Monthly Story Prompts

What does your character think about the winter weather?

Cold temperatures are best endured by a warm fire

Roe's teeth chattered, the cold air biting at every part of her bare skin. Her legs were like icicles, she couldn't feel her hooves anymore, the tips of her ears felt like they were about to drop off - why would anyone enjoy this time of the year? It was just misery on top of more misery. Even the professors thought that the day was too cold to function as they had cancelled all lectures during this spell of peculiar frost. There was no doubt this would grow worse. Perhaps, snow may fall here in Namarast. Regardless of the bitterness of winter, snow was something Roe could get on board with. There was something about a fluffy, white blanket that brought out the child in her. Back home, when it snowed, children would play on the grassy hill, throwing snowballs at one another and sledding down the bank. She was never allowed to take part in the fun, though. There was parts of her childhood that severely lacked where other's didn't. One day, she would make up for all those missed days of tomfoolery.

Today, however, all she wanted to do was get inside and close the door. Icy paths were definitely not part of the fun package that Roe missed out on and she was quite happy to avoid it at all costs for the rest of her life. With a struggle, she fought her way back to her dorm room, wanting nothing more than to curl up with a good book.

Eventually, she succeeded in the sliding battle between her and the slippery cobblestones. Using the door as a helping hand, she managed to pull herself into the hallway. The door slammed shut behind her. Even with the door shut, it was still cold, her breath still visible in the air. Eager to be free of this frozen feeling, she romped up the stairs, taking two at a time to climb faster. She made it to her room after what felt like forever and quickly dashed in, once again slamming the door closed to ensure the minimal amount of warmth escaped. The heat from her miniature fire walloped her straight in the face. It burned every numbed appendage, a tingling feeling spreading throughout her body. It hurt; it itched; it ached. She couldn't help but melt into the feelings, though, as it was such a welcome relief from the paralysis she'd been feeling outside.

Her familiar, Emrys, peeked his nose out from under the blanket he lay under on the bed. His whiskers twitched, unhappy with the disturbance to his slumber.

"You're home early," he said grumpily.

"Class was cancelled."

She shredded her layers by the door, dropping them to the floor to deal with later. The problem of laundry could wait just a while.

"Move up, you lump."

With a huff, the little white rabbit shuffled over begrudgingly, scooting his blanket with him. Roe rolled her eyes dramatically, grabbing another from her humongous pile near her desk.

"Times like this make me wish I could summon hot cocoa in thin air."

She chuckled as she flicked the blanket up in the air to unfurl it. Never mind. A good book would suffice. She gazed at her never-ending pile, each with a bookmark in. What did she fancy? Maybe, a good story book with a dramatic twist. Or, how about a romantic novel about two lovers that could never be together. Then again, she did have that book about the pirate. Oh, decisions, decisions! With no real care, she closed her eyes and pointed at one at random. There. That's the one she was going to read. 'Farewell, one and all', the book was titled. It had no bookmark in which meant it was new. The spine was crisp and ready to break, the pages were soft and not miscoloured or dog-eared. It had the aroma of leather and nature. What a perfect choice for a day like today when she couldn't be out with the life of the planet herself.

Happy with her choice, she opened up the cover and began her read in silence, the only noise being the soft snore of her friend lying next to her.