[Winter, Year 308]
A tiny barefooted girl in a worn out white patient uniform struggled through the fierce snowfall, leaving a trail of clean footprints behind. Untouched snow surrounded the footprints as she pushed herself forward.
She needed shelter, fast.
The wind blew furiously towards the girl's face. Her long, white hair flowed with the wind, blending harmoniously with the pile of snow on her head. Overgrown bangs covered her eyes as she slightly squinted her golden, sharp, cat-like eyes. Her right arm was thin, barely enough to block the hazy snow from smashing into her face.
She had no idea where she was, or why she was here. There were no trees or homes in sight. How long has it been? Ten minutes? Thirty? Maybe even more. It felt as if hours had passed.
The girl could not feel her limbs. Frostbites covered her body.
'Hurts…' The girl thought as she struggled to push herself forward.
The moon provided the sole source of light, but the blizzard was harsh, providing little to no visibility. Ahead, two dim lights shone through the blowing snow, giving the girl a sparkle of hope.
People? People!
The girl huffed, her hot breath creating small clouds in the freezing cold. She opened her mouth—no sound. Her throat was so cold and dry that no voice came out. She struggled to take another step.
Two shadows appeared quickly in the distance. Loud whooshing from the high winds masked their panicked voices.
The girl glanced at the two figures before her, her eyes too blurry to see clearly from exhaustion. Her consciousness faded in and out before she took one final step, collapsing on the soft powdered snow with a thud.
— — —
In a dark room lay a girl who is sound asleep. Her calm, paced breathing could barely be heard.
She slowly opened her eyes in a daze. Blinking a few times, she stared at the ceiling, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark before sitting up, observing her surroundings.
The room was plain but clean, with only the necessities of a closet, drawer, bedstand, lamp, desk, and bed. The window was on her left, revealing the beauty of the untouched snow, which sparkled slightly under the moonlight like millions of microscopic gems sparkling under the sunlight. The blizzard had died down, though the wind was still fierce and loud.
The girl was grateful these strangers saved her. She softly sighed, relieved that she was inside instead of being out… There.
She focused her gaze to her right, where a crack of light could be seen from the slightly opened door.
The girl sniffed, smelling a delicious, pungent aroma that snuck through the cracks of the door. She gulped, licking her dry lips as her stomach growled. She hurriedly climbed off the large bed, her little feet creating a thud noise for every step she took. Peaking her little head out the door, the lights blinded her for a few seconds, taking a good minute for her eyes to adjust to the sudden bright environment.
Walking down the stairs, she is greeted by two strangers on her right. One was a woman with long hazelnut hair wearing an apron while the other was a man with short, black hair and a neatly maintained beard, sitting at the dinner table drinking what seemed to be tea.
"Hey sweetie, are you alright? Come here and have some curry!" The woman smiled warmly, gesturing her hand for the girl to come over.
She carefully carried and placed the three plates of curry on the dinner table, then poured a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for the girl and a glass of water for herself.
The girl remained motionless for barely a few seconds before deciding quickly to get closer to the source of the delicious smelling food.
"We found you collapsed on the snow. You okay?" The man asked worriedly. His scarred, muscular arm reached out to ruffle the girl's hair.
The girl took a step back, avoiding any physical interaction. She then gave the two a little nod, not wanting to give all her trust to mere strangers, even if they saved her.
"Honey, don't do that! You're scaring her." The woman pointed out.
Her husband retracted his arm, glancing at the girl with a wronged expression.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He spoke.
The girl stared at the man, thinking. But… Aren't they good people because they didn't just save her, but also offered her yummy food to eat? Bad guys don't apologize. Hm… The girl pondered, the delicious smell making her gulp with anticipation.
The woman deactivated the imbued red stone, which emitted the fire used for cooking at the stove. She placed the utensils neatly on the table then joined her husband, sitting next to him.
The girl hopped on a seat across from the man, gulfing down the curry using a spoon that was awkwardly held with her hand balled up in a fist. Almost choking, she quickly gulped the entire glass of orange juice in one go, like a starved, dehydrated wolf.
"Ah, right. I'm Elizabeth Revs, and this is my husband, David Revs. What's your name?"
"?" The girl tilted her head, confused.
She understood what she's saying, but she did not know her name. After some thought, the girl replied with a "I don't know…"
Worried, but not wanting to pry any further, the married couple decided to first name the girl.
"Yuki. How does that sound? We found you in the snow, and your hair is as white as the snow outside. Do you like it?" The man asked softly, patiently waiting for an answer from the mysterious, lost girl.
Yuki nodded, feeling a feeling of warmth spread in her heart.
"Honey, I didn't know you had such a good naming sense! You almost named our son—"
"It's fineee, we avoided that by naming him Xavier didn't we?" Mr. Revs interrupted, laughing.
He added, "Yuki, we have a ten-year-old son, Xavier. He's probably two years older than you."
Mrs. Revs walked up to the girl, ruffling her soft, white hair. "Can you see properly with those long bangs? Let me know anytime if it's bothering you. I'll help with your haircut and make it even prettier, okay?"
Yuki nodded softly as Mrs. Revs continued speaking. "For the time being, why not stay with us if you have nowhere to go? Are you okay with that, honey?" She looked at her husband who, in turn, gave her a slight nod of approval.
"Of course! We can't leave her to freeze out there. You can sleep in the guest room from now on."
"…thank you." Yuki muttered shyly.
The Revs smiled warmly at the quiet girl. The cozy cabin felt a little livelier with one more person. The girl in the snow, Yuki, has found people who are willing to take care of her and a place she could call home.