Footprints In The Snow

I. Welcome to the Mountains

:|| Posted above: Terra Nix lies in a small dip in the earth. The houses are in the middle of a ring of the trading market and few small businesses, with a couple guard towers lining the village. ||:

It's been two years since I lost him.

My soulmate.

Peter.

I sprint through the forest, hunting down the large stag I had seen earlier. Hunting is a stress relieving activity for me. It takes my mind off of the bad things.

Like losing him.

Now, I know that that tragedy was over two years ago, but that was literally the worst thing that has ever happened to me. And things like that are hard to forget.

I stop and crouch behind a bush, readying my bow. The stag stands a little ways away, sipping a puddle of melted snow; the weather had warmed up a lot in the past two days. I hope it isn't global warming or something like that.

Suddenly, a rustling behind me alerts the deer. Panicked, I release the bowstring, but the deer has already sprinted away into the undergrowth.

Frustration rips through me as I spin around.
My brother Zeke stands a few feet away, his dark skin standing out against the pale bark of the trees.

"Ezekiel!" I yell, picking up a nearby twig and hurling it at his face. "I had that one! It could've fed you, mom, and I for a week!"

Zeke shrugs. "Well, you know, I'm a growing man, so it would probably last a couple days."

"Oh shut up!" I scold, lightly whacking his side with my bow. "It was food!"

"Sorry, sis." Zeke turns around and begins walking towards our village.

I sigh; even though Zeke is barely a year older than me, I still feel like I have to babysit him to make sure he stays out of trouble. I mean, I guess that was the case for every male in our small village—they all need a female chaperone to keep them out of trouble.

After slinging my bow over my back, I trudge after Zeke, brushing my dark hair off of my sweaty forehead.

Ten minutes pass before I finally break through the ring of trees encircling our village, Terra Nix, which means 'snow lands.' I guess that's fitting considering it is always white here. Snow covers the ground, the trees, the roofs of the small wood-and-stone buildings in the village . . . Yeah, it's always winter here.

Terra Nix lies in a small dip in the earth. The houses are in the middle of a ring of the trading market and few small businesses, with a couple guard towers lining the village.

I spot my best friend, Kaia, giving a basket of bread to a elderly couple. The man gives her a few golden coins and Kaia shoves the money into a bag.

"Kaia!" I call, jogging over to the bakery. The tan-skinned girl flashes me a white smile and waves at me as I reach her side.

"How was hunting?" she asks, returning her gaze to a bowl of dough.

I sigh and take my bow off my shoulders, leaning it against the wall. "I had a really big stag in sight, and almost caught it, but . . ."

Kaia raises a perfect eyebrow at me. "Your idiot brother ruined things again?"

"If Ezekiel ever gets a girlfriend, I will be more shocked than I would be if the snow melted," I sigh.

Kaia and I both chuckle.

"Azari, get your butt off that counter!"

I look over my shoulder and see Kaia's mom, Ivanna, glaring at me.