Frostpaw

Chapter 1 - Routine

Sometimes, Zèon remembered those afternoons he had spent with his Alchemy teacher, long ago, in one of the towers of his palace. It snowed softly outside and the blue eyes of the little arctic fox got easily lost in the pictures that the snowflakes drew in the grey sky. Meanwhile, his master was writing down some incomprehensible formula on the blackboard, before turning to him. The old fox used to stroke his beard with a paw as he gave him a thoughtful glance and then recited those words that the young kit remembered as clearly as if they were a mantra. 

"You'll see, *********; the problem of the world is that it's constantly changing," he used to explain, with that worn voice that seemed like the rustling of an old scroll. "You can't trust anything. The reasons and the patrons of things never stop changing, guided by the necessity of a world that has no logic. But that's the key, you know? The chaotic movement of everything is the origin of life and also its demise." And here, he always made a pause, piercing him with a gaze painfully full of reality. "So never trust the world. Even if it wanted to, it would never be able to keep its word. And never forget who you are.

>>That's the only thing life can't take from you."

That morning wasn't different from any other.

Zèon opened his eyes little before the alarm of the building started ringing loudly, an annoying shrill sound that some time ago he had been forced to get used to. Almost as if he could see through the walls, the arctic fox perceived how all the others woke up one after the another, in their own bedrooms. The beds creaked after a night of a deep sleep which, however, was not very restful; a dreamless night, full of uncertainty. In a few more minutes, the sound of hind paws walking towards the showers and the bland conversations that woke people up would become too loud to ignore. Zèon would have to follow them. It was always like that. There was no possible objection.

At least, it didn't take him long to be on the alert once he woke up. It didn't take much for Luca either. Zèon could see that, at the other side of the bedroom, the wolf had stood up and walked towards the door. They glanced at each other with an understanding look, as they always did, but that was as close to a conversation they had. As soon as the grey tail of Luca disappeared behind the room's door, Zèon crawled to the edge of the berth and leaned out, holding on to the rail so he would not fall.

"Hello, Koi," he said, softly.

His eyes were fixed upon a little shape that stood right on the other side of the bed. It was covered by sheets, but seemed to breathe slightly judging by the slow movement of its body. As soon as it heard its name it started moving, too wrapped in the blankets to react faster. But Zèon waited, patiently, until a little muzzle as white as his appeared between the creases.

"Good morning, Zèon," answered a soft and sweet voice; the voice of a child. "Have you slept well? What time is it?"

"Time to wake up," the arctic fox replied, as if that was enough.

"I guessed it," the other voice murmured, thoughtful. "It's always time to wake up when we open our eyes. How punctual we must be!"

Comments like that got to draw a little smile in Zèon's muzzle, what was not a little thing given the circumstances. However, that display of weakness only took place when they both were alone. Zèon wasn't willing to allow the other ones to know that there was someone who could make him smile. Besides, he doubted that he dared to do it publicly.