[13+] Taezan & the Mice [Kim Taehyung] Christmas 2022

December 12th

The next morning, Taezan woke up feeling much better. Although he had liked being a part of the gatherers yesterday, it had also been scary. Coming back to the town, he had felt protected by the walls, and had soon calmed down. He had also convinced himself that Namzoom was well trained and that he - although not always intentional - managed to take care of himself.

Stepping out of his nest, Taezan was surprised to find most of the mice chatting and bouncing excitedly over by one of the windows.

Unsure of what was going on, Taezan decided to ask the small group standing to the side. "What's all the fuss about?"

Shay didn't even turn to him as they pointed at something on the other side of the window. "Snow."

"Snow?" Taezan had heard of the natural phenomenon, but had never experienced it.

"Yeah, the white, powder-like stuff falling from the sky?" One of the mice giggled, before offering their hand. "I don't think we've had the pleasure. I'm Gale." Gesturing to the mouse next to her, she smiled. "And this is Tuya."

"Nice to meet you!" Taezan greeted back, shaking their paws in turn before getting closer to the window to join them.

Outside, little specks of white were falling. Carefully, gently - some almost dancing as the gusts of wind played with it.

It was beautiful.

Leaning closer, Taezan pressed his nose against the glass, the cold of it sending shivers through his body, but he barely noticed. It was wonderful to watch, and again and again, his eyes followed a single flake of snow as it traveled through the air before falling to the ground; adding to the ever-growing blanket of white.

"It looked so soft..."

"It's not. It's just cold and wet." Kaya explained from his side. "Though, it's fun to play around in."

Taezan hadn't noticed her coming over, but as it seemed she knew a lot about this beautiful phenomenon, he grabbed her shoulders eagerly. "You can PLAY with it?"

"Ehm." Slightly taken aback by this sudden enthusiasm, Kaya nodded while carefully pulling away. "Sure. You can do lots with it: sledding, skiing, building snowmen and other things, and-"

"You can BUILD with it?!" Taezan was in awe by this revelation; building materials were literally falling from the sky?! This was beyond anything he had heard. Earth really was an amazing place!

"Yeah?" Kaya agreed. "You... You really haven't seen it before?"

"What are we waiting for!?" Ignoring her question, Taezan instead turned for the exit. "Let's go outside!"

Taezan ran like his life depended on it, and didn't stop until his feet were buried in the magical dust. It took him a few seconds before the cold feeling registered in his brain, but when it did, he immediately turned back and sprinted all the way back inside. "That was cold!"

"It's frozen water..." Kaya had watched the incident, and was now shaking her head. "And you ran out without shoes. How could it not be cold."

Crouching down, he scooped up a handful, studying it closely. Poking out his tongue, he tasted it, and was surprised when it vanished at the touch. "It's tasteless."

"Water usually is." Kaya chuckled. "Do you want to build a snowman?"

"A snowman?"

"Snowmouse, I guess, or a snow-...ehm... you."

"A snow-me?" Taezan's lips formed in an 'o'. Was she talking about cloning him? A water clone? How would that even work? And would that even be efficient? Probably not, but right now, that didn't matter. "I want a copy of me, please."

"Copy? Ah, okay, but don't think I'm making it for you." Kaya rolled her eyes before putting on a scarf and mittens. "I have my own plans for a castle."

A castle? That sounded ambiguous, and especially to make alone. But, Kaya looked determined, so Taezan didn't tell her that. Instead, he followed her, and as she sat down, he did the same.

"This is my spot." She sighed, gently pushing him away. "You go over there."

And so he did, and as they started to build, Taezan realized with more than a little disappointed that all they were doing was molding the 'snow' into shapes. Not only so, but even after learning this, he was still unable to make the pile in front of him look like anything but... well, a pile.

Feeling defeated, he joined the others when they headed inside for lunch. However, his mood lifted considerably as he was met with a small bonfire by the entrance, and was handed something delicious smelling.

"What is this?" He asked, carefully sipping at the bowl in his hands.

"Hot chocolate!" Alex exclaimed. "They put shreds of chocolate with warm milk. Isn't it delicious?"

"It is!" Taezan agreed. The taste exploded in his mouth, and he could feel the warm liquid travel into his stomach. "I like how it makes me feel."

Taezan looked between the mice. They all looked so happy, sitting and standing, everyone enjoying their beverage. He smiled, but the smile fell as his eyes landed on the chef. Stirring in the pot in front of him, Sado's eyes were distant as they looked out the window. He didn't look happy, like the others, but rather... Nervous?