Breaking out of the ring of trees the two began stomping through snow again.
"How long were we even there for?"
"I am unsure, the forest of the dryad never operates truly to the outside world." Rin stared around at the sheer amount of white surrounding them.
"Is this a new thing for you?" Leon asked.
"Yes, I've never seen this before."
"It's called snow, its brutal where we are going. I'm just glad that there isn't a storm blowing in" Leon commented as the small amount of snowflakes fell from above.
"What we would have to do if it did?" Rin said in a distracted tone as she touched the snow, leaving a cold feeling to the touch.
"We'd have to warm each other" Leon said with a grin. Rin threw a lump of snow into Leon's face.
"You said your cabin was nearby?" Rin said matter of factly. Leon wiped off the powder from his face.
"Yeah, it's half a days trip following towards the mountains" Leon said as he begun to lead the way trudging through the snow plains.
"Truly far just wanting to hunt a deer" Rin commented as she followed the trail that Leon was creating.
"Up here its rare to see another animal let alone people. Truly during summer and autumn this place is beyond admirable to be. But as with all beauties it has a bite to it" Leon said with a sigh, inferring more meaning behind it then he had intended. Looking back he tried to make out how Rin could continue following.
"It's due to your energy" Rin answered to Leon's thoughts, throwing Leon off for a moment with his walking and landing in the snow.
"Truly if you could read people's minds then you should at least give a little privacy" Leon said muttering to himself.
"No person can read another's mind" Rin said stated without much of an emotional response. "Your energy change its nature and from how you've been looking at me for the last couple days I could guess at what you trying to understand" Leon let out a large huff as dusted off the snow and made towards what was a small peak next to the beginnings of a mountain side. A numerous amount of trees surrounded the base but were stripped by the harsh winter winds. Topping the hill both saw a cottage in the middle of bare trees.
"Its not much but I call it home" Leon said with a sense of pride hovering around his demeanour. Rin ignored him and wandered over to the trees placing her hand on them as she were listening.
"It seems they are still in a deep slumber. You mentioned that there were many seasons out here, care to explain more?" Rin asked withdrawing her hand.
"Did you not have seasons in your tree den?" Leon said curiously. Rin shook her head.
"It is as you saw, a time forever in spring. Although life flourishes during the spring, things live longer lives than were truly given to them." Rin said.
"Well I guess it would be strange seeing this after all of that. Our seasons are divide in four to represent the handing over of the live of the world between our protectors. Currently we are in winter but there is also spring, summer and autumn each showing the cycle of life all things must go through. Actually during the autumn we hold a harvest festival to give thanks, truly I think you would enjoy it" Leon continued to talk as they made it to the cottage. Swinging open the door Leon let out a sign and collapsed on the only bed in the room. Rin looked around the cabin, multiple hides were hung on the rafters and a cold fireplace had a hung pot over it. The inside was still warmer than outside but it made her shiver.
"I'll start the fire again" Rin said as she shifted her pack onto the ground. Emptying out the fireplace she stacked some of the dried firewood. Rin slowly whispered to the fireplace and the wood begun to smoke. A small fire begun to crackle and Rin kept feeding the fire as it crackled and was beginning to warm the room.
"How did you do that?" Leon said as he sat himself up watching Rin feeding the flames.
"I asked to start a fire" Rin responded casually.
"How can you just ask it to start a fire?" Leon asked in a confused tone. Rin turned her head to face him and rolled her eyes as if it was an obvious thing.
"Is there any way to get water?" Rin asked nonchalantly.
"If you grab some snow it melts into water when heated, snow is just frozen water" Leon said as enjoyed the warmth starting to fill the room.
"Ok, I will be back" Rin said taking the hanging pot with her outside. Opening the door a chilling breeze came in causing Leon's skin to rise in goosebumps. Slamming the door behind her it left the room quiet.
"Argh, that girl is too hard to figure out" Leon said to himself. Ever since they had left the forest she seemed quite devoid of that energy she had saw when he first saw her. He could barely get anything that represented an normal emotion but maybe there might be something here. Getting up Leon begun looking around for something that he remembered he got off a trader a while ago. Leon rummaged around as he threw his collective mess here and there.
For Rin the breeze was bitingly cold. Her clothes were definitely more suitable to the warm forest as the wind caused her to shiver. Scooping up a bunch of snow into the pot she walked it back to the warm cottage. Swinging the door open she saw Leon rummaging around through a bunch of odd bits and pieces that had been left on the floor. Internally sneering at the sheer mess of the room she placed the pot back on its hangar as she watched the snow begin to melt.
"Rin, I've got something for you" Leon said from behind her. Turning around Rin saw Leon holding his hands behind his back, as if hiding something.
"Is it anything important" Rin said with a huff turning back to face the warmth of the fireplace.
"You aren't curious?" Leon said in a strange tone as he came to her side looking at her.
"I mean this was a special thing given to me and yet you don't seem interested at all" Leon continued as he begun to smirk. Seeing him smile stirred a faint bit of irritation from Rin.
"Well if its so important why don't you show it" Rin said grumbly.
"I guess you just don't seem interested. I thought this would be a nice thing but it seems I wasted my time" Leon said walking away and keeping his hands away from Rin's field of view.
"Fine just give it to me" Rin said getting up and reaching her hand out towards Leon. Leon dodged out of the way, causing Rin to furrow her brow.
"Just hand it over" Rin said in an aggravated tone as she rushed towards Leon. Leon slipped away again from her grasp.
"It seems that you just aren't putting any effort in. I mean if that's the case there was no point in handing this gift to you" Leon shrugged. Rin felt a vein pop on her head in anger. Charging towards him she pushed him onto the bed in the corner of the room as they both tussled on top of the sheets. Reliasing how they both were Leon stopped as he felt his face flush from how close Rin was to him. Rin felt Leon relax and reached for his closed hand, prying open what he had been hiding. Dropping from his hand it landed in Rin's open palm. Although she could not see she could feel that the object was strange.
"A merchant happened to meet on the road. He said he was thankful for me guiding him through the mountains once and gave this to me. Do you like it?" Leon said with a smile. The object was made out of a strange piece of wood, even to Rin's eyes she could tell it was something unusal, but what truly astounded her was its shape. It was a small figurine, carved into the shape of an animal. Rin stared at the figure and felt its stare back at her. Going quiet, Rin retrated from the bedside and focused on looking over the gift. Tracing her fingers along some of the rough cuts it had. She had never truly seen anything like this back at her home.
"Was it good enough for you" Leon said with a smile that was self evident to be satisfied with her reaction. Rin looked up and gave him a look of disdain and went back to caring for the carving while in front of the fireplace. Getting up, Leon stretched with a groan.
"So what is the water for? It is truly to much if you wanted to make food" Leon said as he watched the last of the snow melt.
"It is to wash myself" Rin responded aimlessly.
"Huh, its way too cold in this weather. You'll die from the chill washing will give you" Leon said matter of factly. Rin looked up at him, her glazed over eyes stared into him far more than Leon would have liked.
"It is but to wash myself down from the dirt and sweat of the day. If I were to have a bath in this weather, truly nothing could save me" Rin said in response. To her honeslty she wished she could be just a little clean like when she had left her home. Unlike this savage of a man, the smell of being unwashed was truly too much for her.