[Gift] Nice Day For a Walk

It's another snowy night in Valorise. Gentle snowflakes drift down from the heavens as the northern lights dance across the sky, shading the world in their green-blue hue. It's cold, but to the faefolk of the region, familiarly so. Bundled in fuzzy coats and mittens and the rest of their winter wear, crowds mill about the mountain city. One would have to be rather accustomed to the cold to consider today "nice for a walk"... but to be fair, one would have to be accustomed to the cold to live here in the first place, wouldn't they?

One such resident presses open the door to the local bakery, a warm piece of cinnamon bread in their mouth and shrouded in a fluffy brown gingham coat. Stepping outside onto the city street with soft pinkish pawpads they looked up to the snow. It might be cold enough for snow, but that's exactly the sort of weather Minky was made for. Yes, today would be nice for a walk. Fluttering their wings where they stuck out from their cloak they sat down. They might as well finish their food first…

Watching the sky they thought to themself. It had been themself with the rest of their fellow Fae to put this winter together, and they would be lying if they said they weren't proud of what they'd done. The snowflakes were perfectly shaped this year. They packed together into perfectly powdery snowballs, too. Maybe they could find someone to get in a snowball fight with? ...Or they could build a snow-xyn, held together with sticks for paws and horns. The trees in the region were suited for snow, maybe they could get them a pinecone for a hat! And if they were lucky the forge would have extra coal... or they would chase them out with a broom. More likely the latter. Still, a fae could dream, and if not they had their rocks to pick through. (But how would they ever choose which of them to give up? Their collection was close to them, after all!)

Well, it had been a little while since they'd last enjoyed the snow instead of making sure it fell just right. Standing up from the table, Minky patted their cloak down and started to head towards a clearing in town, preparing to build yet again.

There were a thousand types of snow forts a person could build, really- 'fort' was inaccurate in describing the spectrum. Forts meant bricks, but one could build up a wall of dense snow in no real shape at all and still get a decent interior. They themself were feeling fond of castles today. Bricks it was, then. Would they get their molds from home? No, handmade was always prettier. They had planned all this with the intent of not needing anything but snow, but maybe a few trees nearby could spare branches for flags and a wreath. (Or a facsimile of one anyway.) Maybe they could pick around the mountains for rocks? But of course, then they might get distracted and just collect rocks all day. Oh well. Collecting rocks was fun too.

The soft padding of paw-steps on cobblestone turned gently into the sound of snow crunching as they'd finally made it to the clearing proper. Children played in the snow around them, giggling to themselves and chasing each other in games of tag and snowball fights. Parents curled around their shivering young who had enjoyed themselves for a bit too long, frost nipping at them while the fire-makers were busy caring for frostbite, gently warming up despite the weather. Thankfully Minky was far beyond used to the temperature, kneeling down in a slightly secluded patch and beginning to test the snow.

It packed together nicely, here, although it might pack a bit better just outside the city. Indeed they did build out there too sometimes, but they'd like people to see their efforts today. They got to work putting together the bricks- about equal to their head in size. (Though not equal in shape. They were not a rectangle.) Chuckling at that thought they made one after the other, stacking them in a square about thrice their width in diameter. Leaving a small gap in the snow for an entrance, they dug a small entryway before proceeding to the next level. They wouldn't want to get stuck inside and have to destroy it after all!

As they built up layers they became faintly aware of a crowd amassing around their fort- it was pretty big, they'd figured. Still they kept working without allowing themself distraction, absorbed in their craft. The second layer finished, then the third, snowflakes turning to water in their warm hands, appreciating the work they had put into them nonetheless as they packed together perfectly for their art. The roof was always the hardest part to complete without it collapsing. Whispers gathered around the fort as they measured out exact lengths of bricks and means to attach them from the inside. Maybe when they were done they could put together a rug of evergreen needles... no, that would be itchy... bark, packed snow, their own fuzz? Ideas swirling around their head like the snow they had hardly noticed by the time they were on to the final pieces, looking up at the final collection of bricks.

It was better to do this part from the inside. Or the outside? They've done it so many times and bounced between the two methods so often that they could never decide. They stood on their tiptoes to put together the final bricks... careful, steady- and the fort was done!

Crawling outside, they looked upon their masterpiece. A square brick castle with an interior of an ordinary fort- circular on the inside, but insulated as a result. They'd experimented with combination designs before- still somewhat awkward this time, but it was slowly and steadily improving! The towers could come next, they figured- but briefly they turned around to a small crowd of clapping passersby and children, a smile dawning on their face.

Well. Their craft was for themself, it was true, but… Maybe they could build forts in the city more often, they thought. It was nice to have their hard work recognized. Skipping off to a forested part of the city, they smiled. It had been a nice day for a walk, but an even better day to be appreciated.