Snow dragon

A sole woman on a small sled, pulled by a tall, black horse, both amidst a landscape of dazzling, freezing white. It seemed endless, although frozen rivers and curious plants awaited them in the distance. And beyond those lay primordial woods forever stopped in time, high atop a plateau made of pure ice.

Not everyone could make this treck and brave those lands. Yet it was an ancient custom for those who could, a pilgrimage to the grave of the snow dragon. 

Azura had a very minor grasp of the element of ice, but it was enough to allow her safe passage. She had always found comfort in the cold. Still, she had little to no power here, safe for the metal shed brought. It was her strongest element and yet so little compared to her surroundings. Luckily no predators of any kind lived here, nothing did.

It was custom to make this track either on foot or with a mount. No machinery and no flying were permitted, except for absolute emergencies. Small groups or pairs were the norm, many went alone or with just an animal companion.

It was a place of serenity for those seeking it out. Detached from their lives and yet, memories long forgotten regularly surfaced within the travelers.

Although devoid of any noise but the howling winds and of any traces of life besides their own, this place felt alive in its own way. It was neither malicious nor benevolent and its piercing cold felt almost homely to those who could endure it. 

Azura did not want to be all alone on this journey, but yearned for the serenity the occasional lack of friends or family could bring. The passage allowed one time to reflect. Maybe to make peace with old memories, good or bad.

So Azura had chosen Scorch. He was the perfect companion for this journey. She dearly loved him and he was a steadfast and reliable companion. He was strong, enduring and, most importantly, he was a Loshenka, a breed which was adapted perfectly to such conditions with him especially so. His coat was even denser than that of others of his kind and it would keep him safe and warm.

He trusted her like no other and although he was not great at expressing it, he returned her love. He did not call for her when she approached the pasture, yet he came running. He followed her at a respectful distance when they walked together and remained there steadily. As time wore on, foa-lish sides of him had resurfaced which had been pushed aside for many years. Azura thought goofiness fit him well and was happy to see it.

With her, he braved the unknown with iron confidence and curiosity. It was an adventure, the weather conditions called home to his very core.

His strength and endurance allowed them to make good pace. They were well prepared and equipped, that was half the rent of such a venture. Scorch had received a pair of snow goggles to protect his eyes. The list had been compact to keep weight down, but he could pull much more than he could carry. By all accounts the sled had been a great idea and once combined with snow shoes for Scorch, he pulled it with ease. 

The ground was compacted and frozen snow. It supported his weight well and he had a good grip on it. It led the duo to be a little overzealous here and there. Scorch would occasionally speed up the pace, a trot here, a good bit of canter there. The sled demanded some caution, but Azura was able to keep the minimum of balance that it needed. 

By sunset they'd still not reached the plain's end. Azura suspected it would take a few days more, space was a strange thing here. Scorch was in good condition and although tired from a day's work, content. Azura decided to adjust the workload a little still. Even though he was used to long distance endurance rides, this was different and she preferred to be more prudent in that regard.

She pitched up a shelter, even though neither of them were a particular risk of freezing. Still, having a shelter was always nice and so was warming up with a small, lantern shaped heater. It was powered by a so-called core, a handy type of battery which would slowly regenerate its energy as time wore on. Azura didn't really know the exact mechanics behind it. They were beyond her, frankly speaking.

Once she had pitched up, Scorch shimmied his way in. The tent wasnt that small, but an 18hh horse made it look that way. He'd definitely leave again some time later, but for now he wanted to rest with Azura watching over him. And Azura was very happy to oblige and cuddle with her ever so slightly oversized lap dog. He wasn't very warm to huddle up to though. The effectiveness of his coat’s insulation was almost ridiculous. Azura was sure she'd find him outside in the morning, snowed in like a husky that prefers to be outside in a snowstorm. She was tempted to join him. The cold brought her comfort, peace, she was at home in the way it crept through her bones. Yes, the tent would remain empty tonight.

Scorchs dinner was well prepared and thought out. So was Azuras, at least in theory. She was too impatient to wait for the cans to fully defrost next to the heater and ended up scraping away at the contents like one would at barely thawed ice cream. Scorch was glad to munch his perfectly prepared meal besides her.

It took them three days to reach the rim of the high plateau. It was a massive, sheer wall of ancient ice. The best and intended way up were crevasses that opened into long, ascending tunnels. They had to leave the sled behind from this part on. Azura packed what they needed and divided the load between herself and Scorch. She checked his shoes, they were studded for extra grip, gave him a few pets and turned to make way into the tunnels.

The difference to being outside was stark. Untold masses of ice rested above them. The air was like that of a deep, cool cave, crisp and damp. The Ice's occasional rumbling and creaking and snapping made for a strange melody. The more one was subjected to it, the more soothing it became. Their path was dimly lit by light filtering through the ice, its origin unknown. Not only was it impossible for sunlight to penetrate this deep, it remained roughly the same through night and day. 

Azura was glad she had Scorch by her side. A sudden pang of loneliness had threatened to grasp her and Scorch was who warded it off, leaving nothing but an inkling of its brief existence. It was good to have him along and she once again had to appreciate how brave he was. This environment would have been strange and scary to many and she couldn't have faulted him for feeling this way. She had been fairly confident he'd be fine, they had traversed regular caves before, but this was different still. And there he was, trudging ever faithfully at her side. She stopped for a moment to give him a hug. He was fluffy and cold, his coat silky smooth with small ice crystals set upon it. 

They continued on and it was a nice change compared to the sledding, as this allowed Azura to talk to him much easier. Scorch was a quiet listener. 

Time had already felt different on the plains, like they were far beyond the normal concept of days and their importance. Inside the tunnels its flow became wholly undistinguishable and lost all its meaning. Maybe it was half a day, possibly more. Azura had checked the time occasionally, yet soon forgot what she'd seen on the display. When they reemerged atop of the plateau, it was dark. Just the moment to set up camp, take a break and call it a day.

The following morning, they got to take an actual good look at their surroundings. The plateaus edge was long behind them and no longer visible. Ahead of them lay more white, but it wasn't all snow, nor was it pure. Ever so slight hues of greens and iridescent colours glittered in the sun. It was grass and wildflowers, herbs and vines. All frozen but not dead. They rustled in the wind, which was milder compared to the days before. There was no distinct, trodden path forwards, they headed through the fields by compass, just as they'd done before. Here it was knee high, there just below the ankle and on other spots at Azura's hip. Whenever they stopped for a break, Azura would take the chance to hop on Scorchs back to get a better view of the area. It was more beautiful than words could ever describe.

The fields were not as endless as the plains below, after two days they came upon small trees. Here, grasslands made way for a primordial forest. The trees became larger further in, their leaves were frozen and iridescent, they tinkled in the wind and covered parts of the ground. Sometimes a couple would float down. Azura caught one, marveling at their fine makeup, somewhat see through and with ever changing colours. They were quite fragile and broke into sparkling dust when too much pressure was applied. 

Her boots and Scorchs lower legs were soon covered in that dust. Scorch took a while to notice this quality. Once he did, he was fascinated and stomped around to send more of the dust flying. At first he was cautious, then became more bold. Azura joined him, laughing and smiling. Time was no matter and soon forgotten in favour of fun. When they had their fill, they'd exhausted themselves more than what Azura had planned. Instead of heading further towards their destination, they took a detour to explore the sparkling forest. Scorch loved it and even took the lead, prancing here and there, wherever something caught his eye. He was followed right on foot by Azura, who was incredibly happy to see him so lively. That alone was worth any type of journey.

The next few days they continued to get side tracked here and there, eventually reaching the forest's edge after about three days. There was a large hill beyond it. Atop was a silhouette, indiscernible through its sheer size. The path grew steeper as they went, eventually leading them below a large overhang. or was it a cave? 

No... it was a gigantic, frozen wing draped over their path. Its skin was frozen and spotted with holes, through which sunlight and small flakes of snow filtered. Below it they took a break. This was not yet their destination, but Azura needed a moment to take it all in. 

When they eventually moved on, it was in silence. Where Azura had hummed or talked to Scorch before, she'd now fallen into quiet reverence. They followed the incline up further. There were things set at the paths side, untold numbers of trinkets, gifts, flowers and so much more. All brought by prior visitors, left to remain eternally at the dragon's side as a token of an ancient bond. Azura had not come empty handed either, she'd offer her token once it was time to leave. Scorch quietly followed her. He could sense that she was much more somber than usual, which in turn affected him.

She hurried her steps on the final meters of the incline. Finally, the dragon came into view. It was beyond anything else she'd ever seen. She had to tilt her head back to take in all of it, so grand was this creature.

Moments passed. Then some more, until she quietly walked towards it. its head lay on a mount further back, before that she made way towards its shoulder. Below it was a deep blue lake. Azura knelt in front of it, humming a song that once had been passed down by the dragons. She looked into the pristine waters, seeing gentle, colourful lights glow deep below. It reminded her of the aurora. With a soft smile she dipped her hands into the water and cupped them. Within her palms she created ice, first one petal, then two, eventually a full flower. It wasn't a great masterpiece, a metal one would've been much more striking. But this wasn’t about skill.

She raised the flower to her lips and gave it a small kiss, then set it onto the water and nudged it away. Slowly, it floated towards the dragon and eventually sank, dispersing into its petals which vanished into the deep blue.

It was her first greeting to the dragon. She rose back up and upon turning around, was met by Scorchs muzzle. Giant as he was, even lowering his head to carefully check on her still didn't bring them to eye level. Azura scratched his chin and pressed a kiss on his cheek. She didn't need to ask him to follow further, he was already walking with his muzzle at her shoulder. 

For a moment they stopped, Azura set down her and Scorchs gear. She took out his dinner and some compressed hay, placed it down before continuing on.

Although they'd just been at the dragon's side, its head was still a little ways away. Their walk was silent, only accompanied by the snow crunching beneath their feet. The final steps of the journey lay ahead. The duo climbed the mount and came face to face with the dragon's skull. Its scales and flesh were long gone, only sheer bone remained. It towered over them and yet, Azura felt safe.

They had reached their journey’s destination.

Standing in front of the dragon, Azura placed a hand on its skull. It was just like the frozen air around, like a clear winter night, a morning with freshly fallen snow.  

Scorch passed her and touched noses with the hallowed being, compelled by both curiosity and an inexplicable feeling of reverence, one new and unusual to him. As a horse had no concept of a deity, not until that very moment. It would vanish once he'd leave its vicinity.

Once he had drawn away, Azura patted his neck and motioned for him to roam. She would take a while longer. 

She kneeled in front of the dragon's skull and leant her forehead against its chin, closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the chilling air. Time wore on as she remained there. In silent harmony with a creature so much grander than her and yet, familiar and dear, an ancestor and protector of times long past.

Scorch explored the area while he waited for her. He returned to the lake- curiosity bade him to dip his nose into it, but instinct warned that this cold was of an entirely different kind than what he could endure. It was primordial. He did not approach it further. What he did do was eat some of the food left for him.

He eventually settled on dozing nearby Azura. Occasionally he'd wake and take a cautious look around to find their surroundings just as serene and unchanged as before. Azura remained where she was, unmoving and breathing slowly, even after sun eventually set and aurora began to illuminate the sky. Its colours were ever changing and magnificent. Yet Azura did not notice them, sunken deeply away in her spot. 

The night was even more fridgid than the day and yet so very peaceful. Where another would have frozen, Schorch stood guard, just as undisturbed by the cold as before. Snow began to fall as the night grew darker. Eventually Scorch decided he too should rest, laying down beside Azura. He carefully chose his spot and placed his head next to her. Snow began to gather on top of either of them. Not much was falling at once, but it continued throughout the night.

Both had dreams. Scorch dreamed of a desert, where he felt just as home as in the cold. No, more so. Above him circled something. It wasn't a bird. It was a dragon, one with scales just as yellow as the ones Azura would paint on Scorch. A strange dream which he would remember even after waking, but as he was a horse, could not make much of it. However, it brought him a sense of belonging. Thereafter, the sun seemed even more comforting than before.