Frozen Friendship

          *

           “This Slushie is so good!” said Holly the Christmas kacheek, slurping on the straw of her Sparkle Berry Slushie.

      “Mine’s good too!” said Yuki. She had chosen a Marshmallow Slushie. The cool, sticky sweetness was the perfect thing to enjoy whilst wandering around Happy Valley.

      “I wish I’d gotten a different one,” sighed Mira the Blue Wocky, frowning at her Asparagus Delight Slushie. She did not find it to be very delightful at all.

      “If you beat me at snowball fight I’ll buy you another!” Holly said.

      “You’re on!” Mira said, running over to the game area. Yuki grinned, draining the last of her slushie. This would be fun to watch.

      Mira was lucky and did indeed win the snowball fight. She enjoyed her victory Jelly Slushie whilst Yuki and Holly played Ice Cream Machine. After that they all climbed up to the top of the mountain and browsed the Igloo Garage Sale. Yuki loved seeing all the interesting things for sale. She bought a pretty Holly Light String and stowed it in her bag for the long skate home. It was getting late by then, so she would have to leave soon. It had been such a fun day. She would miss her friends. She sat on a bench beside Rink Runner to put her skates back on.

      “Will you come again next week?” Hollie asked.

      “Of course! I’ll meet you beside the Slushie Shop, one week from today!” Yuki already couldn’t wait.

      “Great!” said Holly, giving her a hug.

      “I want to play Snowball Fight next time, too! How about two against one?” Yuki said, raising her eyebrows at Mira.

      “Totally, and I’ll still win! See you then!”

          *

          The skate home was cold and dark, but Yuki didn’t mind. She used her new Holly Light String to light the way and smiled, thinking about all the happy memories she’d made with her friends. The ice was smooth and glistened in the light. It was beautiful, and gliding on it made Yuki feel free. Just her and the ice. She twirled and jumped along, almost missing the turning for her Neohome because she was enjoying the journey so much. It was hard living far away from town, but this freedom and all the skating she could do made it worth it. The ice was always there for her, so she could never be lonely.

          *

     One week passed quickly for Yuki. She busied herself with skating and playing with Snowbelle, and cooking hearty meals for them to keep her Neohome warm and their bellies full. Soon it was the morning of the day she had promised to return to Happy Valley. Yuki stretched and climbed out of bed.

      “Morning Snowbelle!” she said, petting the Feepit curled up on her pillow. “I’ll bring you something nice back from Happy Valley!” Snowbelle’s eyes glowed purple and she made a loud moaning noise. Yuki ran downstairs and over to the window. She opened the curtains. The window was pure white. Yuki blinked, rubbed her eyes, then ran her paws over the glass. The whiteness didn’t move.

      “Oh no! I think I’m snowed in!” she gasped, rushing to the front door. Unlocking it, she turned the handle and pulled. It creaked and there was the sound of ice crunching, then slowly the door opened. Another wall of white, sparkly snow greeted Yuki. She shut the door and headed back upstairs. Climbing on her bed she pushed open the skylight and stuck her head out. A sharp wind struck her face and sent a flurry of snowflakes into her bedroom. Yuki shielded her eyes to look out. Her Neohome was buried in snow right up to the roof! And it was still snowing - a fierce blizzard raged on. It was so dark and the snow was so thick that she couldn’t even see where she was. Another gust of wind hit her. Yuki slammed the skylight shut and collapsed onto her bed in a pile of snow.

      “Well, I don’t think I’m going anywhere today,” she sighed. How long would the storm last? When would she be able to see her friends again? Yuki pulled her snow-covered blanket over her head, not wanting to get up again. Sensing her sadness, Snowbelle crawled over and nestled beside her. Yuki giggled as Snowbelle’s fur tickled her.

      “At least I have you!” she said. “We’ll be okay.”

      But still, she hoped the storm would pass soon.

          *

          Holly and Mira stood outside the Slushie Shop, shivering despite wearing their coats. It was snowing heavily in Happy Valley, too. They had been waiting for a long time; it was already getting dark.

      “Yuki should be here by now!” Holly said. Mira nodded, burying her neck in her coat.

      “I hope she’s okay… We can’t stay here much longer though, we’ll freeze!”

      Holly agreed. “Let’s come back tomorrow!”

     The next day, the snow was still falling. Holly and Mira dragged themselves through the deep snow. It stuck to their fur and stung their faces. Yuki still wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Her friends were worried by now.

      “What if Yuki got lost? Or she’s snowed in and needs help?” Mira wondered. They had no way to tell what had happened to her.

      “Maybe we should look for her! I have a Toy Sled in my Neohome. It will easily glide over the fresh snow!” Holly suggested. Mira didn’t like the thought of heading out into the storm, but the thought of Yuki lost and needing help was even worse.

      “Let’s go!”

     *

     The Toy Sled did glide very easily. Holly and Mira took turns at sitting in it and pushing. They followed the frozen river which Yuki skated on, speeding over the mountain.

      “This is fun!” laughed Holly, waving her paws in the air.

      “Maybe for you, I’m exhausted!” panted Mira. Pushing the Toy Sled was hard work. “Can we swap soon?”

      “Sure! At the next bend in the river! I don’t think it’s too far…”

      Mira carried on pushing. The river stayed stubbornly straight.

      “Are you sure you know where we are?” she asked Holly.

      “Uhmm… I thought I did…”

      Mira stopped.

      “Everything looks so different covered in snow! I don’t even know if this is the right river anymore,” Holly confessed. Mira looked around. She didn’t know, either.

      “We could go back and start again,” she suggested. A sudden breeze stirred the trees around them. Without the sound of the Toy Sled scraping over the snow it was eerily quiet. They must have travelled far, as it was also getting dark. It didn’t seem so fun anymore. A snowflake landed on Holly’s nose. Then on her cheek, then her tail. She looked at Mira and saw white flecks on her face.

      “Oh no, it’s snowing again! And we still don’t know where Yuki is!” Holly was scared now. She regretted deciding to venture out. Yuki was probably safe at home, waiting out the storm. She probably didn’t need rescuing. But now, they did.

     *

     Night fell swiftly, with the snow clouds stealing away the remaining daylight. Mira and Holly huddled together in the Toy Sled underneath Holly’s Fuzzy Pink Blanket, hoping it would be enough to keep them warm. But already it was damp and covered in a dusting of snowflakes. Mira was tired. She let her eyes drift closed, happy to forget where she was. Maybe if she had a nap it would all be a bad dream and she’d wake up warm and safe in her Neohome…

      “Mira!” Holly whispered. Mira groaned but didn’t open her eyes. Then she felt Holly’s paw brush her face.

      “Mira, look!” Holly was shaking her now. Mira shook snow off her head and sat up. It was still snowing, but the air around them looked clearer somehow. As though the snow was parting for them. And there was a strange blue light drifting through the trees towards them…

     Mira clutched Holly.

      “What is that?!” she whispered.

      “I don’t know!” sobbed Holly, hugging her friend back.

      The light travelled faster, until it stopped right in front of them, then it started to take on the form of a someone. Someone with wings made of icicles, and wearing a thick fur coat…

      “Taelia!!” Mira and Holly shouted. The Snow Faerie stood before them, looking elegant and powerful with her shining blue eyes and the snowstorm passing around her.

      “Hello,” Taelia greeted them. “Might you need my help?”

      Mira and Holly couldn’t believe their luck.

      “Yes please!” Holly cried. “We were trying to find our friend Yuki, to see if she’s safe in the storm. But now we don’t know where we are…”

      Taelia smiled. “What good friends you are! How about if I take you to Yuki’s house? We can check on her.”

      “That would be great!”

          *

          Yuki and Snowbelle were very bored of the weather by now. Yuki sat by the fire sipping a Cup of Hot Borovan, wondering if she would ever get out, when suddenly a gentle blue light began to glow throughout the room. Yuki jumped up, looking around. She realised the light was coming from outside - her windows weren’t blocked anymore! Rushing to the front door, Yuki pulled it open. Her Neohome was free! And there on her garden path stood Taelia. Yuki gasped. In all her time spent living on Terror Mountain and skating over its quiet, wild places, she had never seen the Snow Faerie before. Now here she was outside her house!

      “Hello Yuki,” Taelia greeted her.

      “…hello,” Yuki stammered shyly.

      “I’ve cleared the snow from your Neohome, and put a spell on it to stop it from getting buried again.”

      “Oh, thank you!”

      “And I’ve brought you some visitors…”

      Mira and Holly stepped out from the warmth of Taelia’s fur coat and ran towards their friend. Yuki squealed with happiness and ran outside to meet them.

      “I missed you! I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” she said, hugging Mira and Holly.

      “We were so worried! We came to find you, but the storm-”

      “You came looking for me in all this snow?!”

      “Of course we did! But we got lost. Then Taelia rescued us!”

      “What an adventure!” Yuki gasped. “I’m so glad you’re both safe!” The thought of Mira and Holly stranded in the snow made her shiver more than the cold did. She was very grateful to Taelia, who stood watching them happily.

      “Can we help you too? Do you need anything for your spells?” Mira asked. Taelia thought for a moment and looked around.

      “Well, I could use your Toy Sled and Fuzzy Pink Blanket, if you can spare them?”

      “Of course, they’re yours!” Holly said without hesitation.

      Taelia smiled. “Thank you. And now I have gifts for you, too.” Taelia raised her hands and moved her fingers through the air in a gentle, gliding motion. Blue and silver sparkles appeared around her. Yuki, Holly and Mira gasped in delight to see the Snow Faerie performing magic right in front of them! The sparkles increased and came together to form a ball of light, before disappearing. Taelia was left holding two pairs of Warm and Fuzzy Ice Skates, which she handed to Holly and Mira.

      “There. Now travelling over the mountain will be easier for you, and you can visit Yuki more often!”

      “Thank you! This will be fun!” said Holly.

      “I’m sure it will. But also, you should stay indoors and keep safe when there’s a storm in future,” Taelia warned them.

      “We promise!” said Holly and Mira together.

      Yuki was already sitting on her doorstep putting on her skates. “I can teach you to skate! Let’s go to the river!”

      “Okay, but I’m a bit scared I’ll fall…” worried Mira.

      “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you!”

      “Yes, we’re all here for you!” agreed Holly.

      “I know you’ll keep each other safe from now on,” said Taelia, and then she was gone in a flurry of sparkles and snowflakes.

      Yuki smiled to herself as she finished lacing up her skates, realising that yes, the ice was always there for her, but so were her friends. They spent the day skating - and Mira didn’t fall even once! In the evening they shared Spicy Snow Rolls and Frosty Doughnuts in Yuki’s Neohome and planned their next trip to Happy Valley. They still had that game of Snowball Fight to play!

     The End.