Winter Sound

Chapter 4: Welcome Home

It just so happened that Winter was sent on a reconnaissance mission by his Russian master, Vasily Karpov, about two or three months since the last time he had seen Anya. What this meant was that Winter would be sent to survey his target and learn their life patterns and daily habits before he would await for further instructions. Given civilian clothes, weapons with plenty of ammunition, and a few ruples, Winter made his way out into the field with a communication device as he walked the long distance to Anya's home. Since Anya lived not far from town and was close in proximity to the target but was also hidden from many people in an isolated cottage in the woods, Winter chose her house as the place where he would reside for the three-week-long mission.

In the meanwhile, Anya was cleaning up around her house, dusting, sweeping, and scrubbing every nook and cranny as she finally decided to call it a day and put away her cleaning supplies. Once she was finally able to take a breather, the young redhead sat down on her couch as she wiped away her sweat with her dress sleeves and apron before she decided to head upstairs to her bathroom to take a bath. Grabbing up a small change of clothes and a few towels, Anya entered her metal tub as she grabbed the bar of soap to cover her hair and body with suds as well. Lathering her crimson tresses and even her body, Anya massaged every piece of hair and skin she could sense on her person before she held her breath and dove under the water to rid herself of the white foam. Once she was finished, down the drain the ivory bubbles went as Anya pulled the plug.

Once she was done with her bath, Anya wiped down her dripping body with the towel before she shook out her hair with the towel. Once she was finished drying off herself, Anya made sure the bathroom floor was dry too before she changed into her clothes, combed out her hair to prevent tangles as she ran her hands through it to find no snags, turned off the bathroom light, and came out of her bathroom. Then, Anya made sure that the towels were washed and then hanging in front of the warmth of the fire to dry before she sat down for a moment on the dark brown couch with her domesticated red fox, Vixie. Petting the fur of her animal companion, Anya decided to try and relax in her home by the warm fire until she heard a sudden knock at her door.

Snapping her eyes towards the source of the sound, Anya reached for the handgun that she had secured under her coffee table as she tip-toed towards the door while the knocks continued to pound as if a gargantuan tree was ramming the door. Hiding behind the wall, Anya cocked her gun as she prepared to fire at anyone who dared to break down her door and intrude on her peace and quiet until she heard a Russian phrase uttered from outside the door, "Anya, Это я (it's me), Winter."

At once, Anya started to become skeptical as she replayed the words and sound of the male voice as she tried to determine if it was truly her friend or not. Listening to the voice again, Anya could hear them from the outside as they repeated, "Anya, Это я, Winter. пожалуйста, откройте дверь (Please open the door)." At that moment, Anya knew that this was indeed her friend since aura could not be replicated in an illusion that was either man-made or otherworldly. And at once, Anya could sense the troubled thoughts and distinct aura of her friend as she recognized him before she put the gun back under her table and unlocked the door.

Once he was admitted into the house, Wintee quickly entered as Anya shut and bolted the wooden contraption behind her. Then, Anya greeted her friend as she smiled, "Welcome back, Winter. It's nice to have you back."

"Good to be back, Anya..." Winter responded in a low tone and a curt nod before he and Anya stared upon one another. Then, laughing into her knuckles at all the snow that seemed to catch on Winter's ebony eyelashes and almost-raven hair, Anya grinned again at her beloved before the male sniper shook his head like a wet dog as the dark waves swung like deadly pendulums before he ran his right hand through his tresses to rid them of any freezing, ivory drops. Then, the red-haired dame made a suggestion as she held out her arms to gather up Winter's jacket, gloves, supply bag, and any of the other barriers that protected him from the cold as she asked him kindly to turn them over to her so she could hang them up to dry. Once her task was finished, Anya led Winter gently to the fireplace as she started to ask him questions, "So, how are you?"