text: **winter dragon** The mountains were always bitter cold during the winter. Snow would pile up and icicles would block the doors. Even in their tiny valley village it was hard. They would get just enough crops to only half starve until spring. A few times they had run out of firewood and had to burn whatever they could spare. Of course, she could never complain. Complaining wouldn’t get them anywhere. Instead on the rare warm days she would bundle up and go look for wild plants or roots. She could easily get enough for a couple days. But there was always a danger to it. The semi melted snow made the stone wet and hard to walk on. And her foot could easily sink in the mud and get stuck. But it was either that or possibly starve to death. Her cloak whipped her back and she fell backwards. The wind was hard on her face, making it hard to even breath. Water leaked into her boots and clothes, chilling her to the bone. She finally managed to pry open her eyes and saw white. A snow storm had rolled in. Dread filled her gut when she realized she would most likely die out here. Tears pricked at her eyes and froze; she would die any minute. She forced herself to a stand and tried to see anything through the blizzard. She thought she spotted a flicker of fire and she forced herself to walk towards it. It had to be another villager, she thought. The closer she got the more unsure she was. How did they start a fire in a blizzard? Why were they out in the first place? She stopped and really thought about it. There had been tales of an ice dragon that lived in the abandoned mines. But they were just fairytales told to warn children away from the mountains. Weren't they? A bellowed growl shred through the air like an iron sword cutting through flesh. She stood frozen as a shape took form in front of her. yellow eyes like a lizard and teeth sharp enough to rip her to pieces. Terror seized her and she couldn’t move a muscle. Now she was surely going to die. The lizard eyes widened in surprise that mirrored her own as the large dragon shimmered and shrunk down into a boy. He looked her age but was taller than her father. He had white hair and kept his eyes and teeth, looking like a strange beast a child would come up with. “I'm very sorry for growling at you, I thought you were a rabbit,” said the very sheepish looking dragon. “you're afraid of rabbits?” she asked and could barely hide her smile when fear overtook his face for just a moment. “no of course not, I'm a dragon,” he said defensively. “oh really? I didn’t seem to notice,” that was all she managed to say before her legs gave out and black overtook her vision. She awoke to a warm sensation all over her body and the sound of crackling wood. She opened her eyes and saw a small fire just a few feet from her. Her cloak was now untied and folded beneath her head. And... she was wearing trousers. She glanced down and saw she was now dressed in a tunic tied at the waist and men's trousers. “I'm sorry for that, your clothes were wet and you would have been colder with them on,” the dragon boy said. He sat on the other side of the fire looking into it, trying to hide his flushed cheeks she guessed. “its ok I guess; privacy isn't a big issue in my village,” she pulled herself up into a sitting position, “what's your name anyway?” she asked. “Alva,” he said. “that's a girl name, "she responded. “I didn’t choose my name,” he said in a harsh tone finally looking at her. “then you're obviously not from around here then. My names Chusi by the way,” she said. “snake flower. And you call my name stupid,” he smirked at her. She scowled “has the storm ended?” she asked, ready to be rid of him. He shook his head. She sighed. “what are we supposed to do until then?” she asked. “nothing, I have nothing here but the bare minimum.” “you're boring,” she said. He glared at her.