*A New Arrival in Veilheim* The snow started dropping, light and quiet, like someone’d pulled a blanket over everything. Floating down in shiny twists, it covered Veilheim’s roofs and branches, turning the place into something out of a half-remembered tale. The icy lake sat motionless, smooth as glass, no ripples marring its mirror of the pale sky. Cold air bit at your lungs - fresh, sharp - with just a whisper of winter spice and old enchantments hanging low, while silence crept through the woods wrapped around the town. Vivian hovered near the icy shore, her dark-blue-silver coat glinting low under pale daylight. Not that she liked cold spots - she’d take her homeland’s lasting sunshine any day, where air felt soft instead of sharp. Still, out here in this strange, freezing stretch, there was beauty worth seeing - the hush and grandness of Veilheim buried in frost. Snow-laden trees sat still, almost carved, every limb outlined in crisp white. Aries showed up next to her, that silvery-blue coat shimmering - part bay, part pearl, frosty with patches - as she tapped the ground hard. Though the air was sharp, her tone stayed soft, almost playful: “Seems like you’re already wishing you’d gone somewhere else.”. Vivian exhaled slowly, adjusting the small horns that crowned her head. “I don’t regret it,” she admitted. “I just prefer not to be cold.” She glanced at the snow falling once more. “And I suspect this isn’t going to be the last of it.” Aries smirked. “Not unless you convince the sky to stop crying.” Vivian let out a soft breath, eyes on the snow piling up over the icy lake ahead. This place felt strange - chilly, unknown - but she’d figure it out. Instead of resisting, she chose to move forward, one step at a time. *The Arrival of Snow* The snow came down harder now - quiet, steady, filling the air with a gentle hum. Not slamming or dropping fast, just floating, twirling, then landing slowly like sparkled cloth settling everywhere. Vivian stared as it covered things piece by piece - the branches, chimneys, ice sheets - all turning into smooth waves of untouched white. Above, where colors faded earlier from faint purple to dim gray, shadows softened every edge below. Tiny flakes glowed somehow, catching rays that felt like magic still breathing beneath winter’s skin. A hush fell across everything, smothered under thick snow. Once-clear noises - bird calls, leaf flutters, faint groans of timber - now faded, like the planet held its breath. Vivian moved ahead slowly, her hooves pressing into untouched powder with a gentle crackle. Nothing back home matched this; there, downpours soaked the land and warmth clung heavy in the breeze. Here, the chill, the pale stretch everywhere - it felt odd, almost unreal. A shiver crawled down her back - not because it was cold, but due to a strange pull inside. One hoof stretched forward as a snowflake landed softly on the surface. Gleaming slightly, with tiny patterns like no other, it lasted just seconds before fading into thin air. Nothing this brief had ever felt quite so striking. Even though it was chilly and strange, a soft amazement woke up inside her. It felt fresh, unplanned, yet somehow breathtaking. Out of nowhere, something changed - she started wondering what this place could show her. *A New Game in the Snow* Aries sprinted ahead, hooves crunching through untouched snow on her way to the trees. "Hurry up, Vivian!" she shouted, looking over her shoulder with a smirk. "If you’ve never tossed a snowball here in Veilheim’s cold season, you’ve missed real fun." Vivian blinked, caught off guard for a second. “Snowballs?” That wasn’t something she’d ever considered doing. Back home, winter wasn’t about games; it meant slowing down, preparing quietly, getting ready for what came when thaw arrived. Yet Aries - wild, quick to act, always buzzing with plans - had already grabbed snow, shaping it tight into a ball with her hooves. "You're up," Aries called, chucking the snowball toward her. Vivian snagged it out of the air, brow dipping a bit. The ball felt wet, chilly, yet strangely weighty in her hooves. She paused. "So... what now?" "Toss it," Aries said, shaping a new one fast. "Right toward me." Vivian's face jerked sideways. "No way," she said. Then - pssst! - Aries flung another snowball fast. It hit her hip hard, icy slush splattering under the sleeve. She froze, breath snagged mid-air. She staggered backward, covered in snow. Yet her eyes widened - “You… you came at me first!” she blurted, breathless, half shocked, half grinning.”. Aries cackled. “That’s the point! Now throw one back!” Vivian paused, then shaped a snowball slow and steady. Being exact mattered - any slip would mess it up. Moving one step at a time, she lined up her shot. Aries gripped a fresh one, ready to fling - but just then, Vivian let hers fly. It hit the trunk near Aries, off-target by barely any space. Aries raised a skeptical brow. “You have to be faster than that, Vivian.” Vivian huffed, already forming the next one. “And you have to stop making a mess of things. This snow is - cold, wet, and absolutely unorganized. It’s an abomination.” Aries just grinned, then tossed another snowball. *A Shift in Perspective* A sharp breeze rushed through the branches, tossing snowflakes into the faint glow, each one flickering like a pinprick of light. Vivian froze halfway through shaping a snowball, her pale blue coat sprinkled with fresh flakes, eyes scanning the scene. Everything seemed shifted somehow - not only due to winter’s touch, yet as though the atmosphere itself had turned new. Veilheim was magical most days, sure - but this moment? Totally unlike anything earlier. The quiet weight of untouched drifts, the hush under the sky, how frost clung soft and slow - like calm whispered straight into the ground - it struck her deep, vivid, real. She moved ahead, snow squeaking under her hooves, yet breathed in slowly. Cold air stung a little, still felt fresh - yet hinted at more: maybe chance. Snow covered everything messy, scrubbed out noise; instead, quiet stayed behind. Vivian liked things lined up right, balanced, just like back home where nothing ever slipped. Yet there, the snow lacked sharpness, no stiff borders - just smooth, flowing, loose. It didn’t ask for accuracy; it just existed. She looked at the snowball still sitting in her hooves, never tossed. Until now, each step she took was planned - tight, sharp, meant to work just right. Yet this place, this weird little scene, somehow felt alive because it wasn’t clean or neat. A pause came over Vivian; her breath caught when it clicked: perhaps flawless wasn't the only path worth taking. Perhaps mess held value. Spontaneity mattered. Even chaos could carry its own kind of grace. She stared across the icy lake, snow drifting down gentle-like, making the ice sparkle - then noticed a weird heat blooming inside her ribs. Over there, Aries kept cracking up, buzzing with that usual spark - but right then, Vivian didn’t care about fixing anything she said. She just grinned instead. For the first time since she got to Veilheim, Vivian dropped her grip on everything. Walking out onto the frozen lake, her hooves sank slightly into the ice. Snow drifted down around her, quiet and slow. *A New Understanding* Vivian stayed by the icy lake, snow sprinkling her light blue jacket, then let out a calm puff of air. The heaviness inside wasn't just gone - now it felt cozy, almost surprising. Aries came close, gaze sparkling with that cheeky spark she always had, the kind that got Vivian moving when she’d rather stand still. “You actually stood on the ice,” Aries said with a laugh. “You didn’t just avoid it. That’s a first.” “I wasn't ready for how quiet the lake felt," Vivian said, looking toward the trees heavy with snow. Yet everything around just sat there - no sound, no movement. Still, it hit her like something totally new Aries tilted her head. “Different in a good way?” “In every way,” Vivian said, a faint grin tugging at her mouth. Glancing again toward the lake, watching how the snow landed in soft spirals, she felt a quiet change inside. Perfect didn’t mean much - certain moments, certain spots, existed just to be lived, no structure needed. “You always have to be so precise,” Aries teased. “Even in snowball fights.” Vivian gave a mock frown. “Strategy is important, even in play.” Aries chuckled once more, her grounded vibe mixing with the hush of falling snow. They stayed there, next to each other, while flakes drifted down; suddenly, it hit Vivian - this wasn’t merely some fresh location. It was a starting line.