A Kindling, of Sorts (Revali x reader)

prelude

The crunch of snow beneath battered leather boots were drowned out by the whistle of bitter wind. You knew you were foolish for traveling this way, barely prepared for the trek ahead. You'd been forced to leave your cute little cave, the camp inside left to fall apart. You've already beaten yourself up about your "genius" plenty, that genius being bringing only a singular cloak(its much more of a shawl, really) and dropping your flint and steel somewhere down the snowy path.

You had no choice but to leave the ever-freezing shelter and find a nearby town, or perhaps a stable? We'll get there when we get there. Hebra Mountains were constantly bitter cold, so much so that it seemed like it was always snowing there. Tonight was particularly blustery, almost impossible for anyone to navigate safely at night.

You'd been warned at a nearby stable to wait a couple days, but you were overconfident. The stable hand had stared at you, squinting like he couldn't even fathom your stupidity.

"...are you sure?" he'd asked, gripping his broom a little tighter. Stupidly, you brushed off the poor man's advice and continued down the path by foot, completely ill- prepared. You'd emerge from this pretty much unscathed, you knew that very well, but what you didn't take account of is how uncomfortable it is to be this cold. Chattering teeth and the sting of ice melting into wet clothes is not exactly a good feeling.

Unfortunately, you had no choice but to just push through the blizzard if you wanted any possible chance of sleeping well tonight. Gusts of wind blew more ice and snow into your face, making it even harder to see in the dark. Your line of vision was almost pitch black, speckled with clumps of white. The heavy sack slung over your shoulder did not help the situation.

You staggered down the path for what felt like hours. With each heavy footstep, you silently prayed to the Goddesses to give you some semblance of civilization soon. Silhouettes of pine trees swayed with the with the wind, branches weighed down by snow. The rustle of woodland animals was barely audible, and you tried to pick up the pace. Coming across wolves would suck so much right now, or worse, monsters. You shuddered at that thought.

Your hands had become almost entirely numb by the time you caught a whiff of smoke, faint but definitely there. Haphazardly running down the path, you found yourself standing before a hut, suspended above a cliff. It wasn't hard to tell from afar that the coals of the fire were dying, seemingly abandoned. You hoped it was abandoned, at least.

...fuck it.

The ladder leading up to the little hut was surprisingly sturdy, despite the structure being so tucked away. In fact, everything felt sturdy, as if it were newly built. Not that it mattered, you would've climbed it either way.
The wind whistled through the open walls of the hut, violently tugging at your cloak. The sad excuse for a fire was barely fighting off the chill, but it'll have to do.

You kneeled down next to it, extending your hand as close to the embers as humanly possible.
Then you heard it. A scream. At first, you mistook it for the blowing wind, but soon something heavy hit the landing just outside of the hut. You instinctively backpedaled into the shadows before whatever hit the deck could get a glimpse of you. What the hell is that? A monster? Your fear immediately dissolved when it cursed loudly.

Now that you had time to calm down and collect your wit, you slowly shifted back towards the warmth of the coals, eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. The glow from the firepit barely illuminated anything in the hut, but it was clear the figure was not a monster, but a rito warrior. He groaned loudly and rolled his shoulders, still cursing under his breath. Whoever this stranger is, he is obviously frustrated, maybe for falling from the sky? In this storm, it's got to be near impossible to fly.
You watched silently as he paced in the dark, only the dying embers of the fire illuminating him. The only thing you knew for sure was that he was armed with a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and that made you somewhat nervous. You'll be fine.