She hadn't witnessed her daughter completing the chores enthusiastically, although both had experienced an unsightly event. The witch looked down at the pendant around her neck; a vial of red.
A vessel containing her husband's blood. His love for her would be by her human heart.
She clenched it and teared up from the memories of that painful night. Seeing the monster, who was her husband, disappear, she looked all over the town for him.
Her being shunned for having a daughter who had brought chaos. It isolated her, but she never abandoned her daughter.
It was never in her mind to risk Cloette's safety. Before she met Samuel De Vasco, her view of the world was to kill or be killed.
Her daughter's laughter triggered the trauma that her poor heart, as a mother, brought onto herself. Smoke swirled around her nostrils filled with sweetness from carrots, salt, and the oil from fish.
Hunger overtook her time of reminiscence, to the point of trying to get a sample of what was cooking. She looked over the stove where Hana was preparing the food, almost drooling at the pieces of stewed fish.
'Maybe a small~ sample,' thought Annette, smiling mischievously as she reached for a piece of the fish.
Hana smacked Annette's hand with her wooden spoon, preventing her from trying to make enact an attempt at minor thievery. Annette chuckled slightly and tried to retreat from the scene.
But Hana caught her collar, preventing her from leaving. The Dwarven woman lifted the small witch to the air and scowled at Annette. Hana's presence intimidated Annette to the point of overwhelming guilt.
"Nope! Annette, since you like to have a sample of the food, you are on dish duty." smiled Hana.
"Y-yes Hana," said Annette, in defeat as her posture slumped.
Cloette observed her mother's sudden behavior and waddled in Annette's direction for a hug. Annette embraced in response. Both laughed loudly and danced without music, but their hearts were full of songs as they performed their dances to the customers at the inn.
Their skirts twirled, clapping, and stomping in rhythms that brought the on-lookers to play along with them. Swirls of fire came from both women's fingertips, the same colors from the previous incident with less intensity. It was contained, controlled, and precise.
Flames of galloping deer, rolling hedgehogs, floating on their backs, dogs and wolves were sniffing the guests at the hotel. Warmth cascaded from the hearth, along with the cheers and clanging of wooden mugs.
"Guess they may need to have fun and entertain our guests anyway! Cheers!" bellowed Hana proudly.
Chortles and gaffs echoed throughout the inn with various activities such as axe throwing, chugging ale, and arm wrestling. The sounds of children laughing made their way to the town's square.
As they slid down the slopes and threw snowballs.
Building snow people, the moon's rays were waning, the crescent moon gave a face to the dimly starry night. Cloette stopped dancing when she noticed a familiar friend.
The stag looked over through the window. Gales from the wind were picking up in intensity lifted the tufts from the stag's chest and made it flow with the wind gently.
They brought the illusion of a gentle breeze to the young child's attention. While the child smiled at the stag, Odin suddenly approached her from behind and interrupted her.
He looked back at the window and saw some footprints glowing bioluminescence that trailed off into the blanket of white.
Screeching caws were faint from the wind, whistling loudly among the trees. Dwarven children ran back inside scared and screaming. Some laughed, while others were shivering from being wet from the melted snow on their clothing.
Their noses were red, their cheeks as well. Odin lifted his friend from the ground and tossed her in the air as he stood on his leg for balance.
Cloette was frightened at first. But became accustomed to the rush of falling from being thrown near the ceiling. She giggled and screamed in delight that some of the other human kids asked the Dwarves eventually to do the same.
Some denied their requests, but others ended up doing other fun activities. They told stories, danced, arm wrestled, and even deadlifted multiple people on benches.
But there was that pattern of high-pitched screeches once more. The crows were flying downwards to the hotel's door.
*tap tap tap*
The sound was not reciprocated by the ongoing festivities of the night. They heard the sound once more repeatedly enough. It became a metronome for the festivities to drown the sounds of a desperate attempt at the hotel.
In the distance, through the mountain pass, some indents formed a pattern in the soft snow. It dragged the snow along as if it were light enough to disappear quickly from their paths.
Whistles stopped from the frantic branches of the evergreens in the Valley. Whispers were left from the storm's frantic episodes of vengeance to the ones who intended to harm the others.
The shifting of shadows was noticed by one of the young children. Both avians hid themselves behind the hotel when shadows approached.
But the young child ran happily outside to feed their curiosity and fell. Two bipedal beings were in front of the child, their legs were covered in leather and pelts.
Fear was painted on the children's faces when they saw the wooden faces of terrible creatures. Another creature approached the child and lifted them off the ground.
"Ah, little one, I'm back!" said the masked creature happily.
It hugged the child close and took off his mask. A face, which revealed dirty skin, dried blood on his pelt, and various necklaces across their neck.
Another took theirs off, revealing a stag head, with antlers that were a statement piece, pierced with metal rings on his ears. His feet were hooves and had a muscular stature, with a long black cloak that barely touched the snow. The child laughed and hugged back to the man covered in dirt.
The stag looked behind waved his hand with a howl and declared in a monotone speech, "Come on everybody, we are home."
Piles of snow moved and revealed a couple of masked people, some stretching their arms and even cracking their backs into place. Some of them mumbled in discomfort and relief. Each of them had a different mask, some with elongated tusks, horns, and even play masks with twigs and tufts of fur.