It had been a long day out in the cold, longer than he'd anticipated. He'd been overconfident in his nose, and in the abundance of something called 'snow moss' in winter. Deepfrost. Whatever the locals insisted on calling it.
At least he'd been in fox form until the end, warm in his thick winter coat of fur, even if his paws and nose had gotten a nasty chill. He'd sniffed out the moss beneath the snow and then dug it free, carrying it back to the blanket he'd brought and piling it in the center until he had a good amount. With the blanket full he'd turned back into a man and tied the edges together, then slung it over his back to trudge to the settlement.
He was hungry and tired, and the clouds made the evening fall even sooner, but at last he was trudging up to Samuel's door. His friend had endured enough in the Atheneum, and Jigano had given him space to try and recover, only visiting him at his stall in the market to check in on him and make sure he was alright.
But the stories he was hearing of Long Night, the warning on the message board, the tales gathered in books in the Atheneum... did not make it sound like a particularly safe time of year, above and beyond the threat of cold and starvation. So, taking what he'd learned, he'd decided to help his friend maybe feel a little safer. Maybe be a bit less high-strung after their adventures in the sentient book.
Maybe.
He'd letSamuel know that he'd be stopping by today, he just hoped the other man wasn't too upset that it had gotten so late. Hopefully his gift would make up for that. Taking a deep breath and fixing the friendly smile on his face, Jigano raised his hand and tapped courteously on the door to the domicile he'd been directed to.
At least he'd been in fox form until the end, warm in his thick winter coat of fur, even if his paws and nose had gotten a nasty chill. He'd sniffed out the moss beneath the snow and then dug it free, carrying it back to the blanket he'd brought and piling it in the center until he had a good amount. With the blanket full he'd turned back into a man and tied the edges together, then slung it over his back to trudge to the settlement.
He was hungry and tired, and the clouds made the evening fall even sooner, but at last he was trudging up to Samuel's door. His friend had endured enough in the Atheneum, and Jigano had given him space to try and recover, only visiting him at his stall in the market to check in on him and make sure he was alright.
But the stories he was hearing of Long Night, the warning on the message board, the tales gathered in books in the Atheneum... did not make it sound like a particularly safe time of year, above and beyond the threat of cold and starvation. So, taking what he'd learned, he'd decided to help his friend maybe feel a little safer. Maybe be a bit less high-strung after their adventures in the sentient book.
Maybe.
He'd let
