~ Chromatober 2024 ~

Day 17: Knowledge/Ice

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Series: LOTB

AU: Snowfire

Characters: Aether, (Aether's Creation :D)

Angst level: Fluff :3 (NO IT IS NOT A SHIP.)

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The cold never seemed to bother me like most would. Instead of the cold being bitter and biting through my fur, it was inviting. The cold wind that made others shiver instead beckoned me to follow it. To leap and pounce and play. The snow never made me feel miserable. It was soft and gentle to my paws.

Yet Ice? Ice was my favorite.

It shimmered and shined in beautiful, brilliant fractals. Some rose from the ground in giant, twisting spirals, while others hung from the boughs of trees. It covered the lakes, making for a fun time slipping and sliding around. My claws always sounded so nice, clacking against ice. Anything else just never sounded so clear.

However... Sometimes... I felt lonely. Despite having so much enjoyment from the ice and snow and wind, it always felt like something was missing. Like I should have someone else there for my running through the trees, pouncing in the snow, and sliding on the ice.

Given... Cinder did visit semi-frequently. But she never lingered for long. What I needed... was a companion. Perhaps... someone similar to me. Yes. That's it! A fellow fox!

I gently close my eyes, then feel an odd sensation through my fur. It makes me shiver. Yet with my snout tilted towards the sky, I let the feeling out into the air. I imagine someone... someone like me. A friend. A companion. Someone without the marking on my forehead. Her fur just as shimmering and shining as mine. Her eyes should be a pale blue, to contrast mine. Her name... Her name should be...

No. Not yet. I want her to choose her name. It should be her choice. She should know it herself, like how I knew mine. I shouldn't choose it for her.

A soft tinkling greets my ears and when I open my eyes, I see her. Her eyes a pale blue. Her fur shifting and shimmering as she turns her head to look at me. Just like how I wished... her forehead was free from the mark I bore upon mine.

No voice came from her. No sound, besides the tinkling. Yet It didn't bother me a bit. I enjoyed the silence. She tilts her head at me, seeming to study me. With no inclination to move, I allow her to get close to me. She steps forward, her head still tilted, before she slowly steps around me, a soft sniffing coming from her. It was as if in this moment, I was a book, filled with ancient knowledge that she sought to learn. After a moment, I feel her against my side. She was fully leaned against me, but then leaned her head across my neck.

A hug. She sought a hug from me.

I suppose she truly did become my companion in this moment.