It is a cold winter night and on top of it is christmas night. Snow is falling from the sky as everyone is now inside with their beloved ones. Only a small child with pitch-black hair, wearing ragged clothes is walking through the streets. He tries to sell some matches but somehow luck is not at his side. Hungry and exhausted the boy leans at a wall as he gets the short chance to look inside a house through a window leading towards the street. The whole family is gathered together by the table. Singing and laughing. He can see so many delicious things at once: a roasted goose with potato dumblings, a big bowl with red cabbage, christmas pudding.
His stomach starts to growl and a deep sigh leave his lips. This is so unfair. Somehow he wishes, he could be sitting in the warm and enjoying a table full with so many delicious things too. But who wants to take in a stray orphan at all, especially at a time like this? He walks down the street and turn into a side alley, because he can't make another step. Besides, he feels cold all over and so he decides to light at least one match to warm himself. As he lights the first match it is almost as if he can see a lively fire burn inside the hearth. A short smile appears on his lips. But this image is gone as the match is burnt down. A deep sigh leaves his lips. Maybe he should try to light another one.
So he lights another match to keep himself warm. This time he can see a rich set table with a big roasted goose on it. There are also baked apples, hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts, a bowl with marshmallows, a big steaming bowl with red cabbage and a sauciere with a creamy sauce inside. Everything on this festive table looks so good and right as he reaches out to get himself one of the baked apples it vanishes right infront of his eyes. A deep sigh leaves his lips again. He's still freezing, hungry and tired.
What if he tries to light all of the remaining matches at once? Could he warm himself with this? It's worth a try. Now he lights the whole bundle of matches and a smile appears on his lips as he can see his mother and father. Reaching out his little hands to them he wants to go with them and not to stay behind. Being hugged by both of them makes him feel safe and sound. He also feels warm and comfortable. Closing his eyes, he cuddles to the source of heat without knowing at all, he just got saved by a Dragon from freezing to death.
Weisslogia had just used a illusionary spell to make the humans believe he's one of them too. Next to him walks a little boy with blond hair and sapphire-blue eyes wrapped up good against the bitter cold. Together with Skiadrum, the only survivor of the Shadow Dragons, they are traveling through the country. As they approach the local Inn to spend the night there he notices a boy now within Skiadrums arms shivering. „Sting, you stay with him until we return" is Weisslogia only saying to the blond boy at his side as the managed to get a room.
A fire is burning in the hearth and he crawls next to the other boy underneath the amount of blankets he's wrapped in. The other one really feels cold. Maybe he can warm him with his own body heat. Carefully he wraps now his arms around the small body right next to him and draws ihm closer to himself. Slowly he can feel the warmth coming back into the boy with the pitch-black hair and a smile appears on his lips. If the other one survives this night, he wants not only to be his friend but also the one to protect him.
The Guild Hall is crowded with mages. All of them seek shelter from the bitter cold and the nearing snow storm. Right now he isn't in the condition to do some paperwork. Somehow he's worried and therefore not able to focus on such boring work at all. „Sting-kun, is everything allright?" is he now picking up a voice he recognizes anytime. „Ah, don't worry, Lector, everything is just fine" is he right now answering his feline companion, smiles like usual, but deep inside he wonders where the Shadow Dragon Slayer had wandered off to. Even Frosch is now present inside the office and he really wonders, where his partner could have gone without taking the green Exceed with him.
Together with Lector and Frosch he goes down in the hall and he talks to some of the children, that are also staying in here since the local orphanage has a broken furnace. Sabertooth responded in allowing them to stay until the heating system inside the orphanage works again. While Yukino and Minerva are busy in the kitchen preparing a lot of hot cider, hot chocolate and stew for everyone inside the guild, Orga and Rufus are working side by side with the craftsmen to repair the broken furnace. So now it is his job to somehow entertain the children. As Frosch asks him to tell them a story and even the children look at him with big pleading eyes he sits down and agrees.
He starts to tell them the story about a child with matches walking through the streets at night. Everyone listens to him. Even Yukino and Minerva, who are taking are short break from working in the kitchen. „What happened to that child, Sting-kun?" is Lector now curiously asking as he notices right now the scent of his partner coming inside with a gust of cold air. „This child survived the bitter cold and became a Dragon Slayer" is he only responding the maroon Exceed with a grin, stands up and walks over towards the young man with ruby-red eyes and pitch-black hair. Quickly he notices a small girl looking at him from underneath the Shadow Dragon Slayers cloak and he understands what had driven him out in the cold.
„I'm allright, Sting"
„You're sure?"
is he asking him as they are for a short moment for themselves.
„Not really. I mean, obviously I..."
„We've never met if you'd ended up frozen that night. I would do it over and over again to save you, Rogue. No matter from what, I'm always there to save you"
is he now saying in a low voice, so that only Rogue can hear his words. If it weren't for Weisslogia and Skiadrum, they would never formed a team or became best friends. With a short smile the Shadow Dragon Slayer leans his forehead on Stings, showing a short smile, then he takes Frosch and goes upstairs. His gaze follows him and deep inside he's relieved to know, that next to Frosch he is someone very important in the life of Rogue Cheney