Final Part - 01 | Sworn in Snow

Pursena stood at the edge of the fence, peering out into the serene backdrop of white. There in the sky, beautiful petals of snow fell like fluorescent dancers twirling amongst the clouds. She leaned forward, propping her elbows on the wooden fencing, her eyes wandering to the wintry sky.

It was the first snowfall of the year. For once in her life, Pursena was not spending it in the warmth of her dorm room with her sister, nor was she in class slacking off and eating jerky instead, nor was she at home with her family.

This year, she was in a rather unfamiliar place, but one that radiated the same kind of warmth as home did regardless. Her tail began to wag. Here, in this snowy village, she felt safe.

"Oi!" came a voice from behind. Pursena glanced over her shoulder, finding her sister stepping through the snow. "Think fast!"

Pursena instinctively got off of the fence and outstretched her arms, surprised to be catching a big winter coat. Linia grinned heartily at her sister's confused face, holding up a second coat of her own.

"The tailor made us some pretty nifty coats, nya. Check out that fur collar." Linia looked over her coat, a childish admiration in her eyes for the smooth furs that rounded the collar. Her fingers squeezed the material, tracing over the warm woolen sleeves.

Pursena followed suit, reveling in the fine quality of the coat. She lifted her chin, looking toward her sister. "How much were they?"

"Three gold a piece," Linia said. "Not too bad, eh?" She pulled the front of the coat open and slung her arms into the sleeves, quickly letting herself be absorbed into the heat of the wool. Her tail twitched in pleasure. With this, not even the strongest gust of icy wind could breach her skin.

Pursena smiled at her sister's pleased expression, following along and putting her coat on. It was like magic. No wonder Linia looked so content. Pursena wasn't the type to give credit where credit was due, mostly for those she didn't know, but the village's tailor sure deserved a medal of honor.

"Nice," Pursena breathed and watched that same breath become an icy cloud right before her face.

"Right?" Linia meowed. "Let's hit up the tavern next. I'm starvin', nya."

Though the feline's suggestion was tempting, Pursena felt herself compelled by the horizon, there past the village fence. Silent, she turned away and continued staring into the snowfall. Linia suppressed a groan at her sister's wistful sightseeing, moving closer until she was standing beside her and watching the snow fall all the same.

"You gonna be a prude and stand here all day?" she asked, nudging her sister's shoulder, but unable to nudge her out of this mood.

"Maybe," Pursena replied. "I like the snow."

"I know you do. But you don't gotta stare at it all day. Come on, I ain't eating unless you eat with me."

For once, the word 'food' had little effect on the gluttonous canine. Her eyes continued to sweep the land, those vast plains caked in snow and slush. Linia pulled back, leaned away from the fence and stared down at Pursena's rear. She watched the girl's tail wag against her skirt and scoffed.

"Sheesh," was all Linia said at first. She took her hands off the fence, stepping away into the crunchy snow. "Whatever. I'll leave you to it, prude. I'm gettin' me some grub." With that, the feline was off, though she lingered for a second longer to see if Pursena might change her mind and follow after her. When she didn't, however, Linia sighed and left altogether.

Pursena smiled. The snow was soothing. Being alone felt nice. That meant she could think freely, without a single disturbance. Nothing could stop her from thinking of a certain someone, that one person whom she loved and adored. The image of their face and the sound of their name — it made her happy.

Very happy.

It was just a shame that that one snowy day, where nothing could possibly bother the girl or change just how she felt about the snowflakes dotting her clothing and chilling her face, soon became the last day either of the sisters could feel happiness.

* * *

It came without warning.

Without even the slightest hint, all serenity was drowned out. Fear took the place of happiness as soon as that man showed his face, and the beautiful snowy village was assaulted by spills of blood.

Not that Pursena could see the bloodshed clearly through her tears. No — the world surrounding her was blurred, yet all the more ugly, even if she couldn't blink away the fear that blinded her.

As screams rang out, the bloodcurdling cries of men, women, and children alike, Pursena stared up into the eyes of the embodiment of her certain doom. Next to her, Linia's body, still snug in her winter coat, blood trickling out of her mouth. One punch was all it took to silence the feisty feline.

Pursena trembled. She scooted further away from her pursuer, the man named Augustus. But she couldn't go too far. It wasn't long before she felt her back press up against the cold outside of a building. The wall stopped her crawling, forcing her to weep as she knew she was caught.

"Get up, Puppy," said the man.

Puppy. The word Pursena hated. She whimpered, trying to hide herself, make herself invisible, but there was nowhere left to run.

"I said, get up. Dogs are meant to be obedient." Augustus pressed on. The big burly man knelt down into the snow, stretching his arm. With a gloved hand, he took Pursena's chin and forced her to look into his harsh eyes. She flinched, not wanting to look into the face of this monster — this heartless creature who calls himself a man.

"Look at me, girl."

Pursena didn't. She shrunk and shut her eyes tight, hoping, praying to God this was all a nightmare. That this was not happening. Unfortunate for her, it was as real as the fear that made her heart hammer against her ribs.

"Bad," said the man and struck her across the face. It was such a hard slap that Pursena thought she might have lost a tooth, but couldn't afford to check now.

Something as simple as a slap was the least violent thing that had happened. While Augustus was disciplining his new dog, the rest of his men were slaughtering every other unfamiliar face. Every innocent man lost his life, many of the women suffered both death and the unholy fate of becoming unrighteously bound and sworn into slavery.

As for the children, sadly, they watched their parents become subject to the torment and the bloodshed, crying and screaming, but not daring to leave their mothers and fathers behind.

One little boy leaned over his father's corpse, sobbing, shaking him, trying to wake him but to no avail.

A little girl watched her mother fall into the clasp of roped binds. This woman was now a slave, even if she fought tooth and nail and screamed at her child to run far, far away — the little girl just couldn't understand why mommy would sound so scared.

Pursena saw it all. She saw the lives of these innocent people be splattered by blood, twisted into hell.

She rubbed her aching cheek and looked toward Augustus, but not before stealing a quick glance at her unconscious sister who bled into the snow.

"Come now, Puppy," ordered the man. His strong hand took hold of her neck and lifted her with ease. She gagged, choked by his grasp as she was hoisted off the ground.

"Don't kill the kitten," Augustus told one of his men. "We're taking both sisters."

"But Sir, would that not create conflict with the Doldia tribe?" As respectfully as he could, the soldier inquired. "The arrangement said..."

"To hell with the arrangement." Augustus' voice was sharp, cold, shutting the soldier down immediately. "These pretty animals are coming with us. You know just as well as I do — beastfolk sure can service a man."

He smiled and chuckled at his own words even over the sound of screams filling the air. Augustus, no matter the circumstance, could keep a smile on his bearded face. He set his blue eyes on Pursena, then on Linia, and felt himself chuckling harder.

"What a pretty sight. I'll put these two to real good use," he said and walked off toward the caravan with a hand still tight round Pursena's throat.

The soldier pulled the feline into his arms, following along. "Yes, Sir..."

Pursena couldn't speak. She felt herself slipping now as the man's big hand clenched her airways. Before she passed out entirely, she looked around, feeling herself cry harder at the sight of blood staining the snow. Families weeping and shattering. Buildings burning to the ground. Children wailing into the snowy air.

This was all her fault, she thought.

If she had never shown her face to this village, they would all still be living freely in their warm home. This would not have happened.

Pursena blinked toward her unconscious sister, hating herself for dragging even her into a devastating fate.

And when she looked up at the beautiful snow falling all around her, that sweet calmness she felt once before failed to fill her heart again. This time, as she looked at the snow, she felt her heart might have finally gone colder than winter itself.

. . .