Chapter Five

The forest had long since ended. Instead of weaving through fragrant trees, Shiv now tread upon dry yellow-green grass. 

The wide flatlands was dotted with crops of tall, bristly reeds. The surroundings reminded Shiv of the plains he used to live in, before his clan was evicted. As he gazed around with a sad nostalgia, he noticed the horizon growing brighter. The sun was rising.
“Almost there,” said Linia, as the group took a break at a small meadow spring. Little flowers dotted the edge of the ice-cold pool. Shiv smiled in response. He was literally itching for a good wash; he knew Love, Linia and Maru were keeping a polite distance from him to avoid his horrific stench and his fleas. Now that he was far from the grimy circus, he finally noticed the extent of his own foul odor, and privately thanked his rescuers for not pointing it out. He’d thought about taking a dip into the small ponds they stopped by on their breaks, but he didn’t want to muck up the water with his filth. Hours passed as they continued on their travel, and as they did, the air became cooler and cooler. Heavy clouds rolled across the sun, and soon, it began to snow. “Ah, good. Now we’re really almost there,” said Love. She snapped at a few large snowflakes as they drifted down gently. “Linia, why didn’t you bring something warm to wear? You must be freezing,” Shiv said, suddenly wondering why Linia was only wearing a white summer dress when the three of them came from the snowy lands of Nivaciel. “Doesn’t really bother me that much. The cold only bothers those who can be hurt by it,” she said, although she was covered in goosebumps. What is she? thought Shiv as he pondered her statement. The grassy plains, no longer flat but rippling with gentle hills, faded from a dry yellow-green to a soft white as the snow drifted—and then piled—with increasing density. Copses of coniferous trees sprouted up like snow-covered giants among the landscape. After another few hours, the four were slowed to a trudge in nearly a foot of snow. Thankfully, Shiv’s luscious mane provided his head, neck, shoulders with cozy warmth. He knew how silly he must have looked, with his mane all puffed up like a golden dandelion, but it kept his head warm from the seeping cold. “You should take a roll,” said Love mildly. Shiv knew she only suggested it because the fleas that inhabited his body would be numb with cold, and hopefully rolling around would either shake them loose or further freeze them off his body. “Alright, good idea,” said Shiv, and promptly rolled onto his side and flailed shamelessly in the snow. The only warning Shiv got was a twitch of Love’s tail, before five hundred pounds of wolf and fox pounced on him. Shiv swung one of his sledgehammer-like paws at Love, knocking her into the air, and she disappeared as she landed in an explosion of snow. Shiv leapt back with a snarl of surprise, then noticed Maru’s playful posture. The ex-Prince of the Incendior’s just initiated a play-fight with me! thought Shiv as he realized that he was not really getting attacked. Maru barked with laughter at Shiv’s bemused expression, and Linia, who had jumped off Maru’s back, rolled her eyes. “You didn’t expect that at all, did you?” Maru grinned toothily. “No... you are a prince, after all,” said Shiv. “That doesn’t mean he can’t play.” Love emerged from the snow, shaking the snow off her scarlet coat. Shiv glanced at her, then exploded forward with a roar, expecting to land on the small fox. But Love streaked away with unexpected speed, carving through the snow. He chased her as Maru rolled in the snow, laughing. After spending a few more minutes rolling and chasing each other through the snow, Linia sighed. “Let’s get going and not loiter here for too long. Indwellers tend not to attack us if they know we’re with Kuma, but they still could.” "Are you saying once the Indwellers know you belong to Kuma, they don’t attack?" Shiv asked curiously as Maru shook the snow off his coat. Linia scaled nimbly up the side of his leg and secured herself on his enormous shoulders again. “Maybe,” said Love vaguely, tail twitching. Shiv sighed as they began traveling northward again. “How many things are you going to hide from me?” "Many things. But if you choose to stay around with Kuma, then maybe we could tell you eventually.” "What do you mean, if I choose to stay? Joining Kuma’s Housekeeping isn’t mandatory?" Shiv asked incredulously. Linia said, "No, you can leave after the first two weeks, but most people choose to stay. Conditions with Kuma are much preferable to living in the hell hole Fairyland has become.” After another couple hours or so, the sky had become a deep red-violet with the sunset, and the snowfall ceased. The copses of trees had expanded into woods and forests, tall dark evergreens topped in white. Hills of snow undulated into the distant horizon. Shiv squinted. Large, sparkling structures seemed to glitter a few miles ahead of them. “What are those?” “Glaciers. When we finally get into the House, you can take your nice long bath,” said Love, emphasizing “long”. A bath! Shiv smiled endogenously at the thought of not just splashing hot water on himself and scrubbing the grime away from his skin, but soaking in a pool of steaming, crystal-clear water. “Yes, you’re going need one,” said Linia darkly, glancing over her shoulder and wrinkling her nose.