The chilly wind slammed into Zaelen’s face. As you might expect, Zaelen did not want to cross the snowy expanse stretching out before him. After all, it looked like a death sentence. The landscape until now had been gradually changing, but it was as if there was a border to enter the true tundra.

“...Do we have to cross this?” asked Zaelen. The bitter cold penetrated his scales as if they were nothing.

Iceria winced. “...It’s the only way. Me and Cryos can go out to scout for shelter if you want. We have ice resistance.”

“And let you become ice blocks by yourself? Sure, go on ahead!” said Zaelen, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

|||Hey, how about YOU go? I love the idea of you getting hypothermia and freezing to death!|||

Oh great, now the system’s sending me death threats. Zaelen sighed and took his first few steps into a freezing hell. The temperature dropped drastically literally after just one step, and Zaelen was impressed that he wasn’t an ice cube. Yet.

Zaelen ordered the pack to huddle together, conserving as much warmth as possible. Fires were also lit around the group, bringing back some heat. Zaelen directed the freezing gales away from the wolves and himself with [Wind Surge], as well as with the aquaerin’s help. However, while this made the cold more bearable, it didn’t make the journey... pleasant. Frost sparkled on the wolves’ pelts and the kierin’s feathers. Zaelen’s growling belly was also becoming more of a problem.

“There’s trees ahead!” called Iceria, bounding ahead excitedly. Zaelen wished he had ice resistance too.

Learned new resistance: [Cold Resistance Lv1]

|||Your wish is granted!|||

This is the one time I’m thankful to the system. Relief swirled through him as he saw towering evergreens in front of him. Well, more like ever-silvers, considering how the shimmering needles growing upon the branches were silver. The branches gave shelter from the howling winds and the snow that seemed to fall constantly. Zaelen also noticed that the trees seemed to give off heat as he went near them. White-blue moss clung to the bark and surrounding rocks. When Zaelen poked it, the moss was unexpectedly soft.

Creature: Frostpine

Creature: Winter Moss

Names that aren’t fancy for once... Zaelen glanced around to see the wolves with their noses to the ground, likely sniffing for prey. However, no such luck appeared. The wolves’ heads drooped, both from exhaustion and disappointment. Zaelen heaved a sigh. Hunger gnawed at his belly, not to be sated any time soon. But... we’ll find prey eventually. At least I hope so.

However, over the next few days, they still hadn’t found any prey.

“We can’t go on like this,” growled Iceria. She looked gaunt and pitiful from the last few days of starvation. Zaelen sighed and called the pack to a stop. As heads turned, Zaelen gave a single command.

“Eat the moss.”

“...What?” asked a wolf named Fenrir, flinching back.

Hunger made Zaelen ill-tempered and he rounded on the wolf. “Or perhaps you would prefer to starve? Don’t worry, I won’t stop you if that’s your wish,” he hissed.

Fenrir growled back. “So you’re stooping to this level? Where’s your pride?”

He glared down at the wolf. “Pride?” His tail slashed the ground, the blades cutting easily through the frosted dirt. “Pride doesn’t fill our stomachs, or else you’d be the fattest wolf alive. You think I enjoy trekking through this hell?”

The wolf’s eyes narrowed and he bared his fangs. “You’re supposed to be our leader! I followed you because I thought you were strong!” Fenrir stepped closer until his muzzle was inches from Zaelen. “I never expected you to be a tyrant.”

Zaelen’s frustration finally boiled over. “I see that you were never loyal. If you’re so displeased with me, how about you take charge? Go, lead the pack. I’m leaving. You can be the alpha now. See how you do.”

Fenrir flinched back and gasps echoed from the surrounding pack. Iceria started forward, eyes sparkling with surprise.

“No! Zaelen – you can’t leave!” she gasped.

Zaelen fixed an icy glare on her. “Turns out I can.”

|||Wait a second – you might regret this later. Hey, just use your brain for once!|||

Shut up system.

|||... ... ...|||

There was a fluttering of feathers, and the chickens landed next to him. “We go with mama!” cried the elderin.

Zaelen paused, considering.

|||...At least let THEM come with you|||

Zaelen allowed the chickens to come with him.

“Zaelen...!” Iceria tried to follow, with Cryos right behind her. However, Fenrir blocked the alpha.

“Don’t. He’s made his choice,” said Fenrir bitterly.

Iceria and Cryos turned on him. “You just - !”

Zaelen walked away before he could hear the rest of Iceria’s words. He whipped his tail angrily as the chickens worriedly fluttered around him. He walked for what seemed like a long distance of endless frostpines; his anger fueling him. Eventually, however, Zaelen’s stomach finally drew his feet to a stop. He glanced around, looking for prey.

When none revealed itself to the golden drake, he gave a forlorn sigh. Finally, he followed his own command and turned to the moss crawling up the trunks of the trees. Reluctantly, he peeled off a clump of it and chewed. A bitter taste filled his mouth but Zaelen kept on eating. The kierin started to peck and swallow the winter moss as well, copying Zaelen.

Soon the moss took the edge off his hunger. Zaelen took a last few bites before turning away. He ate some of the snow, which cleansed the aftertaste of the moss. At least the white, powdery substance was good for that much. Maybe we WON’T freeze to death after all. And of course, just as he had that thought, fierce gales suddenly erupted from nowhere. The chickens let out cries of alarm.

The sudden wind whipped snow into spiraling eddies that lashed against Zaelen’s scales. Within moments, a blizzard had descended upon the tiny group. OH, JUST WHAT WE NEEDED hissed Zaelen inwardly. However, those kind of thoughts were soon blown away as the blizzard continued its relentless onslaught. Hail soon started to rain down, stabbing the ground around them. Zaelen’s eyes widened as he watched an icicle pierce through the thick bark of the tree. This finally jolted him, and he darted toward a distant rock formation.

“RUN!”

Zaelen dashed toward what he hoped was shelter. Because if it wasn’t, he had no doubt that he would not survive. He clawed through the quickly increasing snow. In seconds it was the same height as his flanks.

|||You’re REALLY becoming an ice block now...|||

My, I certainly don’t have eyes. Thank you for telling me! He grabbed the mystirin in his jaws, and hooked the aetherin from where it struggling against the strong gales. The two other chickens clung to his back; he could feel their weight against his scales. The chickens weren’t built for this climate, and all they could do was cling to him.

Sharp shards of ice pierced through places where Zaelen’s scales were too thin; remaining embedded like large thorns. Zaelen was sure that if not for his pain nullification, it would’ve felt like hell. The wind now pushed him back if he wasn’t constantly moving. The temperature, which was already freezing, felt like it had dropped farther.

[Cold Lv1] -> [Cold Lv3]

Well! The cold resistance skipped a level!

Status: Alpha of [Pack]?, Frostbite, Bleeding

Why’s the ‘alpha of [Pack] still there? Oh, there’s a ‘?’. I guess the system’s unsure? Wait a second – oh great, I’ve got frostbite and bleeding. But despite the urgency, Zaelen wasn’t able to increase his speed by much. In fact, he was gradually getting slower. But, with some effort, he reached the rock formation, which turned out to be a small cave. He shoved the chickens in, and then went in himself. Or tried to, anyway. The cave was already full with the kierins and Zaelen sighed, deciding to try and find another shelter.

“Mommmy!” cried the elderin. “Don’t leave! We’ll get smaller!”

Zaelen stared skeptically at the kierins, who were already very squished. “Yeah, I seriously doubt that!” he yelled over the wind.

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“We can!” cried the aquaerin. It puffed its feathers up, and there seemed to be an intense moment of trying. Then it suddenly shrunk, until all that stood in the cave was a blue-green chicken. Soon, a black, silver, and white chicken followed.

Zaelen blinked. Then blinked again. ...What has the world come to?

|||I wonder...|||

Then he squeezed in and was finally free from the blizzard. He sighed in relief, curling around the chickens. He used [Wind Surge] to move a pile of rocks to block the cold winds that were streaming inside, before lighting a small fire. The chickens nestled against his flank, and soon, he heard tiny snores. When did chickens snore... Zaelen found that his eyelids had grown heavy. Meh, I’ll question the rules of logic later... He drifted into sleep.

⋆❖^⧫/-\⧫^❖⋆

Zaelen woke to find two chickens missing. Only the black and blue chicken still slept where he had seen them before he’d fallen asleep. He raised his head, alarmed, then relaxed again as he found the white and silver ones curiously pecking around the back of the cramped cave. When he moved a rock from the pile that blocked the entrance, he found that the blizzard still raged on outside, though its fierceness had abated somewhat. Zaelen drew back in and put the stone back. The tiny fire he’d lit before still flickered, bringing warmth and light to the space. The aquaerin and mystirin had woken up too and joined its siblings at the back of the cave.

Zaelen laid down, turning himself to watch the kierins. Then a delighted squawk came from the aetherin.

“Look! Look what I found!” it chirped.

The other chickens gathered around, and Zaelen craned his neck to look. There was a small slab jutting from the cave floor. If Zaelen hadn’t looked so closely, he would’ve bet that he wouldn’t have noticed it at all. The elderin chicken waddled forward until it stood on the slab, which sank down until it was at level with the floor. The was a creaking sound, and the floor disappeared from under Zaelen.

“Oh, great,” Zaelen managed to say before gravity took effect and he fell.

The chickens had it better, as they floated slowly since, well, since they were chickens, to land gracefully on the ground. Zaelen, of course, slammed down quite ungracefully. He picked himself up, shaking off leaves. He froze. Wait. Leaves? He squinted down at the green papery things that were now settled on the ground. They weren’t evergreen needles, they were actual leaves. He poked them, wondering if he was dreaming. Then he realized another thing; the temperature wasn’t freezing anymore. It was a pleasant warm, a great contrast to the cold before.

The kierins, which had reverted to their original forms, seemed to be taking great joy in the change of surroundings as they got to flying around in the large cavern. In fact, this cavern wasn’t just large. It was enormous.

He paused, looking around for what was emitting the light. Soon, he found his answer; bright veins of glowing moss and vines that seemed to be everywhere. Delicate white flowers with glowing, translucent petals filled a field near him.

Creature: Lightbloom

Creature: Lumoss

Creature: Lumeer

Creature: Brightree

However, what caught his attention was the mystical lake spread out before him, white steam swirling in eddies above the calm water. Ohhh, I remember these things. I used to have a private lake like this one. They relax and heal you, yeah? The elderin abruptly swooped down, its talons dipping into the water. When it ascended, a gleaming rainbow fish was grasped in them.

Creature: Rainfin

The other chickens chirruped and copied the first; gliding in circles above the lake before diving down when a shadow drifted close to the surface. While most missed their catch, a few unfortunate fish were still caught and killed. Zaelen enjoyed watching this procedure and the ‘fishy’ lives that were ended.

Creature: Zysiruis

Eh...? That was all Zaelen had time to think before a serpentine form burst forth, splashing water all over Zaelen. He did not take kindly to this. The chickens had fast reflexes, however, and the ‘zysiruis’, as it was called, only got a few tail feathers. The birds shrieked insults at the zysiruis. Where did they even learn those?

Zaelen squinted his eyes at the zysiruis. It was a majestic beast, with pure-white scales and a flowing gray-blue mane. It arced its serpentine neck and roared at the chickens, violet eyes fixed on them. Guardian...? Oh right, I remember something about guardians. Hrmmm. Zaelen lapsed into thinking.

|||Seems like you’re the old man now|||

What? No way in hell.

|||Oh? Then how would you explain your poor long-term memory?|||

My, then I wonder how bad yours is. After all, you seem to be doing worse than me.

|||Heh, stop trying to make excuses|||

But I could say the same for you. Have you ever heard of blacklisting, hmmm?

|||What about that?|||

There seemed to be the slightest uncertainty in the system’s message. So you know? Do you know that one of the reasons people did that was to push the blame away from themself, or selves? Isn’t that what you’re doing right now?

|||Ugh, when did I ever say that?|||

See, that’s what people who are doing that would say.

|||And that’s also what people who AREN’T doing that would say!|||

Oh system... I pity you.

|||No, I pity YOU more, for having to live with that deranged brain of yours! Or do you just only have ONE braincell?!|||

Sighhhhh.

|||What’s with the sigh?!|||

Zaelen swiped away more of the system’s furious messages, not bothering to read them anymore. The zysiruis, seeming to have had enough, sent a beam of condensed water chasing after the birds. Zaelen gave a yelp and ducked as the beam swerved wildly around the cavern, almost cutting off his head. The birds sent attacks of their own in return, and it turned into something like a movie, albeit that the chickens didn’t do anything. If only I had popcorn.

As Zaelen enjoyed the show, the zysiruis finally caught sight of the golden drake. Apparently realizing that, like always, Zaelen was the cause of the bothersome ‘flies’ around it. Its head shot out like a snake, and Zaelen scrambled to get away.

“Hey, what did I do?! I’m just a – errrr – a peaceful bystander!”

The zysiruis did not buy it. Blobs of water rose from the lake to form vague beast-like shapes; there was no clear creature that the shapes were modeled after.

Creature: Frostborn

“Are you serious?!”

It was in times like this that Zaelen wished with all his might that he could fly. The frostborn lunged, jaws gaping. Zaelen backed away, turning one into steam with [Dragon Breath]. However, only more rose; two forming for every one that he killed. Or well, turned into steam, considering that the frostborn weren’t really alive in the first place. The first frostborn got close enough to leap at him. Blood splattered against the ground as Zaelen eliminated it. Then his ever so loyal chickens were there, attacking the frostborn. Zaelen felt relief flow over him, until he realized the any attacks without enough heat simply slowed down the frostborn before they reformed.

The elderin shrieked in fury as a frostborn leaped onto his back. Its beating wings faltered as the frostborn dragged it down from the air with their weight. The other kierin screeched in fury, trying to blow some of the frostborn off. Zaelen gave an agitated hiss and bounded to where the elderin was franticly trying to shake the frostborn off. He cloaked his claws in fire; using [Flame Claw], and raked them through a frostborn, slicing off its head. Zaelen gave a yelp as another frostborn latched onto his tail. He smacked it against the ground before turning it into steam with yet another [Dragon Breath]. Gods, why are there so many?! I don’t have enough mana for this! No matter how many frostborn he ‘steamed’, more were there to take its place. However, the elderin had gotten free, and took to the skies.

The elderin somehow ripped a gash in the air, and Zaelen could see what seemed to be an endless black void on the other side. It was like a blackhole; it seemed to turn gravity to its will so the frostborn were tugged in. Zaelen stared as the frostborn were all swallowed up. Then the tear closed and the elderin flapped wearily to the ground. Through its tiredness, it seemed to be triumphant at its success.

|||See? I was right!|||

Eh? In what?

|||You DID need the chickens! You can’t argue with me now!|||

Gack! Zaelen gave a huff and drew in a breath, ready to steam more frostborn. Then he noticed that the zysiruis had drawn back, its eyes widened in surprise, staring at the elderin. Hey, has he noticed that the chickens make for a good snack? Or maybe it’s a she? Zaelen moved defensively in front of the elderin and glared. He hissed. If anyone ever eats the chickens, it’s gonna be me! Wait a second, is the elderin glaring too? It looks more like its glowering.

The zysiruis drew back, eyes still fixed on the elderin.

“The Ebonheart egg...? The kierins would never let it be... what...?”

Ayo, is that the zysiruis?

|||Gosh, who else could it be? I wonder!|||

The wolves?

|||Oh|||

Zaelen turned his head to observe the icy white or blue wolves that had slunk out of vegetation. Their pelts shown vividly against the vibrant green, which made Zaelen suspect they came from somewhere else. Maybe they fell in from the ‘hole’ too?

Creature: Frost Wolf (Alpha)

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” asked a different voice.

The alpha. I guess that was the zysiruis then. Zaelen felt a slight regret at having left his pack but he pushed it away. Keeping one eye on the zysiruis, he replied, “I could ask the same of you.”

|||Ohhh, that was actually smart|||

The alpha narrowed her eyes. She didn’t seem friendly, but also not hostile. She could certainly be both, however.

“Your actions will let me decide whether my wolves attack, so answer wisely.”

Zaelen opened his mouth to speak, but the chickens were apparently fed up and their patience was at their ends.

“We. Are. CHICKENS!” screamed the ‘chickens’ in unison.

|||Ugh, see how bad of an influence you have on children?|||

What children? They’re chickens.

|||Righttttt|||

The alpha gave them a skeptical glance.

“They are chickens,” agreed Zaelen amiably.

|||ZAELEN, GET THIS IN YOUR HEAD. THEY. ARE. NOT. CHICKENS|||

They aren’t? Zaelen squinted his eyes at the maybe not-chickens. No, they are.

|||Sigh. Then have FUN dealing with the freaking wolves. Just remember you got yourself into this one|||

No I didn’t Zaelen decided. You did.

|||WHAT DID I DO?! YOU’RE NOT A CHILD|||

The argument was interrupted by a sharp howl.

“FROST WOLVES. ATTACK!”

The wolves rushed forward, teeth bared and snarling.

Oh darn.