Winter Under Way
Apr. 30th, 2020 07:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
queenkatyastarTitle: Winter Under Way
Author: Katya Starling
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Characters/Pairing: Peter/Red, Jack
Rating: PG-13/T
Challenge/Prompt: Lands of Magic: Round 6, Challenge 8: April Monthly Writing Prompts: Prank
Word Count: 1,394
Date Written: 27 April 2020
Warnings: Slight AU
Summary: Red enjoys Winter coming.
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
She could smell the difference in the air the moment she walked outside that morning. She smiled to herself, her dark eyes dancing with secret mirth. Many folks looked forward to Spring, and as a wolf, she did love to frolic in the fresh greenery and underneath the Spring and Summer moons. Still, there was something about Winter, and something even more delightful about the fun that came with it.
Her keen eyes remained in constant awareness as she began her journey to deliver Granny's goods that day. She never knew when she'd see him in the Wintertime, but she knew he was coming -- and she knew he'd always be good to lift her spirits, make her smile, and make her and others laugh. For some, the cold meant harshness and bitterness. For people like her dear, if ornery, Granny, Mister Amos, and even some of the young folk who had already known more than their fair share of pain at their age, the cold brought increasing pain, but she had played a secret game in it since she'd been a kid.
Her first few deliveries went as normal. Then, as she was passing the Widow Twinky's house, she heard a couple of the boys arguing. They weren't being mean, just teasing each other as children are wont to do, but the unexpected, loud voices brought her attention to them almost immediately -- hers and some one else's.
"SHUT UP DOWN THERE!" the widow yelled out the window. "OR DO YA NEED MORE CHORES?!" She slammed her shutters shut, shaking the whole building with her the might of her annoyance. Ice and water slumped down from the roof and straight onto the boys below. They yelled, but Red could barely contain her laughter at the sight of their round, astonished faces. Pressing a hand to her mouth, and keeping it there to silence herself, she quickened her pace.
The wind was rising, too, she noted. It felt quite brisk but simultaneously held the promise of fun and adventure. She kept watching her surroundings as she made one delivery after another and the hours dragged on. It was at Amos Slade's that his old hound dog kept twitching, almost jumping, and looking at its tail. "Wrong season for fleas," the elderly man muttered, and Red could barely hide her grin.
She was leaving when the dog jumped up into the air, flipped around, and growled at where its tail had been a scant second before. "Darnation! I don't know what's wrong with you today, mutt!" Amos kicked his boot against the floor, and another round of the rainwater from the previous night fell down, instantly drenching him.
A giggle escaped Red before she could stop it. "I'm sorry, Mister Slade. Your dog was just biting at his own tail again." She smiled sweetly and innocently up at him, and, thankfully, he bought her act.
"Don't know what's wrong with my pooch. You got any more of those dog biscuits?"
"Yes, sir, I always do." Her smile widened as she sold him four of the treats she had accidentally concocted for pets the last time she'd tried to make a cake by herself. She reminded herself that she still needed to pay closer attention to Granny's cooking lessons, especially if she was to delight Peter with a surprise birthday cake next year as she intended.
She had gone further out still when a couple of very familiar boys caught her attention. They were romping through the wet, mucky ground, playfully kicking and swatting each other with pudgy fists and bare, youthful feet. "Red!" Peter looked up at her with a grin and then shook his head at his little brothers. "Father insisted I bring them on a walk to cool their spirits, and this is the thanks I get." He indicated a muddy spot on his cheek.
She smiled. "It doesn't exactly take away from you."
"Flatterer," he growled playfully.
Her mind flashed back to a few nights prior when they had enjoyed a private moonlit romp. She must have been grinning like a fool, because he clearly mistook her expression. "The seasons are changing. It's getting colder." He whisked his cloak off of his own shoulders and draped it over hers.
She quickly pulled the edges closer around her, enjoying the deep musk of Peter's natural aroma. "They are," she agreed, carefully refraining from admitting that she wasn't cold in the slightest. She rarely was when he was near. There was something about the man that seemed to light a natural fire inside of her. Her grin broadened, but then she broke out laughing heartily when a snowball whizzed out of nowhere and smacked Peter in the face.
He wiped the wet stuff from his mouth and glowered in the direction from whence it had sailed. "Brothers!"
"We didn't do it!"
"Honest."
"Yeah, right." He looked around for more snow but, to his surprise, couldn't find any.
"There," Red said, pointing a single pile of snow already formed into a soft, white ball.
"That's . . . weird." He made a troubled face, but she shrugged away his concerns.
"The beginning of Winter is a magical time, Peter. Besides, if some one is helping you against your little brothers, why look a gift horse in the mouth?" Or a gift Elemental, she thought, fondly recalling the youthful boy she'd spotted years ago on one of her first delivery runs in the freezing Winter. Their eyes had connected, and ever since then, the cold didn't seem to bother her, at least not as much. Perhaps she knew there was always a friend out there in the icy wind.
Hearing laughter, she looked around them again. Peter and his brothers were laughing, but the sound was higher-pitched than their laughter. It almost sounded feminine and definitely had a twinkle to it like she'd always believed a Fairy's laughter would sound. She didn't see him, but she knew Jack Frost wasn't far.
Peter was still wrestling with his brothers in the mud when another snowball suddenly zipped out of nowhere and again hit him in the face. Red held up her hands when he looked at her accusingly. "I didn't do it, I swear!"
"Yeah, right! Come here!" He laughed as he gave chase, leaving his brothers behind to continue fighting each other.
She gave in readily enough, allowing him to tackle her and bring her down on the soft, damp grass. It was not without a secret whisper of thanks that she went down beneath him, however. He lay full length above her, keeping his weight on his hands shoved onto the ground. He blinked curiously down at her. "Why are you thanking me?"
She smiled and wriggled her nose. "No reason." She wasn't thanking him at all, but she wasn't about to tell him that. They might be wolves together at night, but she knew that Peter still didn't trust magic or magical folk. She, however, was slowly learning to more and more with each passing season. She had no doubt that Jack Frost had kept her from getting too cold on some of her deliveries in the past freezing Winters, and just now he'd played a prank that had landed her her man exactly as she wanted him.
Peter opened his mouth to ask another question, but Red closed his lips underneath the seal of her own, warm mouth. Her tongue danced inside him, teasing his teeth and tongue. His arms surrounded her, and she felt him thrust up against her. "Easy, Peter," she said, laughing, as she pulled gently away. "Don't forget your brothers."
He glanced at where the boys were rolling in the mud. "Mother's going to kill me," he groaned with a roll of his sweet, dark eyes. "But they're definitely not paying us any attention." With that said, he recaptured Red's succulent mouth with his own and rolled her swiftly onto her back. Now she could feel the snow beginning to fall, but she was toasty warm beneath him -- toasty warm, completely in love, and perfectly content to stay there for the rest of her life, or at least the rest of the day. She wrapped her arms around him, returning his heated embrace and each kiss for another. Winter was definitely under way, and it was going to be a glorious, merry season!
The End
Author: Katya Starling
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Characters/Pairing: Peter/Red, Jack
Rating: PG-13/T
Challenge/Prompt: Lands of Magic: Round 6, Challenge 8: April Monthly Writing Prompts: Prank
Word Count: 1,394
Date Written: 27 April 2020
Warnings: Slight AU
Summary: Red enjoys Winter coming.
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
She could smell the difference in the air the moment she walked outside that morning. She smiled to herself, her dark eyes dancing with secret mirth. Many folks looked forward to Spring, and as a wolf, she did love to frolic in the fresh greenery and underneath the Spring and Summer moons. Still, there was something about Winter, and something even more delightful about the fun that came with it.
Her keen eyes remained in constant awareness as she began her journey to deliver Granny's goods that day. She never knew when she'd see him in the Wintertime, but she knew he was coming -- and she knew he'd always be good to lift her spirits, make her smile, and make her and others laugh. For some, the cold meant harshness and bitterness. For people like her dear, if ornery, Granny, Mister Amos, and even some of the young folk who had already known more than their fair share of pain at their age, the cold brought increasing pain, but she had played a secret game in it since she'd been a kid.
Her first few deliveries went as normal. Then, as she was passing the Widow Twinky's house, she heard a couple of the boys arguing. They weren't being mean, just teasing each other as children are wont to do, but the unexpected, loud voices brought her attention to them almost immediately -- hers and some one else's.
"SHUT UP DOWN THERE!" the widow yelled out the window. "OR DO YA NEED MORE CHORES?!" She slammed her shutters shut, shaking the whole building with her the might of her annoyance. Ice and water slumped down from the roof and straight onto the boys below. They yelled, but Red could barely contain her laughter at the sight of their round, astonished faces. Pressing a hand to her mouth, and keeping it there to silence herself, she quickened her pace.
The wind was rising, too, she noted. It felt quite brisk but simultaneously held the promise of fun and adventure. She kept watching her surroundings as she made one delivery after another and the hours dragged on. It was at Amos Slade's that his old hound dog kept twitching, almost jumping, and looking at its tail. "Wrong season for fleas," the elderly man muttered, and Red could barely hide her grin.
She was leaving when the dog jumped up into the air, flipped around, and growled at where its tail had been a scant second before. "Darnation! I don't know what's wrong with you today, mutt!" Amos kicked his boot against the floor, and another round of the rainwater from the previous night fell down, instantly drenching him.
A giggle escaped Red before she could stop it. "I'm sorry, Mister Slade. Your dog was just biting at his own tail again." She smiled sweetly and innocently up at him, and, thankfully, he bought her act.
"Don't know what's wrong with my pooch. You got any more of those dog biscuits?"
"Yes, sir, I always do." Her smile widened as she sold him four of the treats she had accidentally concocted for pets the last time she'd tried to make a cake by herself. She reminded herself that she still needed to pay closer attention to Granny's cooking lessons, especially if she was to delight Peter with a surprise birthday cake next year as she intended.
She had gone further out still when a couple of very familiar boys caught her attention. They were romping through the wet, mucky ground, playfully kicking and swatting each other with pudgy fists and bare, youthful feet. "Red!" Peter looked up at her with a grin and then shook his head at his little brothers. "Father insisted I bring them on a walk to cool their spirits, and this is the thanks I get." He indicated a muddy spot on his cheek.
She smiled. "It doesn't exactly take away from you."
"Flatterer," he growled playfully.
Her mind flashed back to a few nights prior when they had enjoyed a private moonlit romp. She must have been grinning like a fool, because he clearly mistook her expression. "The seasons are changing. It's getting colder." He whisked his cloak off of his own shoulders and draped it over hers.
She quickly pulled the edges closer around her, enjoying the deep musk of Peter's natural aroma. "They are," she agreed, carefully refraining from admitting that she wasn't cold in the slightest. She rarely was when he was near. There was something about the man that seemed to light a natural fire inside of her. Her grin broadened, but then she broke out laughing heartily when a snowball whizzed out of nowhere and smacked Peter in the face.
He wiped the wet stuff from his mouth and glowered in the direction from whence it had sailed. "Brothers!"
"We didn't do it!"
"Honest."
"Yeah, right." He looked around for more snow but, to his surprise, couldn't find any.
"There," Red said, pointing a single pile of snow already formed into a soft, white ball.
"That's . . . weird." He made a troubled face, but she shrugged away his concerns.
"The beginning of Winter is a magical time, Peter. Besides, if some one is helping you against your little brothers, why look a gift horse in the mouth?" Or a gift Elemental, she thought, fondly recalling the youthful boy she'd spotted years ago on one of her first delivery runs in the freezing Winter. Their eyes had connected, and ever since then, the cold didn't seem to bother her, at least not as much. Perhaps she knew there was always a friend out there in the icy wind.
Hearing laughter, she looked around them again. Peter and his brothers were laughing, but the sound was higher-pitched than their laughter. It almost sounded feminine and definitely had a twinkle to it like she'd always believed a Fairy's laughter would sound. She didn't see him, but she knew Jack Frost wasn't far.
Peter was still wrestling with his brothers in the mud when another snowball suddenly zipped out of nowhere and again hit him in the face. Red held up her hands when he looked at her accusingly. "I didn't do it, I swear!"
"Yeah, right! Come here!" He laughed as he gave chase, leaving his brothers behind to continue fighting each other.
She gave in readily enough, allowing him to tackle her and bring her down on the soft, damp grass. It was not without a secret whisper of thanks that she went down beneath him, however. He lay full length above her, keeping his weight on his hands shoved onto the ground. He blinked curiously down at her. "Why are you thanking me?"
She smiled and wriggled her nose. "No reason." She wasn't thanking him at all, but she wasn't about to tell him that. They might be wolves together at night, but she knew that Peter still didn't trust magic or magical folk. She, however, was slowly learning to more and more with each passing season. She had no doubt that Jack Frost had kept her from getting too cold on some of her deliveries in the past freezing Winters, and just now he'd played a prank that had landed her her man exactly as she wanted him.
Peter opened his mouth to ask another question, but Red closed his lips underneath the seal of her own, warm mouth. Her tongue danced inside him, teasing his teeth and tongue. His arms surrounded her, and she felt him thrust up against her. "Easy, Peter," she said, laughing, as she pulled gently away. "Don't forget your brothers."
He glanced at where the boys were rolling in the mud. "Mother's going to kill me," he groaned with a roll of his sweet, dark eyes. "But they're definitely not paying us any attention." With that said, he recaptured Red's succulent mouth with his own and rolled her swiftly onto her back. Now she could feel the snow beginning to fall, but she was toasty warm beneath him -- toasty warm, completely in love, and perfectly content to stay there for the rest of her life, or at least the rest of the day. She wrapped her arms around him, returning his heated embrace and each kiss for another. Winter was definitely under way, and it was going to be a glorious, merry season!
The End
