An Old Coat, A New Friend

[Rilian]

This has been written as an entry to Kestrad's raffle.
*
The lights of the Keep reflected in the Stream like stars. Snow piled in great soft cushions around the banks of the Stream, but no ice touched the luminous waters. The magi who walked along the Stream wrapped themself closer in their coat, made from the fur of of a beloved old Scarf Wyrm collecting over many years and woven into a multicolored tapestry. But, most importantly on a night like this, a night that smelled of more snow to come, with that muffled hush like a held breath that only Midwinter brings, the coat was warm. The magi tucked their hands into the sleeves.

They walked here often at night, not to collect eggs (although sometimes it was hard to resist a choice egg when one floated by), but simply to enjoy the solitude. The warmth and company inside was all the sweeter after a long walk in the cold and the dark.

And then again, one never knew who one might, on such a night, meet. The magi had met many unusual creatures and some even more unusual people on their late night walks, so it wasn't all that much of a surprise to hear a little piping voice from a drift of snow. Not a loud voice, nor a human voice, but a little shrill cheeping. It was very quiet. If the night had not been so silent, the magi wouldn't have heard it at all, but it was a very good thing they did. Hurrying forward, they found a little Scarf Wyrm half buried in a mound of snow. Its own warmth had melted it partway into the drift, but it was too small to get out on its own.

"What are you doing all alone out here, little one?" the magi asked, and the Scarf Wyrm chirped sadly up at them. "Poor little thing, you must be getting so cold and scared. Here, I have just the thing. May I pick you up?" The little Wyrm strained its small head towards them. Its fur, at present a patchwork of blue and red, was damp and chilled. The magi opened their beautiful coat and lifted the bedraggled little Wyrm in their arms, nestling it against their chest. The Scarf Wyrm snuggled into the coat and pressed its nose under the magi's chin.

"There you are, all safe and snug," said the magi, and set off towards the Keep. "Now, let's get you home."