1 Winter's Arrived

Icy cold wind blow throughout the parking lot as humans hurry to and fro, scrambling as they shield their faces from the nipping wind. My lips quirk up slightly as the wind does their best to chase each human they find. I fiddle with the sleeve of my ice blue hooded sweatshirt. The wind is always so playful during certain seasons, mainly winter, but they can never seem to understand why the humans never want to play with them. Which is part of why they are currently chasing the humans from the store to their vehicles and so forth. Winter as a whole makes many humans grumpy, throw in the wind's playful nature and frigid touch, and it makes humans downright angry.

I stifle a chuckle as a woman nearly loses her beanie as the wind tries to tug it off. The woman is throwing curse after curse as she fights to keep her beanie on her head while also lugging three bags of groceries.

Time to step in.

Reaching my hand out, I leave my palm exposed.

"Wind, leave her alone. She's goin' to drop her bags and get very angry."

Wind pauses, allowing the woman enough time to hurry to her car, unlocking it. Giving her hat one more tug, Wind finally leaves the poor squawking woman alone and hurries up to me. My smile stretches into a full-blown grin as the wind nips at my fingers and twirls around my palm.

"I know, I know," I say. "You were only playing, but some people just aren't in the mood sometimes. But don't worry. I'm sure you'll find a human willing to play soon. Just gotta be patient, 'kay?"

My smile softens as Wind blows into my palm, their version of 'yes'. Tugging my hood further up my head, I stretch my arms and crack my back.

"Why don't we head home, hmm? Then we can come back later?"

Wind whistles excitedly and starts swirling around me, tussling my bangs and clothes all around. I clutch my hood to keep it upon my head, laughing at my old friend's reaction.

"All right then, let's go!"

Leaping, I twirl in the air before allowing Wind to guide me forward. While I don't actually need the wind to fly, their company is always worth it while we are zooming through the sky. They also increase my speed so I can fly faster.

Laughter bubbles in my chest as Wind twists us around the many trees in the surrounding area. I spin past a large water tower with the words 'Bemidji' written in dark forest green lettering upon the white structure. Many of the trees surrounding the water tower no longer have their leaves. The fallen leaves rustle as we zoom past and I keep one hand upon my head to keep my hood from falling.

Almost no one is out walking, the light grey sky enough of a deterrent to keep folks home and near their loved ones. Wind lifts me higher up as we cross a road, keeping out of the reach of the cars driving by and I wiggle my fingers in the wind's stream as thanks. Wind whistles happily as we continue our journey further out of town and into the surrounding woods. I glance down and spot a few houses scattered around in the trees, but most are small and close to the roads that branch off the main drag. I roll onto my back, staring up at the grey sky and put my arms behind my head.

"I think I'll have to start a light flurry tomorrow," I state aloud. "The ground should be cold enough to start holding snow now. But I don't want to overwhelm everyone just yet. I'll give them a day or two to get ice salt and shovels into their cars before I go ham with the snow." I roll over and rest my chin on my forearms, a mischievous grin forming on my lips.

"Maybe."

Wind hums a laugh and jostles me causing me to laugh as well. The two of us lower down until we are in between the trees, any leaves left on the branches flying off as we whistle by. We slow as a clearing comes into view and a tall structure grows larger and larger as we approach.

The structure, a large rundown mansion that I found years and years ago, stands tall and dark as Wind and I land right outside the door. Much of the dark brown paint is peeling and some of the shutters are missing from around the windows. There are a couple of shingles missing from the roof, and I'm pretty sure there is a leak in the attic but I honestly can't remember if I patched it up before heading to the Southern Hemisphere.

Shrugging, I walk up the stairs and twist my wrist, forming a small ice key, and put it into the lock. The door clicks and I push it open.

"Home, sweet home," I say, sighing contently before coughing as I enter the dusty living room. "Let me open some windows for you, Wind. And maybe we can air out this place."

Wind swirls and rustles the leaves as I walk further into the house. The floorboards just barely creak under my feet as I step lightly. Waving my hand, dust swirls into a pile near the old, cobblestone fireplace and I quickly flick all of the switches of the seven lamps lining the living room. All of the lamps flicker on and warm, orange light floods the living room and I blink a few times to adjust to the change in light. Once satisfied that all of the lamps still work, I turn all but two off. No reason to waste and drain the light bulbs just when I finally returned. I have many homes around the globe for me to live in while spreading winter everywhere, but the one place I mostly consider home is this house here. This was the very first place that I claimed as my own before I decided to make three more houses just in case I needed a place to crash while spreading snow and winter everywhere.

My fingers drag across the old sofa I managed to drag here that I found on the side of the road. To be honest, the thing is rather ugly. The colors of the pattern, autumn leaves, clashes with the strange sandy tan that they are embroidered on. There were a few tears from some wild animals climbing on the piece of furniture and I am quite proud about how small I managed to make the stitches while fixing it up. And since then, I have made it my mission to keep an eye out for possible pieces of furniture that I can use to decorate my home with. And so far I managed to collect a small stained finished coffee table that sits in front of the never-used fireplace, a dining table with this strange crack down the center that I have managed to keep together with some ice and frost, three mismatching chairs, a few cracked picture frames that I just can't bring myself to fix, and a TV that I have hanging above the fireplace that can only get two channels and has a line across the top of the screen.

Humming to myself, I lower my hood and head for the kitchen. I pause and test the light switch near the doorway. The lights flicker once before staying on, filling the room with a slightly harsher orange light and I squint and blink to clear the little spots from my vision. Continuing my little tune, I walk over to the sink and open the window with a soft grunt. Wind instantly rushes through the window, caressing my face as they enter. I giggle and gently swat at Wind as they zoom through the space before testing the faucet. Water gurgles and quickly flows out without any issues. Smiling, I place my hand within the cool streaming water, before allowing a chill to spark from my hand, freezing the current spray before breaking it off and allowing the stream to start once more. Smiling, I turn the water off and suck on the icicle as I continue checking the appliances to make sure everything is in order.

I continue opening the windows for Wind as they rush about, helping dust every inch of the space. I glance up at the second level. While I have quite a few pieces of furniture down here in the living room and kitchen, the upstairs is a different story. There just hasn't been anything that I have found just yet that I like. I'll have to air out my blankets though and maybe do some laundry down near the creek. But I can do that tomorrow before starting the flurries around here. Wind zooms out another window with piles of dust trailing behind them.

Shaking my head, I make my way upstairs. I lightly trail my fingers on the railing, leaving behind a trail of frost upon the polished wood. I glance over my shoulder and smirk as I notice frosty footsteps trailing behind me. The remaining shutters outside shake as Wind re-enters the house and spins around in the living room before shooting up the fireplace, clearing it out. Chuckling, I continue on toward my bedroom.

Many of the rooms in this house are untouched and barren. I'm just not sure what to do with them. Wind keeps suggesting for me to turn them into guest rooms but I honestly can't remember the last time I had someone come visit me for more than an hour at most. I pause right outside my door and wrinkle my nose. Honestly, I'm pretty sure Mother Nature was the last person to come visit me and that was, what? Five? Seven years ago? No. No. It was much longer than that. It was what? 1995? And it's now 2013? So that's 17 years ago? I think it was after I accidentally caused that really bad snowstorm on Halloween and she came to scold me. Which, really, it wasn't my fault that it started snowing before it was supposed to up here. If Suvi hadn't decided to scare me, I wouldn't have accidentally created that giant snowstorm while flying over the Midwest. I don't even know why she was up here anyways. She should have been heading off for the Eastern Hemisphere to lay low while Kaia worked her magic in the Northern Hemisphere.

I roughly rub my forehead.

Kaia was so mad at me that year that she wouldn't even talk to me until Suvi told her what happened. Whether or not Mother Nature believed me and spoke with Suvi after scolding me, I have no idea but I don't dare ask Suvi. Mother Nature can be very scary when she's upset. But, again, she only visited for about an hour to scold me. Tell me what a nice place I have here. And then she left to go check on Haru. Since then, I have tried to be good, but sometimes snow just wants to do whatever they want. They'll get caught up in more than one wind and the winds will start arguing and start spreading the snow even more. Just because I can create snow doesn't mean it always listens to me.

Shaking my head, I open my bedroom door and step inside. Reaching out blindly, I drag my hand against the wall until my fingers brush the light switch. Flicking it on, the room instantly floods with light and my shoulders relax as I glance around the room.

Everything is exactly as I left it. In the furthest left corner from the door is the pile of blankets that I use when I finally decide to take a nap or sleep. Some of the blankets are more worn and tattered than others, I always enjoy finding new blankets to add to my pile until I can finally find a bed that I like. A single plush Arctic fox sits on top of the pile of blankets as if guarding them until my return. There is a light layer of dust covering the wooden floor and a closet with a cracked full-length mirror hanging off the door.

The floorboards barely creak as I walk forward and gently wipe off the layer of dust covering the mirror's smooth surface. My face is quickly revealed, bright blue eyes stare back as a light dusting of pale pink dusts my ears and nose from Wind's and my flight. Short snow-white hair with icy blue tips sticks up in nearly every direction until I reach up and smooth it back down. My dark teal hoodie is barely peeking through the small portion of the cleared mirror and I glance down to make sure that I didn't happen to get any dust or dirt on the fabric. I then check my white pants that I am quite proud to have yet to very be stained with anything, considering I have had them for 57 years now. My light brown ankle boots are also in almost pristine condition, considering that I almost fly pretty much everywhere instead of walk. They also are great about keeping my feet from getting too wet when I do have to walk through the snow.

Tapping my toes against the floorboards, I glance at the mirror one more time before turning and heading for my little pile of blankets. Shuffling around the piles, I reach over and open the window directly above my sleeping space. Wind instantly rushes in, as if they were waiting out there the entire time. I smile lopsidedly as they zoom about, dusting as they go. Leaning down, I start grabbing my blankets and shaking any dust out of them. Wind, noticing what I am doing, hurries over and slams into the fabric.

"Wind!" I exclaim, laughing as my grip on the fabric loosens and Wind ends up taking the blanket with them. Wind pauses for a brief second, allowing the blanket to fall to the floor.

"Silly. I appreciate the help, but I think I can handle the blankets, if you can check everywhere else?"

Wind swirls happily, creating a small whirlwind before continuing their path of zooming back and forth around the room. Swiftly, I head for the window closest to the bathroom and open it, allowing Wind to have another entrance and one that won't possibly tear the blankets I'm dusting off from my hands. I whistle happily as I reach for blanket number 2.

This blanket, unlike the dark blue one that is laying in a heap near the wall, is a faded lavender color. The edges are fraying and I can see the trimming is coming undone. This was the first blanket I ever found to start my little pile with. I found it on my way back home after visiting Haru right before he went down to the Southern Hemisphere to keep warm during the Northern Hemisphere's winter.

My lips quirk up as I gently shake the blanket out.

Haru had been wearing this beautiful lavender outfit. One that he said was popular in Japan at the time. It matched his eyes almost perfectly, but sadly, I can't remember the name of the outfit. A yukata? I think he said that it didn't normally come in lavender but he saw the fabric and just had to try the style out. It looked really good on him, honestly. His tan skin and bright lavender eyes just shone in this color and I just couldn't stop myself from grabbing this from the side of the road when I was returning home.

Wind swirls in front of me, concern riding in their streams. Frost spreads from my fingers as I realize that I have just been standing there, staring at this blanket. Clearing my throat, I start shaking it out.

"S-Sorry, Wind, was just trapped in my thoughts. It's been a while since we were last here," I say, laughing nervously. "I was just thinking of everything we need to do. Don't want to spend the next seven months here and not have everything in tip-top shape, ya know?"

Wind bobs up and down, quietly observing me before twirling in agreement and resuming their task. I sigh quietly as I also resume my task. That was way too close. Wind would never let me live it down if they found out the story of why I took this with me. Shaking my head, I place the lavender blanket down next to the blue one and I bend to grab a thick red comforter.

"Quite the place you got here, Frost," a low voice whistles.

Heart leaping into my throat, I spin toward the door and stare at Ake, aka the Man in the Moon. What is he doing here? I swallow nervously as Wind shifts to be in front of me. The ancient being smiles at me, his silvery eyes standing out in the darkness of the hallway, and clasps his hands behind his back.

"Ela wasn't lying when she said you found a good place to unwind," Ake continues, not noticing my discomfort and unease.

Mother Nature spoke about my home to the others? But why? I shift from foot to foot as Wind twists around me, hoping to ease some of my discomfort.

"Ma-" I pause, clearing my throat. "Ake. What-What a surprise."

"May I?" He asks, gesturing toward my room. I nod, fighting to keep my face neutral. At least he asked.

The Man in the Moon slowly enters the space, his steps slow but deliberate. The top three buttons of his button-down long sleeve white shirt are undone, pale moonlight-colored hair is sleeked back out of his face and barely moves as he walks. Grey dress pants have a neat crease down each leg and his black dress shoes are polished to the point that I'm sure I can see the reflection of my room in them from here. The floorboards creak under his steps before he stops in the center of the space.

Ake smiles at me.

"How are you doing, young Frost? It has been a while since we last spoke."

"O-Oh, ya know," I say, chuckling as I shift from foot to foot. "Just causing the usual amount of mischief. A blizzard here, flurries there. The usual. Um, how's... how have you been?"

The older being stares at me, his bright silver eyes almost staring right through me, his smile widening.

"Very well, thank you. And with a full moon almost here, I feel rather good." The moon entity states, slowly spinning in place to take everything in.

I nod, rubbing the back of my neck as I watch the taller being scan my bedroom, suddenly self-conscious about how everything looks. If I would have known he was stopping by I would have cleaned faster. I drop my hand and offer the Man in the Moon a shaky smile.

"So, uh, not that I don't mind you being here, but, uh, what brought you here today?" I ask.

Ake stops his observation and glances at me over his shoulder, his smile slipping from his face.

"Zaman is calling for an emergency meeting at the Temple of Time. Ela and I are going around gathering everyone we can before it starts."

My eyes widen as a pit forms in my stomach. Father Time is calling an emergency meeting? That can't be good. Gnawing on my bottom lip, I nod.

"O-Oh," I say. "Is...Is everything all right?"

Ake shrugs as he fully faces me, his eyebrows drawn together.

"To be honest? I don't know. Zaman didn't say anything more than to just gather everyone we can for an emergency meeting. So I'm sure he will explain once everyone arrives."

Oh. Wow. If Father Time hasn't even told the Man in the Moon what is going on, then it must be serious. My fingers grasp the cuff of my sleeve and I tug it nervously. But what could be so important that Father Time needs to call a meeting for? And will everyone even show up? My fingers tighten on the fabric. That's gonna be a lot of people.

I jump as a shadow falls over me and I glance up at Ake.

The moon entity's face softens as he stares down at me.

"Don't look so upset, Snowflake. I'm sure everything is fine. Zaman is probably just wanting to caution us about something like he did back when, well, ya know."

I flinch at Ake's words and his vague gestures. Did he really need to bring that up now? As if sensing his mistake, Ake's face turns apologetic as he reaches out to grasp my shoulder. My eyes widen as I try to step back.

"I wouldn't touch me. I might—"

Ake laughs, cutting me off. "Frost, I live on the moon. A little cold isn't going to hurt me."

His hand lands on my shoulder, my eyes widen at the warmth that leaks through my sweatshirt. Ake then tugs me closer until our sides meet before he digs into his pocket. I lean forward as he pulls his fist back out.

"What's that?"

Ake smirks down at me as he opens his palm enough for me to look.

"Moondust."

Amazement courses through me as Ake blows on the dust toward the center of my room. The moon dust swirls and shifts and I put a hand out to keep Wind from zooming after it, the wind disgruntled at the new dust covering the floor. However, instead of a pile of moondust gathering upon the wooden floorboards, the dust starts to spin and swirl. A light blue portal starts forming in the center and expands out till it reaches the ceiling. A smile spreads across my face.

"That's amazing!"

"Eh, it's not really all that impressive," Ake says, chuckling. "But it certainly does make traveling from the Moon a lot easier. Shall we?"

My smile widens into a grin as Ake leads me into the portal.

"I'll be back soon, Wind!" I call out over my shoulder. "Be good."