Winter

Chapter 3

Winter

It was cold and wet, frozen in time. Frost ran up the sides of buildings and frosted windows over; I hate winter, it’s so cold and…

White.

Such a boring colour I hate it more than any colour in the world. It’s a cold colour I guess that’s what makes it so perfect for winter. What a horrible season.

I don’t understand how anyone can like winter its cold and wet all the time until spring even then it’s still cold. The reason why I hate winter so much is probably because I don’t sleep next to a warm fire or in a comfortable bed, but a box. cardboard box, with newspapers from 1906…

It’s so cold, I feel like I could freeze over in seconds.

…

My body shivered, a jolt of ran through me. My fur stuck up, my ears flat against my head; legs pulled underneath my body, which was shivering from the cold.  My tail curled around me hiding my face from the cold breezy wind.

I dig my legs further underneath me providing little warmth, but it was heaven to have just the tiniest piece of warmth. All I wanted at this moment was something warm and soft to cover me, but knowing this town that’s not going to happen.

Ever since last winter I’ve been thinking about leaving this town for somewhere else, I haven’t gained anything in the last three years so what’s the point of staying any longer. The only thing here that’s any good is the food and protection.

Well I’m not protected but the town is. This town is isolated in the middle of Gilda, I haven’t talk of Gilda but it’s a small piece land that’s known for its freezing cold weather and bears. Gilda has only a handful of town’s no one would dare live here really only those that have a crazy mind would live here.

Gilda is one of the many countries in our world called Grand Sula it has seven main countries the others are too small to be named as countries. There’s the Never-Ends one of the larger countries but it’s a complete desert, from the beach to the centre its desert, nothing else. Well they say there are some small waterholes all over the place but no one really knows since the only people that live there are desert relatives of mine and sand bears.

Ok sand bears are a special breed of bear that have adapted to living in deserts instead of forest areas like normal bears, but they only live in the Never-Ends. Then there are my desert relatives or coyotes as their called, they wouldn’t tell anyone a cent of it, unless they got something out of it and that usually meant food which is hard to find over there.

Since its desert land food’s hard to grow so they have a habit of stealing food from farmers and from other people; I prefer not to get involved with them, they have a bad habit to pass on their bad habits on, mostly on to their pups more than anyone else but I won’t be taking my chances anytime some.

The other countries include the Samalia, Korra, Boarantil, Reptile-Terra and Doranvile. There are several other towns and cities but these are the mains out of all of them.

Samalia is one of the smaller countries out of the seven main countries, its manly a rainforest, the whole land is rainforest and it continuously raining I don’t think there’s a day where it isn’t raining; The only place that’s not rainforest it the coast, but even that is quite small.

Korra is a very lively land, it has a quarter of Sula’s water; it’s green and fresh with trees and forests. It’s a quite normal sized country it’s not large but not small either. But it is one of the largest populated countries in Sula because of the water and food supplies, which they are over flown with but they don’t like to share things they harvest.

Boarantil is the land that belongs to the Bears and other great and frightening creatures that could kill a wolf with one strike. Boarantil is known to have no animals except bears, boars and other beasts. No animal known to travel there have come out, to tell the tale, it’s a dangerous place and not even the bravest of people dare to enter in the land of Boarantil. The outer line of the land is thick forest of swamp with a deep blue lake sitting right in the middle, but as beautiful as it is, it’s infested with crocodiles.

Reptile-Terra is no better than Boarantil; the only difference is that it’s full of reptiles; from some of the most dangerous snakes to some of the most frightening lizards. Crocodiles infest the waters and the coast, snakes travel the deserts and lands of rocks and lizards with sharp teeth hunt within the rocks. There isn’t a turn in this place that doesn’t have some sort of reptile being in the way. But the worst of it all is the short tempers of all the creatures that live in Reptile-Terra; they bite at anything, that’s why people avoid the place as much as they can. The land is rock land it’s covered in high mountains and uneven land, water stays near the edges of the ocean.

And the last country is Doranvile. It’s a bright colourful land, covered in riches and farms. The people there are all part of the one kingdom there, even those that live on the outskirts of the country. The King and Queen are kind and gentle but do have times of cruelty. The King and Queen have one daughter Princess Annabelle, she is only at the age of 9 and soon to be 10 she has a kind soul but not many see her unless they have a visit with the King and Queen. The land of Doranvile is bright and beautiful, the lands are covered with farms and harvesting villages. Never has this land been anything but bright and colourful.

Every land has had a time of war whether it was between each other of just themselves each one has been part of some sort of war. During the Harvest War it was between the people Doranvile and Korra. Korra had an excellent harvest a few years ago while Doranvile had, had an unfortunate storm and it killed all the crops. Doranvile pleaded Korra for a share of their harvest and supplies but Korra refused to submit. And so the war started over food.

You would think the world here would be a bit more mature but I guess not…

The winter’s here in Gilda are cruel and harsh. Winds blow trees from the ground and houses rooves off. It’s not for the fate at heart, or weak souled.

I opened my eyes slightly letting the red scan the area of White-River, no one was there but I thought I had heard the sound of footsteps. I lifted my head from the small warmth that was created from my body.

I scanned the road for anything that was evidence of someone being there. All I saw was white wind blow through the street. I stood up, losing all the warmth that I’d work to gain. I leaned down and stretched my sore muscles out.

When I stood back up I shacked my body, losing any snow or frost that had found its home in my fur. I looked up towards the sky, a snow flake fell down towards the ground and my eyes followed it. As it came down the wind pushed it softly and it came towards me, it landed onto my nose with my eyes still on it.

I sneezed and shook my head. The flake fell down onto the ground before my paws before disappearing into the snow like every other one. I let out a breath and looked at the street again it was so quiet it wasn’t normal, something was coming I could hear it, smell it but I couldn’t see it.

Snow had started to cover my back so I shacked it off again, taking a step forward I stepped into a piece of the pathway that had been frozen over. I shifted my paw that sat on the ice and looked at it and saw my own reflection.

I looked at it for a second before scowling slightly and moving on. I stepped down onto the road and avoided the frozen over gutter. I walked into the middle of the road and looked around it was quiet, but then I heard something.

A breath of frost exited out of my mouth as I looked towards the exit of White-River. I could hear something, snow being parted and ice cracking. Something big was coming. I narrowed my eyes and looked into the distance; something of large size and the colour of black was coming this way slowly.

I heard breathing, heavy breathing. It came closer and closer before the shaped started to form into a creature.

I knew from that moment what it was. The large size with a black coat and heavy breathing; I stepped to the side and stood behind a white car. I stood there and watched as they came past me, they were so loud in cases of breathing and their breath was rotten and foul.

One started to look my way so I took a step back, while its head kept coming closer towards me. I could tell that it was blind, its eyes were white and it was smelling the air and not using its eyes, blind as a bat but it continued towards me anyway.

I took another step back away from it, keeping my eyes on it, until another came by walking past the black one before calling it. I watched as the blind bear started to head back to the group, and once it was gone I sighed in relief.

‘I guess this coat is good for something’ I thought

I walked back onto the road, and watched them disappear into the mist of the winter weather. 

When they had all disappeared I heard a growling; I looked around where I was before looking to the ground and finding out it was just my stomach. I hadn’t had anything all day, only the icy wind and bitter cold.

I looked up, seeing a small corner shop or food shop as the human’s called it. I walked over and sniffed around the door feeling a warm air escape from underneath. I jumped onto the window standing on my two back legs and looked through the frosted window, hoping to see something.

As I looked something hit me over the head, forcing me off the wall and window and back onto my paws. Looking up I see that it’s the shop owner; His face didn’t show fear but he was yelling something that I couldn’t understand.

I jumped back before I hit again and ran around the corner through an alley lane too small for the shopkeeper. I stop running and looked over my shoulder and saw the shopkeeper looking at me still yelling something to me.

I turned and continued down the alley, passing the common black cat that had also been abandoned by its owner. But really I never had a real owner by the time that old lady saw my eyes I would’ve been on the streets in seconds.

Coming to a stop, I look over a pile of boxes. I stepped onto the lowest one, and felt it rock to the side. Placing my other leg onto the box I start to climb up the boxes; I could feel the bitter cold snow that covered them pass my feet and the wood of the boxes rough from the cold.

Pulling myself up and standing at the top of the pile, I looked back through the small crack between streets before jumping down onto the ground. Slipping on some ice I fall onto my face; I stood up and looked up to the top of pile again, before turning around the back of the town to avoid townsman.

As I walked along the back my ear twitched as I heard the wind rattle the free bushes. Looking in their direction, I calm down and continue towards the exit of the city.

Then I saw it, the exit from this small cold town. The road was frozen over but it was still possible to travel on. Walking onto the street I looked out at the exit road then towards the town. My eyes shifted towards the ground, taking a deep breathe I turn to the lone road out of this sorry town.

Walking out onto the road I felt the gentle breeze of the cold winter push my fur, when the wind stopped, I looked at the forest it was dark and fogy, and all those who had ever enter never came out.

“Perfect…”