Nerventee

With the first snow of the winter season covering the grass, the Reindeer herd migrated from the higher mountains down into the forests and plains of the land. Food getting scarce now, every herbivore had to dig under the snow to get to vegetation to eat. Others ripped off some bark of the trees to feed on. The ones who used the plenties of autumn to gain some weight and fat for the winter were the lucky ones, while others started to starve. The smart ones went into hybernation, sleeping through the entirety of the cold season. Eir and her sister Grymfang were send out by their father to find some grazing places to feed. The younglings in the herd did not had the chance to gain a lot of fat in the previous season, so they needed to help each other out. Eir led her sister to a clearing in the forest she knew had some resiliant grass under the cold blanket. She had spend some time in autumn here, meeting Kiviok. The clearing was not far from the portal they used to get to their home.

Kiviok wanted to spend some time with the young doe she met a few days ago, wandering the timbervale forest to deliver a message. Eir was her name. A big, slim doe with long legs and long spiky antlers, so untypical for elk antlers. Eir was distant, cold even, but the face she made when Kiviok first smiled at her showed a glimpse of the soft heart that was hidden behind that stoick fassade. After delivering the message to Eirs father Hades, she lingered in the vacinity for a few days, learning where the herd was wandering around, grazing, sleeping. Eir spend a lot of time with her sister Grymfang, a massive Rukaan with enourmus antlers. They were very close. Kiviok did not want to intrude, so she waited until Eir was alone again. Eir was grazing in the same clearing they met before, outside of the portal of their home. Kiviok was watching her from the treeline, noticed how Eirs ears and eyes went to the forest from time to time. It could be her imagination, but was Eir actually

Kiviok was born at a small homestead just when spring arrived and the last patches of snow were melting away. She kept close to her mother, who lived in a big barn, fresh straw layered on the ground. Her mother was owned by some humans, working their fields and pulling the carts to the nearby village so her humans could sell their produce on the market. The humans were old, but kind. Treating Kivioks mother with kindness and respect, but leaving them on their own most of the time. They were just so old and needed a lot of rest, her mother explained. Kiviok did not know her father, but she did not need to. Her mother was all she needed anyways. Time flew, spring turned into summer, and soon enough, the leaves on the trees turned beautiful shades of yellow and red. Kiviok went everywhere where her mother went. Not leaving her side for the first few months. Now she got more brave, adventurous, strutting around and exploring her surroundings. She always liked looking through the fence

It was a beautiful day today. Timbervale shined in a golden hue, the leaves of the trees turned different shades of yellow, orange and reds a few days ago, many of them still holding onto the branches. The ground was littered with dry leaves, crunching under every step. Winter was coming for sure, but today the sun was strong, so many animals came out to bask in the warming rays. Eir grazed in a small clearing of the Timbervale forest. She was alone but not too far from her herd, waiting on her fathers return. She had left her sister Grymfang and the stag Helios they found a few days ago behind so they could get to know each other a bit better. Of course she had noticed how Grym behaved around the golden male. And unlike other males, Helios was actually respectful and nice to her little sister. And while Eir did not like to leave her sister alone with a stranger buck, maybe it would benefit Grym. The lanky doe shoved the colorful leaves to the side to get to the grass below. It was

Eir shivered slightly in the cold breeze, her ears pinned back against her head, she looked around. The dense forest of the taiga surrounded her, the evergreen trees swaying in the bitterly cold wind. The days got shorter, the air crisper. Colorful leaves already lost their grip on the branches and were littering the ground, providing shelter for the smaller animals of the forest. Winter was coming. And she could have imagined her morning be a little bit more comfortable. Maybe resting her body against that of her sister, her thick fur would surely warm her. Instead the young does father had summonded her this morning. "There you are." The deep voice of her father Hades rumbled behind her, startling the doe slightly. "Good morning father.", Eir replied, shuffeling a bit to keep warm. She wanted to ask why he had called for her in this cold weather, but respect kept her mouth shut. Hades surely had a good reason. He lifted his massive head, suggesting her to follow. She understood