Winter Upkeep

The winter air nipped at the lungs of any who breathed it. Cold and sharp, a harsh sensation that (despite winter’s reputation for being the world at rest) woke up most who experienced it. In some ways it was invigorating, but more than anything, it was frustrating.

In autumn, all the walls had been checked and reinforced where needed. Now, with winter in full swing, Lennox had to make sure they were resisting the much harsher chill. His ear flicked as a snowflake landed on it. He paid it no more mind than that. He had thought he’d seen a gap in the wall, and was deep in concentration to find it.

Several minutes passed. Nothing. That was fine, though. He reasoned that he hadn’t felt anything amiss while inside. A quick glance into the window proved to him that the lamba inside were fully undisturbed. Instead they were cuddled up with one another, full and ready for an afternoon nap.

With an affectionate sigh, Lennox was free to tackle his other winter-time chores.

The fortune of the Hielands, he reflected, was that the weather wasn’t very drastic. At least, not compared to other regions. The summers weren’t as scorching as they were in some places, and the winters weren’t as icy. Even the current, gentle snow wasn’t too common an occurrence.

All the same, seeing as it was a colder day, he was compelled to start a gentle fire in his hearth. To this end, he chopped a few logs - all the while keeping a wary eye on a vulorro who watched with playful eyes from afar. He got through the task without any incident, though. Once he secured the wood, he gestured for the vulorro to follow him.

The cosprout jumped, ran a few small circles in the snow, and frolicked after Lennox. He chuckled at its antics. With an affectionate roll of his eyes, he led the little mischief-seeker into the house. Maybe a little risky, but he knew what it wanted: a warm place to sleep and maybe snack on something.

Once someone had enough experience with them, vulorros were fairly simple to figure out. Sure, they were troublesome, but any cosprout could be appeased with proper friendship and care.

His suspicions were confirmed as the vulorro settled down on the couch while Lennox got to work at the fireplace. Once he got the fire going it was time for tea. A treat for the frosty work he’d done.

The warm mug soothed his still chilly hands. He took a seat near the vulorro, careful not to get too close as to not disturb it. His gaze was steady on the fire as he sipped at the tea.

He felt a nudge at his side.

The vulorro rested its head on his thigh, seemingly not content to just share the space. With a gentle scoff, he reached down with one hand to rub its ears, an action which it seemed to appreciate. He hummed his amusement, eyes returning to the fire.

His ears twitched with the sound of trotting - weren’t the lambas sleeping? - but didn’t get to think too much before he could feel the weight on the couch shifting. He could help but chuckle as he looked over to see three lambas flocked around the vulorro. The four cosprouts formed a cozy little pile. The lambas were quick to fall back asleep, and the vulorro followed suit.

Well, he wasn’t going to be able to go anywhere now.

That was fine. He liked this part of winter - he always liked to care for cosprouts. They were his friends after all. In winter, they needed the most help and in turn they showed the most gratitude. He sighed his comfort as he carefully set the empty mug on the side table. The chill had well evaporated from his body, and despite his best efforts, he drifted into the brumal nap.