(I'm sick, so I decided to write this--)
"The Scent of Bread in Winter"đșđ
| Deep within a snow-covered forest...
Tall spruce trees stood in lines like a natural wall, casting long shadows over the pure, untouched snow. The ground beneath was completely buried, obscuring any sign of a path. The freezing air well below zero gave the forest an eerie, hollow stillness unlike anywhere else.
In a forest where sunlight barely reached the ground, one would expect to find mobs and monsters lurking in every shadow.. But today it was strangely quiet. Unnaturally as if nothing lived here at all.
Or perhaps... something did live here.
But it chose not to show itself because it sensed the arrival of..
The sound of leather boots striking the snow left a clear trail of footprints behind.
A small basket of bread swung gently in her hand, moved by gravity, while her signature goat-horn hat bobbed with each step she took.
This was a place no one in their right mind would enter
Bahh, a player with absolutely zero survival skills, was the one brave or foolish enough to wander deep into this frozen forest, holding nothing but a basket of bread.
As if she were strolling through a field of flowers.
But she wasnât alone here.
There was another gaze watching her silently from the shadows through the slit of a black blindfold.
The creature didnât move.
It only watched from afarâŠshowing no sign of intent.
The sound of footsteps continued through the silence, soon joined by a soft hum..
A song carried lightly by a player who never took this world too seriously.
But then the footsteps halted all at once. She stood still, frozen mid-step.
Even the one watching her from the shadows paused, unable to stop the flicker of curiosity
Why did she suddenly stop?
Beneath the blindfold, his glowing white eyes twitched slightly not out of surprise, but suspicion.
Everything fell into an uncanny stillness, as if time itself had been paused.
It was so quiet you could hear the faint puff of her breath turning to mist in the cold air.
Her voice broke the silence, flustered and confused.
"Ahâ Wait, where am I now...?"
Apparently, walking with her eyes closed and a complete disregard for her surroundings had led her deep into the territory of the wolf
The girl in the goat-horn hat began pacing nervously in circles, heading one way, then another, until all traces of her original path were lost beneath her own scattered footsteps.
"...this way? No, waitâ maybe that way??"
Her voice continued to break the silence in occasional bursts, muttering softly as if speaking to herself...(?)
Even the one silently watching her from afar couldnât help but sigh at her clueless and scatterbrained behavior.
His eyes, hidden beneath the black blindfold, narrowed slightly⊠then finally, he spoke with a voice that hadnât been used in years.
âA human⊠whose stepped into my territoryâŠâ
His low, gravelly tone rumbled like thunder, and the temperature around them dropped in an instant.Then, from the shadows, a tall, lean figure emerged silent, imposing, his presence cold enough to freeze the wind. His voice carried the weight of a warning, laced with suspicion.
âI wonât chase you out... but Iâll give you a chance.â
He didnât move, didnât attack.
He just stood there, waiting.
Waiting for her to run like all the others had.
âOh! Thatâs perfect! do you happen to know the way out of here?â
âI mean, I kept walking around and somehow ended up lost in this placeâŠâ
âSo⊠I was wondering if maybe you could help me find the way?â
The kind that made it feel like he didnât even exist.
No frantic footsteps trying to escape.
Instead, she stood calmly asking him for directions like he was just another stranger.He stared, silent. Processing.
He wasnât used to being asked anything especially not by players, not when all theyâd ever done was try to destroy him..
ââŠAre you⊠asking me for directions?â
Mhm-hmm. She nodded without a care.
âMe. The guardian of these woods?â
âOh! Thatâs even better!â
And that threw him completely off.
His glowing eyes widened slightly beneath the blindfold, then narrowed again as he stepped closer, scrutinizing her like a puzzle he couldnât quite solve.
âDo you⊠realizeâŠyouâre asking directions from a wolf?â
The moment the words left his mouth, she paused-- but her expression didnât change.
As if she already knew who he was.
âOkay then, Mr. Wolf! Do you happen to know which direction I should take?â
He couldnât believe her. He stared at her in disbelief. Then, at last, he sighed.. long and deep, as if surrendering.
â*sigh*⊠Fine. Follow me.â
And without another word, he turned and began to walk,his only thought being to rid himself of her as quickly as possible.
If sheâd been any other player, he mightâve killed her or at least chased her away.
Not out of pity. But⊠exasperation.
He genuinely couldnât understand how someone like her had survived this long.
As they walked, the girl in the goat-horned hat kept chatting sometimes to him, sometimes to herself.Rambling. Nonsense.He didnât understand half of it,but instead of being annoyedâŠhe felt oddly comforted.
Like her voice filled somethingthat had been empty for too long.
âCall me Brine...Iâd rather you not refer to me using... that name.â
âMm! Got it, Mr. Brine!â
âBy the way⊠are you really a wolf?â
Their conversation if it could be called that continued,though most of it was her talking to him rather than with him.
Eventually, they reached the edge of the woods.
âAlright⊠just head straight from here and youâll find the way out.â
The question came almost against his will.
âSo⊠why were you in the forest to begin with? Itâs rare to see a player wandering alone in a frozen biome like this.â
Turned to looked at him with that same open smile no fear in her eyes. Not even hesitation.
âHmm? Iâm on my way to visit my grandmotherâs cabin in the deep woods. The villagers asked me to bring her some bread so that's why I'm here--â
Brine was silent.He just⊠listened.Come to think of itâŠShe really was like Red Riding Hood, wasnât she? Alone girl.. with a basket of bread. A path through a quiet, snowy forest full of hidden dangers.
But fairy tales never ended well..
either the girl or the wolf always died.
The words left his mouth before he realized.
She stopped and turned back again, tilting her head with a soft, innocent smile. She said nothing just waited...
His eyes lowered.His hand curled slightlyhesitating, Then he spoke.
âI⊠Iâll come with you.â
âHuh? Why? Is something wrong?â
Why had he said that? To protect her? Because he was lonely?Did it even matter? He couldnât bring himself to trust playersânot anymore.
âAhh~ I get it!â she interrupted, still smiling like always.
âYou want to visit Grandma too, eh?â
Brine froze. He shouldâve corrected her. But instead, he scratched the back of his neck, muttering
âAhâuh⊠y-yeah, Sure⊠why not..â
âPerfect! Iâve been looking for a travel buddy. Shall we go?â
She smiled and held out her hand.
Her kindness⊠her innocenceâŠIt scared him. Could someone like him truly reach out and take that hand? Let someone in? She didnât mean to hurt him, sure. But what if he hurt her? Maybe it was safer to turn away for her sake.
But before he could make a choiceâher small hand reached out and grabbed his, No hesitation.
âCome on now.. how long are you planning to stay in the shadows?â
âItâs better if you come with me.â
âLetâs go⊠together.â
She didnât wait.Just took his handand pulled him along.Her laughter echoed in the cold, breaking the wall around him.Her innocent smile so strange, so warm began to melt something inside him, slowly...
Before he knew itâŠhe was walking beside her.
His glowing white eyes, once fierce behind the blindfold,softened unexpectedly. He had never felt safe like this before.
But the warmth of her small hand made him feel at ease made him want to protect her. He didnât know when it happened.But somehow⊠he didnât want to let go.
Afraid that if he did,that warmth and the scent of fresh bread would vanish with the winter wind...
"She was a bird.. he was an arrow."
And somedayâŠshe would die with him lodged in her heart.
He would protect her... From the world.
Even if it meant protecting her from himself.