Fairytales

Fairytales

Inside of a cabin, within a forest, in a place very, very far away, there once was a little girl, who lived solely with her father. Her name was Shayna and, indeed, she wasn't very old at all, though she'd lived with her father her whole entire life and had met no others besides. They lived in a very cold place, a great white tundra where nobody else lived for a tremendously long distance. They were very much alone and completely cut off from the rest of the world. That is, except for the train, which was much closer.

The train, a huge, industrial object made of steel and light, fascinated Shayna. It was the most beautiful, mysterious thing to Shayna's mind. Many a time she'd fantasize in her head about what the inside was like, conjuring up completely new and foreign worlds which could only exist in the mind of a little girl. She'd ask herself: "Who was in there?" Were they great big men with mustaches screaming to one another for more fuel to keep the train in motion? Or maybe there was an army of soldiers waiting to be dropped off to their next battle! Even then maybe there were huge snow giants, like the ones her father had read to her about in his books. Maybe there was absolutely nothing but a dot of sand, and maybe that dot of sand was a tiny island, which only a few tiny people could get onto. Perhaps even there were large groups of elves, the exact characteristics of which only Shayna could imagine. They could be throwing tumults from their lips in a joyous upheaval of conversation, all the while creating magical toys and inventing strange mechanisms. There could be anything in it, and Shayna just kept filling and filling it, even making it bigger just to fit the amounts of things she thought of. All of these fantasies, small and large, were dreamt of again and again by the little girl. She thought of them throughout nearly every hour of every day that she wasn't doing something else or sleeping.

And now it was late on a cold winter night, and inside the cabin a huge fire stirred, flicking lights onto the walls around her. They animated them, making little dancing creatures. Shayna loved to lose herself in the cabin's walls and come up with great and small adventures that the tiny beings on them could take a place in. She could stare and dream for hours and hours, if it wasn't for her father, who was much more interesting.

Shayna's father made his way in from the outside, where he'd been attending to chores that needed doing, but that Shayna was too young to help him do. He didn't mind though, and entered, smiling happily at her. "Why, hello again, my little one! Whatever are you staring at those walls for?"

Shayna watched him as he entered. He wasn't an extremely large man, but of an average, but strong, disposition. He had a large brownish-blonde beard and icy blue eyes, just as Shayna's eyes were. He wore a bulky fur made from the deerskin of an elk he had killed many years past. He always had a cheery demeanor, sometimes even laughing when there was seemingly nothing to laugh about. He was a funny man, but that was okay with Shayna. She liked him that way.

Shayna quickly went back to staring at the walls again and vividly answered her father. "They're little people, Papa. They're on a quest!"

"A quest?" her father inquired, always interested in hearing what his daughter had brought about in reminiscing through her thoughts. "What do these little ones plan to do?"

Shayna watched the wall a moment longer and thought to herself before answering. "They're going to go slay a dragon! They're almost at the castle, but first they need to save the captured princess or the dragon will eat her!"

"Haha!" her father laughed. "Oh, my! Little one, that sounds absolutely dreadful. It appears you've remembered the stories I've read you. Well, I advise they do it quickly, else I won't have time to tell you a very new and more interesting story!"

Shayna ceased her staring and asked, "You have an interesting story to tell?"

"Why yes!" her father beamed. "When have I ever never had an interesting story to tell, little one? Ha! I bet you couldn't name a time!"

"Bet I could!" giggled Shayna.

"Oh, really now?" her father questioned, leaning down in front of her. "Well then, go on. Tell me one time!"

Shayna looked 'round, the blonde curls on the end of her hair bobbing up and down as she turned. She tried to think of a time, but couldn't. "Alright, Papa."

"Haha! I'm sorry, little one. I couldn't quite hear you."

"I said alright, Papa! You heard me!"

"Oh, you're very smart, Shayna. I can't fool you anymore now can I?" He grinned. "I bet you could even tell me in Nortish by now!"

"Smoot!" said Shayna yes joyously, expounding with delight. She loved to speak the word.

"That is good, my little one! Now, would you like to hear my story?"

"Yes!" said Shayna.

"Well alright then! Just let me…" Shayna's father walked to the corner of the cabin and picked up one of his books, opening it up gently with his fingertips. He walked over from the large, wooden bookcase from which he'd retrieved it and sat down on his large wooden rocking chair. He crossed his legs, which was his custom, and held up the book to Shayna, showing her the cover.

"Little Lively Pink Cheeks!" exclaimed her father. "The Patch of Darkness."

The cover showed a small girl with bright pink cheeks looking up to the sky with a sign of worry on her face. She wore all white winter clothing and was surrounded by four others who looked similar, three boys and one girl. What they were all looking at was a huge cloud of darkness that loomed overhead, creeping down from atop a mountain, making its way towards them.

"What is it that black thing?" asked Shayna.

"Patience," responded her father. "We'll get to that very soon, promise."

Shayna waited for him as he began opening the cover.

"Ah, little one! Now, here we are!" her father said, attempting to open up the book. "Oh, pesky pages! I'll just…" He licked his fingers and continued his work at turning the book's first blank page. "Okay. Now, here we are! I think you will love this one. Shall I read it to you Ot Et Norticine tonight, since you're getting so good?"

The Language of The North, or Nortish, was the unofficially established language of Nortisha, the wintry land where her father and she lived. It was a magnificent sounding language and Shayna loved to listen to her father speak it and teach her how, but she wanted something better.

"Ne!" said Shayna no in her first language, the language in which her and her father had spoken before he had taught her Nortish. "I want Frepi!"

"Oh!" said her father, who was surprised and had been hoping to teach to her more in Norticine. "You know you would do just fine in Nortish, little one! You are as fluent as anybody. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! Read it in our home language, that's my favorite!"

Her father grinned happily. "Well, of course. Of course, my girl! It is also my favorite! Well then let us begin…" He reached his right hand over to a small table that was next to his rocking chair and grabbed his reading glasses, which had been balanced atop two other, much larger books Shayna had seen that he'd been reading personally. He settled them on the crest of his somewhat crooked nose and, squinting to read, began.

"Little Lively Pink Cheeks! She was a normal little girl, who strangely enough, though not to her dismay, had very rosy cheeks."

"Like me?" asked Shayna.

"Why, yes! Quite like you, actually," said her father with a laugh. "Little Pink, which was what her friends Rodgy, Westinne, Peneloppe, and Derekke called her, adored to play outside, especially with all four of her friends! She just couldn't get enough of it. Every morning she went out and started her day by playing a game of Shade and Light with them all."

Her father paused to turn a page, licking the tips of his fingers once more.

"What is Shade and Light, Papa?" asked Shayna eagerly in between pages.

"Shade and Light, my girl? It is a game played behind a ginormous mountain!" he said making a huge sweeping motion with his free arm, "which can only be played in the morning right when the sun comes up."

"Well… why can't you play it any other time?" asked Shayna.

"Well, that's because there is no shade!" explained her father. "You see, when the sun comes up in the morning on one side of a mountain, its light begins to hit the mountain and once it reaches the right angle in regard to the mountain's peak, it creates a shadow!"

"Just like mine in the morning, Papa!"

"Why, yes. It is exactly like yours, except much, much bigger. In fact…" her father trailed off, speaking factually about a large, foreign and far away mountain that Shayna had never heard of. She didn't care to listen and waited rather impatiently.

"Mmhm…," murmured Shayna on various occasions of interest her father would point out. "Mhhmmm…"

"Yes, quite right!" said her father, noticing her impatience. "Well, anyways, the game is played in the shadow until there is only one player remaining, or until the sun becomes too high over the mountain and the shadow disappears."

"But how do you play, Papa?" asked Shayna, anticipating her father to go on a long explanation.

"Haha, well that, little one, is the fun part of the game! You just…" he rocked forward closer to Shayna, who was sitting up, and nudged her over. "Do that!"

Shayna fell backwards onto her back, while her father nearly fell over himself laughing. She hadn't expected him to do that.

"Hey! You pushed me!" said Shayna in a pouting way.

"Yes, little one! That's how you play the game! You have to push the other players out of the shadow and into the light!"

Shayna jumped up to her feet and, charging forward as fast as she could muster, ran at her father, who she was attempting to make fall over, but who she couldn't seem to even budge. She bounced off of him and tumbled to the floor, sprawled out and just a bit annoyed. She wanted to push him back.

"Woah, little one! Hahaha, you're getting very strong! Perhaps if we find a mountain sometime we can try playing that game together."

"Yes!" said Shayna, eager for another chance to knock her father over.

"Maybe if he's standing up…," she thought quietly to herself before speaking aloud. "Let's find one tomorrow and play it!"

"Oh, I'm not sure about tomorrow, little one. Sit down and listen to the rest of the story. One day we'll play it."

"Promise?" asked Shayna.

"Of course, Shayna." Her father smiled at her.

"Okay…," said Shayna. "Keep reading, please."

"Well, you're just a little leader, aren't you? Just like your father, giving out instructions, probably too much! Okay, now…" he moved his finger to the top of the page, beginning anew.

"They would play it for hours, Shade and Light, until finally there was only one remaining, even though all of them had usually been pushed out at least once before the end of the game. They didn't mind much if anyone wanted to come back in without the game ending. They just wanted to keep playing."

Her father flipped another page and continued, "But Derekke was, undoubtedly, the best at Shade and Light. Everyone agreed upon it, even Rodgy, who hardly wanted to. Eventually, they stopped, though not because they'd wanted to, but rather because of the matter of time. When the shadow had disappeared or Little Pink's mother, who was a parent, like me," added her father, "called them to the inside of her cabin they would have to leave."

He licked his fingers and turned the page again. He started reading, but stopped when he noticed Shayna's curious gaze, which wasn't at all out of the ordinary. It was just… she was quiet, which still wasn't unusual for her. It was just that she looked different. To her father, she was looking older. She just gazed, silently thinking. Her father had a hunch about what she could be pondering.

"Papa?" asked Shayna.

There was a rather long pause before her father answered. He anticipated her question and was hoping to find a good answer before he answered it. He thought and thought, though he knew there was no good answer. She'd asked the question before, but it'd been many years ago when she was even younger than she was then. Her father had answered her calmly and with great care, as he would once more.

With a sigh, he asked, "yes, little one? What is your question?"

"Um…" she started hesitantly. "Never mind." She looked away, wondering whether or not she should ask.

"What is it, little one? It's not like you to be shy. I'm your father, you can tell me anything you want." he smiled reassuringly.

"It might make you sad."

Her father sat expectantly and said kindly, "Shayna, you won't upset me. Promise! You can go ahead and ask me what you want."

"Well… okay." She waited for a moment. "Um… Well… Do I have a mother too?"

Her father sighed, not surprised to hear her asking him about her mother, but mustered what he could of a reassuring smile. It was what he had anticipated. He set down the book on the small table to his right and beckoned Shayna to come to him. She did and sat in his lap, his arms wrapped around her. "You have me, little one. And we have each other. That is the most important thing. When you're older you will learn, but please be patient with me, child." He smiled reassuringly once more.

Shayna felt a little better, but could tell that speaking of her mother still made him upset. His face was chiseled in a sort of grieving fashion, like it was on small occasions when it was very quiet within the cabin and he was looking into the fire, just gazing. Or during other occasions when he was outside, preparing meat or washing clothing. Sometimes he would just stop, the same chiseled expression on his face, prominent and saddened.

It made Shayna sad too, to see him like that, and sensing the unease in the words behind her father's voice, Shayna decided to do what her father told her. She didn't want to make him sad. "Okay, Papa. Can you keep reading, though?"

His smile widened and his voice regained its boom. "Why, of course! I'll just get started… after they were called in, her mother would make them lunch to eat. What a handful they were to feed! They all ate so much, especially the three boys, who were always way too hungry for the mother's own good. Little Pink and Peneloppe ate with just the right amount of appetite. When they were done eating and Little Pink's mother didn't have any chores for them to do, they all would rush back towards the mountain, excited to go afternoon sledding, or to have a huge snowball fight! But, of course, only when there was enough snow on the small hill on the side of the mountain, which they had named Ferdidle."

"Ferdidle?" asked Shayna, grinning. "That's a funny name!"

"Hahaha! Why, yes it is, my little one. But do you know what it means?"

"No," said Shayna. "What's it mean?"

"I haven't any clue! Sounds like a funny name to me."

"Papa…," said Shayna, rolling her eyes. "Stop messing with me."

"Oh, but I'm your father! That's part of the job!"

Shayna just shook her head and rolled her eyes again. "Can we continue, please?" she asked in a grown-up tone.

"Hold on, Shayna. I have something that you might actually find interesting."

"What?" she asked.

"Our Home language, did you know there used to be others who spoke it?"

"Really?" asked Shayna.

"Oh, yes, little one! It was taught even in school in towns and cities, as part of history. Everybody could speak it, though, which is much different from today. Many people don't speak it, mainly because they are not taught it."

"They go to school too, the far away people? Like when you teach me from those big books you have? Or when we go through the other books you have me write and do math in, and the ones I read?"

"Well, yes, like that, only with a lot more students and without the parents teaching. The kids have other teachers, who aren't related to them. Instead of one parent and one child, there are many teachers and many students. You're technically a student too, because I'm your teacher."

"Oh… why didn't you tell me this stuff before?" asked Shayna, trying to piece together everything she was being told. She was only at the age of seven, nearly eight, and it was difficult for her to think of such a world as what her father was speaking of, though she'd imagined thousands of her own. The only real story she actually knew was the one where they lived in the cabin together. She'd never been told about the world her father was explaining now, let alone imagined it.

"I wanted to wait until you were a bit older, little one, but I'm beginning to become convinced that you are old enough. I didn't know if you would understand well enough if I told you too soon."

"Oh…," muttered Shayna.

Shayna's father noticed her gazing again, thinking. It was difficult raising a child, especially with no other children or parents around. He knew it was hard on Shayna, who made up for it in her imagination. She had to, or she would be alone all the time with only her father to confide in.

"What's wrong, little one?" asked her father sympathetically.

"I just… what is life like for other kids?"

"It's hard to explain, little one. I know you hear that too many times, but be patient. When you're older, you will know more. Here… Let me continue reading. Perhaps you're interested, as well, in discovering what happens to Little Pink and all of her friends?"

"Okay," said Shayna, trying her best to be patient. "Keep going."

"Alright," her father grinned, continuing. "They would climb to the very top, with their sleds, of course, and then slide all the way down! They had tons and tons of energy, but the hill was so big that they were all exhausted every time they reached the top! Even then it was such a rush to go down the big hill, they would do it a bazillion times before they stopped! When they were done, though, they couldn't help but go back to their homes and sleep a good hour before coming back out to play. They would play for the rest of the day until the sun went down and they couldn't see anymore."

Shayna's father turned a page. The light from the fire was dimming, casting out fewer lights across the cabin walls. The room began to fade and shadows loomed around everywhere in ominous ways. Shayna hugged her father and laid there, her eyes wide open, waiting to hear the ending of the story.

"They did this every day they could and each day they did, Little Pink Cheeks and her friends would grow together all the more. She loved to talk with Peneloppe about all the funny boys and the boys loved to prank the girls and make fun of them too! They were all great friends to Little Pink Cheeks, who cherished them grandly.

She loved Derekke the most, though. She loved to go sledding down the big hill with him in one sled, laughing the entire way down. She loved how he was always so good at everything he did and how he always seemed to know what to do. They were inseparable. When everyone else went home, they lingered out for a while longer, waiting until the sun crossed the very edge of the horizon."

The light in the cabin grew less and less. Her father paused a moment with that same chiseled and saddened face he had every now and then. He seemed to be thinking, but quickly turned another page upon noticing Shayna's stare. He smiled at her a moment and began reading again.

"Then they went home, but every morning they would return and do the same thing, though sometimes with different games. Sometimes they would just sit and talk about anything and everything. It was perfect, all of it, until one day when everything changed." Shayna's father turned the page slowly and gave her a curious look. "For the worst, that is," he said gravely.

Shayna gasped and her father chuckled a little. "Yes, little one. Everything around them, that is. The bonds they all had amongst themselves remained, though they were tested."

"What do you mean, Papa?"

"Here, let me finish reading and you will understand better."

Shayna waited and listened attentively for her father to begin.

"Okay... So, the day everything changed. It was a bright, sunny day. Little Pink Cheeks and all her friends had gone outside to play, like usual, when suddenly BAM!" her father made a large clapping sounds with the back of the book to his hand. "The sun went out!"

"It what?!" asked Shayna in disbelief. "But it's the sun! It can't just go out whenever it likes!"

"Oh, but that day it did, my dear! That day it did…" Her father simply jumped back into the story. "The five friends were all very scared and didn't know what to do because the sun had never just gone out before, so they did what anybody would do. They ran home to their parents! But when they reached them all at Little Pink's front door they too didn't know what to think. What in the world could be happening? They spoke amongst themselves and tried to come up with any possible way for it to be so grim outside, but they couldn't come up with an answer."

He started again. "Suddenly, out of nowhere, came a great and inescapable plight. Huge black and ghostly shadows wisped around them eerily overhead in the charcoaled sky. All fifteen of them, parents and children, ran inside Little Pink's house, which wasn't all too big to begin with. They were very crowded, but could not stay outside for fear of what would come."

Shayna's father yawned, taking his glasses off and setting them down to rub the tears that formed at his eyes. "And after that…" he continued. "Oh, dear… little one, I'm afraid I am just too tired to read any further tonight."

"Papa, no," she groaned. "I want to hear the rest of it!"

"Don't worry little one, I will tell you the ending tomorrow night! Promise! Right now, your father needs to go to sleep. There's much to be done tomorrow! I'm going hunting and I want you to come with me!"

"But I don't wanna do that, I wanna finish the story," she groaned.

"Now, little one, you must be patient. The story will remain here tomorrow and then we can finish it! If you do well hunting tomorrow then maybe we can even read another one. For now, though, I'm going to bed. As will you."

"But, Papa!"

"No, no, little one. No buts. Off to your bed. And don't try to finish the story without me, I'll hear you picking it up!" he grinned. "I can hear like a fox."

"But… fine!" said Shayna, knowing he meant what he said. "And you can't hear like a fox!"

"Sure I can't, little one!" he chuckled. "Now go off to bed."

With that Shayna, unwillingly and slowly, went to her bed and tried sleeping. Her father went back to the wooden bookshelf and returned the book to where it belonged, added wood to the fire, and went to his bed, which was across the one room that comprised their cabin.

The room was relit and warmer, and Shayna, despite her curiosity, found she was very tired. She couldn't shake the feeling that somehow her father knew she'd go to sleep more easily if he added more wood to the fire, but she was out cold before she had much time to think about it.

Her father looked over to her and smiled. He knew she wanted to hear more and why. It was something so new to her, other children her age. He sighed, knowing how important it was that he kept her hidden with him away from everyone. She was important to him, more than anything. He didn't want her to be afraid or feel any different than any other child her age would, so he tried his best to raise her just as any other parent would. It was difficult with nobody else around, but they were managing. At least she was. He just treated her like a child, and tried his hardest to be a good father. More importantly, he was trying his hardest to shield her from his past. His mistakes.

A cold wind was stirring outside of the cabin, whipping around newly fallen snow on the ground, whirling it around in large clouds of white. Shayna's father couldn't see it, but he knew it was there. It was like everything dangerous he was fighting to keep her from, distant and invisible. The fire blazed in the middle of the cabin's eastern-facing wall. He waited for the noise to settle while he stood by the flames and darkness, looking to Shayna as she slept.

He said it to himself. "I'm sorry, little one. Good night…sweet dreams."

Hunting

The next morning came about sunny and warm, making the temperature outside much more suiting for hunting. The cabin's fire had gone out, but only recently, and Shayna hadn't felt any coldness when she awoke. Her father was already up outside stringing their bows and filling their quivers with arrows. He was always careful to never forget anything important while he was out, else he feared coming up empty-handed, which wasn't an option, usually. Today he could afford to, because he'd been stockpiling his latest kills in the chiller outside. It would be no problem should they not find or get anything on Shayna's first try, which was his thinking.

Soon Shayna was out of her bed, bursting forth with tremendous energy. She ran around the inside of the cabin to make sure she hadn't overlooked her father, for she had taken notice of his absence. Discovering he wasn't inside she ran up to the front left window of the cabin, which faced west and kept their porch shaded from the rising sun. Unlatching a small wooden lock and moving aside the two wooden boards by pulling at their handles, Shayna opened it up. A burst of cold air shot into the room and Shayna shivered. Her father noticed the window opening from outside and yelled to her from where he sat.

"Shayna! Good, you're finally up! I was afraid I'd have to wake you! Get ready and come out here!"

Shayna yelled back, "Okay, Papa! Coming!"

She shut the window and ran to put on her outside clothing, eager to go out hunting. It would be her first time and she'd been asking her father for quite a while, but he'd always replied "Oh, you're not yet old enough, little one!" with a little playful laugh. She always had to stay behind at a range her father had created for her and practice shooting her bow at wooden targets from varying distances. The range was only a little ways away from the cabin and only took a few minutes' walk. Sometimes Shayna shot at squirrels instead, though she'd never succeeded in hitting one. After she finished, she would have to go and retrieve the arrows, otherwise her father would make her help him craft more. It was another thing he'd always said, "If you've lost them, you've made them." But Shayna hated piecing together arrows. She thought it was tedious and boring, which it by all means was, and so she hardly lost any.

When she finished putting on her deer skin coat, hat, gloves, and boots she darted outside, nearly forgetting in her haste her face mask and knife. She remembered as soon as she was at the door and made another round to the corner of the cabin where all of her hunting gear was. After she'd strapped on her knife to her belt and had put the face mask on around her neck, she nearly sprinted to the large wooden door at the front of the cabin. It was unlatched, so she opened it up quickly and jogged her way over to where her father was sitting. She was eager to begin.

By the time she reached her father he was finished stringing both bows and sitting patiently on a large tree stump. "There you are, little one!" he said boisterously. "Okay, now before we get going, what are the most important rules to remember while hunting?"

Shayna sighed. She'd been told the hunting rules every time she went out to target practice for two years now. She was absolutely tired of her father asking her to repeat them. She was even more tired of how he repeated and explained them all right after she answered, which Shayna regarded as completely unnecessary. Not to mention boring.

But Shayna still answered. "Respect your partner, respect your prey, and respect yourself!"

"Good! Remember those rules, concentrate, follow your instincts, and you'll only ever need one arrow. Oh, and don't forget to never knock the arrow in my direction. That goes along with the respect your partner part."

"Well, duh, Papa!"

"Haha," he laughed, rubbing her head. "Just making sure, little one. You know," he continued, the pitch in his voice becoming a tad higher, "Usually children only begin hunting well into age eight. Usually it takes that long before they've been considered mature enough to know how and when and where to shoot. But since you're already mature enough, and a good enough shot, you're ready to begin earlier."

"Really?" asked Shayna. She could hit a still target alright, but a moving target? She doubted she had the ability.

"Yes, really! Don't let it get to your head, though." Her father stood up and handed Shayna her bow, which was quite a bit smaller. He handed her the quiver as well, which he'd filled with ten arrows.

"Okay, let's get going. Remember the three rules. And don't forget, silence is golden.

"Okay, papa," said Shayna, rolling her eyes. "I know!

"Alright, fine. Come on, let's go."

They started walking to the east of their cabin, making their way towards a field called The Gleamant Jargantamum. Shayna knew they were going towards it, because she was very familiar with the path they were on. Her father and she had been on many walks through it in the warmer seasons of the year, and an especially many times during the end of summer and the beginning of fall, when it just began to become chilly outside. That's when the field was covered most beautifully by its unique array of different flowers and shrubbery, which were primarily dominated by a large amount of special pink, blue, and green plants called Beautifus Vegiondi. They were a strange type of plant unique to Nortisha that created and dispersed seeds through small cannon-like blossoms, shooting them high into the air. They grew wildly and could reproduce another plant in no more than two days, though only within The Gleam. Shayna's father had told her that they never wandered out into the forest. It was true. They never did, and so right before winter arrived The Gleam was always covered with Beautifus. It gave it a colorful and imaginative look, which Shayna adored.

Shayna remembered her father telling her from one of his big books all about The Gleam. Her father also explained to her how it could sustain itself throughout the winter. When winter came around and it was too cold out for the Beautifus plants, all of them died. But in dying they all shot skywards huge amounts of seeds, which covered the sky in sparkling red lights and the ground with little black and white specks. The seeds on the ground would be covered in snow and then hibernate and wait for warmer weather.

Although Shayna had been interested in how the Beautifus came back, she was more interested in watching them go out. They had seen it once every year and she loved seeing all the red in the sky, which was consequently her favorite color.

Somehow her father could tell the day that the plants would "have their fireworks". Shayna didn't know how he did it; she couldn't see one bit of difference in the plants from one day to the next. Her father had always told her that when she was older she would see what he saw, but that she would have to be patient, kind of like everything else he told her that she did not yet understand.

They were still walking through the woods. Shayna's father stopped cold.

"What is it?" whispered Shayna.

"Shhhh," said her father, holding a finger to his lips. "Listen."

Shayna listened, but she didn't hear anything. It was dead quiet outside, with no wind blowing or snow falling. The sun lingered overhead, almost directly, lighting up everything, leaving only shadows behind the trees. All of the snow, which covered the ground up to Shayna's ankles, was bright white and sparkling. Nothing stirred, nothing moved. Shayna listened even more carefully, holding her breath and closing her eyes to concentrate.

Nothing. She listened again and again, but after having held her breath for close to one minute, and becoming a bit winded, she still heard nothing.

"Papa, I—,"

"Shh."

Moments passed and after many tries of being still as a statue, crouched down just right above the ground in just the right spot, she heard it. She opened her shut eyes and looked to her father, who hadn't stirred. Had he not heard that noise? She closed her eyes to make sure she'd heard something. She concentrated, holding her breath once more. A small patting noise proceeded in the distance and she knew that it was something close. She looked to her father, who hadn't appeared to had heard anything, and decided to take point ahead of him.

"Papa, this way!" she whispered.

"Okay!" he whispered back. She ran ahead of him, dodging around the many trees, thick and thin, and stopping then and again to listen for the noise. Shayna couldn't tell, but her father was smiling proudly.

"Did you hear it?" she whispered to her father.

"Yes," he whispered back. "We're getting close." He pulled up his face mask over his mouth. "Show me the way. Let's go get this thing, Shayna!"

Shayna nodded to him and pulled up her face mask too. She started her pace back up and ran quickly and silently, brushing across the top of the snow and maneuvering around all of the thin trees that covered the ground nearest The Gleam. The only noises to be heard were the oh, so tiny pat, pat, patting of their footsteps in the snow and the softly made clump, clump, clumping of the animal's steps. Shayna continued on, her father following directly behind her, eager to see how she'd do on her first time out.

She stopped and clenched her fist up in the air like her father had shown her. They were both very still. Once again nothing moved, and once more there was no noise to be heard. Shayna feared she may have lost it and ran forward to try and hear something up ahead. She started picking up the pace and then stopped again to listen.

Nothing. There was nothing moving now. She started to doubt herself. Had it heard them? Maybe she'd run too fast. Maybe not fast enough. Fear and doubt started to grip her mind and she was afraid she would start crying out of disappointment. She didn't want her first time out hunting to be a failure. She began to sink her head, looking to the ground, thinking that maybe she wasn't good enough to be hunting with her father just yet and that maybe he'd been wrong.

She stayed still and thought for moments longer, crouched down near the snow, wondering what to do and whether or not she could do it. Her father watched her carefully all the while, waiting to see what she would decide to do. A small wind stirred and the cold bit at Shayna's cheeks. She stopped all of her thinking for a moment, all of her doubting, and thought anew to herself, "No… There's no way he would've let me come out here unless I were ready! I can find that noise… it's still here, it must be!" With one last surge of motivation, Shayna propelled herself forward, picking her head up and placing it back squarely on her shoulders. No, she would find this thing, whatever and wherever it was. She would find it and she would kill it. She began running again, looking every which way. Her father trailed right behind her, waiting patiently for what would come. Shayna made it about twenty meters when she spotted them. Tracks. There were small hoof prints creating a small trail that bent to the right because of a curve in the ground. A large, crooked tree at the corner of the bend about ten meters away dangled its empty branches over the last of the visible tracks.

Her father was smiling behind his mask. "Good, Shayna. Now let's follow them, but be careful to leave them intact. Run alongside them, I'll be right behind you."

Shayna nodded. "Okay, Papa." She started off at a slow jog along the right of the tracks, making her way to the crooked tree. Once she reached it, she hid herself behind its trunk, her father hiding directly behind her, crouched lower than she to compensate the space between them.

"You're close, Shayna. Take a peak around the corner here and tell me what you see."

Shayna did so and was extremely surprised to see what she saw without having realized how close they were to it. There, up ahead, lay the huge Gleament Jorgantemend. It extended so far that Shayna could just barely see the other dark brown trees that stood across it on the other side, comprising part of a circle of trees that surrounded The Gleam. She'd never seen it during the winter, and the sun against the whiteness of the snow made it extremely bright. It was so bright, she almost missed her. Almost.

There, up ahead of her in the middle of the snow, in plain sight, sat a small baby reindeer. Shayna's father had read all about them to her and she recognized what it was immediately. She knew how rare they were supposed to be. There had only been a handful of times reindeers had supposedly been spotted and many people chose not to believe in them at all. Either way, they were special creatures, at least to Shayna. The reindeer was completely white, the only signs to show that it wasn't just a pile of snow being the tiny horns that had grown atop its head.

Shayna, who had been so intent about finding and killing what had been making the noise, found she now felt just the opposite. She could only see her backside, but she was beautiful. She felt an overwhelming sense of compassion towards the baby reindeer and, more than anything, she felt the need to touch her. She wanted to see her up close. There was something about her, the way she looked, the way she was lying in the field so care-free and innocently. All of it intrigued Shayna, and she knew, with a small feeling of disappointment, she could not kill the reindeer. She'd lost the urge of the hunt and the will to bring down the noise that she'd been hearing. If she tried to kill it and succeeded, she wouldn't feel right about it.

Shayna had been watching the reindeer for too long and her father looked around the crooked tree to see what she was seeing for himself. Shayna looked back to him as he moved around the corner and wondered what he would think of her. She looked to her father's eyes as he set them upon the snow white reindeer. They widened automatically, shocked. He stood for a moment, thinking, his brows furrowed in concentration. In a slow motion, he set down his bow and took off his quiver, laying them against the crooked tree. He beckoned for Shayna to do the same. After she'd taken off her quiver, her father stood upright and walked out into The Gleam, never once taking his eyes off the reindeer. He pulled down his face mask and Shayna did the same.

Shayna's father took the lead and began to walk towards the reindeer slowly, Shayna staying right behind his legs, peeking around his hips to catch glances of the reindeer. Despite her beauty, the reindeer was beginning to frighten Shayna. It was still large, despite its being a baby, and she hadn't a clue as to what her father had in mind by walking towards it like they were. She stood behind him nevertheless and continued to follow him the entire way there. When they'd gone one-third the distance to the reindeer, she perked her head up and looked around to them. Shayna's father stopped moving and Shayna poked her head out to see what was happening. She didn't know what to expect and was a little frightened that the reindeer may have simply run away and vanished into the woods on the other side, but lost all fear as soon as she saw what her father saw. On the reindeer's face was a small and red orb. It shined brightly against the white all around them and seemed to Shayna to radiate heat outwards. She was so captivated by it. If she would've closed her eyes, she could've sworn she was next to the fireplace in her home.

They stood staring for moments longer and the reindeer didn't move. Shayna's father and the reindeer were like rocks, staring at each other, immovably forever. Shayna moved from one side of her father to the other, clutching to him, waiting for something to happen.

Eventually, after a time, her father began to walk towards her again, Shayna clutching onto him tighter than ever. He walked, making crunching noises against the snow, every step made towards the reindeer raising Shayna's anticipation. When they were nearly half way there, the reindeer stood up abruptly, causing Shayna's father to remain completely still. They were still for moments once more, and then the reindeer did something neither Shayna or her father had expected. It began to walk towards them. Neither of them moved. It came closer and closer until it was eventually right in front of them. Shayna's father extended his hand, cupping it to touch the underside of the reindeer's chin. The reindeer didn't move and let him scratch her, closing her dark brown eyes as he did so. Shayna moved around to her father's left side and extended her hand out to touch her. She let her and eventually they were both petting her, amazed that she would come so close to them and let them touch her. Shayna touched its bright red nose, feeling the warmth it was radiating up close. She was so amazed, her jaw dropped.

"Wow," she said.

"Yes…" said her father. "Wow."

They stood there, petting and patting its head for a while. They didn't know what else to do or to expect. After a time, they stopped touching the reindeer and simply watched it. The reindeer looked up to Shayna's father, then Shayna. Her dark brown eyes peered into Shayna's icy blue, her red nose shining brightly in between. Shayna kept looking at it, still filled with wonder. The reindeer moved backwards and began turning around. In one quick motion Shayna hugged it around its neck, holding it in place.

"Don't go yet, reindeer! Stay here!" Shayna looked at her and the reindeer looked back. She let go of the reindeer, which shook itself. She looked at Shayna one last time before she left. Shayna knew she was about to leave. In two movements she turned around and, like a bolt of lightning, shot straight into the sky! A thin layer of powdery snow was picked up in the reindeer's take off and shot upward onto Shayna and her father, covering them in a coat of sparkling white mist and creating a large cloud which consumed them. Shayna couldn't see anything for a moment, but as soon as the snow sank back to the ground she was able to watch her go. Shayna's mouth was wide open. She couldn't believe it. It looked as if it were running on the ground, the only difference being that it was in the sky. It was the most amazing thing Shayna had ever seen in her life, even better than the annual fireworks. Both of them stood there, watching her, until finally she removed herself completely from their sight.

Shayna sighed. "Papa… What just happened?"

Shayna's father stood there. "…Little one… we've just met a reindeer… and they fly." Shayna's father kept looking up, while Shayna began to look around.

"What's that?" asked Shayna, spotting something in the snow.

"What?" asked her father.

"Over there, where the reindeer was resting." Off in the distance, in a small depression left from where the reindeer had rested, remained something small that glowed a dim pink. It didn't appear to move at all.

"Let's go find out," said her father. He began to walk towards it and Shayna walked next to him. She didn't feel threatened by whatever it was. It just looked like some object. They approached the edge of the depression, keeping a distance to examine it. It appeared to be some kind of a stone. It was still shining pinkly, but around its edges it was black as ash. Like they'd felt the heat from the reindeer's nose, they also felt it from the stone, though it wasn't nearly as hot. It was moderate compared to how warm the orb of the reindeer had been, but still much warmer than the snow around them.

Hesitantly, Shayna's father walked over to it. He reached down with one hand and poked it. After he poked it, he touched his forefinger to its core to try and provoke some sort of reaction. It had none, and so he picked it up in his hand. Nothing happened. As it appeared, it was simply some reindeer rock.

Shayna's father stood and held it in front of himself. He didn't know what to think of it, his eyes squinting while he moved it in closer to himself and then further away. More time passed and Shayna's father stood, concentrating deeply. Clouds had begun to form and the sun was no longer visible. Small snowflakes sank down from the sky, wavering from left to right before they touched the ground snow. Shayna was beginning to get cold and was about to ask about going back to the cabin, when her father made a disgruntled noise that sounded like, "hmph!"

"Do you know what it does?" asked Shayna.

"I haven't the slightest clue, little one. Perhaps I will find something in one of my books later on."

"I hope so, Papa," said Shayna, thoroughly interested, but still becoming more and more cold, "but do you think we could talk about it back at the cabin? It's getting really cold out here!"

"What?—oh, of course. Sure, little one." He placed the stone into one of his front jacket pockets. "Let's do that, that's a much better idea."

They walked to their bows and quivers, equipped themselves, and made their way back to the cabin. The sky was growing darker, more so than it should have been. It was only midday and much of the sky was already a dark grey. It appeared that there was a storm rolling in. Neither of them spoke for a while on the way back, as they were both meditating on everything that'd just happened. Shayna thought about the reindeer and its bright red nose. Was that usual for a reindeer? What was usual for a reindeer? Even to Shayna, who had a very active imagination, that was strange. Before they reached the cabin, Shayna turned to her father and began to question him about reindeer.

"Did you know they could fly, Papa?"

"No," he said. "In fact, I doubted they even existed. There have been many people who have claimed they've spotted a reindeer, but now that I've seen one, I wonder if anyone has actually seen a reindeer before. You think somebody would have mentioned that they could fly."

"Yeah…," said Shayna. "How do you think she did that?"

"Fly?"

"Yeah."

"I dunno," said her father. "But I do know there are many mysterious things in the world, most of which I could never find the answer for. Like its nose. Did you see how bright it was?"

"It was so red, Papa! I loved it. I wish the reindeer would've left it behind instead of that rock!"

Her father chuckled. "I know that red is your favorite color, but I don't think the reindeer would've enjoyed losing her nose, Shayna."

Shayna thought for a moment. "Huh… yeah, I don't think so either, Papa." She laughed.

"Quite right!" he said vivaciously. "And that wouldn't be very fun, taking a reindeer's nose." He reached out his hand and lightly grabbed Shayna's nose. He released his grip and put his thumb between his fingers, exclaiming to her, "Not as fun as taking yours!" He ran ahead of Shayna.

"Wait! Papa, come back here!" she was giggling. Her father acted so dumb sometimes. "You don't have my nose!"

"Oh, yes I do! And you'd better hurry or I'll beat you to the cabin!"

At that Shayna began to run as hard as she could towards her father. "Papa! I'm going to beat you to the cabin!

"Come and try, little one!" Her father sped up a little and Shayna did the same.

In a short time, they arrived in sight of the cabin, her father just barely in front of her.

"I'm going to beat you!" she yelled, passing her father.

"Oh, no you're not!" laughed her father, pushing slightly ahead of her.

Shayna surged forward, lunging for the door of the cabin, nearly crashing head on into it.

"Oh, no!" said her father, bending over and panting. "You've beaten me! How in the world did you get so fast?"

"I don't know! I just did, I guess." Shayna smiled widely.

"Well, it's probably all the food you've been eating! I hardly ever get to eat anything with you around!"

"Not uh, Papa! You eat way more than me!"

"Yes, well, I am a bit bigger, little one." He laughed. "Speaking of eating, I should get supper going."

Shayna opened up the door for her father.

"Thanks very much, my dear! You know, you did a good job hunting today."

"No, I didn't, Papa. I didn't get anything and I couldn't shoot the reindeer!" Shayna closed and latched up the door, while her father began to place wood in their fireplace.

"Oh, I know, little one, but you found it didn't you? How many people can say they've not only spotted a reindeer, but tracked it down too? That is skill, little one, not just luck! Although we did get pretty lucky," he mused.

Shayna grinned a little. "Yeah, I guess not a lot."

"Probably none! Besides, it's not like we'll starve. I still have another few deer hidden away outside in the chiller. We can just eat one of those tonight. You know…" he said, taking the stone from his pocket. "I wonder…" He looked at it for a second and then put it on the top of the highest piece of firewood. After a moment smoke came drizzling out beneath the stone and the wood caught on fire. "There!"

"What?!" cried Shayna gleefully. "How'd you know to do that, Papa?"

"I didn't, little one! It was hot and I just thought it might have something special about it. It's amazing how much you can imagine by thinking and reading too much." He reached in with a pair of metal prongs and pulled out the stone, putting his free hand to the tip of one of its sides.

"Well, how does it do that, but not hurt your hand, Papa?"

"I'm not sure…," said her father. "That's interesting… perhaps we will find something in my books sometime later." He dropped the stone back inside one of his pockets.

"Yeah," said Shayna. "Oh, and don't forget that you promised to read to me the rest of Little Lively Pink Cheeks."

"Well, of course, little one. Had you thought I'd forgotten?"

"No… well, maybe a little."

"A little? Come on, child, your father never forgets his promises."

"I know. I just want to know what'll happen to her is all."

"Oh, yes. I expect that you very much do. It was right at the best part. The part when all of the darkness comes."

"Can we read it right now?"

"How about I get our dinner going? Well, it should be lunch, but I feel as if the storm outside is going to last a long time. It seems we won't, either of us, be leaving the cabin for a while, which makes it a perfect time to read it to you, just as soon as I'm done cooking, of course."

The snow and wind outside were picking up. It appeared they would be inside for quite a while longer. Shayna didn't mind. Actually, she was excited. She loved being inside the cabin when there was a storm outside.

"Okay!" said Shayna, beaming excitedly. Her whole day had been amazing and she was bursting with even more energy than she'd had when she had woken up earlier that morning. She couldn't believe it. A reindeer. A flying reindeer. It was beautiful and Shayna couldn't stop thinking about it. She never wanted the day to end. She just wanted more and more great things to happen. Naively, she was very hopeful for her future, though she had no idea what it might hold. She couldn't wait to hear Little Lively Pink Cheeks, and she couldn't wait to see the reindeer again. She didn't know how, but she hoped she would.