“Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat.”

She read. The sentence itself had a deep meaning to it and it was one of the most powerful quotes she had ever seen. Snow closed the book once she was done and stared out at the window of a coffee shop, watching people pass by. There was nothing interesting about them, yet she continued to observe the people, in hope that something might attract her attention. The young Vulpix slept quietly on her lap, cuddled up against her abdomen and even let out a snore. Snow brushed her silk-like fur through her fingers gently, so as not to wake her up.

The aroma of coffee and bread lingered in the air and the tunes that played from the speakers hung up against the walls filled the room with a relaxing atmosphere. She loved the café; the wooden tables placed around the room, the beige walls and decorative art that were adorned in the store. Due to her countless appearance at the café, the employees have already figured out when Snow would visit the shop and what she would order for the day. The coffee was brewed exactly how she preferred. Without milk or sugar, her cup of cappuccino would be beyond unpleasant. As she took a sip, the bitterness of the caffeine lingered on her tongue as foam began to collect around the cupid’s bow of her lips. With a quick lick, she tasted it and it dissolved in her mouth as fast as it could.

”We have a new item on the menu today. Since you’re one of our regulars, please consider this as a treat.” The young employee flashed a smile at her, her eyes wrinkling at the corners before placing a plate of chocolate macaroons in front of her. Snow examined it for a brief moment and took a small bite of it. The sweetness of the chocolate ganache exploded within her mouth. A slight colour rose to her cheeks and from the look of her face, it was apparent that she loved the new dessert. The little crumbs would fall back onto the plate as she finished her lovely snack.

The clouds had began to darken and the yellow orb now seemed to be hidden behind the gloomy clouds that covered the vast sky. From the heavens above rained tiny drops of snow upon the city and the people would briefly cease in their tracks to stare up at the sky, acknowledging the fact that it had begun snowing once again. Snow was not aware of how long she had been lost in her thoughts but once her mind returned to the reality, the paved roads were already hidden underneath the thick blanket of white, footsteps and paw prints crisscrossed each other around the labyrinth of paths.

Vulpix was finally awoke and Snow would lightly scratch behind her ears as a greeting. ”Did you sleep good?” the girl asked, a small smile casting upon her lips. Snow was not one to smile frequently but somehow with Vul, she was a different person. Snow remembered the first time she met her, in the middle of the forest, the floor covered with snow. Under the harsh weather, Vulpix was either stranded by someone or it was possible that she got lost wandering on her own. Nevertheless, Snow did not hesitate to take the poor soul under her protection.

The two had bonded so well ever since then and could also be known as best friend. For Snow, the concept of a best friend was something she did not know of. People treated her as if she was an outcast and refused to engage into any sort of conversation with her due to her cold nature. Her attitude came off as arrogance to most people which was why she was disliked by children as well. The girl had always been curious about what it’s like to have a friend; what kinds of things they would talk about and the sorts of fun activities to perform together.

Vul nuzzled into her stomach and beamed up at her, indicating that she did have a good rest on her lap. Her companion barely spoke and in fact, Snow, herself has not even heard at least 10 words from Vul. She got up from her seat as her companion hopped off her lap and pulled her coat that rested on the chair. Reaching a few jewels from the pocket of her coat, she placed it on the counter with a decent tip. ”If you have any more new items on the menu, do tell me.” With that, Snow left the café with Vul trailing alongside her.

The moment she opened the door, the gust of frigid wind blasted at her face and felt the gentle touch of the flakes on her face, melting as they touched her skin. Intricate patterns of ice floated weightlessly downward from the pure white sky above, each flake swirling and dancing as an icy wind carried it across the town. The girl stood in front of the door and inhaled the crisp, cool air. Oh, how much she adored the snow.

Breath pale against the numbing air, she blinked as the frost patiently kissed her face, captivated by the soft, dusty illusions of light that sat heavy on her eyelashes. Snow trudged through the thick blanket of snow and every step she took, her heels would sank into the snow an inch deep and as she lifted her leg up, she would leave a trails of footprints behind her. Beside hers were tiny paw prints stamped into the snow more frequently than Snow’s. The streets had started to get less crowded by each second until silence reigned supreme within the area.

Frosty eyes scanned over the board pinned up with sheets of paper which had all the information about the quests of the town. The mission-board itself was covered with snow and tiny icicles remained stuck on the papers. There weren’t much interesting ones, for most of them were completed by the mages. She ripped out one that attracted her attention although it required her to meet the client at the headquarters.

The guards, aware of who she was, permitted her to enter without asking any questions unlike the previous time when she visited to the same place regarding the quest about the undead. The girl would patiently ask the nearby knights if they knew where her client was located. Soon, she found herself standing in front of a door with the name ’Daragast’ engraved on a small wooden piece. Snow rapped on the door before allowing herself to enter the room and was immediately greeted by the appearance of a dragon-like creature.

Snow did not seem surprise by the strange appearance, rather she was more curious about him. She had not once seen a creature so similar to that of a dragon but only read it in books. ”How may I help you?” He enquired the moment the door was closed behind her. Her appearance wasn’t the best; the black coat was wet from the snow and her unkempt hair had icy flakes tangled among the strands. She fetched the quest paper from her pocket and began, ”I’d like to know more about the quest.”
”Oh, right.” He clasped his hands, his voice much deeper than she had expected from a rather small creature.

Snow would sit on a couch right across his table upon his request to be seated. He began, ”There is a wolf that is roaming about in town. The victims claimed that it is rather aggressive and is also possible that he might harm the residents in the future. I heard that he used to have an owner but it appeared that he escaped.” The creature paused briefly and took a sharp intake of breath. ”I’d like it if you could kill the wolf to stop its actions.”

The blue haired mage considered for a moment before directing a question towards him. ”Any hints on how he looks like?”
”According to the victims, he’s around one meter tall and twice in length. Also, it still has a chain around his neck.”

The youth nodded, content with the information that she received from Daragast and prepared to leave. ”I’ll wait at the gates.” With that, she closed the door with Vulpix trailing behind her. Snow picked her up in her arms as the two of them proceeded to begin with the quest.

The weather grew colder as the day draws close to an end, the sky darkening by a couple of shades. Above her was the moon, high in the sky, giving off the only light apart from the lamp posts that were lined up along the pavement. The streets were entirely covered with snow, inches deeper than before. If Vulpix was to walk, she would be easily buried underneath it. The wind howled, piling up snow in drifts, blinding the night with ice-white dust. She treaded, her arms protecting her eyes as she pushed through the harsh gales that blew across the land.

On the freshly lain snow was droplets of blood; bright scarlet on the whitened scene before her that created a path into a small alley behind the buildings. Snow froze in her steps, her eyes drifting off towards the direction of the alley and almost broke into a run. Patches of snow crunched beneath her boots and her breath steamed before her like a banner. A soft gnarl broke the silence around the area and all she could see was a body laying lifelessly in front of her, its body parts already eaten by the wolf. His mouth was hung open, as if he had called for help as his life blood flowed out in slow pulses, each weaker than the one before.

A pair of red eyes gazed up towards her, its canine teeth shining brightly under the moonlight as blood and saliva dripped out from its mouth. ”This must be the one”, whispered the girl. Vulpix hopped from her arms and gnarled back at the wolf. Despite her size, Vul was a rather strong creature and in fact, even more capable than Snow herself. Her arms dropped to her sides and peered down at the wolf through thick, dark lashes. The structure of the wolf was well-built and the muscles in his limbs did not prove her wrong.

Snow slowly retreated from her steps and the wolf would emerge from the shadows of the alley. It appeared to her that the wolf was on guard as well, although he seemed to be rather distracted by the scent of the blood from the food he was just devouring. Using it as an advantage, Snow was the one to begin an attack. ”Vul!” She exclaimed, yelling over the howling of the zephyrs that overwhelmed her voice.

Her companion nodded and opened her mouth as she began to charge up a surge of cold air before it shot outwards as a gale of icy wind. Snow protected herself with her arms to prevent herself from being thrown away and she could feel her sapphire hair blowing wildly in all directions. Her coat fluttered behind her as she peeked from the gap between her arms to inspect the situation before her. The wolf took a direct hit from the spell and was at least blown away a meter back, which apparently seemed to have ticked him off seeing how the wolf growled underneath his breath.

Angry, the chained wolf leaped towards her and much to her surprise, the animal was way faster than she had expected. Before she could have any time to react, the wolf was already on her, pinning her down on the ground with its strength while Snow struggled underneath the weight. She crossed her arms in front of her face so as not to get her face harmed. The ferocious wolf sank its sharp teeth into her arms and a yelp would escape her lips. Meanwhile, Vul charged and knocked the wolf off Snow’s body.

Blood cascaded down her arms and formed tiny droplets of scarlet that spread onto the pure, white snow underneath her. With shaking hands, the girl stroked the fur of her companion beside her as a gesture of gratitude for saving her life. Snow pushed herself back on her feet and immediately collected the wind around her feet. It would enhance her speed, not as much as the wolf but fast enough to at least surprise him.

The wind mage dashed forward and at the same time, the wind would become concentrated in her palms, forming two daggers. They did not look anything similar to the metal ones but hers were transparent as if they were made of glass. They reflected under the bright silver moon before she threw one of them at the wolf’s limbs. It would at least bring him down for a mere second and Snow finished the attack with a strike at his neck. The creature dropped onto the snow and blood began to pool around his lifeless body.

A sigh escaped her lips – out of relief that the fight was finally over and it was the first time she had ever attacked a living being. It felt strangely weird although she quickly pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind and proceeded to finish off the mission. Dragging the wolf behind her, Snow and her companion would walk to the gates of Era, leaving a trail of blood behind.


Snow's Mana Pool: 710/760
Vulpix's Mana Pool: 150/200

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