Call to Adventure: Chapter 3 (Patreon)

General Winter

The winter storm 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 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 demands 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 to the cold and it was getting chilly already. I had to prepare so I did what any 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, I found 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, slightly blunting one of my killing tolls in the process but I was already strapped with time.

With what little time I had life, 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, wondering if I should just let go and cut my losses but I could see the great oak up ahead. “I’m not letting go!” I growled out, determined to get every last thing even if it would take time.

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 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 the wind 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 would bring and a great fortress in the sky filled with dwarves and the ringing of forges.

-x-x-x-

Suffice to say that my preparations for the storm was well warranted. I woke up to the storm 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 as I had to squeeze in tight, unable to stretch out even for a little bit.

I did not account for space to do my bodily function, 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, groaning 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 and an experience I did not want to repeat. My brief reprieve would come to an end as a bleat echoed just from the nearby tree line. Looking up, I saw my rival made 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 rivals size. I was getting stronger while he remained the same. “Ready for round two huh?” I chuckled as I turned over 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 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 very forest itself 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 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 making the demon in woolen coat freeze up for the first time. “Bah….” it bleated weekly as their ears flattened against their 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 while a shadow loomed over myself. Slowly, I looked back and there behind stood a creature straight from the nightmares of children. “Oh… you were running from a troll…” I whimpered as the tusked face of the troll twisted in anger before roaring out and I screamed, fleeing for my dear life as a fully armored troll came barreling down on me.