Closed Do You Wanna Build a Snow... Fox?

[Zach Grasswind]

75, Winter, 519

"Speech"

Zach had spent the morning sorting his pack and restocking any supplies he was running low on. The winter season had been long and hard on the hunters, and as it was now creeping slowly toward a close he had decided to take the opportunity to break from venturing out and tend to his equipment. Everything had been laid out and cleaned, counted and fixed up where needed and then neatly returned either to his pack or storage in his rooms. His inventory had shown he was running a little low on a few essentials, and so he had bundled up against the cold and ventured out into the city.

It was as he was returning to the Solar Wind Apartments that he passed through the Surya Plaza, the ice skating rink now but a memory, replaced with mounds of snow and citizens artfully modelling said mounds into shapes. Zach slowed his steps as he passed, watching curiously as a pair of children hefted an almost round ball of snow on top of another one. A little past them, a similar creation was taking shape, this one made out of three spheres little stones pushed into the top one to imitate a smiling face.

They were making people out of snow! What a curious idea. Zach swept his gaze across the Plaza to see citizens of all ages creating their own snow-people, though some appeared to be ignoring what the Drykas assumed to be the traditional stacking of snow spheres to make other things. He saw one that he thought resembled an Okomo, though he couldn’t be entirely certain. He shifted the items he was carrying in his arms before continuing on back to the apartments, an idea forming in his mind.

Once everything had been sorted and packed away, Zach headed back outside to find snow had started falling again. He turned his collar up for a little more warmth, and then set off in the direction of the Infinity Manor. Amelie had been pestering him to take her out every time he had visited recently, and the fun currently happening at the Plaza seemed like something the little fox would enjoy.

It didn’t take him long to reach the Manor, the route familiar to him now and the gate swung open to let him in before he had a chance to touch it. He still didn’t understand the strange building, but he did know that it somehow knew who was around. Not that he had been told as such, but his experiences here could lead to no other explanation.

Zach crunched his way through the snow to the door, but movement off to the right caught his eye. Squinting into the bright white expanse of snow, he smiled and stopped walking to call out at what he could see.
“Amelie! Come over here little fox!” He grinned at the child as she drew near. “How would you like to come out and build a snow person with me this afternoon?” Zach knew of course that she would want to - the Kelvic never seemed to be still, always wanted to be doing something.
“Go tell your mum and get your warmest coat okay.” He would shove his hands into his pockets and wait for her to reappear, and then proceed to head back out into the city with her in tow and make the short walk to the Plaza.

[Amelie Craven]

Amelie Craven

Amelie had been wandering the snow coated yard for the majority of the day in search of a single coin she'd dropped the day before. The task had been made infinitely more difficult by the snowfall which had covered the entirety of the lawn in a sheet of beautiful white snow, concealing her objective from view. It was the one bad thing about an otherwise perfect thing. It hasn't taken long for the young kelvic to realise that she loved snow. Whether it was because of the way it turned everything to a pretty white, or because her fox form seemed to be made for the cold, or simply because she enjoyed trudging through it and watching the footprints she created, Amelie wasn't sure, but she knew that she absolutely loved it.

She'd chosen to search in her fast growing human form today, dressed in a thick warm white dress with equally thick and warm gloves, boots and stockings, the sapphire and diamond star pendant always hanging from her little neck. While her fox form was certainly better suited to the cold, her human form provided her a better point of view of the yard and therefore a better chance at spotting the elusive coin. If not for the snow, she may have been able to use her fox nose to search for the faint scent of the missing coin but alas, the snow was very good at hiding smells too.

All around the yard, one could see the evidence of Amelie's search, trails and tracks and pathways of disrupted snow spread out in every direction, none of them bringing her any closer to her goal. In fact, the young kelvic was just beginning to consider giving up due to boredom when the familiar sound of the front gate swinging open caught her attention.

Bright blue eyes widened in surprise as an equally bright smile spread across Amelie's features as she laid eyes on the visitor. "Uncle Zach!" Amelie broke into a full sprint across the yard towards the familiar man, meeting him at the front door with arms spread wide in anticipation of a hug. Zach had been someone she'd seen a lot of the psst season and he often brought sweets or some sort of surprise.

Zach asked her if she wanted to build a 'snow person', not that she knew what that was… but if Uncle Zach was suggesting it, it must have been fun. In response she nodded enthusiastically before darting into the house with no regard for Finity and it's hatred of people tracking snow inside. Her ears picked up the groaning of wood as she left a trail of wet and snow all the way up the stairs, returning less than half a chime later with a thick royal blue coat in hand.

As always, the young Craven descends the stairs swiftly, skipping the last step and landing with a loud stomp before darting back outside and smiling up at her uncle excitedly. "She said to be safe and keep warm!" she commented, while struggling to get her second arm through the sleeve of her coat.

[Zach Grasswind]

"Speech"

Zach crouched and held his arms out wide as the small child raced across the snowy lawn and practically launched herself at him. He squeezed her tight, smiling over the top of her white-blonde head. The hunter had grown increasingly fond of the young Kelvic over the past season, her headstrong personality reminding him of his younger sister that he had left behind in Endrykas all those years ago.

He let her go and watched as Amelie bounded up the front steps and into the Manor before standing again. He eyed the house for a while, and he could almost feel the building watching him back. He always had the feeling that the Infinity Manor was more than what it appeared, though it was entirely possible that it was simply to do with its mistress’s line of work.

Soon enough Amelie was back, leaping down the steps with her infinite energy. Zach chuckled as he watched her struggle into her coat, moving over to untuck the collar and straighten the unruly sleeve for her. He then held out his hand for her to take – the Peaks were busy at the moment and there was no way he was going to lose her in the crowds.

The pair of them meandered to the Surya Plaza, large fluffy flakes of snow drifting lazily around them. “How do you like the snow Am?” He knew that she must enjoy it, more so than most of the city. After all, her Kelvic form was made for the snow. “It’s perfect for you, right little fox?” He grinned and winked at her. One day perhaps, he would take her up to the mountains where the other Misty Foxes lived so she could see them for herself. For now though, he was glad that the snows had come here for her.

It didn’t take them long to reach the Plaza and they were greeted by the sight of dozens and dozens of snow people being created. They were of all shapes and sizes, one or two almost as tall as the Drykas was, and others still that were very obviously not meant to be people at all. Zach ran his gaze over the area, spotting somewhere with enough space to build whatever Amelie fancied. He led her over and then crouched to face her.

“Right, what would you like to make?” He gestured round the Plaza at the various creations. “It can be anything you want.” Zach watched a couple next to them as they created one of the traditional people dotted about the place. They were building spheres of snow in varying sizes, presumably to stack atop each other. The hunter hoped that Amelie wouldn’t want to make anything too complicated – creativity was most definitely not his strong point.

[Amelie Craven]

Amelie Craven

Grateful for Uncle Zach's help with her disobedient clothing, something her fox form didn't need to concern itself with, Amelie placed her small hand in the man's amd happy followed along. It was always exciting to venture out, not that she didn't love Finity, but there was always so much more to see around Lhavit. She was excited, the city was even more beautiful now that it was covered in a blanket of white snow, every peak, building and street looked completely different and wonderful, so much so that Amelie's crystal blue eyes remained bright and wide for the majority of their walk.

It wasn't until Uncle Zach spoke that Amelie snapped out of her stupor and her vision focused on the tanned man beside her. "I love it! It is perfect! It's pretty and soft and I'm very good at hide and seek when I'm a fox." She paused for a moment, pondering something for a moment before speaking up once again. "Did you like the snow when you were a kid too, Uncle Zach?" Realising that grown ups were once kids too was something that the young kelvic had been giving a lot of thought lately.

Once the Plaza came into view, Amelie immediately perked right back up, practically bouncing with excitement at the vast array of snow… thingies being built by the other people. Big ones, small ones, fat ones and funny ones… it seemed there was no limit to how unique they could be.

By the time Uncle Zach had kneeled down to ask her what she wanted hers to look like, the kelvic had long since decided. "A fox!" she practically sang the moment the question had been offered. "A big one!" As the little girl bounced up and down with excitement, it became clear that she was completely set on her decision.