A silhouette of the child was seen on the floor as its shadow surrounded the room with magic. It came from a pair of hands that appeared thin and frail. Hanna looked away, holding back her tears away from the screams of anguish behind closed doors.
A figure in the North noticed the Aurora engulfing the sky for a couple of hours. They sneered from the wonders of the frozen skies being imbued with vibrant glows of animals.
Its eyes were bright amber that was full of excitement. A click was heard and a small flame was met with the cut end of a cigar.
The smoke delved up to the swaying to their eyes were bright with excitement. The skies heard a distant howl from the figure with flames and splashes of blood were spread along the once pristine snow.
~ ~ ~ ~
The morning welcomed the cold and starry night. Revealing the Milky Way vibrantly like lanterns that flowed in the sky as a river to guide the lost souls of the tundra.
Darkness was still around the Valley, bringing the destitution of the world of the Dwarven folk to a festive day like any other. The winter may have been a harsh environment for some humans and even the dwarven folk, but they could make the most of it.
The Dwarven folk would live in the mountains. They were called the dwarven-folk because of their short appendages and regular-sized torsos but their height was of Giants.
Hana was a dwarven folk who could stand at 8 feet tall and used the help of the environment to get around. Being able to move about with extra railings and closer mobility of space in between.
Hana stumbled, waking up from her bed, groggily going through her room to get a brush and a bucket filled with clothes. Including a comb made from stone and some pieces of leather for hair ties. She stretched her arms back and splashed water on her face, cleaning it with the hot spring from the base of the mountains.
She bathed with various oils of evergreen and animal fat. After she came out of the spring clean as a whistle, steam rose from her body that would melt the surrounding snow around the mountain.
Sighing with relief, she said, "Ah, nothing like a weekly bathing in the morning."
Each step that she took would bring the permafrost to a melting point from the amount of heat that exuded from the dwarven's body. Happily, she went back to her inn and worked in the kitchen, donning an apron along with her leather jacket and hair tied up into two braids.
Silence within when she entered, signs of a bustling business were quiet. Which meant that she had time to enjoy herself with a cup of warm fermented yak milk with crushed lingonberries.
The kitchen had large wooden floors, with counters concocted from a mixture of metal and stone, which was sanitized with hot water. She only had to do this once since her place may not be popular with how remote it was.
But it was a sanctuary for her community, both human and dwarven kind. She brought some potatoes from the pantry that were from the previous winter months' harvest. Peeling them, dicing them, and putting them in a hot iron pan with deer tallow.
Sneakily, she went through the spice cabinet and took out a small container filled with black spheres: black peppercorn. A special treat for her before the rise of the storm in her everyday life since she's reunited with her old friend, the witch, Annette.
Humming happily, she went to the backyard and took some of the fish that were hung to freeze for storage. She cooked the potatoes and then took them out of the pan and onto a plate. They became crispy wedges of potatoes that smelt delicious with the deer tallow and herbs such as thyme, garlic, and yak cheese on top of the cooked potato wedges.
"Ah, finally I can have some peace of mind with this delicious luxury," whispered Hanna, so eager to eat at that moment, at the point of almost drooling.
Hana giggled in delight at the food that she made. Grabbing a pestle and mortar, she ground the black peppercorn into a fine powder and sprinkled it on top. She took out a fancy fork made from copper and iron.
The smell of the food reached the second floor, where both the mother and child stayed last night. The interior design had trophies of different cattle, wolves, and even stuffed rabbits from the hunting seasons. Hana also had disguised some as unicorns that appeared from the seas.
Inside the interrior of the inn had accents of different wood elements including ash and pine. Guests could hear the creaking from the disrepair floorboards in the inn, which had been there since the incident. Fires from the hearth rekindled and tended to for the work of the next day.
The cold first floor slowly got warmer when the hearth's flames were consistent and tended to for as long as the day it was reborn from the leftover tinder. Hana heard footsteps from one room when she was finished with her first breakfast.
She heard running, screaming, crying, and then it halted. The source of the noise was coming from Annette's room, as she struggled, but when she dealt with helping her daughter get ready in the morning.
Cloette was slightly belligerent towards her mother who was trying to help her from a nightmare she had of that day once more. Annette quickly wrapped a blanket around Cloette, cradled her close to her bosom, and started hushing the frightened child soothingly.
The dhampir didn't resist her mother's approach. She knew her mother only wanted to help her, but the memories were too difficult to face.
When everything calmed down in their room, Cloette quickly got her face washed and clothes ready. Accidentally, she tripped over her feet and rolled forward, causing her to force open the door with the hinges almost hanging onto the frame.
"Mama, gracias para ayudarme con mis mal suenos!" the young girl exclaimed giggling.
Cloette got up and ran down the stairs. The scent of black pepper whetted her appetite for the first meal of the day.
But Annette chased the child before her little girl could steal a piece of the fried potatoes from Hana's plate. Annette held the child's shoulders, lifted her up, and set her down to see her daughter's face.
"Holdup! Espera! Is this your food?" asked Annette to Cloette.
Cloette pondered a bit and observed Hana holding a fork to her mouth with a cup of warm yak milk. Then she looked at her mom and shook her head, denying the fact that the food was hers.
Annette patted the child's back in approval and nodded in agreement of the child's decision. Although she could also hear a small rumbling from her own stomach.