Mystical One-Shots

My Winged Saviour

Several fish would pass under the hole in the ice, but I waited patiently to strike at the right moment. There weren't many good opportunities, so I was only able to successfully catch six fish, all salmon. I was very happy with my catch as they should last for a couple of days and would still be tasty.

The walk back home was slow but with slight excitement. My empty stomach was ready to be filled with good food after only being able to feed on bones and skin from the tiny rodents. Unfortunately, it got considerably cold by the time I arrived home, and the sun was already past the horizon. Only little light reflecting from the sky illuminated my path.

Against the exterior wall, I made an ice container to keep food so it stayed fresh and would not rot and get smelly if I left it inside. I place all but one fish in the ice container to cook it quickly. Tomorrow I'd dry the others so they would last for longer and make for quick snacks.

The only kind of seasoning I had was salt. All the herbs I had were gone from the mold or just ran out. At least I always make sure I have bags of salt and never run low.

The night was cold. Colder than the previous ones. The fire was almost disappearing when I woke up, unable to sleep. It took me a while to get it to burn like before, at that time, the sun had already begun to rise.

Feeling as if my body would collapse at any second, I decided to sleep until I was fully rested. Unfortunately, feeling even a bit tired in the snow can be fatal, especially when going in the direction opposite your home.

The sunlight hitting my face woke me up. According to the position of the sun, it would be a few more hours until midday. I didn't have something I needed to do, like find dry wood or food. I could do better with more wood, but I could always find it any time really.

So my plan for today was to have a nice walk around my home, not too far from it, until nightfall when I could go back with no trouble.

I used to do this with my family. We would go for long walks that lasted the whole day and come back when the sky was filled with stars. I miss those days.

I grabbed my backpack and filled it with a water canteen, dried meat, a blanket, and a small tent if I were not to make it back in time. The snow had stopped falling, and the sky was clear, a perfect day to have a small stroll.

My plan was to walk through the forest with the big trees, the older pines. Then to the now frozen water and back. The trees were so tall I had to look at the sky to see their tops and so wide that I couldn't come close to wrapping my arms around them.

The snow was still fluffy, not making the loud crunching noise. Occasionally I would see squirrels and birds going from tree to tree, looking for a place to hide from the cold as well as food.

When I finally reached the woods, I let it sink into mind how big the trees were. I never got tired of seeing their magnitude. During the summer, this place comes to life, packed with flowers, insects, and animals.

But now it's still, a thick blanket of silence covering it, only disturbed by the occasional breaking branches from the weight of the snow.

After half an hour of walking, I spot a moose, a very big one lying down in the snow. They are one of the most magnificent creatures that live in snowy territories. Oddly enough, it seems not to be laying down willingly, but with no choice but to.

As I walk closer but still very far away, I notice a red spot on the white snow. There is lots of it, all coming from the moose. I look at it and see it's in great pain as it struggles even to move.

There is a big wound on its hind leg and back. They were wolf bite marks. I'm surprised that he is alive and that he managed to escape. My body moves on its own, getting closer to inspect it better.