x ______________________________________________________________
Without so much as a warning or a gust of wind, winter had slowly crept into existence under the cover of nightfall. It seemed like something out of a foal's tale, or a fool's tale if you asked Simikiel. What was once lush greenery was now nothing more than an ever expanding landscape of white and grey. And it seemed, if the speckles that hurriedly danced through the air were anything to go by, that winter had no plans of loosening its grip anytime soon.
A slow and low hiss slowly escaped from the confines of Simikiel's throat as she stared out from the entrance to her den. It was not as if she had any time-sensitive plans to get to, or targets to track. Truthfully, her days had been mostly empty and uneventful as of late. But just the thought of being confined, not by choice, but by circumstance made her brain twitch, and her blood boil. Annoyance rising, the fox started working on clearing the snow from around the entrance to her den. Sure, the snow would eventually pile up again, but at least it would be easier to exit and enter for a short while. Once the entrance was cleared she would have to run deeper into the forest to see if there was anything to use to keep the inside insulated.
"Heavens be damned if I left the cold confine me until the thaw."
"Perhaps it's not winter's thaw you need to worry about, Simi."
The fox's ears twitched in aggravation at the sound of the familiar voice. Simikiel didn't have a grand affinity for niceties or keeping in touch with so-called family. Truthfully, if asked, she couldn't even tell you the names of half of her full-blooded siblings if asked. But there was one particular presence that tracked her and continued to hide in her shadow, no matter the annoyance, and distaste.
Sparkling eyes glared up into the trees that sat above her underground sanctuary, and there sat a hawk with the ugliest decay eating grin she had ever laid her eyes upon.
"If you have something to say then speak plainly, Petrichor. Or do you intend to fill another one of my days with meaningless drab?" The fox did not have time for useless words. There was so much Simikiel would need to do to ensure she could comfortable wait out the snow. A curse on nature. If she had known the morning would be like that she would have prepared the day prior. She had no insulation. No entertainment against the ticking of time. No food. Why the heck was that cursed stallion not around to run errands for her?
The hawk's wings flapped as a laugh worked its way past his beak. True, most walkers would spend their days stalking others, killing, plotting, or whatever the local residence believed "pure evil" did to fill their time. Petrichor though, he just enjoyed observing others and finding out what made them tick in order to best mock them and slowly saw through their tether to reality.
"Aww, come now little sister. Don't be like that. You know I only have the best in mind when I come visit you."
The grin on his beak and the look in his eyes spoke so much louder than his words.
"What would mother think if she knew you were taking refuge in the territory of a cursed? What, too weak to take control? Too lazy to find your home?"
"QUIET NOW!" Simi yelled as the fur on her back bristled. The mare was far from weak, and so much farther from lazy. And she would be damned if she allowed anyone to bring the one who supposedly birthed her into any type of conversation. "If you've only cursed me with your presence to cause issues then be gone! Find someone else to listen to your nonsense. Our family is big enough. I'm sure one of them will tolerate you better than I.
With that, Simi turned her attention back to the task at hand; that is, until a pile of snow fell upon her head.
"Don't be so rude, fox."
Not even a moment later, a large body landed next to her, claws slowly tapping against the soft ground. Hissing, Simi quickly changed into her full form to match her half-brother.
"It would be best if you remember your place, Simi." Petrichor whispered as he closed in on his sister, who attempted to stand her ground. "Your words can feign courage all they want, but your eyes and body say otherwise. You may be able to hold your own against other kinds, clearly...however, I think we both know you would be torn apart amongst our own. You're useless as you are, at least to some anyway, yeah? Tell me, Simi, where is your strength? Where is your fury and deception? Or is the only one you are truly trying to deceive yourself?"
Silence fell upon the garden as Simikiel starred the other walker down. Her eyes grew harder, and yet there was the faintest waver if you looked close enough. She knew Petrichor's words to be true. Strength was not something the mare excelled in among her kind. She was small...weak...lost. What was her purpose beyond the kill? How would she be able to rise up and be more than just a pawn to expand her own life-giver's master plan. She wanted to be her own being and stand up on her own, but she hadn't the faintest idea how.
Sighing, Petrichor closed in even more and started circling his sister, "Aww, don't be like that, Simi. Eventually the lost find their. Every forest has an exit, yeah?"
The stallion stopped next to her, his yellow eyes turning towards the sky. Snowflakes continued to fall and add to the ever-rolling piles that lined the landscape. If the continued drop in temperatures and the whispering winds were anything to go by it would be a good guess that the snow would continue to claim the line for days yet. If that were true, then best to remain prepared. Yeah, they should prepare.
"Come now," he stated while moving towards the distant tree line, the snow crunching under his claws. "We should gather some food to stow away incase the snow worsens."
"Tch, we? When did this become a 'we' problem?"
"Since I decided I'm going to stay here until the snow thaws. It's not as if you're capable of chasing me off anyway, so keep your mouth shut and follow. I could always let the others know where you are if you'd rather they come visit you..."
Petrichor looked back as he continued forward towards the opposite forest. Truth be told, he would never let on that he knew of Simi's whereabouts, and if they knew he knew, he would not spill that information to them. He did not have any true reason to protect the fox; but he would not purposefully line danger along her path, unless he was said danger. No, there was a reason he had not realized, yet. Maybe it was because he was interested in her character. Their mother was a being of power, and pure insanity at times, that sought out other beings of power to mate with. They, in turn, were an extension of said power. A tool. A status of sorts. Petrichor himself was easily able to accept those labels and just roll with it. He had his own life to live beyond that and saw no reason to fight their mother on trivial things. Simikiel however, since crossing her path and realizing their relationship, he noted, could not do the same. She was like a fox trapped in a cage, constantly running in circles looking for an exit. Sure, she could slip through the bars, but her mentality would not allow her to see such an exit. It was all or nothing for her. The labels had to be stripped and burned, or else there was no freedom beyond it.
Maybe that's why he stuck around and carved out time to visit her. He did not care whether she died or lived in the end, but there was a sense of curiosity as to where life would take his little sister. Would she eventually rise up and come into her own like a true predator and formidable being? Or would she just die in that cage because she would never be able to see life beyond the bars in front of her? Only time would tell, and if Petrichor had to be one of the ones to push her one way or another, then so be it. He had plenty of time on his claws, anyway.
Simikiel's eyes continued to glare at him, but he knew better. He knew his words were striking a nerve by the way the mare's body slowly stiffened, and the way her eyes shifted elsewhere for even the quickest second in time. Sure, the mare could easily turn and dart off into the forest, but where could she go that Petrichor could not eventually find her? And even if she managed to evade him for a time, there were plenty of other walkers to run into. Would she allow herself to roll over just to make her way through their territory? That would be weak and shameful. What would she be then? Simi hated feeling chained and confined. What was she really at the end of the day?
Huffing, Simikiel reluctantly followed after her brother, who once again wore that smug grin. The day would quickly grow dark, so best to cooperate for now to survive the winter. Once the snow thawed, her patience would run thin and she would attempt to chase him off. He would fly away, not out of fear, or a show of lose, but out of amusement. He would eventually return to bother her once again.