Everlong

47

Heavy limbs sunk within the snow covered forest floor, the small flakes above continued to drift downwards in a slow, meandering path; there was no breeze as such, at least not a constant one. Every so often one would try and stir, an attempt to muster up to bring on blizzard like conditions, yet all it amounted to was a pathetic whisper of a chill which took snowflakes with it and then died down just as those flakes landed against the ground. It was continuous though, the snow, it wasn't letting up nor was it seemingly going to stop at all today.

Raising equally heavy eyelids, sea coloured eyes looked hollowly downwards, reaching out from underneath her cloak, Liruliniel brushed flakes away before spotting the perfectly white flowers suddenly spring up. She had been sitting here for a while, the cold naturally did not affect her like those she shared her home with, but even still her cheeks were gathering a rosy tint. She imagined the same tint was on the tip of her nose and ears too, each time she blew out, a small plume appeared. She wasn't cold, she had layered up so she wouldn't get a possible lecture. Sniffing quietly, she tilted her head from underneath the hood of her cloak, she looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes before looking upwards.

The boughs of the tree were sparse, the whole woodland was sparse, foliage either withered with the cold snap, or it hardened up. Already she saw the effects the season was having, a few chirps around her alerted her to birds attempting to forage for some form of food. A blackbird was hopping about around her now, and up in the empty branches were a couple of finches. Hearing a certain twittering noise, she couldn't help but roll her eyes slowly. There was even a lark somewhere nearby.

Shaking her head, she brushed snow from her lap, it had clearly landed upon her hood and now was free to float downwards. Her fingers were slightly red from the chill in the air, but it wasn't painful. She hadn't lost feeling in them and she continued to clean snow away from the flowers. It was fruitless, of course. No sooner would she clear them would snow land on them again and cover them away. But it was the thought, the maintenance that counted. Even as she cleared them she saw the barren soil underneath, the forest had only just gone into winter and already everything seemed bleaker.

Liruliniel could hear the low whisperings on the wind, along with within the kingdom and palace complex behind her. Something, no, someone was coming. It caused her to frown, they didn't exactly like visitors here. Seldom took any in, any lost travellers were watched from afar, if they got into trouble they did not help. But this was something else. Liruliniel couldn't discern if it was good or bad. She placed a hand to her heart and tilted her head in thought, she didn't feel malice. There was no feeling of smothering darkness, her heart didn't feel like it was in a vice being slowly squeezed and her eyesight didn't have encroaching shadows at the sides.

Simply put, whatever this oncoming thing, person, was she felt no ill will. Narrowing her eyes in thought, she looked upwards again. "I could find you some scraps, if you want?" She asked, the blackbird looking down at her simply tilted its head. She sighed and patted her knees, "I will see what I can do. Life is hard enough, and I fear you may reside in the wrong forest to have a plentiful and peaceful winter. Hang tight, my friend, I will return." Liruliniel said while sweeping her cloak out from underneath her feet when she stood. She pushed her hood down as soon as she walked inside, much like the outside, the canopy which made up the majority of the roof was void.

Not all the trees however lost their leaves, the trees here were old and definitely hardy. But the younger ones shed their leaves and regrew them with the warmer weather. The snow which drifted and fell downwards ultimately landed within the river and was swept away. Everything about the kingdom was designed and worked around nature, specifically the nature that it resided within and around. It would get the most sunlight coming through on spring days, and summer too. The walkways and connecting corridors and platforms would avoid the snow in the winter because of where they were placed underneath and around the hardier trees which kept their leaves.