Before Winter, before Primoria

II - The fire murdered

Whi'lar couldn't take his eyes off from the black dust that stained the snow, it had the form of a Las'tar, a long-tailed creature that could breath fire and melt the snow of a whole mountain.

When Whi'lar saw the silhouette in the ground as he was walking toward the meeting with others of his species, the Winters, he couldn't help it but stop, the form of dust in the ground could only mean something:

Someone had murdered a Las'tar.

But it made so little sense, beginning with the fact that the Las'tar barely visited the southern region, and when they did, it didn't went unnoticed: one could easily appreciate the burnt trees, or the melted snow when it was the Cold season.

"Whi'lar!" He heard someone shouting. He wanted to turn his back and answer, he just wanted to look away from the crime scene, but he couldn't, he just stayed there, as footsteps approached.

"Aren't you co-", he turned this time and saw Li'han standing by his side. She was a Winter like himself, with a delicate and almost white face, a pair of solid blue eyes, a pair of long arms, ended in claws, covered by a light blue tunic made of the essencial fabric of the universe. "What happened?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out" he answered, showing his little pointy teeth.

"We must warn the elders." She said, walking toward the dust, "things like these don't happen for no reason."

Whi'lar nodded, and they both headed to the cave where the other Winters were having the meeting.

❄❅❆

"That's why our kingdom is called Winter? Because of them?" Asked little Aaliyah.

They were still outside the palace, inside, lights had gone out, and the pair was now surrounded by a cold silence, occasionally broken by the sound of distant footsteps, or the wispers of the Winterians inside their cottages.

"Yes and no," answered Meir, "first, the cold season was named, and then the kingdom."

"But why? They didn't look like us!"

Meir chuckled. "Wait, little Winterian, be patient. There is still much to hear." Aaliyah smiled lightly and looked at Meir, expecting him to continue.