The Girl in the Snow

“What a great time to go through a pass,” Jasper grumbled under his breath, glaring up at the dark, heavy clouds that had finally let loose their frigid load with the gray of day. Hardly did the wind rustle the fat flakes that came down in thick, silent sheets, but that was a small comfort. It covered the landscape rapidly, distorting trees with its weight.

A long, wide road was deepest with it, a great swath cut through the forest on either side from millennia of wandering mountains like the one that casually trudged through the meters of snow. The magnificent beast snorted, his thick hide impervious to the cold that turned his bellowing breaths into a thick fog clinging around the vegetation on his back. He moved at a leisurely pace, shaking the snow from his head and tusks once in a while, otherwise unbothered, unlike his Bonded.

“Why in hell would you come this way, Randel?” Jasper continued muttering to himself, knocking the shocked saplings on the dragon’s back free of snow and shoveling it over the edge. “I did tell you this was going to happen. Of all the dragons, mine’s the one with the dud instincts. When your trees die, don’t blame me! I told you!”

The great Tunk’ta groaned softly as though in response, a sound felt under the human’s feet and through his chest more than heard by his ears. He shook his head and continued to grumble. “At least all this exercise I didn’t feel like doing keeps me from freezing to death. I thought you cared about me, but I see we still have some issues in this relationship to work out.”

As suddenly as a walking hill could stop, the dragon paused and hesitated, his head swaying side to side, sniffing the air deeply. Jasper raced through the trees and slid to a stop at the upturned edge of the dragon’s shell near the head where he had planted a fruit sapling. The thick neck of the dragon vanished into the curtain of snow fall, but it swayed and shook with a curious trilling sound.

“What’s the matter, Randel? What do you sense, buddy?” he called out to his Bonded, though his voice fell flat against the blanket of flakes.

Pointing his head down, Randel turned and plowed his way through the frozen vegetation with a single-minded purpose despite Jasper’s protests. The cracking of the trees was deafening even with the muffling of snow as the mountain powered his way through spaces too tight for his immense body. Slowing at the side of a ravine wall, there were many bumps covered by snow but one in particular had Randel’s attention.

Hurrying down the dragon’s craggy neck, Jasper approached the bump that his Bonded blew the snow from in a great, hot breath. When it first revealed a pair of blue tinged pointed ear tips, his eyes widened. The snow was gone in but a moment, ruffling the dirty blonde hair around her face. Jasper exclaimed to himself upon realizing it was an elf woman, completely buried and barely alive. Her clothes were hardly more than rags. Shrugging off his cloak, he turned her over to reveal a face gaunt and blue, numerous bruises all over.

Wrapping her up, Randel remained still as Jasper climbed back up onto his expansive back, watching him with a great, green eye. Under a drooping tarp tied between several trees, he laid her out on his bedding and wrapped her in that as well.

“You’re a good boy, Randel,” he muttered under his breath. “Don’t know what drew you over, but I bet she’ll be glad you did.”

Randel groaned and grunted, making his way back up to the road of his own volition much more slowly than his march into the uncharted while Jasper set his camp burner out and began gathering the snow. After he had boiled the water, he poured it in some containers and under the blanket with her. Throwing another blanket over his own shoulders, he hesitantly continued his task of keeping the snow off his Bonded.

The night closed on them all too quickly. Trusting in his dragon’s senses and intelligence, Jasper had to surrender and lay beside the woman. Questions burned in his mind while he examined her as best he could in the dim, wavering light of the small burner. Now that he looked, there was no way she could be a pure elf. The dusting of freckles across her cheeks and nose were pronounced against her paleness, disappearing under the dark bruises, and only a H’elfling could have those. An old, small scar just through her right brow prevented the hair from growing there. He couldn’t be entirely certain as the elves never seemed to age, but she appeared quite young.

“I’ll bet it’s slavers,” he grumbled bitterly under his breath. His racing mind was no match for Randel’s gentle swaying, though. All questions would have to wait until she woke up, anyway.

The morning dawned dreary and crisp, the snow storm over. Randel continued his steady pace across the landscape, plowing the road as he went.

Jasper blinked awake and rolled over to check on the H’elfling, but she wasn’t there. Startled, he sat up and noticed the shine of eyes watching him from the pile of blankets pressed against the thick bush at the furthest corner still covered by the tarp.

“Oh! Good morning! I’m really glad you’re awake. I didn’t know if you’d make it.” She was silent. He smiled reassuringly and reached into his pack, pulling out some dried meat. “I’m going to bet you’re mighty hungry. Would you like to eat?”

She didn’t move. The pearlescent shine of her gaze did not waver. He sat with arm outstretched for a moment before shrugging. “Alright, well, I guess we’ll just save this for later then. Let me know when you want it.

“Oh, by the way, my name is Jasper. Jasper Dukensen. And this” he patted the ground beneath them “is Randel. He’s the one that found you.”

Still silence met him. Tiny puffs of breath left the opening in the pile so he knew she was alive. It was mighty cute. He had to smile and quickly glanced around his dragon’s back to hide it. Noticing the thick snow around them, he let out a low whistle. “Glad the storm’s over. I’ve got some work to do.”

Fishing out his shovel, he began the task of clearing the beast’s back. Every time he turned around, the pile of blankets had moved to watch him and he had to turn away to smile.

An hour or so had passed before he had gotten most of the snow off his dragon. Returning to the makeshift shelter, he turned the blaze up on the small burner to warm his hands and rub his scruffy cheeks. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not used to the cold here. I was born in Dalhale, before they got conquered by Mardarow, but it’s along the growing belt, so it never got like this. Randel’s instincts have taken me all over since then, but this cold just pierces me to the bone.” When she still did not respond, but squirmed uncomfortably, he perked up. “Ya know, I think I could use a piss break.” He left the shelter, traveling down a well worn path to the dragon’s head. “Randel! Whoa, buddy! Whoa here, Randel!”

A long groan reverberated through the beast’s entire body. All that weight required effort not only to move forward but to bring to a stand still. With a deep breath that sent a great cloud around them, the dragon halted. Returning to the shelter, he smiled at the woman. “You can keep the blanket, in case you intend to leave. I’d rather get another one then find you near frozen again.” With that, he tossed a self made rope ladder over the edge but didn’t use it, instead vanishing with a back flip.

After a moment, he heard Randel grumble and start turning around to go back the way they had come. Surprised, he peered around the trunk to see his dragon indeed leaving him behind. He wasn’t fast, but each step was many of a human’s. “Randel! Randel, what the hell?!” Shaking his head, he finished his business and trotted after in the path his Bonded had cleared.

Walking fearlessly under and between his dragon’s legs when he caught up, he paused in curiosity. Randel trilled to the woman who stood between his tusks, reaching up to stroke his nose. The fleshy tendrils along his jowl wriggled and wrapped around her wrist and felt her face, pushing the blanket back, and Jasper couldn’t help but admire the long ears. She smiled at Randel and murmured something under her breath that Jasper could not hear.

“Wow! Randel really likes you!” The woman startled and backed away as he approached. He noticed and stopped, not wanting to scare her off. “He doesn’t usually like other people. He’s definitely never left me behind for someone else. You must be special.” Though a flush of color showed on her cheeks, she still did not respond. “Uh, well, if you’d like, we can drop you off at the next town. You know, just so you’re not stranded out in the middle of nowhere.”

Her eyes darted about to take in the deep snow that surrounded them. Randel trilled loudly, stepping back so that he could flop a few tendrils over Jasper’s face and shoulders affectionately. Finding himself entangled in fleshy, writhing vines, he was taken by surprise. “What...? Randel! Randel get off me, you overgrown lap lizard! Yes, yes, I love you, too, now get ... Randel, it’s cold and you’re drooling on me! Ahh, and now I’m slimy. Oh, gross. Dragon spit is so hard to get out.”

The H’elfling giggled, covering her mouth in an attempt to hide it.

Withdrawing his head, the dragon looked down at him with an eye that twinkled with mischief and turned around again to continue his journey.

“Oh, I see how it is! Love me then leave me!” Jasper threw up his hands, then sighed and shook his head. “Well, that’s our cue. He’s not going to wait for us.”

Nimbly, he started to climb up a tendril protruding from under the shell, indicating the rope ladder for her. They were soon back under the tarp, huddled around the small fire. The girl covered herself again, hiding her face, though he could see the reflection of her eye shine while she cautiously watched him.

His stomach grumbled. Or maybe it was her stomach. He offered her the chunk of dried meat again. This time, she accepted. It was gone almost before he had sat back. “I’m sorry I don’t have more. I was hoping to spot some wildlife, but something about a small mountain thundering through tends to cause most animals to flee.”

Still, she remained silent. He nodded patiently, his voice gentle. “I can understand not trusting people. Not a lot of folk out there as loyal as a dragon.”

Her eyes turned to the fire, staring at it for a few more silent moments. Jasper figured they would spend the rest of the trip in silence when her soft voice surprised him.

I ... suppose I should thank you.”

“What?”

“I should thank you,” she repeated a little louder. “F-For saving my life.”

With a little smile, he shook his head. “Oh, ha, well, don’t thank me. Thank Randel! He’s the one who found you. I never would’ve gone into the woods the way he did. I’ve never seen him do that for anyone else. You must be special.”