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The morning started with a scream.
David and Frida had stayed overnight for a sleepover, camped out in Hilda’s room underneath the blanket-tent they’d worked so diligently to make. So, nobody had gotten much sleep anyway. Least of all Twig, who had spent all night staring out the window to guard the kids from whatever could possibly be out there.
It was barely nine-thirty when Hilda let out the loudest scream they had heard for a while, slamming her hands against the window.
“It’s snowing !” She’d crowed in delight, disrupting the peace in the house.
So here they were, ten in the morning, watching Hda, Frida, and David pull on heavier coats and hats and gloves.
Alfur really just wanted to go back to sleep.
“Does everyone have their hats?” Mum asked, wiggling her fingers. The kids laughed and held up their hands to show her. “Alright, have fun out there! Come back for lunch, I’ll make sandwiches for you!” She called, as Hilda grabbed Frida’s gloves hand and raced out the front door.
A gust of cold air knocked Alfur off the couch, leaving his fate in the hands of Twig, who leapt off the couch to catch him on her head before trotting back to lay on the carpet in front of the fireplace.
“The temperature’s supposed to keep dropping,” Mum said nervously, casting an anxious look at the front door. “Maybe I shouldn’t have let them go.”
“Nonsense!” Alfur said, clearing his throat in hopes of gaining the woman’s attention. “You couldn’t keep them in the house if you tried. I’m sure they’ll be back soon!”
The brunette vanished into her room looking only slightly less nervous than before. Better than nothing, huh?
“I do hope she’s alright.” Alfur said to Twig, watching as the Deerfox sneezed. “Are you cold?”
Twig just growled in a friendly manner, yanking a blanket closer with her teeth. Apparently she was okay.
There was a soft tap on the window that progressively grew louder and Twig groaned, slipping out from underneath the blanket to pad toward the window, Alfur hanging off of one of her antlers. She bit down and pulled the curtains aside.
“Raven!” Alfur cried, leaping off of Twig to touch the glass. “Why are you outside?!”
“Shit!,” The Thunderbird yelled through the glass in response. “At least let me in first!”
“Oh! Twig, help!” Alfur called, and the deerfox leapt onto the windowsill, pressing her hooves against the top of the window.
It popped open and she dug her antlers into the ledge to push it open, and as soon as it opened the snow came rushing in.
A heavy gust of wind sent the three of them flying across the room. Snow poured onto the carpet and Raven caught Alfur with his own chest, wrapping his wings around the elf before promptly falling to the ground.
Twig rushed the wind, launching herself into the air with a wild scream, slamming the window shut. The wind cut out abruptly and she landed safely on the soaked carpet, shaking herself out.
Raven groaned from his spot on the ground, unfurling his wings. “You okay, little buddy?” He checked, dropping his wings by his sides.
“I believe so! Thank you!” The elf answered, sitting up on the bird’s chest, adjusting his hat. “Some weather!” He exclaimed, as Raven sat up and dropped him into his wing. “What were you doing out in that horrible storm?”
Raven shrugged, glancing down at him. “It came out of nowhere!” He said loudly. “One second it was nice and sunny and the next— Bam!— Snow everywhere!” He lifted his wing and Alfur hopped off onto the coffee table in front of the fireplace. The snow under the window as melting, soaking the ground. Twig padded around restlessly, eyeing the window as she did so.
“Where’s your friend? The girl? Hilda?” Raven asked, turning his gaze on Alfur again.
The elf hummed. “Out with David and Frida. She mentioned something about a troll? .. Maybe we shouldn’t have let her go off in this weather.”
Twig snorted in agreement, scampering over to sit in front of the fire.
“Ah, we’ll go look if she isn’t back soon!” Raven decided cheerfully, spreading his wings for dramatic effect as he flopped onto a pillow near the fire.
The Thunderbird’s surprisingly good attitude was rubbing off on the whole room. Everything seemed brighter, lighter. Alfur felt light.
There was just something about Raven that lit up the room.
“It’s cold,” Raven complained, shattering Alfur’s train of thought to pieces. He extended his wings towards Alfur like a child. “Come cuddle.” He demanded.
“What? No! I’m too small, you’ll crush me!” Alfur protested, even if he gravitated toward the wing.
Raven pouted. “I would never crush my lil’ buddy!” He insisted. “Pleeeaaaasssee?”
Alfur heaved a sigh but stepped onto Raven’s wing anyway, letting the taller press him against his ribs in the form of a one-sided hug.
“See? Nice and warm,” Raven said, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. Twig howled with laughter behind them.
It was rather warm, he had to admit.
But what did it mean? The cuddling?
It didn’t bother him at all that it was a boy. Alfur had known for quite some time that, oh, hey, boys are cute , so it wasn’t a shocking revelation by any means. And Raven had always been incredibly friendly and open. Easy to talk to. Even if he came across as bratty at times.
“— ening?” Raven was saying when Alfur tuned back in to their conversation. He was having a mostly one-sided conversation with Twig, who was chirping in response. “That’s what I thought.”
“Thought what?”
“Ahh, nothing, shortie!”
(Forget everything he said earlier; Raven was his least favorite creature.)
Twig caught his eyes and winked playfully, tail swishing across the carpet.
—
The fire started to die around noon, and Johanna came stumbling back into the living room to help it back to life.
She wasn’t exactly sure what about the little scene made her smile so much.
Maybe it was the way Twig was laying across the carpet in front of the fireplace, legs splayed. Or how Raven (when had he gotten here?) was on his back on the floor near Twig. Or how Alfur was tucked underneath Raven’s wing.
Maybe it was a little bit of everything, she mused to herself as she placed another log on the fire. It took a few minutes to fully catch but when it did it shot up in flames, spreading more warmth throughout the room. Twig turned over in her sleep and cooed.
Johanna just smiled, stepped out of the way, and turned out the lights.