Rue trudged through the forest, his body unprotected from the snow seeping through the branches overhead.
Not even a step behind him, an Ibex followed, it's white-fur blending in with the snow coating the forest floor.
On his shoulder, Shiny perched, his black button nose sniffing into the cold morning air. Detecting something, Shiny pointed his front paw into the trees.
As they walked, Rue couldn't help but think, his mind wandering to his sister. He highly doubted the information he gave her was accurate. He found it more likely she was one of those great generational talents Kiera talked about.
Since her awakening, Rue had been constantly on alert, regularly reminding her to be careful. Still, he knew one of these days she would slip up. She was only 8 years old; he didn't know what else to expect.
So, to prepare for the eventuality, he decided to practice his Soul Constructs against more dangerous foes.
Clearing a treeline, Rue's vision expanded into a meadow with a wide river running through the center.
Inside the meadow, near the river, a large shell lay. The shell resembled that of ice, transparent on the outside, turning opaque on the inside.
As Rue silently approached, he watched as the shell shifted. Turning 90 degrees, a leathery head popped out, its eyes squinting at Rue.
The turtle stared at Rue, examining him from top to bottom. Feeling the heat radiating from his body, the turtle, dressed in a shell of hardened ice, attacked.
Two icicles formed in the air above the turtle, firing at Rue.
Taking a moment to practice, Rue closed his eyes and summoned his snowflake construct.
Rapidly, snow wipped around his body, hiding it in a blizzard of snow.
As the icicles pierced into the blizzard, they were shredded apart. Each individual snowflake chipped away at the turtle's attacks. Dodging out of the way, Rue watched as the two weakened icicles faltered, shattering on the ground
Taking a deep breath through his nose, Rue felt his snow affinity. Playing around with it, he concluded the environment was boosting its performance. It was easier for him to gather more significant quantities of snow Aether and convert normal Aether to its snow counterpart.
Breathing out, Rue refocused on the turtle. Not giving up, the turtle decided to attack with something more devastating.
A boulder of ice revolved around the turtle's head, slowly growing in size, condensing, and then growing again.
After a few cycles, a ball of highly condensed ice menacingly hovered, the turtle emitting a final look of warning. Rue felt it was telling him to walk away before it was too late.
In response, Rue focused on his most proud Soul Construct.
Feeling its connection, Rue summoned two white shields from the ground. Their diameter was only 2 feet, but their speed was more than fast enough to make up for their small size.
Concluding that Rue wasn't going to retreat, the turtle released the ball of condensed ice.
Like a boulder flung from a catapult, the ice soared in an arch through the air.
Commanding one of his shields to intercept the attack, Rue braced for impact.
Colliding with his shield, the ball of ice pushed it back several feet, cracking the exterior.
But as the ice continued to push against the shield, Rue felt the strain rapidly vanish. The energy within the attack deteriorated, and the ice itself cracked and fell to pieces.
Only a few moments later, a pale gray glow emanated from the shield, severing the connection between the turtle and the attack.
The turtle's leathery head scowled, its eyes squinting at Rue, making sure it had seen everything correctly.
Rue waved his hand, his gaze determined. Summoning a flowing blade of snowflakes, Rue directed them at the turtle.
Detecting the incoming attack, the turtle retracted its head back into its shell.
Flying forward unimpeded, the river of razor sharp snowflakes flowed over the turtles shell. Creating a thin razor sharp edge. Commanding the river of snow to saw back and forth, it easily cleaved the shell, killing the turtle.
Taking a deep breath, Rue looked at the shell, now sliced in half, blue blood spilling from the cracks. Stepping towards the turtle, Rue grabbed a scale of the shell, stashing it in a sack hanging on his hip.
Turning to leave, he felt Shiny jump from his shoulder. Glancing behind him, he saw Shiny grab as many of the ice scales as possible, his tiny arms full of the glistening ice.
Walking back toward the bisected shell, Rue helped him collect the rest.
Staring at the little guy as he piled the last scale in Shiny's arms, Rue smirked, "I better be getting a friends and family discount from now on."
Shiny rolled his eyes, disappearing into Rue's Soul Ocean with his new bounty.
Snickering, Rue began walking back. Behind him was an Ibex, and in front of him were layers of dense snow-covered trees. Trudging onwards, Rue smiled, 'That's why Shiny wanted to come so badly.'
--------------------
Another 2 months passed in a flash. Jule dragged Rue towards the edge of the Hamlet, a series of towering pines expanding into view.
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A smile graced Jule's lips as she bobbed up and down. Rue let himself get dragged, his body limply following along.
Glancing behind her, Jule jumped up and down. "Come on, Rue. We are almost there! You will love it!"
Rue gave her a nod, his eyes wandering over the forest, "I'm sure I will, but did we really have to wake up so early? The sun is barely up!"
Rue complained, pointing at the bright orange sun peeking over the horizon.
Jule pouted, "It's the coolest when the sun rises!"
Rue nodded, his lips pursed but a twinkle of anticipation in his eyes.
Dragging Rue not much further, the sibling duo entered a snow-covered meadow. Within, a few patches of flowers and bushes grew, their pedals and leaves caked with snow.
Further to the center, a small pond gently lay, its surface surprisingly not frozen. Several fish swam about, one in particular much larger than the rest, its naturally silver scales giving off an orange glow.
Drinking from the pond, a small herd of Snowfall elk gathered, several calfs surrounded by the larger adults, their sparkling white coats shining in the morning sun's rays.
Dragging Rue further, Jule finally stopped as they arrived at an odd ice structure. Rue glanced it up and down, his brows raised, "What is this?"
Jule smiled, showcasing her white teeth as she opened her arms wide. " I don't know what to call it, but the slippery ice out front the door inspired me to make it!"
Taking a better look at the ice structure, Rue figured out what it was. Jule had made a slide. Rue couldn't help but smile. Giving Jule a big hug, he trotted up the slippery ice ladder Jule had somehow fashioned.
As Rue ascended to the top, he could not help but be reminded of his past life. Slides were commonplace in most neighborhoods, often in tandem with playgrounds.
Plopping down at the top, Rue gave Jule a big thumbs up, his smile matching her own. Scooting back and forth, Rue wedged himself out from the top, sliding down the ice.
Twisting and twirling, Rue laughed, raising his hands in the air.
Jule stood at the bottom, her hands cupping her mouth as she shouted, "Brace for impact!"
Rue tucked into a ball, flying out the slide and landing in a giant pile of snow. Not long after the impact, his head resurfaced, "Hahaha! That was gre-"
A white-furred Ibex slammed into Rue from behind, sending Rue's face back into the snow. The Ibex decided to follow Rue down the slide, unaware of proper slide edicate.
Holding her stomach, Jule laughed, pointing at Rue, who was now partly submerged in the snow, a disoriented Ibex sprawled on his back.
Grunting, Rue flipped over, pushing the Ibex off to the side. Giving the Ibex a little side eye, Rue heard a chuckling noise from the trees.
On a branch several feet in the air, Shiny laughed, the Raven perched nearby, CAWing as well.
Rue rolled his eyes, rising from his powdery grave. Walking over to Jule, he gave her another hug. "This means a lot more than you realize, " he mumbled. The slide reminded him not only of slides on Earth but also of his family and friends he had left behind. He may have been single, but he still had loving parents, siblings, and friends.
He couldn't help but be reminded of one particular memory.
During his college days on Earth, he had a pair of friends who were the peanut butter and jelly to his bread.
One day in particular, when the sun was shining and the sky was as blue as the ocean, one of his friends, Jacob, decided to drag him and his other friend, Greg, to a playground.
Not thinking much, Rue happily followed along, bringing a football when they eventually got bored of climbing on the monkey bars.
What should have been unsurprising to Rue, caused him to pause when he watched Jacob grab a sled and rope from the back of his car.
Attaching the rope to the back of his car and the front of the sled, Jacob hobbled up the slide and waved his hands. "Hit the gas!"
Eyes wide in disbelief, Rue had turned, watching in horror as Greg was already sat in the driver seat, his right foot slamming down on the gas pedal.
The car screeched, and the tires sang, lurching forward faster than it was designed.
Jacob held on tight, his eyes squinted, and a big smile on his face as he felt the sled tug forward, sending him soaring down the slide. In the span of two seconds, Jacob went from 0 to 30 miles an hour, launching him from the slide, soaring past the bark chips lining the ground and into the grass surrounding the playground.
Tumbling several feet, Jacob laid for a second or so before he popped his head up. Spitting into his hand, he held a broken tooth in his mouth, but that didn't stop him from smiling, showcasing the new gap in his teeth.
Waving both his hands in the air, he picked up the slide after putting the tooth in his pocket, "AGAIN!"
Coming back to the present, Rue turned and looked at the ice slide Jule had made. Looking at the shining ice reflecting the sun's light, Rue realized why Jule had woken him up so early.
The slide glistened in the morning light, showcasing its many turns and twists. Rue took a deep breath and closed his eyes, savoring the moment.
"So, do you like it?" Jule asked, her smile unceasing.
Rue nodded, "It's amazing!"
Satisfied with the answer, Jule bounced to the slide, ready to ride down . Rue grinned, chasing after her. From behind, an Ibex praced, stumbling every few steps but determined nonetheless.
After a couple rounds, most resulting in a face full of goat, Rue called it quits. He laid in the snow, his black hair wet, covered in snow and ice.
Jule somehow still persisted, cold but filled with laughs and energy.
Rue listened to her contagious laughs, relaxing his body. Then, Jule's laughs suddenly turned into a scream.
Jerking his head up, Rue shot his head to the side. Jule stood at the top of the slide, her eyes wide. Below, a small pack of timber wolves surrounded her.
Narrowing his eyes, Rue waved his hands. A blizzard engulfed several feet surrounding Rue, hints of gray swirling within.
"baaaahhhhaaahhaaahh"
Off to the side, a particular Ibex darted forward. Its head lowered, and its horns pointed at the group of wolves.
Ramming into a wolf's body, the wolf flew back nearly a foot, whimpering on impact.
Detecting the threat, the pack of wolves cautiously backed away, surrounding the Ibex, growls and snarls emerging from their sharp-toothed maws.
The Ibex raised its front legs in challenge. Surrounded but not scared, it brought its hoofs down, compacting the snow underfoot. Pawing the ground, it charged again.
Aiming for the largest wolf, the Ibex hit it with a glancing blow, flinging the Ibex's head to the side.
The wolf growled, pouncing at the Ibex and locking its jaws around its throat. Pushing the Ibex down with its front paws, the Ibex thrashed, its large black eye staring down the wolf.
Blood began to seep into the wolf's mouth, large gashes covering the Ibex's body from the wolf's paws.
"BAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAAAAAAHHHH"
Unwilling to give up, the Ibex bucked its back legs, bouncing the wolf up.
Still gripping the Ibex's neck, the wolf's body sprawled into the air. Unable to hold on any longer, the wolf released its bite, flying into the nearby snow. Scrambling up, it lowered its body, a low grow emanating from its throat.
The Ibex stood, its white fur now dripping red, but its eyes were defiantely staring down the wolf.
Before the two could engage any further, the wolf felt a chill run through its spine.
Glancing away from its prey, the wolf watched as a gray blizzard engulfed it and its pack.
The instant the wolf was engulfed, it felt as if thousands of claws began to rip into its skin, each small wound turning black and necrotizing.
Releasing a weak howl, the wolf fell, its body lying limp.
The blizzard disappeared as fast as it came. The pristine white snow was now stained red, decaying corpses of wolves sprawled on the red snow.
Rue stared at the scene with wide eyes. Directing his gaze at the decaying flesh of the wolves, Rue fell to his butt. A noticeable stink emanated from the corpses.
At the top of the slide, Jule cautiously climbed down and walked to Rue. Kneeling, she engulfed him in a hug and pulled him from the ground, saying, "Let's go."
Rue nodded, his gaze turning towards the bloodied Ibex that was limping towards him.
Rue patted the Ibex on the head, "Thanks, buddy."
From the trees, Shiny leaped down, hopping through the snow. Scrambling up Rue, Shiny perched on Rue's neck, curling his tail around his neck.
The group turned and walked away. Behind them, several necrotizing wolves lay around a slide of ice, their blood seeping into the snow and decorating it red.