The trouble winter brings

Bragi had been traveling for weeks, watching the leaves around him turn from green to the vibrant colors he loved so very much. He followed the cold winds steadily watching as everything around him faded into a colorful collection in lively shades of red, orange and yellow! But as he was moving from one village to the next, it seemed like winter itself was in a hurry. Not just that, every Wooly he met was desperately trying to prepare for the incoming cold season. Crops were hastily harvested and stored, fruits were snatched from the trees and gardens, as if they couldn't be collected fast enough. It was almost a little scary to see how desperate everyone got when it came to their goods. As he watched them run from one field to the next like ants collecting the biggest crumbs he could find, he placed his bag at a small shed, agreeing with its owner to have an eye on it, while he offered his strength to help. Which seemed to be highly appreciated, as dark clouds started to cover the formerly bright blue sky.

It didn't take long for him to get into the groove of things. His size and muscle made it easy for him to carry a larger amount of fruit, bigger stacks of hay and carry whatever was needed just far enough to not have to run twice. Physical labor was nothing new to him, after all, his father was a carpenter. They used to live in a forest further up the mountains, chopping wood for fire and furniture, carrying materials up the long, winding paths, working all day to chop, carve and assemble. They used to ship their wares far and wide. Many Woolys in the area had furniture in their homes that his father had made together with his sons. Bragi and Søren used to help day in and day out, with whatever was needed.

As he carried a huge stack of firewood on his shoulder through the village, he noticed an elderly woman struggling to get her Nikyaks from the field. She tried what she could, but they refused to move even an inch. Bragi sorted the wood into the shed he left his bag at and as he came out, dusting off his shirt and hands, the owner grabbed him by his shirt and thanked him vigorously, offering him a few shards for his hard work. Even though Bragi refused, the owner of the shed insisted on wanting to pay him back somehow and hurriedly vanished into his house. Confused, Bragi scratched his head, again turning to the field where the elderly lady still desperately tried to call her cattle, at this point barely able to stand on the muddy, slippery ground as the first raindrops started to fall from the sky. Leaving his belongings by the shed, he jogged over to the fence, hopped over it with ease and waved to the elderly Wooly.

"My apologies young miss, is there anything I can do to help?" He offered her a hand as she tried to walk towards the Nikyak. The mud and puddles made it hard for her to walk up the steep hill. "How nice of you, young man - my pretty babies refuse to get into the stable. I saw one of the young ones limping! I tried to get to it to see if it was alright, but the rain of the past few days has left the hill soggy. These old bones aren't what they used to be, would you be so kind as to look after my pretty ones?" She looked at him with pleading eyes, shivering from the cold and moisture she had been in for quite some time.
Bragi smiled and nodded, taking her shaking hand.

"Absolutely young miss, but we should get you off this hill and close to a warm fire first - allow me" He leaned down, carefully lifting her off the ground with ease. "Oh my! The last time someone held me like that, my husband, bless his soul, carried me over the threshold to our new home!" She laughed heartily and blushed as she held onto Bragis neck for dear life. "Careful little miss, I am not married yet - Keep being this sweet and I might just whisk you away to a great adventure~" She giggled as the tall Wool carefully carried her off the hill, lifted her over the fence and sat her down close to the villages bakery ovens, where her friends already sat. "Now young miss, warm yourself by the fire, I will be back with your Nikyaks before you know it." He smiled, bowed deeply and returned to the fields as he heard the elderly women giggled and cheered. As he hopped over the fence, he grabbed some of the treats that hung in a bucket by the gate. His hooves sunk deep into the mud as he walked up the steep hill, carefully making his way towards the herd. When he got close enough, he observed the herd, they were all gathered at the top of the hill under a huge apple tree, looking down the other side. The closer he got, he started to hear something - muffled at first but then clear as day, a soft, shaking voice echoed up the hill, almost drowned out by the now pouring rain.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Please - I need help!"

Bragi worked his way up to the top, pushing through the herd until he made it in front of the Nikyaks, following their gaze. Down the other side at the edge of the orchard that reached up the steep hill, pinned under a fallen tree and covered in mud and bruises sat a Wooly! Her orange pelt was almost entirely hidden under dirt, leaves and scratches, only her vibrant blue horns were still clearly visible. As he looked past her, further down he noticed parts of the steep hillside were breaking away.
"I'm here! I'll be with you asap, stay put!" He pulled a thread from his pocket and tied up his hair into a bun before sliding down the hillside.
"Please hurry!" She begged, looking up at him. It took a moment before Bragi managed to reach her, kneeling down beside her. She was scared, cold and tired. "I'm here! I got you - What's your name?" he looked at her leg that was stuck under the wood, checking if anything else was amiss. "M-Meilin - my name is Meilin!" She was breathing heavily and shivers ran across her body. He leaned down close to the floor, checking underneath if he could spot any injury that pierced the skin. "Good, good - My name is Bragi", he looked up to her with a soft smile, trying to appear as calm as possible. "I'll help you get out of here - But I need you to calm down a little alright? Now take a deep breath - in - and out -'' She nodded, doing as she was told as Bragi wrapped his hands around the massive log that had her trapped. "Now - I'll count to three and when I lift the log, you'll carefully pull away your leg okay? Ready?" She stammered for a bit, looking at Bragi and then the log - she had no choice as it seemed, so she nodded.

"Alright - One - two - three!" He hoisted up the massive trunk for her to carefully wiggle herself free before he sat it down a foot or two away. He kneemed back down, smiling at her "You did good, I'll have a look at your leg now" Again she nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. Carefully Bragi inspected her leg, there were a few bruises, a few cuts and a bit of swelling around the ankle, he carefully lifted her leg. "Can you wiggle your hoof for me?" It was painful, she grit her teeth, but she definitely move it. "Good, it doesn't seem to be broken, but we should definitely have someone look over it when we get back." He pulled off one of the bandanas he wears wrapped around his wrist, carefully wrapping it around her ankle to support it. Meilin watched his every move, quickly looking away as Bragi looked up to her. He smiled. "I'll get you to the village so one of the elders can have a look, but I'll have to carry you -" She quickly shook her head rapidly, flailing her arms around "No-no no I can walk myself! I can-" Bragi shushed her and her cheeks turned red. "Look, even with A healthy leg, getting up this hill would be hard. It's wet, it's muddy and parts of it are breaking away because the ground is drenched. I will not watch you climb up this hill with an injury. And I won't argue. Climb on my shoulder and I'll carry you back." he went down on one knee, offering her a hand. In defeat, she took it, climbing onto his shoulders and holding onto his horns as he got back to his hooves. As he climbed up the hill, careful not to slip or shake the lady sitting on his shoulders, he asked - "Meilin? I don't want to pry or anything, but if you don't mind me asking, how did you end up down there?"

Meilin hid her face, grumbling and mumbling before she took a deep breath. "I wanted to help the village with their orchard - They mentioned that behind the hill were still some trees that hadn't been taken care of yet, they said it would be too late and that I should rather take care of the west part. I figured I could surprise them and get the fruits down before the storm started but... I might have underestimated the rain the past few days... The hillside had been flooded for days and I thought it would be a quick trip, but when I was starting to get the apples down, I noticed the ground was starting to tear? And before I knew if everything was moving, the tree uprooted and together with it I slid down half the hillside ending up beneath it...I've been sitting there for hours, I tried to scare the Nikyaks hoping it would catch someone's attention but... they just stood there, staring at me. Not a single thought behind those big beady eyes of theirs." Bragi chuckled and they reached the top of the hill where the Nikyaks were still standing. He patted one on the head and grabbed the makeshift leash it had hung around its neck, guiding it down the other side of the hill, the herd following closely behind. "Well I for one am glad they kept staring, otherwise I wouldn't have found you. If they would have just left and went about their day, who knows how long you would have been stuck down there?" Meilin rested her chin on his head, still holding on to his horns "Thank you... for getting me out of there." she mumbled almost inaudibly. Bragi just smiled to himself as he led the Nikyaks to the barn, the elderly lady already waiting for them.

"My babies! My beautiful little babies! Did you cause trouble to this young man?" She patted them on the head, smiling up at the tall man. "Oh thank you ever so much! How can I repay you?" Bragi smiled, handing her the makeshift leash of the Nikyak he guided home. "This young lady got injured near the orchard, one of the trees uprooted. Please make sure not to let anyone venture there - the grounds there aren't safe. It might cause a landslide." She nodded, helping Meilin off of Bragis shoulders after he kneeled down. "Come child, we'll have the elder check up on you." Meilin nodded, and before she could say thank you, the elderly woman dragged her through the street. Bragi waved as he was guided through the village towards the bakery, he was offered some sweet bread and mead to warm his tired bones from the hard work. He appreciated this greatly, since usually whenever he needed something to eat, he'd have to hunt or fish for it. As the day went on, he helped with a few minor tasks around the village. Nothing too complicated, from grinding flour at the mill, to shearing the sheep, milking the Nikyaks and helping the bakery keep their ovens ablaze.

While Bragi was working hard by the fire, he was watched by the elderly ladies of the village. Every movement of his was viewed carefully, enjoyed by the group of women that had formerly laughed about their friend being carried back from the field. He thought he'd humor them for a bit, and slowly peeled himself out of his shirt, after all, it was hot in front of the blazing ovens, it was only understandable he needed a little help cooling down. They giggled and cheered, watching him, trying to convince each other to go up to him and actually talk to him! But they were too nervous around him. Better appreciate him from afar. Bragi didn't mind much, after all, one should leave the elderly folk their small delights.

It was already late in the evening when she was finally allowed to step outside. Bragi had, even though the villagers insisted on giving him a room, just decided to get comfortable in the barn. After all, for a Wooly of his size it wasn't easy to find a bed that could fit him whole. That and he was used to sleeping in the hay, it reminded him of his days at home before he started to travel from place to place, A time when he was young and he and his brother spent their nights in the hayloft, watching the stars through the huge windows Sometimes, he missed those days. He hadn't seen his brother in so long. Cozied up in the hay, he slept under the warm light of the lanterns outside, the rain singing him softly to sleep. The villagers had paid him a visit as he rested, leaving him candied nuts and small baked goods for his travel as a thank you for his hard work and support. Everything neatly packaged and packed into his bag that the elderly lady had placed next to him. Meilin decided she would visit him in the morning, to give him her thanks and return his bandana.

When she woke up, she quickly got ready, hurriedly yet limping leaving the room she was given to recover before she made her way through the village. Everyone seemed happier, only minor tasks were left in the village, nothing that needed heavy lifting or hard manual labor. It seems everything had been taken care of since she had to turn in early yesterday. She wondered how much of that hard work had been Bragis. She hurried towards the barn she was told he would be resting at, completely ignoring that the villagers were trying to tell her something. As she reached it, she happily opened the door, "Bragi! Good morning! I wanted to-" but the barn was empty aside from the herd of Nikyaks he had brought in the night proper. She looked around, but there was no trace of him, no proof of him ever having been there at all. If it were not for the smiles on the villagers faces and the bordeaux colored bandana with the golden stitchwork, one could think it was all a dream.

Someday, she told herself, she'll get the chance to thank him properly.