*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Last of the Mohicans, or to any of the characters in the movie or book, and I make no profit from their use in this story. It was written purely for fun.

The Snow Day

It was a snowy winter's afternoon, and Alice was bored. All of the chores were done, or at least the ones that could be done inside had been completed anyway. With a nor'easter passing through, any outside work would have to wait until after this late season snowstorm ended. With a substantial snowpack already on the ground, this latest storm had added nearly a foot of fresh snow on top of it, and there was no sign it would let up soon.

As she peeked through the flap covering the door of the wigwam, Alice sighed as she watched the snow come down. Earlier that morning, while retrieving firewood from the pile stacked beside the lodge, she had paused for a few moments to look straight up into the cloudy greyness overhead. Fascinated, she watched as the multitude of fluffy snowflakes tumbled down from above, seemingly coming from out of nowhere. It was as though they were falling from infinity. She would have stood there longer, but Cora had beckoned her to come back inside after she stuck her head out of the wigwam to see what was taking her sister so long.

No one was worried about the storm. There was plenty of fresh meat from a hunt Nathaniel and Chingachgook had made the day before. And there was a good supply of wild root vegetables and dried berries that Alice and Cora had gathered that fall. The wigwam was cozy as well, one of two that Chingachgook and Nathaniel had built before the first snow. They never made it to the Delaware after the fight on the cliff. Uncas had been too seriously injured for such a journey. Instead, his father and brother constructed a litter, and carried him on it until they were safely out of Huron land. As soon as Chingachgook felt they were safe, he found this clearing and their winter camp was constructed. Eventually, one wigwam was built for Alice, Uncas and Chingachgook to share, and another for newlyweds Cora and Nathaniel, who had eloped once Uncas was out of danger.

It had been a long road back to health for Uncas, with several anxious moments in the beginning when everyone feared he might not live to see the sun rise the next morning. But live he did, and now the month of April saw him completely recovered from his wounds. Or nearly so. He still experienced some stiffness in his right shoulder, and some weakness in that arm, but it lessened the more he used it.

With another bored sigh, Alice closed the flap on the door and moved over to the fire pit. Warming her hands near the flames, she then took a seat beside Uncas. Adjusting the fur cape she was wearing more snuggly around her shoulders, she then glanced around the lodge at her companions. After lunch, Nathaniel and Cora had adjourned to their own wigwam to enjoy some private time together. That left Alice alone with her two lodgemates. With her gaze settling first on Chingachgook, she found the elder Mohican was sound asleep. Taking advantage of the storm, he decided to enjoy a rare afternoon nap. As for Alice's fiancé Uncas, who she had agreed to marry come spring, he was leaning comfortably against his willow backrest and was deeply engrossed in a book, one of several his brother had procured for him with a beaver pelt during a chance encounter with some traveling traders. These books had been a godsend to Uncas during his lengthy recovery, and he had read each one several times already.

"What are you reading?" Alice asked. Peering over his shoulder, she tried to make out the words on the page nearest her.

"Gulliver's Travels." Uncas replied, his eyes never leaving the book.

"I thought you were reading Robinson Crusoe?"

"Finished it."

Sitting up straight, Alice drummed her fingers on the furs that constituted the mattress of Uncas' bed. Hearing a snort, she glanced again at Chingachgook as he rolled onto his side and snuggled comfortably under his robes. Deciding to work on a pair of moccasins she was making for herself, she reached over to her own bed and picked up the one she was currently working on. Disinterested, she immediately put it down again. She already had enough extra moccasins, as did everyone else, so there was no hurry to make any more.

Glancing up at the smoke hole in the lodge, she watched the snowflakes drifting by outside, and it was then that a mischievous thought occurred to her. Casting a sly smile at Uncas, Alice got up and moved over to the door again.

"It's still snowing." she said to Uncas, as she moved the flap.

"Mmm hmm."

"The snowflakes remind me of the feathers that floated around our bedroom when Cora and I had a pillow fight as children." With another glance at Uncas, Alice surreptitiously scooped up a handful of snow.

"Mmm."

"Our nanny was so angry with us, and it took the maid nearly an hour to clean up the mess." Kneeling down beside an unsuspecting Uncas, Alice quickly grabbed the back of his collar and shoved the handful of snow inside of it, extracting a startled gasp from her victim. Quickly, she bolted out the door, giggling merrily as she ran.

"Alice!" Uncas cried out, as icy cold melting snow trickled down his back. In a flash, he was on his feet and after her. "I'm going get you for that!"

"Gotta catch me first!"

High stepping through the deep snow, Alice made a bee-line for the nearest tree. She knew she had to take cover quickly before Uncas caught up with her. His long legs gave him the ability to move much faster than she could, and the knowledge that he was behind her in hot pursuit increased her excitement. As soon as she was safely behind the tree, Alice scooped up another hand full of snow and lopped it at Uncas. The snowball was a direct hit. Wiping the snow off his face, Uncas dove behind a snowdrift as another snowball sailed past his head.

"Oh, so you wanna fight, huh?" Uncas shouted, as he fired off two snowballs of his own in rapid succession.

"It is not polite to hit a girl!" Alice replied, ducking behind her tree as each snowball flew by.

"You don't know who you're messing with! I grew up with Nathaniel, remember? If I can whip him, I can whip you too!" Uncas retorted. Raising his head above the snowdrift to launch a new volley, he cried out as a snowball collided with his forehead.

"I am not concerned or impressed by your threats, sir, considering you have yet to hit me once. Whereas all of my snowballs have found their mark! Ooooo!"

"You were saying?" Uncas replied with a laugh, after silencing Alice's taunt with a well-aimed strike to her shoulder. Still laughing, he scooped up more handfuls of snow, forming them quickly to build his arsenal. Due to the lack of missiles coming his way, and the sounds coming from behind the tree, he knew Alice was busy doing the same. When an adequate supply had been made, Uncas carefully peeked over the top of his snowdrift. Spotting Alice's behind sticking out from behind the tree, he broke out in a big grin and took careful aim. But before he could throw, a snowball hit him square in the back of the head.

"HEY!" Uncas cried out, his deep voice echoing through the forest.

Turning around rapidly, he looked to see who had attacked him from behind, but there was no one to be seen. With a knowing smile, he looked toward Nathaniel and Cora's wigwam. Obviously his brother had decided to get in on the game, but where was he hiding? As Uncas searched for Nathaniel, he was struck once again in the back of the head, this time from Alice. Whipping back around, another of her snowballs disintegrated on his chin. At almost the same moment, still another hit him between the shoulders. Under fire from two directions, a furious exchange of snowballs took place as Uncas began firing almost blindly at the female target in front of him, and at the hidden assailant behind him. Finally, losing miserably and with his arsenal exhausted, a soggy Uncas declared a ceasefire.

"Alright, I give up! I give up!"

"Are you requesting a parlay sir?" Alice called out from the safety of her tree.

"No. I'm offering a surrender in the hopes that I'll be granted mercy." Uncas replied, as Alice carefully looked out from behind the tree. With both arms raised and his hands open, Uncas slowly stood up and cautiously looked toward the lodges behind him, expecting Nathaniel to step out into the open as well. But no. Both dwellings remained quiet. Just then, a pair of arms encircled his waist and he turned toward Alice, smiling.

"I suppose I can grant you generous terms. You are the man I love, after all. And you look adorable with all that melting snow on your face and hair." said Alice, as she wiped some of the wetness off of Uncas' cheek. "Oh, you must be frozen to the bone. I know I am. Come, my love. Let us return to our lodge, and I will make us both some hot tea. Then we can snuggle together under your robes and you can read me some of Robinson Crusoe."

"Gulliver's Travels." Uncas reminded her.

Sharing a kiss, the two held hands as they returned to their lodge. As they plowed their way through the deep snow, Uncas looked around the area. Finding no evidence of where his brother's fortress had been, he shook his head and laughed.

"I wish I knew where Nathaniel was hiding. Those snowballs seemed to come out of nowhere."

"He is a worthy opponent." Alice replied.

"He is that. And so are you. Remind me never to get into another snowball fight with you." Uncas quipped.

Pausing outside of their lodge, Uncas stole another kiss from Alice, then held open the door flap so that she could enter. Following her inside, he glanced at Chingachgook, who was still asleep in his bed. Or was he? Laughing softly, Uncas nudged Alice and pointed to his father. Looking at Chingachgook curled up on his side with his feet sticking out from under his fur robes, Uncas knew who his invisible assailant had been. After all, how could someone who had been asleep all this time be wearing wet moccasins!

~The End~

Author Note: This oneshot is dedicated to fellow FanFiction author MelancholyAndBlithe. Happy Birthday my friend! xxoo