Story Flames in the Snow (1k Words)

[Voider]

Flames in the Snow​

A/N:
Greetings! This short story was written for an Isekai Hell monthly community event.

The plot is far from being of a solid quality, and not really... well written, or all that interesting, in my opinion. However, it's a short story written for fun, and I've already spent more than enough time working on it, so I'm going to end it here and post as is. I originally intended to have some kind of wolf attack occur in act III, but I couldn't find an organic way to fit it in.

The story is fairly short for having three "acts", as I anticipated each one to be longer, but it feels wrong to remove the structure they add. Thus, in they remain!

So, without further ado, enjoy! Or not, you don't have to.

Story length: 1,035 words, 5,824 characters. Quality not assured, 0-day money back guarantee.

Spoiler: Glacier Reference Image

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Act I​

It was a frigid, winter day, when most animals were either in hibernation, or had left for warmer places. On this day, in a nondescript forest, there was a pond, heavily frozen over. This, of course, would be nothing special, were it not for the creature lying in it's center. A hybrid – or abomination – between a construct and beast laid on the ice. Ironically, this very creature was made of ice itself, yet strangely maintained the form of a fox.

Glacier, was his name; one that he had come up with himself. Here he lay, practicing with effort, though it was not visible. Over and over, he reached for his nature, a great power that he knew he was connected to, but simply couldn't grasp. Yet, Glacier knew he could, and he would not stop until he did. Though it was frustrating at times, being able to feel it, but not harness it; it felt like Glacier's current self was only a [Snowflake in a Blizzard] compared to what he could be.

Sighing, or at least replicating the act of it, Glacier took a moment to stop his practice, looking around at his surroundings. Barren trees and pine trees, covered in snow; few animals were active, though he could see an owl staring at him. Closing his vision, for he had not conventional eyes, Glacier tried to calm down, focusing on the cold temperature around himself. Winter was, unsurprisingly, his favorite season of the year, with freezing winds and shorter daylight.

With his "eyes" closed, Glacier's mind wandered over the cold air flowing around him, the frozen ice he lay upon, the small patch of brightness, the-

...the what?

Reopening his vision, Glacier looked towards the spot that he'd somehow sensed. The only thing there was that owl, sitting on the branch, staring at him. After a moment, it flew off, disappearing into the snowy forest. "What...?" Glacier pondered aloud, tilting his head in confusion.

The question left Glacier pondering over what had just occurred, but as time marched on, and the sun began to set, he decided it was time to leave the pond and return to his shelter.

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Act II​

Glacier rose his head from the stone floor of the small cavern, yawning and blinking his vision. Though he wasn't physically tired, due to the construct side of him, rest was always good for the mind. Although it was nice spending some time to watch the snowy outside in peace, Glacier eventually stood up and made his way out of the cavern, walking to the frozen pond. Moving to it's center as he had the day before, Glacier laid down, settling himself on the ice.

Glacier began to reach out to his nature, as he consistently did when practicing. Yet again, he could feel it, but could not grasp it; his progressing skill with magic made this easier every time, however, so Glacier knew he would be able to finally make a breakthrough. It was only a matter of time, surely, and it would be soon enough; he just had to remain patient, as he always was.

However, as the first couple hours passed, Glacier found his mind drifting towards whatever phenomenon he had experienced the previous day. With the constant practicing having become tedious long ago, even if important, he welcomed the fresh challenge, deciding to focus on it once again.

Before doing so, however, Glacier looked around for owls; there were none, but there were, interestingly, two moose off towards the trees. So, closing his vision, Glacier tried to "sense" like before. For a minute, he could not make out anything out of place, his sight simply blinded; so, he tried concentrating on the cold temperature around him, when he felt something almost click inside of him, for lack of a better word.

There it was; a blob of orange-red brightness, roughly where the moose were, and Glacier could see it. As for everything else in the area, the trees, the ground, the ice, it was all blue, a dark blue. Almost instinctively, he knew it had to do with heat, what was and was not cold or hot. After a moment of surprise, Glacier could feel elation bubbling up within him, a smile forming on his muzzle of ice. He had achieved thermal vision!

How long had this been possible? Was Glacier always capable of it? The questions flowed through his mind, but as the minutes went by, they slowed, a calmer process of thoughts retaking it's hold. This would be immensely useful, but it seemed... off. The heat signature from the moose was blurry, very blurry; Glacier could also tell that his grasp on this vision seemed unstable, unsolidified.

Unfortunately, it seemed that this too would be a long challenge to master.

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Act III​

As the last of the sun disappeared past the horizon, Glacier found himself resting in the cavern. His thoughts were a mixture, both glad to have found a new skill, yet frustrated that it would be yet another challenge that he would have to overcome.

...

When the sun came back around, Glacier once again began his morning routine. Some would say that it was monotonous, but he did not mind; after all, with the many adventures and dangers throughout this world, Glacier appreciated the times when everything was calm and quiet. Shortly returning to the pond, Glacier forwent the typical practice, and simply lay there as a sculpture of ice. Was he a fool for doing all of this? It's not like he had much else to do, and such things were tied to his very being, even if he'd never asked for it...

As the sound of wings flapping approached, Glacier witnessed another owl landing on a tree branch. Was it the same owl as before, or a different one? Probably a different one, as surely there were more than enough owls to make the prospect unlikely.

Sighing, he cut off his sight, and reached out to the feeling; after a moment, he found it. Then, Glacier took a firm hold of it in his mind, the heat signature of the owl instantly clarifying before him.

Perhaps, unlike his nature, this skill wouldn't be so hard to master.

fin