General Winter
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The winter storm had finally arrived and I was not looking forward to it one bit. With the darkening skies and rapidly dropping temperature, things were turning for the worst. Even my usually tenacious and dogged rival was nowhere to be seen. Tucking my wings close to me, which served a surprisingly good jacket of sorts, I looked around as I gingerly made my way down to the ground. They’d probably decided to call it considering how grim the weather was looking.
Looking up, I saw the clouds roil as thunder arced across the darkened sky. I could tough it out, just burrow somewhere and sleep through it, but I had to remind myself that I was the runt of the litter. Aside from my already weak constitution, I also had a stomach that demanded an ever growing tax of food to fuel my growth.
I was constantly hungry and I feared that my body would eat itself, weakening me even more, if I decided to just ignore it. There was also the matter of my nature. I was cold resistant, not immune and it was getting chilly already. I had to prepare, so I did what all of my ancestors did when faced with such brutal storms, I burrowed down and stocked up.
“Fuck, it’s midday and it’s already freezing,” I huffed out, finding myself digging at the base of a great oak, using my sharp claws to break through the frozen ground and expand the hollow underneath. It was hard work, but it paid off, even if it slightly blunted one of my killing tools in the process, but I was already strapped on time.
With what little time I had left, I went out to hunt food; tracking down juicer prey in their burrows and collecting evergreen branches along the way. All in all, it took me most of what time I had left before the storm hit, and wasn’t it a brutal one.
Huddling close to the rapidly thickening snow, I dragged the evergreen branch filled with my small bounty. I pushed on, plowing through the whipping wind and wondering if I should just let go and cut my losses, but I could see the great tree up ahead. “I’m not letting go!” I growled out, determined to get every last thing inside, even if it would take time I almost didn’t have.
As I slid inside the humble cave I made I almost collapsed from exhaustion, but I still had work to do. Shielded from the strong winds, I had a far easier time moving about. I made the final touches to my cave, making sure that the large nest of evergreen branches and leaves was solid and my limited pantry was behind me.
Satisfied, I took one last look outside. The howling winds screamed, forcing the trees to sway eerily in the darkness. Such was the force of it that a nearby tree was knocked over. Spooked by the incident, I decided to finally seal myself off by caving in the snow and did my best to ignore the storm.
Climbing up my nest, I huddled tightly onto myself as I closed my eyes and slept, waiting for the storm to clear. There, in that nest, I dreamt of the great forest and the wonders it could bring and a great fortress in the sky filled with dwarves and the ringing of forges.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
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Suffice to say that my preparations for the storm were well warranted. I woke up to the winds still raging, and so there I was, stuck and unable to move out. It got uncomfortable quickly as my food ran out and my growing body made it quite cramped. Fueled by the food I had, I almost outgrew my hole; which forced me to squeeze in tight, unable to stretch out even for a little bit.
I did not account for the space required to do my bodily functions, forcing me to brave the weather outside to avoid stinking up the place. All in all, it took me three full sleeps, and an unknown amount of time, before the storm finally passed by.
“Finally!” I groaned as I stretched, sighing in relief as I worked out the kinks and felt my joints pop, “Freedom,” I whispered before plopping down on the fresh snow and just laying there. Looking up at the unbelievably blue sky, I couldn't help but feel relieved that it was all over.
My first winter in this world was far more brutal than I’d expected and an experience I did not want to repeat. My brief reprieve, however, would soon come to an end as a bleat echoed from a nearby tree line. Looking up, I saw my rival make himself known, glaring balefully as it strutted up to me without fear.
Normally I would have fled, but confidence filled my veins as I saw that I was approaching my rival's size. I was getting stronger while he remained the same, “Ready for round two huh?” I chuckled as I turned over to my feet and got up, facing him head on.
“BAH!” He bleated back, snorting as he lowered his head, showing of his magnificent horns and pawed at the ground.
“You want some of this?” I asked as I puffed myself up, standing on two legs as I spread my wings wide. Breathing in deep, I filled my lungs with the cold air of winter. I felt my core roar to life as the energies of the forest seemed to fill my veins and lit the sputtering blizzard inside of me. I could feel it, my breath coming to me as I challenged this goat that dared stand up against me, “Then come and get it!” I shouted back as I got back on all four and roared.
I let loose as a blizzard forced its way out of my throat and out washed over the fresh snow, creating jagged spikes of ice as the cold answered to my command.
The goat bleated, powering through it before faltering as it fell to its knees, “Bah!” I bleated back, still angry and but much more weary as it got back up.
Coughing as the breath sputtered out, I forced out a grin at making the demon in woolen coat freeze up for the first time. “Bah….” it bleated weekly as its ears flattened against its head, their legs trembling before they fled in panic, ”Bah!“
“Hah, that’s right!” I laughed as I strutted in celebration, “Run before the might of I…” I huffed before freezing as the ground trembled, a shadow looming over me suddenly. Slowly, I looked back and there stood a creature straight from the nightmares of children, “Oh… you were running from a troll…” I whimpered as the tusked face of the monster twisted in anger before roaring out and, I’ll admit, I screamed; fleeing for my dear life as a fully armored troll came barreling down on me.