Winter began its descent over Solstariel, chilly winds and snowfall creeping ever so swiftly over the kingdom’s blanket of fallen autumn leaves. The winters in the northeastern village of Elowen’s Retreat were almost always harsh, the townsfolk often becoming isolated from the rest of the kingdom as feet of snow fell in and around the alpine forest in which the village was settled. A thick layer of snow had just fallen over the village as the year neared its end– a layer of snow not quite tall enough to snow the adept inhabitants in, but enough to alert them that the harshest time of the season was fast approaching.
The villagers of Elowen’s Retreat were of a leporine race known as the Harelians, exhibiting rabbit-like features and characteristics while still maintaining the general appearance of a human. These traits varied amongst its people, some Harelians having tall, sleek leporine ears, others having long, floppy ones. Some young would be born without having a tail, a recessive trait among their genetics. One thing most Harelians have in common is their thick hair and hairy bodies. These peoples were not entirely covered in fur such as a common woodland hare would be, but they tended to have concentrated areas of thickened hair on their bodies such as down the low of their backs and into their tails, on the forearms, chest, and so on and so forth. These wooly areas kept the townsfolk warm in the bitter cold of winter.
As winter drew nigh, the Harelians were hard at work in preparation for their inevitable snowy isolation. The village elder, a man nearly a century old with pale skin and all his hair having turned ghostly white, would have the working men and women of the village gather resources in which they specialized in. Those proficient in hunting would take to the depths of the woods, setting traps and sending arrows flying from their bows into even the quickest of wildlife. Gatherers educated extensively in plant life sought out edible berries, herbs, and fruits from the wilderness, some to be used in cooking, some to be used in medicine. The fishermen made their way to frigid ponds and lakes within the woods for smaller fish while others headed north to the icy sea for bigger game. All in all, everyone who was of physical health and proper age did their part to get the Retreat through another frozen winter.
It was the final Sixthday of the second-to-last moon of the year, and the village had successfully gathered plenty of supplies to last them through the new year. The snow was really starting to fall now, the once visible roads winding throughout the village and extending into the woods now covered in feet of snow. The only indication that a walkway may be beneath the snowy blanket were the trails of footsteps seen extending the length of the path.
The townsfolk celebrated their hard work on the Sixthday evening at North Haven, the village’s warm and cozy tavern-inn. The tavern girls had plenty of spirits and wines to be served that had been imported up from the neighboring Capital a few moons prior. North Haven was alive and roaring with conversation and laughter of the villagers within its walls, progressively becoming livelier as the night crept on. Edwin Innvik sat at a large wooden table with his fellow Harelians, helping himself to the basket of bread rolls in the center before taking a generous sip of his mead. He naturally had a slight hunch given his tall height of six and a half feet, nearly seven feet with his long, fluffy ears factored into the equation. He was more of a listener than a talker, sitting quietly with attentive ears amongst his hunting buddies as they joked and jived through the evening. His sharp, dark brown eyes surveyed the tavern, watching the tavern girls sashay between tables with mugs of ale in their arms, watching the lightweights at the bar nearly topple backward off their barstools with laughter. As Edwin chewed contentedly on the bread roll in his hand, his eye landed on a pretty face.
A young woman with long, drooping ears and ginger-colored hair cascading down her back sat a few tables away, conversing with a group of friends. She had snow white skin with rosy cheeks and a perky nose, which was shaded a light pink at its tip. The white fur at the base of her Harelian ears peeked out ever so slightly, adding contrast to her otherwise striking red hair. She held a glass of clear liquid–most likely just water–in her hands, tapping her finger against its side as she nodded her head in conversation with the woman across the table from her. Edwin watched her for a minute, his eyes wandering over her facial features before trailing down to her bust, which was made prominent by the dress she wore. He bit his tongue lustfully as his eyes flicked back to her face, and she met his gaze from across the way. Her light blue eyes landed on his and she sent a subtle coy smile his way. He smirked softly in response, bringing a blush to her cheeks as their eyes remained locked for another second or so. The hand from the man beside her came into Edwin’s view as it was wrapped around the small of her back, gently rubbing her with affection. It was then that their gaze was broken as she turned her head to the man, who leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers in a loving kiss. Edwin’s ears flattened, flush with the top of his head, and he raised the hefty glass of mead to his lips once more. He averted his eyes awkwardly when he felt a playful smack on his shoulder.
“Ain’t that right, Edwin?” his comrade asked from beside him. Edwin coughed a couple times and placed his near-empty glass back on the table, clearing his throat in an attempt to shrug off the fact that he just almost choked on his drink. He raised his brows and turned to face Gunnar, his sprightly fellow hunter and friend of many years. Edwin’s ears perked back up as he asked, ignorant to the conversation’s context, “Hm? Is what right?”
Gunnar’s eyes were as bright as can be, his cheeks reddened thanks to his third or fourth drink (as if he could keep track at this point). “That sixteen-point buck you got yesterday! That thing was massive, yeah?” he beamed, his tall, blonde-colored ears perked with enthusiasm. Edwin nodded, a confident smile tugging at his lips as he redirected his attention back to his friends. “Yeah, that guy was huge. One of the biggest guys I’ve shot for sure,” he added, his voice smooth as he gave another content nod of his head. He took another swig of his mead before speaking, “He was one of the only bucks I saw out there this week. Seems like they all up ‘n’ left the woods before the snow came in.”
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Gunnar chuckled drunkenly as he tossed back the last of his ale. “If that buck had any brains, he’d’ve followed suit when all his buddies left instead of stickin’ around,” he snorted, raising his hand as he gestured the tavern girl over, ordering yet another thing of booze. Edwin raised a brow and gave his friend a lighthearted side-eye. “Maybe if you had any brains, you would’ve called that your last drink of the night before we gotta carry you home.”
With a light tap of his rugged hands on the table, he stood himself up from his seat and downed the last bit of his drink before clunking the mug back down. “I’m gonna step out for a smoke,” he said, adjusting his coat as he turned, making his way through the crowd and out the heavy double wooden doors.
The bitter winter air was a relieving contrast to the stuffy, humid air inside the tavern. With his hands in the pockets of his heavy coat he made his way down the porch steps, his boots thunking heavily against them as he descended, and rounded the corner toward the back end of the building. He stopped a short distance away from the crowds near the cover of the treeline and fished around in his pocket for his cigar and lighter, pulling the two of them out at once. The tall Harelian then brought the cigar to his lips, flicking the top of his lighter open and igniting it, taking a few puffs before exhaling and lowering his arm to his side. He leaned his body weight against a tall alpine tree, running a hand through his dark shoulder-length hair and overtop his fluffy ears. As he breathed the frigid winter air deep into his lungs, he heard through the muffled laughter of the tavern goers the sound of light, bouncy footsteps making their way toward him. His ears turned forward as his gaze landed on the familiar pretty face of the redheaded woman who bounded playfully toward him.
“Hey!” she breathed, slowing her pace as she neared Edwin. He raised his head to her in acknowledgement and took another puff from his cigar before responding. “Hey. What are you doing out here? Don’t you think someone’ll see?” he asked, brows slightly furrowed in concern. A steady stream of smoke trailed off into the cold air from his cigar.
The shorter woman shrugged as she crossed her arms over her chest for warmth. “Even if someone does see us, all we’re doing is talking, right? Nothing weird about two childhood friends catching up for a bit,” she assured him, peeking over her shoulder as she spoke as though she doubted her own words. Her voice was soft and light, easy on the ears. She turned back to him and gave him a small smile. Edwin looked down at her, his eyes teasingly trailing down her body, stopping at her midsection. “You sure you should be out here with me smoking and all?” he asked, gesturing toward her belly. She placed a hand reassuringly over her noticeably distended belly, running her hand over the lower section of her bump. “Oh, it’s fine for just a moment. It won’t harm the baby,” she replied, brushing any concern off her shoulders. Edwin smirked, taking another drag, “If you say so, Cynth.”
There was a moment of quiet between the two before Cynthia took in a breath as though she were ready to speak. “You know Ellis and I are headed west to the Summit come Firstday to have our baby blessed with its waters,” she said quietly, cocking her head slightly to the side, her long ears flopping with the movement of her head. Edwin gave a nod, pursing his lips. “Yeah,” he replied matter-of-factly. Cynthia rocked her hips back and forth coyly for a second as she looked back up to him, trailing her eyes over his broad chest. “So… are you doing anything tomorrow night?” she asked gingerly. His gaze remained forward as he responded quietly, “I’m on guard duty. The Elder says the woods’ve been dangerous recently. Something about kidnappings happening around the city.”
The redheaded woman bit her bottom lip, a corner of her mouth turning upward into a mischievous smirk. “...Do you think you could break away for a half hour?”
Edwin’s eyes flicked down to meet hers at the end of her question. He took in a deep breath of cool air before answering her. “You know I shouldn’t,” he said curtly, though his eyes softened as he looked down at her. She furrowed her brows in disapproval. “We’ll be gone for at least a week, if not longer. Don’t you want to touch me again? Do you think you could wait that long to fuck me?” she teased, her cheeks reddening as she spoke.
Edwin’s short, bushy leporine tail twitched with excitement at her words. He paused for a moment in thought, contemplating the pros and cons of the situation. He took one last puff from his cigar before smothering it against the tree he leaned on and tossing it into the brush. He brought a hand to her chin, lifting her head upward ever so slightly. Her blue eyes widened in anticipation, her droopy ears perking up at their base. He smirked down at her, running his thumb over her jawline. “Meet me near the southern gate tomorrow after the sun sets. That’s where I’ll be posted,” he instructed before giving her cheek a gentle tap. “You’re a bad influence.”
Cynthia’s eyes seemed to sparkle with exhilaration as Edwin drew his hand back, just in time for the sound of the tavern doors flying open to bring the two back to the present. She spun around and took a step away from him, placing her hand back over her pregnant belly as she watched to see just who was storming out of the tavern, partially fearful that it would be her husband. To the relief of both of them, Gunnar, now a disheveled and inebriated mess of a man, stumbled through the double doors and nearly tumbled down the steps. Edwin’s party of friends followed shortly behind, calling out to the drunkard and chasing him down the porch. Edwin let out a heavy sigh as he briskly strode toward his friend in hopes that they hadn’t spotted the two of them together.
Gunnar was now on his knees in the snow outside the tavern, attempting fruitlessly to stand back up on his feet. Edwin clicked his tongue in disapproval as he bent down to his drunken friend’s level. “What did I tell you, bud? C’mon, up we go,” he scolded jokingly as he grabbed onto Gunnar’s arm, hoisting him to his feet in a swift manner. He leaned nearly all his weight into Edwin’s slightly taller stature, breathing heavily as he looked up at him. “Thanks, buddy,” he slurred, the strong smell of alcohol wafting off of him. Edwin playfully rolled his eyes and gripped his upper arm tight, making his way down the snowy path in the direction of Gunnar’s home. He would look back over his shoulder to see Cynthia making her way back up onto the porch of North Haven, greeting Ellis with a kiss as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Edwin quickly turned back toward the direction he was headed with a blank expression on his face, hoisting his stumbling friend upright as he guided him down the snowy road before them.