Citizen 236 Elwood

Elwood could still remember the first time they'd ever witnessed snowfall. Living in the more arid regions of Rexalia meant that snow was a rare sight, so when it did snow, it felt like something truly special. A gift.They had been following their mother along a path that wove through the dry shrubland, passing by familiar landmarks. They hadn't lived in this area their whole life; their mother had decided to come here to be amongst other family after years away. The desert tribe was unfamiliar to Elwood, but they were still friendly. He thought that they looked strange, with their long robes and hardened gazes, yet they treated him with kindness. It had been easy to grow familiar with their lifestyles and the terrain over the several months they'd been staying here so far."Keep up, little one," their mother's voice came from ahead. Elwood paused, realizing they had lagged pretty far behind. "The cold storm will be approaching soon," she warned. Elwood sped up, racing to catch up with her, passing over piles of rocks and brambles. Cold weather wasn't entirely uncommon here, considering it got quite cold at night time, but winter storms hardly ever passed through the desert. It was frankly really rare, according to the locals."Soon? How soon?" he asked, slowing down once he reached his mother's side. He did his best not to bump into her as they began traversing a thinner path that followed a steep rock ledge. It wound its way up a hill that was covered in old, dry trees, their branches rattling in the wind. "Soon enough," she replied, her tone same as usual; empty, devoid of much emotion. Elwood never thought anything of it, and simply believed it to be the way she spoke. They were unaware that there had been a time where she spoke with much more liveliness. They continued to walk, passing through ravines cluttered with brambles and old bones, climbing over large fallen trees where animals sheltered, and walking between butte formations that surrounded them on all sides. As they traversed the terrain, the air was growing colder. Elwood knew they would get back to the tribe before the sun completely slipped beneath the horizon, but it would be close. It was not wise to travel at night time, as everyone said. Unfortunately, their trip to collect water had taken a little longer than expected.Elwood breathed in the cold air, shaking themselves out. Gray clouds rolled overhead, and with them came even colder winds. Suddenly, something unusual caught their attention, and they turned their head to witness a small, white speck drifting through the air. What was it? They turned around fully to get closer, watching as the fleck landed in front of them and seemingly vanished into the sandy earth.Their mother glanced back and smiled, a rare sight to behold. Elwood quickly looked around as more and more of the white flecks began falling around them, bewildering them. Was this… snow? From the approaching storm? They'd never seen it before— it was so small. The air around them quickly grew dense with snowfall, and they ran after their mother, opening their mouth to try and catch some of the flakes. They raced about, trying to bite at some of them, but quickly discovered they couldn't be caught.Elwood paused as their mother stopped them for a moment, and sat down with him. "Hold out your hands," she instructed, to which he hurriedly did as she asked. She, too, held out her hands, and Elwood watched joyfully as the snowflakes fell onto their palms and stayed there. He leaned down closer to see, eyes wide with wonder, before the flakes slowly began to melt against his fur."They're so pretty," they breathed, blinking a few times and gazing back up at their mother.She smiled once more and stood back up. "Yes, but it's also cold. We're almost there, hurry along now." She turned once more to head up the path, and Elwood hurried after her.The lanterns strung around the rocky cliffs came into view as they neared the village, snow still falling around them. Elwood couldn't help but be amazed. Something as rare and beautiful as snow falling in the desert needed to be appreciated, they thought. So they would do just that.They hoped it would keep snowing, at least for a little while.

Author: ottermeal