Submission (#4556) Approved

Adventures are best had when in the company of someone you could share fond memories with. However, finding a friend that didn’t mind being dragged around to different regions of Eyre just for the sake of checking off boxes of places they’ve visited was unfortunately hard to come by. More so when the destination was none other than Strynhalde.

Northeast of Ealei was a region layered in ice and snow, where elder trees grew so tall they touched the clouds and the leaves on trees turned to crystals. Esper had only heard stories of this winter wonderland and had promised herself to someday see these wondrous sights with her own eyes.

On more than one occasion she had all but begged Niya and Evarius to join her on this expedition but both were content to stay in Palu’Au Islands where the sands on the beach was warm and the water was inviting. Although, they did offer to at least travel with her part way to Ealei which Esper was grateful for but didn’t quite satiate her need to have someone actually go to Strynhalde with her.

A few other friends had been asked and most said something to the effect of, “I don’t like being cold, sorry.” or “I don’t want to travel that far from home.” While both were valid reasons, it started to get discouraging to hear.

But then Loken came along and without being ambushed by her insistent badgering, he offered. Apparently, word got around and with his thicker leg fluff, he wasn’t shy about running around in colder temperatures.

Niya and Evarius joined them part way, as promised before the small group split up in Skyhaven. The two warm climate loving kittoms intended to stay for a couple of weeks and wait for their return as Esper and Loken traveled directly North into Skolvigaard.

The drop in temperature was rapid as the clear turquoise waters around Ealei got colder, and the seas turned to slush. Large chunks of broken slabs of ice floated around the Strynhalde shores, jagged and treacherous but easily maneuvered by seasoned adventures and locals who guided them to their first destination.

To go from sand to snow was quite a shock to the system, but Esper was undeterred and Loken was happy to tag along when she made a swift beeline out of the city into the frozen forest to the east. Everything, including the sky, was various shades of blues and whites where the tops of trees could have been mistaken for low hanging clouds.

Esper came to an abrupt stop at the top of a hill that overlooked an open valley with what appeared to be a small frozen lake. “It’s beautiful,” she commented when Loken got close, her voice strained as she tried to get her breathing back under control after such a sprint.

Between the two of them, small puffs of white air appeared and disappeared just as quickly while they spared a moment to take in the splendor of what Strynhalde had to offer.

“It’s not as colorful here as it is back home, but it’s peaceful here.” At least when two kittoms weren’t running amok, racing between trees without much care for any wildlife that might be hibernating.

“It really is,” Esper agreed. “Do you think we could make it all the way to Idrumund?” A city where there would be a place to sleep comfortably and get warm after being outside for so long.

It was then that Nova, her pomu, appeared from her shadow. Golden eyes that matched her own looked up sternly as her little companion raised its arms into an ‘x’ over its head.

“I don’t think it would be wise to try. The sun will be setting soon and we don’t want to get lost out here.” Loken cautioned, clearly siding with Nova on this one.

The chubby familiar nodded its head like a stern parent and crossed its arms in front of it as if it were in some way expecting Esper to put up a fight and insist they try anyway. But, to its genuine surprise, she reluctantly conceded with a deep sigh. “I suppose…”

Loken and Nova glanced at each other for a long moment as a wordless conversation passed between them. “You know,” Loken moved to stand in front of Esper. “There’s still enough time to build a snowman or maybe go check out the lake,” he offered with a cheeky grin.

This seemed to work as the inner fire in her eyes seemed to glow a bit more brightly. “Yeah!” she exclaimed with an excited jump “There’s still time, we could even race ove-” Esper had taken no more than five steps before her paws slipped out from under and she found herself sliding down the hill suddenly.

A startled scream escaped her when she hit a bump and went sailing through the air and sent her paws overhead in a rapid summersault that saw soft snow cling to her fir and build until she was cocooned in a ball that continued to grow in size the further it traveled down the hill.

“ESPER!” Loken shouted as both he, and Nova, tried to run after her. Neither made it far before he too tripped in his pursuit and found himself in a similar situation while dragging her pomu along with him.

Both of their startled cries were silenced by the snow surrounding them.

As the hillside plateaued at the bottom the snowball, now twice the size of kittom, rolled to a stop but Esper was still stuck inside, dizzy beyond all reason and not sure which way was up or down at least until the snowball Loken and Nova was in collided with her own. Like a toy egg, both oddly shaped balls split down the middle setting the three of them free.

Loken shook his head, sending a spray of snowflakes in all directions,“Esper?” he asked cautiously when he spotted her dark pink form laying motionless only a couple of feet away.

“I’m here…” she replied, sounding obviously queasy. After rolling over, she blinked several times before looking past her friend at the hill they just rolled down, at the groves they had left in the wake of a single misstep. Esper then turned her head to see how close they now where to the lake. “That was quite the ride.”

Exhilarated yet the fear of being trapped still lingered.

There was a long pause of silence before either of them noticed Nova’s flailing and realized her familiar was stuck upside down.

Esper drew in a gasp and jumped up quickly and dug her friend out, “Nova!” The little pomu, once it was sitting upright again, looked up at her with a stern disapproving look. It’s lips pursed into a thin line with arms crossed in front of it.

She should have felt guilty for what had happened, but rather than apologize, a smile crept across Epser’s face and that too grew into a burst of laughter. “I’m sorry, it’s just-” Nova swung its arms sending a flurry of snowflakes into the air at both kittoms.

“Hey now!” Loken returned the favor, however, because he was a bit larger than the pomu, the shower of snow he sent nearly buried her familiar.

A fit of laughter erupted at the base and lasted into the next hour as the three of them continued kicking snow at each other until exhaustion demanded they return to Skolvigaard for some much needed rest after expending so much energy.