Ughhhhhhhh I need to work on my other stories, but snow has fallen and I have become inspired!
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The night was silent, only the usual sounds of the wind blowing through the trees and the rustling of leaves filled the air. Granted, it was always night in Subcon Forest, but this was usually the time when most of the still living inhabitants went to sleep.
Of course there were other creatures that were constantly awake, such as a certain book loving shadow...
Snatcher was sitting in his chair enjoying one of his personal favourite law books. The forest had been calm for the past several days, so he had decided to take a day off from patrolling the edges of his domain and enjoy some time reading.
Typically the shadow would not have much time to relax unless some, unfortunate soul had signed one of his contracts and was still alive for him to order around, but for some reason fewer idiots were falling into his traps.
Snatcher hummed softly to himself, he would have to figure out what was causing this lack of free labour later, for now he wanted to enjoy this moment of peace he had. Gentle humming and the sound of pages being turned filled the air…
"Boss! BOSS!"
And with that shout the calm quiet that had engulfed the tree shattered. The shadow looked up from his book and caught sight of one of his "minions" standing in front of him. Fear radiated from the smaller shadow creature making Snatcher put down his book and float towards the shivering creature.
Before he could even ask what had happened to cause one of his subjects to be so afraid, the small being pointed one shaking hand towards the entrance of his home. Snatcher followed the gesture as was stunned by what he saw.
There was snow falling from the sky.
Snatcher floated to the entrance of his home, his faithful minion following along beside him. He took notice of the slowly accumulating piles of snow that were gathering on the forest floor and the large, fluffy flakes that fell from the sky. Snow was not an uncommon sight thanks to a certain crazy queen who lived in the manor, but it was unusual to see it this close to his home.
There were two possible causes for the sudden appearance of the fluffy flakes falling from the sky. One, winter was approaching and this was the first snowfall of the season, or two, Vanessa had invaded his territory.
Snatcher prayed the snow was natural.
"Wait here." Snatcher said to his minion as he moved out of the entrance to his home and into the cold forest. There was only one way to know for sure what had caused the snowfall. The shadow closed his eyes and focused on the well of power that rested within him.
His death had given him a vast collection of magical powers to use. From detecting specific magical signatures, such as Vanessa, and summoning objects to use in battle. One of those abilities was extremely useful in situations like this one.
With this power the shadow reached out and felt the atmosphere, the aura, of the forest. The air was charged with fear, undoubtedly from his subjects and the Dwellers, but it lacked the harsh, biting magical aura Vanessa gave off.
The snow was natural then.
Snatcher visibly relaxed, arms falling to his side as he floated in place. "It's natural." He sighed, voice steady and calm. He made sure to project an aura of safety and comfort, everything is fine she is not here, so his subjects could calm down. This was a far more efficient form of communication then running around the forest trying to find everyone, the shadow found.
There was no misinterpretation when it came down to pure feelings and the "messages" could be sent instantly, if only he had gained this ability sooner, then certain incidents could have been prevented...
Snatcher heard the crunching of snow, there was a layer of the fluffy particles covering the ground already, and looked down. His subject had joined him in the snow, small footprints trailed behind them leading back to his tree.
"So, I guess that means we're safe then?" The soft, nervous voice asked. Snatcher did not need his abilities to tell that his subject was still afraid. The shadow nodded, catching the hidden question.
"I'll pay extra attention to the ice bitch today, you go and calm down the village." A relieved sigh rushed out of the smaller shadow, their posture relaxing as they processed the "order" from the Boss.
There would always be some lingering fear over Vanessa and what she had put the forest through, nothing would fix the terror all of them had felt when the ice rushed out of her manor and engulfed the village, and when their prince disappeared for so long.
The terror that they still felt whenever they gazed at the ice blocks littering the forest.
"Thanks Boss!" With that the smaller shadow began to run back to Subcon Village, intent on telling everyone else what they had been told.
And get some eyes on Vanessa's manor. Honestly, they were not about to let their leader and savior exhaust himself just because they were scared! Granted no one would be forced to go into the manor, but they would keep an eye on it nonetheless.
Snatcher watched his subject run off, kicking up snow as they went. Geeze, the snowfall was only getting heavier as time went on! The shadow scoffed and swiped his talons through the air in irritation.
At least now he knew why fewer morons had been stumbling on his traps. The snow would drive any sane person to avoid the forest since it sat at the bottom of an incline and the few roads that existed would get completely buried for at least a month.
Snatcher gazed up at the sky one more time, feeling the magical aura of the forest once again.
Still no sign of Vanessa.
With a huff the shadow floated back into his home and picked up his discarded book. All he wanted to do was get back to reading, but now he had to keep an eye on her too! His entire day was ruined because of that stupid bitch and all this stupid snow and stupid wind that was blowing his books everywhere!
Snatched growled, his "hair" fluffing up in anger as he dropped his book on the nearby table. "Stupid snow, stupid wind." He muttered to himself as he used his magic to create barriers across the entrances to his home. They would block the wind but still allow other beings to pass through.
Once the barrier was complete he floated back over to his chair and sat down. He leaned forward and placed his face in his hands. Everything had been going so good until the stupid snow decided to fall!
There was no point in trying to continue reading, his night was ruined, now he had to make sure the ice bitch did not do anything stupid, like trying to attack his subjects.
The shadow sighed once more before focusing on his magic. Once more he reached out and felt the air around him. Still nothing from her, but he made sure to constantly focus on maintaining his magic. There he stayed, eyes closed in concentration for the rest of the night.
At one point he noticed a new aura enter the forest. It felt oddly cheerful and slightly sassy, somehow, but it was not Vanessa so he ignored it and continued focusing.
I should probably think of some contingency plans in case the ice bitch decides to invade the village again at some point. It was bad enough the first time it happened! Freezing what belongs to me just for some attention!
"Hey Snatcher!"
Maybe it would be best to put up some sort of barrier around the manor to try and keep her trapped there...
"Snatcher?"
But it might put my subjects in danger if she gets angry, breaks it, and goes on a rampage. That would be much worse than her throwing a bitch fest just because she wanted some attention!
"Snaaaaaaatcher?!"
Ugh, it certainly wouldn't be the first time she goes on a rampage. I wonder if she'd get as mad as she did during the Bacon Incident-
"SNATCHER!"
With a yelp the shadow's eyes snapped open and his body jumped in surprise! When his eyes landed on the person, intruder, standing in front of him the shocked expression on his face dropped into a grimace.
"Hey, kid." That space brat had invaded his home! Again! The child standing in front of him clearly heard the distaste in his voice and offered him a cheeky smile in response.
"Hey bff!" Oh, she just wanted to make him angry, didn't she?! Snatcher could not help but sink down in his chair, as if the plush piece of furniture could save him from having to deal with the sassy child in front of him.
He said nothing in response, prompting Hat Kid to walk closer to the shadow, arms hidden behind her back and a small grin on her face.
"Sooooooo, what're you up to?"
"I was thinking of a certain, crazy old woman who lives in a manor." The shadow huffed as he replied, hair slightly puffed up in irritation. First the snow and now this?! Would the world never cease tormenting him?!
"Old people are scary." She sagely nodded in agreement. Old people could be terrifying, especially if you made them angry. With their, wrinkles and awkward shuffling! Hat Kid shuddered just thinking about it!
Silence reigned for a few moments, Hat Kid still smiling at the shadow in front of her. Ugh, what did the kid want?!
"Sooooo, did you know it's snowing outside?" Hat Kid suddenly asked. Her eyes glowed with excitement and she bounced in place.
"I didn't know winter existed on this planet, I thought it was too warm for it to snow here!"
"And I didn't know aliens knew anything about winter." Snatcher quipped back, unable to hide the growing smile on his face as the child glared at him.
"Of course there's snow on my planet!" Hat Kid huffed. Just because she was an alien on this planet did not mean she didn't know what snow was! Once more silence filled the hollow of the tree, and once again the child broke it.
"So," Hat Kid began to speak, waggling her eyebrows at Snatcher. "How about we pl-"
"I will not play in the snow with you!" The shadow cut in, immediately understanding what the child was trying to get at. There was no way in hell he would enjoy doing anything that involved snow.
She had forever ruined it for him.
"There will be no snowmen making near my home." Snatcher all but snarled. "And if I see ONE snowball hitting my tree you'll find yourself being soulless again!"
Instead of cringing back or hiding like he thought she would, Hat Kid just shrugged, clearly not bothered by the idea. "Meh, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."
...What is wrong with this child?!
"Are you suuuure you're gonna stay here all alone?!" Hat Kid asked, a hint of pleading in her tone. Once she had seen the snow covering the ground she planned to do everything in her power to get into a snowball fight with Snatcher.
I can't do that if he's just sitting here moping about his ex!
"I have far more important things to do than entertain you, kid!" The shadow scoffed, arms crossing in front of his chest.
"Fine, I guess I'll just hang out with the Subconites then!" Hat Kid replied, mimicking Snatcher's pose as she spoke.
"...Subconites?" What the heck is she talking about?
"You know, your minions. It sounds weird calling them that all the time, so I decided to call them Subconites!" The child sounded proud of her idea, and the beaming smile on her face reinforced this, or it did until her smile disappeared.
"...Do you like it?" The amount of uncertainty in her tone stunned Snatcher for a moment. When had Hat Kid ever cared so much about someone else's opinion when doing something? Why did she care what he thought of the name?
It did sound much better than simply calling his subjects minions. Even if they had already accepted their roles it still sounded so strange after all these years...
"Sure kid." Hat Kid's smile was brighter than the sun.
"I'll see you later Snatcher!" The girl called out as she left the tree, that smile still sitting on her face.
"Later kiddo." Snatcher sighed as he watched the girl leave, including her near slip off the root that served as the path to his home. He held back his laughter until she disappeared from sight, and then the shadow let the chuckles escape him.
The hat brat could be such a klutz sometimes! It had been especially entertaining watching the kid try to climb up to the top of the tree.
Granted the first time she fell Snatcher felt his nonexistent heart pound as she approached the forest floor, the opening of her umbrella being the only reason why she had come out of that fall alive.
Then she began to climb the tree once again!
Did this kid have a death wish or something?!
The shadow sighed to himself, all former irritation gone as he relaxed in his chair. That dammed brat had wormed her way into his heart that day and he had gotten worried about her.
Pathetic.
"She better not bother my minions, Subconites, whatever." Snatcher grumbled out as he picked up his book from earlier and began reading it again.
It looked like Snatcher might be able to enjoy his night after all.
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Hat Kid hummed as she followed the path to Subcon Village, enjoying the sights as she moved. Everything was covered in a layer of snow and flakes were still falling from the sky!
She eagerly reached her hands up and caught some of the fluffy flakes within her grasp. The snow was very light and did not stick together well, so there went her plans of having a huge snowball fight, but it was still nice.
The child walked over to the nearby bench and sat down, not bothering to brush the snow off the seat as she stared up into the night sky.
It was so beautiful.
The snow and stars seemed to glow with a beautiful light, and the dark sky above only made that glow more intense. Flakes danced above in the light wind, flying back and forth, whirling around each other as they floated to the floor.
Hat Kid sniffled, trying to ignore the tears that were running down her face. She wiped them off using the sleeve of her shirt and continued looking up to the sky, to the stars, her previous plan of causing mischief and mayhem in the village completely forgotten.
It would be another hour before Hat Kid noticed she could no longer feel her hands and that her entire face felt numb from the cold. Snow was fun to play in and watch, but only if you were prepared to deal with the cold.
And unfortunately for her, she was not at all ready for the freezing temperature that settled in as time went on.
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Snatcher had been completely absorbed in his book. He had memorized the majority of the chapters at this point, but it was always nice to read the source material again. He was still keeping an "eye" on Vanessa and so far nothing had happened.
Finally, something good happened for a change!
Hopefully he would not have to do this again in the "morning". While the magic was easy to use it got draining after enough time passed.
He was so absorbed in his book he did not notice, or sense, the familiar presence approaching his home until a voice said his name.
"Snatcher." The voice was soft and shaky, as if the speaker was on the verge of crying. Worst of all, he knew that voice!
The shadow lunged up out of his chair, throwing his book to the floor in the process, and shifted his attention to the child standing in the doorway. It was Hat Kid, and she was covered in snow! Some of it was falling off and landing on the wooden floor but the majority of it seemed to have soaked into her clothes.
Even the top of her hat had an even coating of snow on it!
The child sniffled softly, as if she was just barely holding back tears. Her arms were wrapped around her body and clutched at her cape, as if the thin fabric would make her warm again. Her entire body shuddered from the freezing temperature.
Before Snatcher even knew what he was doing, the girl was lifted up into his arms and the shadow carefully cradled her against his chest as he floated into his home, ranting the entire time.
"Honestly, what were you thinking, going out into the snow without something to keep you warm?!" The shadow scolded, equal parts angry and worried as he carried the child in his arms towards his chair. She was looking up at him with an expression of pure shock on her face.
Snatcher did not know who was more surprised by his reaction, the brat or him.
Hat Kid shuddered in his grasp and pressed herself against his chest in an attempt to get warmer. The shadow sighed as he gently placed her onto his chair, ignoring the whine that escaped her throat.
"Sorry kid, I don't exactly have a body to give off heat anymore." Snatcher said as he summoned two blankets. One he passed to the girl to help her get rid of the snow and water clinging to her body so she could start to heat up. The other was dark red, extremely fluffy and perfect for keeping warm during the winter.
He had spent many cold nights huddled under this blanket as he read about the stars. Astronomy had always been his favourite thing to learn about growing up.
Once Hat Kid was a dry as she could get, Snatcher picked her up once again and firmly wrapped the fluffy blanket around her. By the time he was finished only the girl's head was free of the fluffy material, the rest of her was trapped by the blanket.
She sighed and relaxed into the warmth, not moving even when Snatcher casually plucked her hat off her head and set it down on the table. It needed more time to dry, unlike the rest of her clothes.
Now he had a decision to make.
Snatcher could go somewhere else and read his book, but that would involve leaving the kid alone and honestly the shadow did not know if he could do that right now, he was too worried about her. He could always do something else...
The shadow floated close to the girl and once again picked her up. He then spun around and sat on his chair, Hat Kid still held in his grasp. When he was fully settled into his seat his grip relaxed so the child was leaning against him.
Hat Kid sighed and snuggled into the shadow's chest, one hand escaping the blanket and reaching up to hold onto the fluffy "hair" above her. Regardless of whether the shadow had a proper body or not, he was still warm to her!
For a second Snatcher felt anger run through him, but one look at the brat's sleepy face made it fade.
"Snatcher." The mumble was extremely soft and for a second he was worried the brat was getting worse. Snatcher leaned his face closer to Hat Kid's so he could hear her better, worried thoughts racing through his mind the entire time.
What if she was getting sick?! What if that stupid ice bitch put a curse on her?! What if-
Chu!
The shadow reared back, fiercely ignoring the blush that was now staining his cheeks and the laughing child in his arms. She had kissed him on the cheek?! What the heck was wrong with this kid!?
"You shouldn't go around smooching random strangers!" Snatcher shrieked, continuing to ignore the giggling coming from Hat Kid.
"But you're not a stranger, you're my bff!" She said, face buried into Snatcher's chest. The shadow had no idea how much she needed this, this comforting hold and warm embrace. It felt so nice...
"Don't fall asleep on me kid, I'm not a bed." He growled out, but the words lacked their usual bite.
Silence descended over the pair and for a moment Snatcher thought the child in his arms had fallen asleep. The shadow reached over towards his book to pick it up when he heard that soft voice once again.
"Thanks Snatcher." Hat Kid mumbled one more time before exhaustion carried her into a deep, dreamless sleep. With a sigh she snuggled as close as she could to the shadow, one hand still buried in his hair, and closed her eyes. Within seconds she was fast asleep.
The shadow stared down at the child carefully cradled in his arms and thought about everything that had just occurred, how vulnerable Hat Kid had appeared in those moments. The kid who managed to fight and defeat him, had been so close to breaking down earlier?!
Snatcher stared down at the child in his arms. The talons on one of his hands sharpened and he brought them closer to her face, pointing the sharp tips towards her closed eyes. It would be so easy to just...
No.
Not only would the contract he signed now allow it, he had never broken his promises when he was alive and it certainly was not going to change now, but he felt touched by the amount of trust the child had put in him.
The odd amount of trust she had in their strange friendship.
His talons lost their point and he gently ruffled Hat Kid's hair, a soft smile forming on his face as he heard the disgruntled noise she made at the motion. Maybe he could put up with the hat brat.
Just this once.
"Night kiddo." Snatcher said, picking up his book with one hand while the other held the child in place so she did not fall while she slept.
Together they stayed, one sleeping while the other remained awake. Every so often he would take a break from reading and check on the girl to make sure she was still okay before going back to his book.
As the duo relaxed and enjoyed the other's presence snow continued to fall, and with it the promise of more adventures, fun, and comfort for each other.
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So yeah, that's what I have so far. I have a couple more ideas that I'm working on, including the obligatory sick fic, but I'm honestly not sure when the next update might happen so I apologize if it takes a while!
Please leave a comment telling me what you think! :)