A thin layer of mist hung over the snowy forest floor. A soft yet icy wind blew through the large trees. They all looked the same.
They all had dark grey bark and their leave less branches arced down like birdcages.
if one only considered the actual environment, it was as if all colour had ceased to exist.
the horses that pulled the carriage let out a warm breath that soon became visible in the form of small clouds that drifted around like it had all the freedom in the world .
Yet somehow the cold could not penetrate my skin. I didn't pay much attention to it. Not once had I expected otherwise. Certain places in hell were much, much colder than this. For example, the ninth circle of treachery.
The horses pulled the carriage further. their hooves made a soft crunching noise in the soft fresh snow.
I could sense a few creatures in the distance. Their alluring smell stook a sharp contrast to the clean forest air.
I left the carriage. I could hear Raiko calling me back. While Yorimitsu and Oiwa were to distracted by the wite scenery to pay attention to me.
His command was not of much worth to me. I didn't see him as a friend, and I didn't own him anything. He was merely an ally; someone the dwarf had requested me not to kill.
He was furious when I didn't pay attention to him and started looking through his bag in search of some holy water that he had smuggled with him.
When he finally found it and left the carriage, I spread my wings and took to the dark night skies wile kicking some of the branches, so he'd be covered in snow.
With a deep laughter I flew off. He deserved it. I had been hungry for days and he tried to stand in between me and my meal.
I slaughtered two bunnies with a white fur that was hard to distinguish from the snowy surroundings. I gratefully took their souls after I ended their lives. Their souls were nothing special, but it was nice to finally eat one after a little over two weeks.
When I came back, I dropped the dead bunnies in front of the carriage and landed on top of a nearby tree.
The branches made a loud cracking sound when I shifted my balance.
Raiko and Yorimitsu came out of the carriage to look at what dropped the two snow-white bunnies that dyed the pure snow a deep red right in front of the carriage.
"Get down here so I can pour this holy water in your neck!" Raiko roared holding a glass bottle.
I took a more comfortable position on the branch that I was sitting on. And grinned ear to ear. "Are you sure it isn't frozen by now?"
I had been gone for only a few minutes but with these temperatures it would be weird if it hadn't already frozen.
"Then I will melt it by holding it on your back long enough!"
I chuckled. "And here I thought that you would appreciate my little gifts. Also, good luck holding me down long enough for the ice to melt!"
Yorimitsu laid his hand on the shoulder of Raiko. "Just let him be. We can't afford to have conflicts in our group. We only have to trust the dwarf that this demon won't betray us."
"Of course, he will betray us, he is a demon! I'm sure he is just waiting for the right moment to strike."
I jumped out of the tree, landing right in front of Raiko and Yorimitsu. The soft snow crumbled under the weight that it suddenly had to carry.
"Listen here you little shit. You have been annoying the hell out of me for the last few days. If I wanted, you dead you would have been by now. but don't get me wrong, the only reason that you are alive at all is because the dwarf asked me not to rip you apart." I said while baring my sharp teeth and spreading my wings to further tower over him.
"I knew it! You want us dead."
He tried to stomp me in the chest, but his weak human hands could not do much against me. I must say that I sort of admire him for that.
It was dark so he would be able to see the faint glow in my eyes. From his perspective, he just tried to stomp a bloodred demon with yellow glowing eyes that stood at least a head taller than him, covered in spikes and scales wile baring his fangs at him.
Yorimitsu pushed Raiko to the side. "Can you two please stop!"
I decided that it wasn't wort it and entered the carriage again where Oiwa was patiently looking at the landscape. When I sat down next to her, she stared at me for a few seconds longer than what I would consider comfortable.
Yorimitsu decided to drive the carriage while Raiko was just sitting next to him. Looking at them from behind they were nearly identical. And if not for what just happened, their personalities would be too.
I found it interesting how Yorimitsu was just as annoying as Raiko before. Bit maybe he just realised that trying to create conflicts in our group would get us nowhere.
I glanced over at Oiwa who had returned to looking at the landscape. "Have you ever seen snow before?"
She said in a calm, monotone voice.
"Yea. Quite often actually. I lived halfway up a mountain before I went to the stone city."
"I see." She closed her eyes. The way that she was facing me only allowed me to see the part of her face that wasn't scarred. "You know. I never got to see snow before, at least not as close as now. I lived far up in the east. while I could see the wite tips of the mountains far in the distance, it somehow never snowed where I lived. We did have a lot of rain though."
I could see how a single tear dripped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away with her sleeve.
"Isn't it weird what we have to leave behind to experience new things."
Her lip was slightly trembling while another tear slowly made its way across her face. She opened her eyes again and stared at the snow again.
"But if I could choose… I would have rather not left those things, those people behind."
Her whimpering continued. I sighed, now also looking at the snow filled landscape. "I know exactly what you mean."