*wheeeeezeeee*

I slowly exhale the breath I’ve been holding while looking up at the moon among the falling snow. I see my breath take form in a whitish fog, going up to the sky.

I look in front, and all I can see is a mix of brown and white, between the trees’ trunks and the unending blanket of snow that covered the forest’s floor since early winter. I’m standing in one of the few clearings of this forest, where you can perfectly see the moon while it is high in the middle of the sky. The moonlight reflecting itself over the white blanket at my feet.

*wheeezeeee*

Another long breath escapes my mouth, and a white smoke cloud goes straight to the sky as if trying to reach the moon, passing right in front of my eyes on its way.

I start walking again, slowly going through the sea of trees painted in white. With no clear path, just guided by a fleeting smell that comes and goes as it pleases and an infinity of silver trails, hard to distinguish among all the white, chaotics, going all over the place, as if someone was trying to confuse me with them. My eyes, shinning in a blue hue, reflect these silver trails here and there as if trying to identify the correct path.

I stop. There is the smell again. Right? Left? The silver trails are slightly more intense on the right. Indeed. From the right came the fleeting smell. I turn my way and slowly walk to the right.

{What would you do there? Trying to camouflage your smell?}- I thought, as I keep walking.

Soon… or was it later? Maybe 15 minutes or so… I’m not feeling the time passing by… I get to a frozen river. I stop in front of it. There’s nothing here. No life. No animal or beast would come to a frozen river.

I look down, and I see my reflection, long white hair falling all over my face, with dark brown hair roots, a really weird combination of colors, but not by choice. Empty eyes, shining in a blue hue are looking at me, naked from the waist up, with a really weird tattoo extending and entangling all the way from the right wrist up to the right pectoral.

What was I doing here among all this white solitude looking at my reflection on a frozen river? I don’t know. Maybe trying to distract me from my thoughts. Who knows?

I look up again. But this time I can’t see the moon. The tall sea of trees covers the sky, making it impossible to perfectly see it from down here. There it is again. That smell. I look at my front and start searching all around me.

{Found you.}-I thought, as I see the silver trails intensifying somewhere on my left front. I disappear from my spot.

The snow falls over a completely white blanket. There are no marked steps left on the ground. As if no one has ever been there in the first place.

----------------------------------------

On a clear in the middle of the forest. A white stag with blue shining motes all over its body is slowly walking while looking around as if searching for something. It’s big. Bigger than an elephant from back home. What’s more incredible isn’t its size, but its big antlers. Tall and wide, with an icy blue color, shining a bright light and giving it an imposing figure.

{There you are. Hard to find… Or is it that you were trying to hide from me? Huh… As if…}-I thought, while looking down at the white stag slowly walking from the top of a branch in one of the trees surrounding the clearing. I was squatting down upon my toes while putting my arms over my knees.

I can see all the silver trails getting back to it. Why wouldn’t they? Those silver trails are its mana. Or well, the aftereffect of it.

*wheeezeeeee*

Soon. Little fireflies giving off blue light comes from all around the forest. I can see silver trails shedding from them. They finally attach themselves to the stag’s antlers, completely disappearing, as if they never existed. Those were the reason for the infinite amount of silver trails on the forest. It was trying to lose me. But I didn’t depend only on mana to look for it.

My eyes lost the shining blue hue, turning back to those reptilian red eyes denouncing the non-human part of me. I didn’t need to look for mana trails anymore. I had my prey right in front of me, so there’s no need to keep those shining blue eyes that would only make it easier to find me among all this white and brown.

*crackle~ crackle~*

All over my right forearm, currents of electricity run amock, going up and down. Goldish-red lighting that slowly intensifies.

The stag isn’t an idiot. He noticed. So he turns to look at me. And once he finds me. He makes a complete turn. Not to escape. But to fight. He’s no coward.

*Rustling~ Rustling~*

It starts scrapping the snow-covered ground while turning its antlers to the sides repeatedly.

*Cracking~ Crakcling~*

Soon. The antlers also started to irradiate a silver current of lighting. All the while it keeps looking straight into my eyes.

{Which one is stronger? Yours? Or mine? Shall we see?}-I silently thought as extend my right arm as if trying to grab it from here. With my fingers spread.

*BELLOW!!*

The stag shouted while standing on its hind legs and pointing its antlers to me.

*Rumble~ Rumble~*

Soon. The sky started rumbling as if falling. Lighting and thunder appeared all of the sudden. Anytime now. All those thunders would come crashing down over me.

{Who told you to be so slow…}

Right then. From my hand. Huges' amounts of goldish-red lighting flew straight to the stag. Quickly, almost instantly, it reached its target.

*BOOOOOM!!!!*

A huge explosion appeared. With what seemed an electromagnetic field of red lighting covering all the place and blowing up everything. Lifting dust, dirt, snow, and fog.

The thunder in the sky ceased. No other sound apart from the crackling of the electromagnetic field and the aftermath of the explosion could be heard in the clearing.

{It’s my win. Isn’t it?}-I thought as I jump down to the clearing. Once I reach the ground. I start walking. Slowly. Towards where the stag was moments before.

Little by little, the field made from my thunder starts to subside, and so do the dust and the fog lifted by the explosion.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Once I reach the center, all I can see is a huge crater, with a burnt stag inside it.

{It’s my win…}-I thought as I just stand there, looking down on it.

----------------------------------------

I don’t know how much time passed by. But I was just there, dropped on the ground. Widespread. While looking up at the sky, at the moon.

*Crunch, crunch*

The repeated sound of steps on the snows wakes me up from my dreamy state.

“Hey.”- I say hi to the one that came inside the clearing without taking my gaze off the moon.

“Did you find it?”-A low-toned, but somewhat feminine voice asked.

“Of course, I did.”- I said while lifting one of my arms and pointing to the crater beside me, slowly covering in snow.

“Mmm… I see… So? What now?”-Asked again the same low-toned but feminine voice from before.

“Don’t know. Haven’t thought that far…”

“Of course you don’t…”

Over me, a huge shadow appeared. A wolf. A huge wolf that seems made of smoke and shadow, with an obsidian color all over its body, with only two spectral blue eyes inside a black sclera.

“Move… You don’t let me watch the moon…”

“I should be saying that to you. Move. Stand up.”

“Why would I? Just let me lay here for a bit longer.”

“Everyone is waiting for you.”

“What for? You all can perfectly eat without me.”

“Well. We got kind of excited when you said you were going to look for a Silver Stag.”

“So? What has that to do with me moving?”

“You’re not leaving us without tasting its flesh, right?”

“…”-I blankly stare at its spectral blue eyes. “*sigh…* you’re all so bothersome…”

“Idiot. You’re the bothersome one. *grrrrr* How many years will you be like this every damned winter?”

“That’s not your problem, is it? So stop growling at me.”

“Well. As much as I hate to say it. I’m worried. Everyone is.”

“Fools. That’s what you’re. A bunch of fools.”

“We may be. But. Isn’t that turns you into an imbecile?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Ha! As if I was waiting for something else from you… What a joke.”

“Well, now that it’s clear that I’m not moving for a little while, you should go back.”

“…”-Those blue eyes don’t leave me.

“*sigh…*You know where the stag is. Take it with you.”

“Everyone prepared a surprise for you. And they’re all really excited to show you. Even the kids.”

“They are always excited. They’re kids after all.”

“You better than anyone else knows that’s no true. Will you leave them like that, even knowing it?”-Those blue eyes just keep looking at me, as if trying to decipher what’s going on inside my mind. As if someone could do that, when not even I know what’s inside that mayhem of thoughts.

“…”-I avert my eyes.

“Look at me. Cristopher.”

“…”-I look at its eyes again.

“When are you going to change those empty eyes of yours? I’ve been seeing them since getting here.”

“Let me alone. S’rei…”

“Well, I’m waiting. Stand up!”-Ordered S’rei, a spectral wolf. She’s one of my close friends, someone that I met years ago. And that never left my side, since then.“Or are you going to make me move you?”

“…”-I keep looking at her eyes. “*sigh…* Fine…”-I finally stop resisting and standing up.

“That’s more like it.”-She says as she slowly closes in on me and rubbing her head over me.

“Okay, okay, that’s too much… What am I? A kid that needs to be hugged?”

“Right now? Pretty much. You’re just like a kid. Pouting.”

“You know that’s not true.”

“You sure? It feels like that to me.”

“Whatever. Let’s go. Wasn’t everyone waiting or something?”

“Haha, let’s go then.”

“Wait. Let me grab the Silver Stag, Don’t want to waste it after all.”

“Oh, right, I forgot…”-S’rei suddenly said, as if she forgot for a moment about it.

“Weren’t you here for it?”-I ask while raising an eyebrow.

“What? Did you believe that crap? I was here for you from the start.”

“Haha, I know… I’m just joking…”

“See that? You’re chuckling already, those are good news.”

“Sorry… I know I’m pretty difficult during these days…”

“Don’t worry too much… But. Don’t expect me to always be there to lift your mood. I’m getting tired of it already.”

“You say so, but you’re the one that always comes to me first.”

“Shut up.”-She says while averting her eyes.

“Hahaha, what? Are you blushing? Look at that! A big spectral wolf blushing! That’s something to see.”

“I’m not blushing.”-Said S’rei while glaring at me.

“Sure, sure, whatever you say.”-I answered while lifting the stag with magic. “Alright. Let’s go.”

----------------------------------------

We walked for a while. Talking about this and that. Until we finally saw the end of the sea of trees. A big clearing. With a house in the center. A 3 floors house right in the middle of nowhere. Completely covered in snow. But with lights coming from inside. Like a small fire in the middle of a cold winter night.

“We’re here…”-I said while stopping right outside the forest.

“Finally… Just because you wanted to walk… We could get here faster just teleporting. I don’t see the need to walk all the way here…”-grumbled S’rei.

“Meh… You lazy wolf… Walking in a cold night like this is the best way to calm your thoughts.”- I said while stretching myself.

“That’s why you are going shirtless around the forest? Wait. Can you even feel cold?”

“Well, to be honest… I just forgot to put something on. Just went out like I was, with pants and nothing more. And yeah, I can feel the cold… Though it doesn’t affect me, I still can sense that it’s a cold night.”

“Well, let’s go. I see Sandra and Roy getting out of the house. They are surely waiting for you.”- Said S’rei while looking straight to the house’s entrance, where a woman and a kid are going out.

“Sure, let’s go. We still have to cook this stag.”

“Who better than you to cook something?”

“Shut it. I’m not in the mood. I’ll just end up burning it. Well, even more than it is right now.”

“Haha… You’re right. It’s great that we prepared other things.”

“Nice. Well done.”

“Don’t get too accustomed to this. Special dining on December 24th was always your idea.”

“Hahaha, you were the ones to follow up that idea. I didn’t force you.”

“You’re with a group of drunkards. They wouldn’t lose a chance to get wasted.”

“Neither you do.”

“…”-She again averts her eyes.

Once we got close enough. The woman, Sandra, smiles, and the little kid, Roy, starts running to us.

“Cristopher!!! Cristopher!!! You finally came!!! Where were you!? We were waiting for you, and now I’m all hungry.”-Says Roy while rubbing his stomach.

“Yes, yes, I’m here, don’t worry. We’ll eat soon. And. I was out there hunting this.”- I said while putting down the Silver Stag beside us.

“Woooooaaaaahhhhhh!!!! That’s a huge deer!!!”

“Well, something like that.”

“Are we eating this???”

“Of course we are. But. I’m not cooking it. I already hunted it.”

“Sandra!!! Sandra!!!! Look at this!!! Is Huge!!!”-Say Roy while calling Sandra and pointing to the Silver Stag.

“Yes, I’m seeing it. It’s a Silver Stag. A burnt one…”-Says Sandra while slightly glaring my way.

“…Sorry…”

“*sigh…* It’s fine. We still can save something of it. So, are we entering or are we staying outside all night?”-She finally says.

“Let’s go inside already. My fur is getting covered in snow.”-Also speaks S’rei while wiggling her body to toss the snow aside.

“Ok, let’s go.”

“Yes!!! Wait until you see your surprise!!!”

“Oh? What? Do you have a surprise for me?”-I ask the little Roy while lifting the Silver Stag again with magic.

“Yes!!! We all do. We worked hard for preparing it!!! You’ll see. You’ll surely be petrified from excitement!”

“I’m not sure that being petrified is something good. But I got your point haha…”

We all walked to the big, really big door of the house, and Sandra opened it while letting Roy run inside first. Then it was S’rei who entered, seemingly running away from the snow. And just when I was going inside, Sandra stopped me with a hand.

“Mmm?”

“...”-She stares into my eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“No… It’s just… *sigh…* Welcome back. We missed you tonight.”

“I wasn’t out for too long… And the night’s still going.”

“You know what I meant…”

“…Sorry.”

“There you go again… What are we going to do with you?”

“Hey… This time it was better…”

“The point is. That you can’t escape every year.”

“It’s just-”

“I know. I know. You’re afraid. But don’t worry. We can take care of ourselves.”-She interrupts me.

“…”-I smile at that.

“Finally, those eyes of yours are coming back to life. I hate seeing them so empty.”-She says smiling herself and finally taking her hand out of the way and making a gesture for me to enter.

“Come in. Everyone’s waiting.”

“Thanks…”

“No problem. You know we’re always here for you. No matter what.”

I enter the house with the Silver Steg behind, and Sandra follows me, closing the door.

All that’s left outside is snow. Falling slowly over the already white blanket covering the clearing. With a big house lighting up the surroundings. Like a fire in the dark.