[Aster]
The first touch of the morning sun bathed the forest, casting warm light across the landscape. The freshly fallen snow sparkled, shimring prettily as it reflected the sun's rays. Sowhere near a small, partially hidden entrance to a cave, a bird joyfully sang its morning song. The fire crackled softly inside the cave as its flas flickered, illuminating the surroundings in warm tones.
While lying on his sister's lap, Aster thinks about the last few weeks as they were extrely harsh for his new family. Humans, monsters, fierce weather, and now sickness. Their situation is truly hopeless.
It had been four days since Aster's mother, Nivalis, fell ill, leaving his sister all alone to take care of him and their sick mother. Despite being just a kid herself, Silvia was probably the bravest little girl Aster had ever known. She spent her entire days caring for their family, desperately trying to keep everyone fed and warm. She did not let the fire burn down even in the darkest hour, probably fearing that if she lost the fire, she would lose her mother as well.
Silvia and Aster won't be able to survive in these woods on their own if their mother doesn't recover. They are both still too young. Aster has no idea how much food is left but believes it must be running low already. They'll inevitably end up starving soon enough. Aster closed his eyes in frustration; there was not much he could do, and it was painful to watch Silvia, this innocent little girl, suffer. More than anything, he wanted to help her, but what can an infant do? Nothing.
Aster did nothing but eat, sleep, and soil his diaper every now and then. He saw how sad his sister looked, so he often tried to cheer her up by smiling whenever possible and looking directly into her golden eyes with his own, occasionally giggling. He knew it wasn't enough, but it was the only thing he could do.
Silvia had spent every waking mont with him, entertained him with stories he couldn't understand, and even sang songs for him. She held him in her arms all day and all night, always ensuring he didn't go hungry or thirsty. Even when she had to use the restroom, she always took him with her, which was sowhat awkward for Aster, hearing how his older sister urinated in the cold outdoors, but he didn't mind. She probably didn't want to leave little Aster alone, or maybe she didn't want to be alone herself.
Still sleepy, he looked at his sister's face, illuminated by the fire. Her golden eyes, red and puffy from constant crying, sparkled like jewels as she looked lovingly back into his. 'She looks so exhausted...' was his only thought as his golden eyes t hers. Her face was pale and gaunt, dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, and her cheekbones protruded noticeably. Her silver hair was ssy, and her lips were cracked.
He smiled, hoping to comfort her, and reached out with his tiny hand, trying to do sothing to relieve her sadness. She quickly grabbed him and squeezed it slightly as if she needed that reassuring gesture from him.
Then he glanced at his sleeping mother. Aster had never seen anyone as brave, fierce, and selfless as she was. She did everything she could to protect the ones she loved, even jumping into the frigid river to keep them safe. She was the strongest person he ever knew. He couldn't imagine losing her, and it terrified him to think of life without her. His only hope was that the goddess Elysia, who sent him into this world, would sohow help his mother recover.
And maybe it was just coincidence, but once that thought appeared in his mind, a quiet, croaked voice escaped from Nivalis's lips. It was weak and barely audible, but Aster heard it. And he was not the only one who heard it, as Silvia suddenly jumped from the surprise and rushed to their mother. The little girl leaned down, listening to her mother's faint murmurs, "Mommy?" she asked, her voice full of worry and concern, "Are you awake, Mommy? Can you hear , please?"
[Nivalis Silverfrost]
Nivalis blinked slowly as her consciousness gradually returned to her. She felt weak and sluggish, and once she tried to move, she felt a warm weight on her chest. Her vision was blurred and hazy, and her ears rang loudly. The first thing she heard was a familiar, soothing voice calling out to her in the distance. "Mommy! Mommy!" a childlike voice cried out desperately, and soon, a little girl's face entered her vision. Golden eyes gazed back into hers, filled with tears and worry. She recognized the silhouette of her daughter, Silvia.
Nivalis could hardly speak; her throat was dry and scratchy, and she could barely move. Yet sohow, despite the agonizing pain and exhaustion, she managed to wrap her arms around her daughter, returning the embrace. She croaked out softly, — "Honey..."
"Y-you're awake, Mommy! You're finally awake!" Silvia cried out in pure happiness, her small voice echoing around the cave walls. Then she broke down in sobs. "I-I... Y-you..." Silvia tried to mumble sothing through her tears.
— "Ssshhh..." Nivalis whispered to her daughter, gently patting her head. In response, her daughter hugged her even more fiercely, burying her face against Nivalis's neck, weeping uncontrollably. Nivalis allowed herself to relax a little while holding her, comforting her as best she could. It took her a mont to rember what happened. Nivalis glanced around, but her blurry vision made it impossible to discern the details, except that she was in a cave and had a fire nearby. Nivalis's gaze returned to Silvia, whose small form shivered slightly in her embrace.
— "Please, calm down, my baby..." Nivalis spoke softly, her voice hoarse and weak, "Tell what happened," Nivalis asked her daughter. The girl's cheeks were wet with tears.
Silvia took a mont to calm down before answering her question. "You had a fever, Mommy. You got sick, very sick. I... I thought you would never..." Silvia explained between sniffles.
— "How long was I sleeping?" Nivalis asked in concern as she noticed her daughter's state: hair ssy and tangled, cheeks were much hollower than before, lips cracked, clothes filthy, and her eyes had darkened circles under them.
"For three days, almost four, Mommy..." Silvia answered, her voice wavering, fresh tears filling her golden eyes, threatening to spill.
— "Three days...?" Nivalis repeated quietly. The shock showed on her face, making her gasp. "H-Have you eaten anything at all?"
"I did. We did. I made soups, just like you taught ," Silvia replied quietly, then continued, "I was so scared, Mommy... You were sweating so much, and I didn't know what to do... I-I... I thought you..." Silvia trailed off, unable to continue as she began to weep.
Nivalis' expression softened, and she reached up and gently cupped her daughter's face in both hands, wiping away tears with her thumbs, looking deeply into her golden eyes.— "It's okay, my dear... It's alright... I am alright, see," Nivalis whispered comfortingly.
Silvia sniffled loudly as she nodded, "But I thought you'd never..."
— "Shh..." Nivalis gently shushed her. "It doesn't matter anymore. Everything is fine now," she said, smiling reassuringly.
— "Are you alright? Is your brother?" Nivalis whispered, concerned, as she gently brushed a strand of silver hair from Silvia's face.
"I...I'm fine, Mommy," Silvia sniffled, trying to compose herself as she sat on her mother's belly, her legs on each side of her, "We both are... He is right here," Silvia answered while glancing to her side, showing Aster, who lay beside them peacefully, "He drank your milk all this ti... But it was really hard to change his diaper... I had to... wipe his bottom, and..."
Nivalis smiled gently and held Silvia's hands in hers.— "Good, good... You did good, my dear," Nivalis whispered in relief, "You're such a brave girl, and you are so smart for doing all of this. Thank you, my darling, for caring for us and being so strong." Nivalis thanked her daughter in a quiet and sincere tone.
Silvia nodded slightly and lowered her upper body to hug her mother again. "Mommy... all these days, I wanted to tell you how much I love you. I-I really thought you would die, and we would be all alone, and..." Silvia's words faltered as she struggled to continue speaking.
Nivalis smiled faintly and closed her eyes as she gently hugged her daughter.— "I love you too, my sweet... More than anything else in the world. You and your brother are everything to ," Nivalis replied as she stroked her daughter's hair gently, trying to console her. Her soft tone and loving caress gave her daughter a sense of security. For the first ti in days, Silvia finally allowed herself to relax.
— "Everything will be fine. Don't worry. Mommy is here now. I won't go anywhere," Nivalis assured her quietly, "I promise," Nivalis whispered into Silvia's ear.
Silvia sniffled quietly while continuing to cling to Nivalis tightly. After a few monts, Nivalis sighed softly and finally asked, — "Silvia, I need to drink sothing... Can you get so water?" Nivalis asked, her voice soft and kind.
"Water? Okay, wait a mont," Silvia said as she hurriedly grabbed a waterskin from their belongings and brought it to Nivalis, handing it to her. Nivalis nodded gratefully, taking it in her hand.— "Thank you," she whispered as she drank its contents.
— "Can you help stand up, sweetie? I'd like to get out of these dirty blankets, and I'll need your help cleaning myself properly," Nivalis asked once she finished drinking, her voice a bit stronger now.
"Sure, Mommy," Silvia replied, smiling slightly. Nivalis struggled to stand up from the floor. Her legs felt incredibly weak and shaky, as if they could barely hold her weight at all. Her head spun, and her vision darkened montarily until she steadied herself and leaned against the cave wall for support.
— "Ugh..." Nivalis groaned in discomfort as she began walking slowly. Silvia wrapped her arms around Nivalis's thighs, supporting her as best she could. Nivalis put one foot in front of the other slowly and carefully, trying not to lose balance.
"The pot is right here, Mommy," Silvia said while pointing to an empty tal pot on the ground next to the fire.
...
After preparing warm water, they both took their ti bathing just outside their cave. Silvia helped her mother as best she could, thoroughly washing her from head to toe, while Nivalis also returned the favor to her daughter. They washed their bodies together in complete silence, broken by the sound of splashing water and soft breathing.
Their nudity was a fact they both ignored completely; Nivalis didn't even think twice about it. After that, Nivalis rinsed Silvia's hair thoroughly and combed it carefully with a brush before braiding it neatly in the traditional elven style, just like her own silver locks. Even little Aster got a nice wash, too, much to the infant's annoyance, and carefully wiped by his mother herself.
Then, Nivalis gathered all their soiled clothing and blankets and washed everything in the pot before hanging them next to the fire to dry. It was quite a task since there were so many items to clean, and the water had to be constantly replaced, so by the end, Nivalis felt exhausted but content with the results. It took them the better part of the morning to finish.
Once done, she set to work preparing sothing for them to eat. When she approached the bag with food, she found only one small bag of potatoes remained. Nivalis's face tightened with concern.— "Looks like our supplies are almost gone. This is the last of it," she mumbled worriedly as she took out a few potatoes.
"Mommy? What's wrong?" Silvia's voice echoed in the cave.
Nivalis turned to face her and noticed a look of concern on her daughter's face.— "Nothing, my sweet. We have less food than I thought..." she paused, "But It's all right. We'll find sothing. Once I feel a bit better, I will try to hunt with a bow," Nivalis said confidently. "So don't worry, my dear," she added gently.
"Okay, Mommy," Silvia smiled slightly.
Nivalis boiled a few potatoes and shared them with her daughter. It was not very tasty, but it was enough to satisfy their hunger, so neither complained. After their al, Nivalis felt a lot better. Even though she was still quite weak, at least she could move around freely again without feeling dizzy.
She spent the rest of the day lying beside her children in bed, talking with Silvia, telling stories, and enjoying each other's company. She played with Aster a little, tickling his tiny feet and listening to his adorable giggling as she entertained him. Eventually, as the hours passed by, the sun went down, and darkness enveloped the world outside. The sky was pitch black, and the moon lit the landscape.
Nivalis looked lovingly at Silvia as she lay on top of her. All three of them were wrapped in clean and warm blankets. Silvia and Aster fell asleep quickly. Nivalis stayed awake for another hour, staring at the flas flickering before her eyes while gently stroking her children's hair.
Her thoughts were all about the lack of food they had. She had never gone hunting before, so she wondered how they would survive once their supplies ran out completely. Tomorrow, she needs to find sothing. There is no point in waiting until the last mont. She lay there silently, thinking, watching over her children's sleeping figures until exhaustion finally overtook her. She closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take her as well.
...
The following day, near the entrance of their cave, Nivalis smiled warmly at Silvia.— "Alright, honey. I will go out to find us so food, okay? Can you stay with Aster and keep the fire burning until I return?" She gently cupped her daughter's cheek with her hand, looking into her eyes.
Silvia nodded eagerly, "Yes, Mommy," she stood on tiptoes and kissed her mother's forehead before pulling her into a tight embrace. "Be careful, please."
Nivalis smiled and returned the embrace.— "I will, my sweet. I promise I will be back before dark," she assuredly stroked her daughter's face. "Take care of your little brother for ."
"Of course," Silvia answered enthusiastically, smiling widely, "We will be waiting for you."
Nivalis nodded as she stepped past Silvia towards the cave's exit, taking a few steps forward before stopping abruptly. She turned her head, glancing over her shoulder. Her silver hair swayed gracefully, and her eyes locked with Silvia's. Nivalis gave her one last smile before turning away again, disappearing through the cave's entrance.
She held a bow and two arrows, wearing a small leather backpack. As she stepped into the snowy forest, she tightened her cloak around herself for warmth. She ventured deeper into the snowy woods at a slow pace, listening intently for any sounds that might indicate an animal nearby. Her eyes scanned the ground, searching for tracks left by creatures moving through the area recently.
User Comments
0 comments from readers