Wintercat96

Noir trudged through the snow, internally grumbling at the frozen powder blanketing the ground in a layer nearly two feet high. Noises of shifting and crunching was the most prevalent noise in the forest, the chirping of birds absent as they migrated for the winter months. The sky was an expanse of pale blue, with massive chunks of puffy cloud passing overhead every now and again. Bare trees clustered together, their long arms sagging and swaying under the weight of the freshly frozen snow. A light breeze blew past, cold air sending snowflakes drifting down from their perches. Noir, evidently, was not too happy about the weather, squinting his eyes against the bright reflections of sunlight off of frozen snow. It was far too bright here, making it a nuisance for him to even attempt to fade into the shadows and glide away. Alas, there was no harm in getting some extra exercise, and so the black and white loon simply trudged on.

He was aiming for the next town, looking to find somewhere safe to rest before going on another hunt. There were few creatures out in these dense, frosted woods, and even fewer loons. For the past hours, not a single living soul came into sight, only furthering the fact that this place was completely remote and uncivilized. If Noir was lucky, perhaps he could find a wild loon and kickstart his hunt from there. But chances were slim, and a town would be far more convenient. Noir let out a tired hiss, passing what seemed to be the same tree he saw just a mile back. It was incredibly frustrating, not knowing his way around and not having the ability to fast-travel his way to his destination. Alright, that’s more than enough ground covered for now, Noir decided, shaking the snow off of his legs and rubbing his paws together to warm them up slightly.

After a few minutes of quick searching, he found a fairly large tree with thick roots dry and not covered with snow thanks to the branches above catching the falling flakes. For a moment, he debated taking a short nap on the roots before a ball of grey fluff peeked its head out from a burros hidden among the roots. The squirrel narrowed its small, beady eyes at the larger creature before ducking back into its den. “A squirrel?” Noir murmured, cocking his head. “In the middle of winter? How strange.” He shifts himself closer to the hole, curiously trying to peek into the hole to view the tiny creature. “Shouldn’t you be hibernating, little one?” Leaning forwards, he brings his muzzle closer to the hole before dodging back as the mammal launched itself at him, teeth bared viciously.

Now that the squirrel was further out in the open, though, Noir could see more of the rodent’s body. Matted fur stuck out at various angles, looking more like a hair ball with legs rather than a nut-eating animal. Upon closer inspection, Noir noted that the squirrel’s messy fur was occasionally interrupted by an injury, accompanied by irritated red skin. The creature also appeared to be skinnier than what was the healthy weight for it, meaning that it had probably been missing food for a while. It had clearly been attacked by something, as evidenced by the vicious scratches littering the small thing’s body.

“How pitiful,” Noir murmurs, peering into the squirrel’s hole. The hole was empty and littered with small stones and dead leaves. “This is not your burrow, is it? You’ve been forced to shelter in a new one.” The squirrel obviously didn’t understand Noir’s words, but it lunged back into its makeshift home anyways, ignoring the creature who apparently didn’t want to consume its corpse. “It’s quite sad, really,” he mutters, stepping away from the hole. “You spend years of your live preparing supplies to survive, only to have it all stolen away and being left with no chance of survival left. Now, ordinarily I would simply let Mother Nature do as she pleases, but lucky for you, I am feeling generous today.” He scans the forest for other squirrel holes, and pads up to them, shoving a slender paw in and hauling acorns out of each by handfuls. Soon, Noir had a sizable pile of acorns, which he gently deposited into the starving squirrel’s hole. At some point, the squirrel comes out to see where the sudden food is coming from, only to find the same unfamiliar creature as before. It was a strange sight: a dangerous soul-monger gifting a starving squirrel with more than enough acorns to last it the entire winter.

”And there you go,” Noir said, after every last nut was dropped into the hole. “To gain, one must take from someone else. That is simply the way of the world.” His brow was furrowed, as his mind went into deep thought. “If you cannot take the most, then you will die.” He had learned that lesson for himself when he was a young fool, too naive for his own good. Darkness taught him many lessons, as did light, changing him for better or for worse. But there were some things that never changed. He sympathized with creatures who faced hardships with the odds unfairly set against them. He saw less and less meaning in socialization beyond maintaining connections and manipulation. He never stopped looking at the bigger picture, obsessed with the world and the magic it contains. He did questionable things, coupled with spontaneous actions of good. Perhaps he was no longer the innocent child he used to be. Maybe he simply grew up and saw the truth, or became disillusioned to the idea of living a normal life. But for better or for worse, Noir was a different person now, and it has led him here, as a wandering traveler with a questionable motive and a curious heart.

“Now, there is nothing I can do for your wounds,” Noir explained, ignoring the fact that he was currently talking to a squirrel. “You will just have to wait for them to heal on their own.” Noir lifted a pale paw into the air, almost quirking a smile when the squirrel pressed its nose to his toe before entering its new ad now fully stocked burrow.

Satisfied, Noir turns away and continues his journey through the snowy woods.


1062 words (I think)
should be +15 EP