowed in town of Azgulch. He wasn't used to the cold. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leggings, and walked onto the docks, being careful as to not fall into the frozen seas. D'valla followed briskly behind, stopping to stretch her legs briefly. She smiled a great big smile, and looked at the snowed in town.

"Ah, it has been quite some time since I've last stepped foot here!"

She said excitedly. Nicolas turned to look at her.

"You've been here before?"

He asked with a shiver. She nodded, and turned to look at the mountains.

"It was almost two years ago, the direwolves tend to exceed their target population quite often, so to stop their overhunting, the hunter guild is required to preform population control."

She said briskly, walking off of the dock, and through the town. He followed along quietly, before finally processing what she had just said.

"Direwolves? Like, the big ones? I thought we were hunting regular wolves."