The snowfall thickened.

Lukas was thankful of it as he trailed Tino, making sure to keep his distance but still be close enough to not lose him from his sight. It was surprisingly hard. It didn't help that people were giving him weird looks – must be the cloak. He didn't really understand why cloaks weren't worn more often as they were extremely practical and yet comfortable; only if one was doing something a bit more active a cloak would be on the way. Humans were weird sometimes. Still he seemed to be lucky, as Tino didn't look back when he walked through the streets where the snow was already turning dirty and slushy as people and cars mixed and trampled it.

They didn't live in a big city. Actually, one might even call it a town instead, but for someone coming from a country like Norway it counted as a city. There was quite much of forest even within the city, but especially on its outskirts where they now were; on the other side of the road stood shops and houses, while the other side was forested, the evergreen pines slowly getting drowned in white.

Then Tino turned a corner and Lukas rushed a bit to see where he turned next. But when he rounded the corner, he couldn't see the blonde Finn on the almost active street any more. A glimpse of movement off the road caught his eye, and he noticed a small path going to the woods on the other side of the road, a bit further away on his right. When he reached the path he didn't see Tino anywhere, but there were one set of footprints in the otherwise untouched snow. Lukas was around 87 percent sure Tino had turned there, so trusting his instinct he turned on the path and followed the footprints.

Lukas knew that the forests here on the outskirts could be deep, and as he had never been in this one, he had no idea where Tino was heading nor how long he would have to follow his trail. The forest wasn't that dense, but it didn't take long for the noise of the city to fade out and wrap the environment in eerie silence. Lukas thought he was breathing too loud and everyone would hear his steps as he followed the light footprints that were still visible despite the constant snowfall. Normally forests weren't that quiet, but Lukas guessed the falling snow had driven the creatures that remained for the winter into hiding. He pulled his hood lower and adjusted his cloak.

He was just walking in a normal looking part of the forest when suddenly he felt something. It was a strange feeling and hard to describe, kind of like a soft call coming deeper from the forest. Lukas would've described it as a song or a hum, except that he couldn't really hear anything. It was unmistakably something magical. Shivers ran through his back and he wasn't sure if it was the pleasant way or the bad way. However, it was coming off-path somewhere deep, and the footprints he was following were going in different direction following the path. He wavered for a moment, but decided that he could come back after he had learned something more about Tino. Lukas thought only briefly that it was weird of him to abandon something magical in favor of a person, but he knew this could be one of his only chances to know. Besides, what on earth was Tino doing in a magical forest anyway? He could discover the magical part later, but right now he rushed forward to follow the prints.

Lukas hadn't been walking that long, probably around 15 minutes, but it felt like forever. Then he stopped and stared at the ground, puzzled: the footprints stopped. No one was standing at the end of the trail that seemed to just stop, mid-stride judging by the prints. Lukas knew no one could just vanish into thin air, but the prints suggested so. Could it have something to do with the magic he felt in the forest? He wasn't feeling it anymore, but there was a real chance that it had something to do with the situation, the most likely scenario being that the magic had swiped the trail. The real question was how on earth he would find Tino now. Should he try some magic, too? He had no idea how it worked, though, and had never tried. Maybe he should just give up and go discover the magic. Maybe this was a way for the magic to tell him to discover instead of following the trail. Lukas admitted to himself that it was a far-fetched thought, but he couldn't know if magic had its own will or not, so he wouldn't count it out.

However, when Lukas was still trying to decide what to do now, something hit his back hard and he fell, having barely any time to break the fall with his hands and not with his nose. He tried to rise immediately, but that something, or someone as Lukas deducted, had gone down with him and kept him pressed to the ground. Then something cool and definitely sharp was pressed against the side of his neck. The cold touch sent another set of shivers through Lukas, but this time it was certainly the bad type. Okay, things were getting dangerous.

"Don't move", said a calm voice that to his surprise he recognized, but had never heard so cold, and that definitely was much scarier than the weapon.

"Tino?" he asked unsurely. What was going on?

The blade from his neck disappeared immediately and the weight holding him down shifted away. Lukas rolled over and saw Tino staring at him, and there was something very dangerous in his posture. He had a knife in his hand, the kind he remembered Finns often carrying.

"Lukas?" Tino asked voice full of disbelief. His eyes looked at Lukas confused and his posture stayed stiff, but the dangerous quality of it vanished. A moment later the confusion in his eyes changed to a sharp look, and Lukas knew he had figured out what Lukas was doing there. Lukas stood and brushed all the snow he could out of his cloak; it was slightly wet now, but not too badly. When he straightened again he saw Tino still staring at him, this time with an unreadable neutral look.

"You were following me."

It wasn't a question. Lukas knew it was no use to lie now, so he nodded and kept the eye contact. He expected anger from Tino, but there none to see, just the same stiffness and unreadable expression. The closest guess Lukas could make was that Tino was worried.

"Why?" Tino asked, still very neutral.

There was really no reason to lie even if he could think of a convincing reason that quickly. Lukas wondered how he had not thought of an excuse in case he got caught.

"I wanted to know where you were going", he responded with a shrug. To his surprise Tino relaxed and laughed, and not a small chuckle but a real laugh that sounded strangely relieved.

After Tino had calmed down, he finally put his knife away and said:

"You know, you could have asked; it's not a secret. I volunteer at an animal shelter on Saturdays."

Oh, now Lukas felt a bit ashamed. On the other hand he had known all along that he should've just asked.

"I didn't know if you'd give me a full answer. I thought I could get more information like this", Lukas said bluntly. Still Tino seemed more amused and relieved than angry, which confused Lukas just as much as the attack.

"Yeah, but it's not a good idea to try that. You're lucky I wanted to check your reasons to be here and not just kill you straight away; I didn't recognize you with the cloak", Tino said lightheartedly. Lukas was unsure if Tino was teasing him in turn or being serious. It felt strangely worrying.

"Why did you jump on me, anyway? And where were you as the track ends here?" Lukas asked in turn. He thought it was a bit extreme reaction to someone following him, as the disappearing tracks would've probably turned almost anyone away.

"I was expecting it to be someone more dangerous; can't be too careful. And I was hiding behind a bush a while back, I knew someone was following me – you should be more careful with that – so I trailed my own footprints backwards and jumped behind it. I didn't have too much time to do it properly, so the fact that you didn't notice it told me that you aren't very used in tracking people", Tino responded.

Lukas admitted that it was a lot more believable reason than magic swiping the trail clean. However, Tino's answer had been very vague, but Lukas wasn't stupid. He knew of the scars, and that combined to Tino's reaction and explanation made Lukas believe that he wasn't expecting just anyone dangerous, but very specific someone. He decided to be straight forward, and asked:

"Does that someone dangerous have something to do with those scars on your back?"

Tino looked at Lukas sharply; it was the first time the scars were mentioned. The obvious signs about their secrets had become somewhat of a taboo between them, and now Lukas had boldly asked about it. Tino sighed before answering:

"You know I can't talk about that any more than you can about your moments."

"Can't or won't?" Lukas challenged. He needed to know. Tino looked at him sadly.

"Mostly can't and others won't. The won't would cause too many questions from the can't, so I'd say I can't those either. Let's just say that I'm quite paranoid about certain things", he responded.

Lukas sighed and decided that a change in topic would be in place.

"If you're volunteering at a shelter, why are we in the middle of a forest?" he asked.

"The shelter needs a lot of space, they have big kennels and they even harbor a few horses that need a lot of room, so it's placed away from the city. This path is a shortcut, but I usually take the bus as it takes around 40 minutes to get there through here. I only turned here because I noticed someone following me" Tino responded. Before Lukas could respond, he continued:

"We've come over halfway, so if you want to, you can come with me. They always need some help there."

Lukas considered the offer. He didn't have anywhere else he needed to be and he actually liked animals. He just never had thought of owing one, but he usually went well with them. On the other hand he could decline and go to investigate the magical feel of the forest he had felt. What if it would disappear and he'd be too late? Then he made the mistake of looking at Tino, who was looking at him with a hopeful expression complete with the big eyes and the almost-smile that would complete when a positive answer was given. Dear gods, how the hell did that affect him so? Yeah, he was really growing soft; he could always say no to Mathias and almost always to Emil, but he couldn't manage that look from Tino. He had already lost the battle, so he gave in:

"Okay, I think I have time to spare. I like animals."

Tino smiled so cheerily that Lukas didn't even feel slightly bad about his not-really-decision. He would just figure out later what the magical thing was, and what the hell was wrong with him. It was like Tino could bring out his mushy side, which he didn't want to happen and which definitely should not happen. He had even smiled way too easily today hadn't he? And admired Tino and his smile more than he should. Well, he would just have to think about it later as for now he fell in step with Tino to continue their now shared journey through the forest in silence.

The shelter was clean building with a lot of light shining inside. However, all cages made the place less cozy than it could've been. Some of the dogs were running outside in fenced areas, but the cats and small animals were inside, as were some dogs as well. The stables were standing a bit further away, and there were three horses in paddocks. There was also a building that was most likely a farm house, probably harboring goats, pigs, chicken and maybe cows. Lukas could see this all from the windows inside the reception hall. He was standing there, unsure what to do as Tino talked with the receptionist about the volunteering.

Eventually Tino made the arrangements and led Lukas deeper into the building. There were fewer windows and more cages there. Tino showed him where the food was and gave instructions for the feeding. Lukas got to the job, and with Tino they prepared the foods quickly enough. Before giving the food they went to fetch the dogs inside. After giving the animals space to eat, Tino started to introduce the animals to Lukas. Most of them seemed to love Tino, coming to him and greeting him depending from the animal. When they arrived to the cage of a small, white dog, Tino smiled and opened the cage to hold the white ball of fluff.

"This is Hanatamago. Isn't she sweet?" Tino asked, holding the fluff ball close to Lukas.

Lukas stared at the dog. Then he stared at Tino. He had hard time deciding which one was cuter, and even harder time not to melt to cuddle the small dog.

"She's cute", he replied, not really sure what he should do.

"Yeah, she is. She's such a nice dog, too. I'm fond of her, and it'll be a sad day when someone adopts here", Tino said with a sigh, hugging the dog protectively. Lukas had thought the pair couldn't get much cuter, but he was proven wrong as Hanawhateverthenamewas licked Tino's nose, making him smile.

"Why don't you adopt her yourself? I'm sure she'd be happy with you", Lukas suggested.

"I would've already, but I can't. I don't exactly live alone, you know", Tino replied and sighed again. He really seemed a little down about the fact.

"They don't want a dog?" Lukas asked. He hadn't thought of Tino's parents not wanting a dog. Lukas had never thought to get a pet, but he was quite sure that his parents would be okay with it if he asked.

"It's against the rules", Tino said sadly. Lukas raised an eyebrow; what rules? Tino seemed to realize what he'd said and seemed to ponder for a moment before answering:

"I live in a foster home. Pets are not allowed."

Oh. On the other hand that would explain certain things. Lukas wanted to ask what happened to his family or if his family was responsible of those scars, but he knew that Tino wouldn't answer. It seemed like he was truly getting soft; he was rarely this nice to people.

"Well, if someone wants to adopt her, I can ask my parents if she could stay with us. You can still be with her and take care of her like that", Lukas suggested. He tried to make it sound casual, but the fluffy dog was way too cute and coming here was certainly a bad idea as now he wanted to take and cuddle all the cute things. He didn't just offer for Tino, he was truly interested what having a pet would be like. And if Tino was there to share the responsibility… Whoa, whoa, what was he thinking? It wasn't like they were a couple.

But the blinding, honest smile spreading on Tino's face made Lukas forget about those thoughts. Somehow he felt that he made the right offer, even if the reality would need a bit more thinking over. Lukas wanted to be responsible, so he added:

"Only if we can get it to work, though. I don't want an animal to suffer because of hasty decisions." Tino just nodded, apparently too happy to say anything else.

They played with and petted Hana – Lukas had decided to call her just that – and other animals for a while more, before Tino took them back to their cages with a "Sorry guys, see you later!"

"The stables are still part of my responsibility. Want to come with me?" he asked. Horses were a pretty new dimension for Lukas, so naturally he shrugged and followed Tino back to the coldness outside.

The first thing he noticed when entering the stable was the warmth of indoors, the next was the smell. It was hay and leather and many other smells he couldn't name. It was clean, but still somewhat dusty, but he figured pretty much all stables were a bit dusty. First thing to do was to muck the stables. Tino had clearly done it for a while and had finished two when Lukas was still doing his first. He was surprised that it wasn't really unpleasant work as the stable was such a calm environment. There were only three occupied places from four, so after he had finished with his cleaning, they were ready in that section. Then Tino gave him a lead rope.

"We'll fetch the buggers inside. You can take the big black one and I'll the other two. He's very kind and old, so don't worry", Tino told him. Still Lukas was a bit nervous as they went back outside. He had never been close to horses and they were big animals.

Tino told Lukas how to lead a horse and kept an eye on him when he went to the paddock where the horse he was supposed to fetch was. Tino hadn't been exaggerating when saying it was big; it was a huge, heavy horse with shiny black coat and white markings. Even Lukas could see that it was a workhorse, full on heavy muscle to pull loads. Or to trample him at will. However, the beast seemed to be almost asleep, not even flopping an ear when Lukas came close and snapped the rope to its place like Tino had taught him to. Tino held the gate open for him and the giant followed him lazily. Lukas wasn't still convinced, though, but he petted the horse's neck for a peace offering while they stood on the yard waiting for Tino. The horse didn't say anything, so Lukas took it as acceptance.

Soon Tino had gotten himself two horses, one on each side of his, and led the way back to the stable. One of the horses was finer breed and seemed skittish, but the other was a smaller and heavier horse with a peaceful look. The skittish one looked beautiful, and even the one he was handling had strong kind of beauty, but the third horse hadn't really any of that. It wasn't ugly or anything, and could be considered even cute, but it didn't have the same power or elegance as the two others. Once the horses were in the stables Tino explained:

"The old one was abandoned because of his age. He's a nice one, but can' really do much anymore. We hope he'd get into a nice family for the rest of his life. That white jumpy one was too hard for her owner and pretty much got abused because of that. She'll need a home willing to train her, we have started here, but it's slow. And that third one was left locked in a barn when the owners moved away. She was in a pretty bad shape, but now she's pretty good and has a good nature. Sadly she's not that beautiful or talented, so it's very likely no one will want her. Then again no one really wants these horses. I've called that third one Lempi as she looks like a Finnhorse. She may be one, or at least a cross. It's rare to see them anywhere outside Finland, so she reminds me of home."

Lukas nodded; he could understand that.

"That skittish one, she's called Lady. She doesn't let people to touch her legs, so shoeing her was hard. I used to live on a farm where we shoed ourselves the two horses we had, so I made a deal that I could ride Lempi in exchange of shoeing and caring for the horses. Lady was okay after she learned to trust me", Tino told him, his gaze somewhere far away. Lukas was unsure if Tino knew what he was saying as he didn't usually let out so much information about himself.

"But, let's get to business. I'll just fetch my boots and then I'll teach you to ride!"

As it came to be, Lukas left the shelter late and smelling of horse, but the smell was strangely comforting. He also kind of promised to come there again. He was tired and he felt that he would be very stiff the next day, but the magic of the forest wouldn't leave his mind. It was already dark, but the snow did reflect light a little and once he got used to it, it wouldn't seem so anymore. He also had his phone in case of emergency, so after saying goodbye to Tino, who was still feeding the horses, he sneaked to the woods instead of the bus stop nearby. He straightened his cloak and convinced himself that there was nothing to be afraid of in the snow-covered forest and that he could find his way home. The magic was too interesting for him to believe otherwise.

Somewhere deep he knew, however, that this wasn't a wise decision. Then again, he was known for truths, not for wisdom.

Well, something definitely happened. Something different for a change.

Sorry for the wait again, we had Midsummer celebrations and they're quite big thing here. I also started working 8 hours a day, so not that much time to write anymore... I'm trying to update at least once a week, though, so don't worry. Things are starting to roll. Feedback is always appreciated.

I have a headcanon that Finland is quite the horseman. Not the type to race or show horses in a ring, but the kind that can make a nervous horse calm down, young horses stand still, and generally just being able to handle them well. Might be just me, though.