Julius Calendar 904

Month Of The Fleeing Angels

30th

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Winter had descended with a tyrannical icy grip it had clenched ahold of the Axe within a tight frigid fist. The world had turned an all encompassing white, sound was muffled and everything had become silent bar the ever raging snowfall. Within the glade things were no different, the previously vibrant green meadow had now become a monotone world of dull white. At the heart of the glade a small stand of resistance crackled against winters raging reign. A flickering fire buried below the surface of the snow. The fire was steadily burning inside of a conical wooden hut that had been wholly engulfed by the falling snow, small wisps of black smoke filtered out through an icy chimney that had been crafted atop the hut. Across from the gently flaming fire in the hut sat two small forms whom were shivering violently underneath many layers of hides and pelts of all colours and sizes.

The two shivering individuals were Talon and Fang. They huddled alongside one another savouring the warmth that the fire gave them as well as the body heat of their other twin. Great clouds of steam would billow from their mouths with every breath they exhaled, a testament to the below freezing temperatures the two children were currently subjected to. No words were exchanged between the twins they just sat huddled beneath layer after layer of fur trying to ignore the biting cold that viciously invaded every region of their small bodies.

It had been cold throughout the entire year of 904 and as winter slowly encroached the temperature only dropped more and more severely. Now amidst the very middle of the coldest season of a cold year this had quickly become the worst winter that either the twins or even Jasper had ever seen. The grey heavens had opened up and started snowing only five days ago but the drifting downpour hadn’t stopped since. A constant cascade of white fell from the heavens in a never ending stream. If it wasn't for Jasper hurriedly reinforcing the huts original flimsy structure the two small wooden constructs would haven quickly given way to the great amount of snow heaped atop of them and collapsed on maybe even the first day of snowfall.

Off the black daises and jagged tablet all that could be seen was a small half a foot high mound across the white plains that signified were the worn tablets tip stood. In front of that mound lay a deep hole that appeared to have been caused by a collapse in the snow below. It seemed like it had sunken recently however it was hard to judge as the snow was slowly but steadily re-levelling it. Silence fell upon the scene. The holes depth was gradually lost as the snow continued floating down.

Abruptly the snow at the base of the hole shifted. As if something below it was stirring. Promptly a head with a thick mane of hazel hair burst out of the snow and lightly shook his head to clear the snow attached to him. Reorienting himself Jaspers head looked about miserably observing the ridiculous amount of snow that had fallen since he had last checked. His helpless voice rung out but was swallowed by the thick snowfall before it could travel far “Ah this goddamn snow.” Sighing glumly his head twisted and turned slowly sinking back into the white ground it had emerged from. The small impression his lonely head had left behind was soon filled by the peacefully falling flakes of snow.

Below the surface of the snow Jasper wriggled his body down through the icy passage he had just forcefully fashioned. After descending for a while he eventually reached the cold ground where he manoeuvred and twisted his body round before he eventually emerged into a small dark chamber. The icy igloo like chamber was five foot in height and ten foot in diameter, from the centre of its ceiling sat a great mound of snow that had clearly just caved inwards.

It had been this collapse of the ceiling that prompted Jasper to go and observe the weather situation above. He was presently in a foul mood as he sat upon a small pile of snow upon the edge of the ice chamber. Despite the frigidly freezing temperatures he was bare chested clad solely in a pelt loincloth, he had lent his Aroncole cloak to the two children. They needed the extra layers desperately more than he did and even without it he was only mildly cold, it was bearable. As he sat upon his snowy seat he glared at the great white pile of snow that obstinately sat in the middle of the chamber that he had laboured for two hours to craft. Jasper gritted his teeth in vexation, it had been no easy task to fashion such a large chamber. He had been quietly sitting upon the daises savouring the earths warm energy that had been soothingly seeping into him when out of nowhere the snow chambers ceiling had caved in directly above him. It had given him quite a fright and took him longer than it should of to extract himself from the mound. Hence the vexation.

Originally when the snow began falling Jasper had chosen to plough through it to get to the daises however as the snow piled higher and higher Jasper realised he needed a change of tactics. So it was during the evening of the second day after the snow had piled high enough that he tunnelled out of the huts compacting the walls into ice as he went and constructed this chamber round the side of the daises. He had only cleared a minimal amount of the daises itself, just enough for him to happily sit upon. The cave in earlier had completely hidden it once again contributing to his sour emotions.

Shaking his head helplessly he left the task for the time being, he had been nearing the end of his session upon the daises anyway. His first Gate was only a margin off full and it was happily distilling warm energy through to his fifth Gate. Crouching low Jasper turned to a short tunnel that ran from the side of the daises to its back and into a single hut. As he traversed the tunnel and neared the hut orange and red flickering light from the fire began illuminating the darkness of the surrounding environment. Jasper stopped just outside the hut and used the flickering orange light to check upon five deer carcasses and a large stack of sticks and logs that were buried in the snow but visible from the tunnel.

It had only been due to a subtle ominous feeling that prickled from his first Gate that Jasper had prepared a stockpile of the required resources. The uncomfortable feeling began a day before the snow began falling and sharply spiked in intensity as the first flakes floated from the grey sky. He was relieved that he had acted upon the feeling accordingly. Thinking about the perilous situation the twins and, to a smaller degree himself would be currently facing without the stockpiles they now had made his heart run cold. Thankfully he had trusted his instincts, for the time being the twins were safe and secure.

The flickering flame cast an orange light that eerily danced about the wooden huts interior as Jasper entered the teepee hut. A frown creased his smooth bronze brow as he saw the thick black smog of smoke that lazily curled in the stagnant air, trapped within the teepees roof. He had implicitly told the twins to make sure they kept the chimney clear. As he opened his mouth to chastise the two twins he noticed they were curled up to one another lightly sleeping under many layers of hides and furs. His frown melted as he saw the sleeping children instead morphing into a softer expression.

Softly sighing he reached across the huts interior and grabbed ahold of a long straight stick that stood upright to the side of the teepee. Positioning it at the entrance to the small wooden hole he had made just beside the teepees tip he slowly worked the stick upwards rotating it as he did so, clearing the makeshift chimney of the powdery snow that had fallen in and blocked it. Watching the thick black smoke slowly disperse up the icy chute Jasper slightly nodded to himself and gently drew the stick from the sheath of the chimney before replacing it in its previous position.

Having resolved the potentially fatal problem Jasper left the hut to retrieve some more kindling to feed to the fire. The source of warmth in this freezing habitat was essential to the twins survival. They would suffer dearly without its gentle warmth, for five days now it had been burning continuously. As he was retrieving a few of the smaller logs from the ice tunnel suddenly a fierce hissing and spitting sounded from behind him, originating from within the hut. Dropping the few logs in his hands he quickly turned and flashed through the short small tunnel into the teepee in a heartbeat.

His face fell as he saw what had just happened. His earlier clearing of the chimney had disturbed the structural integrity of the surrounding snow, a small portion had been dislodged and fell through the hole in the teepees roof landing on the already weak flickering flame. The result was that now in the centre of the hut instead of a warm gentle source of heat was a hissing mass of snow and ice. As the last of the alight embers were extinguished the teepee fell into darkness. The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.

Blearily blinking their sleepy eyes Talon and Fang both awoke and sat upright, queerly looking through the darkness to where the fire had just been burning. Shaking his little head slightly to wake up Fang seemed to set off a shivering deep inside of him. But a mere breath after Fang started trembling Talon followed suit. “Uncle J-jasper?” Talons voice was a shaky shrill, more than a hint of panic was laced within her call.

“I’m here Talon” Jaspers voice was as smooth and steady as it always was. The grounded answer significantly calmed the rising flames of panic that had been brewing within the children's chests.

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“What h-happened to the f-fire?” Fangs shaking voice sounded out in the dark teepee.

“It went out Fang” A calm reply. Although the answer was an obvious one the steady and level way it had been stated further calmed both of the panicky children. Jasper fluidly moved across the pitch black teepee navigating his way over to the twins side. Feeling the great mass of warm muscle moving toward them the two shivering children shuffled apart for him without a word. Softly sitting down in between the pair he wrapped both his burly arms around the children enfolding them into his warm embrace. The pair said no more and just huddled within their hide blankets against his warm bare chest. Their shivering grew more intense as the surrounding snow continuously permeated coldness into the teepee that no longer wielded a fire to guard against it.

Jaspers mind was rapidly racing as he contemplated his current options. Without a doubt the two twins needed an external source of heat besides the hides they shivered within. He could only hope that his own body heat would be enough. Of course he could try and relight the fire but all of the wood that was available was stored within the icy tunnel outside, wet and soggy. He would first have to dry it with his own body heat before he could relight the flame, even with completely dry wood in such cold conditions trying to give birth to flame would prove fairly testing. However Jasper was a skilled huntsman and was quite confident in himself. The only dilemma with drying the wood was that the freezing lumber would for an extended duration of time come into a close proximity with the twins who's shivering grew all the more violent by the minute. Jaspers brows creased as many minutes passed, he was continually wrestling backwards and forth with the problem.

He knew from the children's increasingly violent tremors his body heat wasn't doing enough. He was warm however he didn't radiate heat and defend against the cold like a fire did, they needed a flame. But to start a fire he would have to dry the wood which would freeze the children. Therein lied his dilemma.

“U-uncle J-j-jasper” Fangs voice meagrely rung out sounding weak, his stuttering a clear indication of how badly the poor young boy was suffering.

“Yes Fang?” A stilled calm remained dominant in his reply however concern was also laced in fair amounts throughout his voice.

“I-I-I can't-t m-move my f-f-inger-rs” Fangs voice was frail, pathetically so. As he slowly stuttered out his sentence a large bank of steam was exhaled from his mouth dissipating into the chilly air.

Concern bubbled up within Jaspers chest. “Here put them under your armpits like this.” So saying so he gently reached down and grasped ahold of Fangs hands. As his large hands clasped Fangs hands that seemed so little and delicate in comparison a shock that quickly turned to a deep rooted worry was expressed upon Jaspers face and hidden by the dark. The little boys hands felt like literal ice, Jasper couldn't feel a single iota of heat emitted to his touch from the boys cold stiff flesh.

Without allowing him to notice his concern and worry Jasper guided Fangs hands underneath his own armpits and pulled the little boy in tighter to him. In the dark Jaspers expression was contorted. Beckoning a thread of pulsing energy from his ninth Gate upwards, his pupils slowly clouded becoming misted and grey. Softly he craned his head down to check on the little boy in a new perspective.

To Jaspers muggy pupils the boy seemed a bright beacon of light within the deep cold darkness of the teepee. Fangs nine Gates illuminated through his body and shone with a resplendent light. As well as the nine bright balls of light Fangs entire body also softly glowed with a more subtle light, only obvious because of the pitch black environment.

Gently Jasper reached out and pulled one of Fangs hands free from underneath his armpits. The boy didn't question Jaspers motives, he just lay there in a cold induced stupor and continued violently shivering. Jaspers gaze traveled to the little boys fingers that he tenderly held in the palm of his wide hands. His grim expression grew increasingly dire in the dark. He could clearly see that the ambient glow of Fangs body grew dimmer at his wrist, by the base of his fingers it was almost non existent. The top half of the boys fingers weren't visible to Jaspers misty grey eyes, they were four pillars of darkness against the bright backdrop of his own warm hand. Turning his stare he looked at the little boys other hand and two feet, then repeated the process with Talon. The results were similarly disturbing.

Jasper was well aware of what frostbite was, despite never encountering it his father had equipped him with much knowledge he thought he may one day need. He knew that's what the two children were being set upon by now. His mind was rapidly whirling trying to think of the ideal solution to warm the two up, however no matter how he attacked the problem he couldn't think up a feasible solution. In the darkness the creases upon Jaspers forehead grew increasingly deep and furrowed as he watched the black areas of the children's small limbs slowly spread with each passing minute. Inaction was now his worst enemy. A few more moments passed and Jasper racked his mind but failed to draft up any kind of solution.

Unless… but no that was far to risky. He wasn’t aware of the detrimental effects it could have on the two very young children. Of course he clearly remembered he had been subjected to to an intense warmth fourteen years ago when he had first accidentally activated its mystical properties. But he had been older than they are. As the minutes rolled by the notion that he had immediately dismissed became all the more viable, in Jaspers pained gaze the numbing blackness continued to slowly devour the children's fingers and toes. It seemed like the only solution.

Finally a flash of decisiveness flew across his features in the darkness. He had to do something. He gently moved the two children aside and rose from the frigid hut floor. The two shivering forms barely seemed to register the motion as he placed them together side by side. Jasper left the hut.

After he exited the sound of two young children's violent shivering and shaky breaths hung heavily in the absolute darkness. Faintly from somewhere not so far away the sound of snow rapidly being shovelled aside travelled into the interior of the hut. The noise continued for a few minutes before it ceased. Jasper entered the hut less than a moment later. Gently he bent down and picked up the two children hide pelts and all, within each of his strong arms.

Turning he left the hut carrying the twins in his embrace. Following the icy tunnel that lead away from the huts entrance he emerged within the icy caved in chamber. Jaspers evacuation of the collapsed ceiling was what had sounded out only movements ago, the chamber was now partially cleared. In the centre of the chamber inset into the snow was a portion of the black daises that Jasper had just laboured to reveal.

Gently gazing at the twins in his arms he hesitated. But as his gaze travelled to Talon and Fang’s hands which were quickly losing the faint glow they had and merging into the jet black backdrop a decisive glow surface within his misty pupils. Inaction at this point was equivalent to sacrificing the twins fingers and toes and if the snow continued falling maybe even their lives. Jasper couldn't let that happen.

So it was with a steeled determination he unwrapped the shivering six year old twins from the multiple layers of hides they nestled within. Having stripped them to just their clothes he then proceeded to gently place the two upon the daises. He stepped back but remained tensed and taut, ready to snatch the two back if anything outside of his expectations happened. Nervousness and worry bubbled within his chest. The twins lay upon the daises curled into foetal positions completely unresponsive even their shivering had stopped after he had removed the hide blankets. Worry fanned the beginnings of panics flame as two slow breaths passed.

Maybe the daises didn't work upon everyone, or maybe it wouldn’t work with two people upon it or perhaps the twins were to young. Numerous thoughts raced through Jaspers mind as he became increasingly nervous and fidgety. After five more breaths Jaspers tight chest couldn't allow him to sit still and wait any longer, he stretched his hands out intending to take the prone Fang and Talon back into his warm embrace. Just as his bronze hand was about to touch upon the children's still bodies his first Gate twitched. He paused. And reluctantly pulled his hand back.

After another breath suddenly light burst forth into being illuminating the dark chamber. Jaspers misty fogged eyes squinted and he looked away from the daises that had lit up with a bright white light. As he turned his gaze back his breath caught in his throat. Sparkling crystal white light was refracted all about him within the snowy chamber. Everywhere he looked the white icy walls had been decorated in shimmering lines of light that vibrantly flowed and energetically danced.

Turning his attention back to the two twins whom lay upon the daises a tension was uncoiled from within his chest. The pair of them remained lying down curled up and they still remained still. White glowing veins spread throughout their small bodies from where their skin was in contact with the daises. The glowing veins were pulsing in time to a slow beat, Jasper knew the steady beat to be the one that was beneath his own feet pulsing within the ground. It was these glowing white veins that had illuminated the darkness and painted the resplendent pictures of shimmering crystal lights upon the ice walls of the chamber.

Still slightly apprehensive but considerably less worried than he had been Jasper closely monitored the twins, savouring no time to enjoy the thoroughly dazzling display that danced upon the ice chambers walls. After two minutes Talon and Fang both slowly seemed to awake from their cold induced slumber. Blearily looking around their eyes rapidly filled with wonder and awe as they saw their glowing other twin.

“How do you both feel” Jaspers smooth voice turned their attention to him. He was still bare chested and solemnly sat cross legged upon the icy floor his attentive eyes were hazel again and watched every move the twins made. The shining lights from the twins pulsing veins wriggled across his powerful body casting him in a beautiful light.

Fang looked down at his fingers that like the rest of the exterior of his body had warm pulsing veins running through them and vigorously wriggled them. His face lit up into a boyish smile and he replied with wonderment stark in his voice “I'm really really numb… And really warm too.” Talons head bobbed up and down signalling her agreement with Fang.

A soft smile graced Jaspers face. He tenderly replied “Good. I'm glad your both okay. Really glad”

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Julius Calendar 904

Month Of The Fleeing Angels 30th

Talon and Fang begin cultivation

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