#Blooms in the Frost | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hostess-of-horror · 2 years ago

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Blooms in the Frost

A Sweetleaves Fanfic by @monsterbride99 and @minnesotamedic186

Medic’s note: This takes place before our first Sweetleaves fanfic Fallen Leaves, so it’s basically a prequel or prologue to all the lovey stuff(Also I wanted to get this out while there was still snow on the ground so it’d be more, relatable, I guess-?) Dryad will spend this story in her Monster Form as well.

He could feel the winds biting his skin. His face burned from the piercing chill of the winter storm, his cheeks and ears flushed into blotches of red. He thought that the spiked eggnog at the local bar would warm him up, but once the weather became a blizzard, he realized his underestimation.

Sweetlopek marched through the thick white snow with stubborn determination. There were many places for him to take shelter for the night, but he refused and took his chances. But the chances of him getting to his home safely were extremely slim. This Sweetlopek found out as he felt his legs slowly begin to give in. His knees buckled under the weight. His back ached and his eyes could barely make out the usual pathway before him. Not even his freshest memory of his homeland helped him through the blizzard. As Sweetlopek took another step, he collapsed on his knees, his breathing sharp and short, and everything went black.

—

As the Spellbound Beast, storms like these were perfect for Dryad to stalk outside, just around the perimeter of Spellbound Woods. It was the closest she could get to the mortals of Palette Prime without causing any panic. Her massive form slowly prowled through the winds, almost invisible, camouflaged against the opaque sheets of white surrounding her. It was also the only form that can truly withstand the bitter cold as if it were just a small breeze.

Dryad let out a short exhale. A scent had caught her senses. With a grunt, she followed it, tracing it to an area a bit further away than where she normally stays in. The scent grew thicker, more prominent, as she drew closer. Soon, Dryad recognized it.

Oak… Steel… Wool…

A slight tinge of herbs…

She knew this odor all too well. A whimper escaped her throat as she picked up speed. A few steps forward and there before her, almost shrouded in snow, laid an unconscious lumberjack. Dryad lowered her head down and nudged him gently, lifting him from the pile accumulated from the weather. Still, he remained unmoving. She pressed against him again. A small shiver ran through her fur, making her twitch. He was breathing. It was shallow, but breathing nonetheless.

Grabbing him by the collar of his coat, Dryad carefully lifted him up by her teeth and walked back into the woods. As the winds died down within the trees, she held him in her paw and placed him on top of her mane. He would be more comfortable and far warmer there. What was Sweetlopek doing out in this storm, Dryad thought. She had yet to see a mortal who could handle such temperatures without succumbing to illness. She huffed. Of course, it just had to be him of all the inhabitants of Palette Prime. But she could not bring herself to be angry at him. She was scared. Mortals are fragile, and Sweetlopek was no exception.

Now deep into her sanctuary within the Spellbound Woods, Dryad kneeled and laid down near her nest. She lifted Sweetlopek up again and looked at him. He was still unconscious, still breathing, and so much warmer. He would be warmer still if she placed him within her nest. After all, to her it was the perfect place for warmth after all these centuries. But perhaps he needed more than just that. Dryad could feel the coldness emitting from Sweetlopek and, as gently as she could, she laid him down within the nest with just enough space for her to sleep in.

Like a dragon with its horde of treasure, Dryad, the Spellbound Beast, crawled over and laid down beside him, her paws just barely wrapped around him.

—

Sweetlopek suddenly woke up to him falling into a thick blanket of snow. The icy chill made him spring up, fully awake. He slowly rose, patting down his coat to clean off the frost. Letting out an irritated harrumph, Sweetlopek then looked around. The last thing he remembered was leaving the bar, after celebrating Shiverfest with the locals down at Paletteville. How did he manage to end up here of all places? Suddenly, a strong gust of hot air interrupted Sweetlopek's thoughts from behind. A low, rumbling yawn shook him to the core. He cautiously turned around.

He covered his mouth, catching himself from screaming, and fell backwards from the sight before him. His eyes widened in fear. Sweetlopek remained still, not just out of pure shock but as to not wake the giant creature from its slumber. He considered his chances: make his attempt to escape or be at the mercy of this great beast. But as he thought, he realized where he was at and what it truly was. He was in the Spellbound Woods, and the giant before him was the infamous Spellbound Beast.

Sweetlopek slowly lifted himself up, his eyes locked on the Spellbound Beast. Inch by inch, he carefully rose, hoping to not make much noise. The snow crunched underneath him. He continued even slower, but the crunching was too loud for his liking. He pressed on anyway. The Spellbound Beast snorted. He froze. Just a few more moves, he thought to himself, just a few more. After a few seconds, he continued until he was finally standing.

So far, so good.

As he went to turn around, he couldn't bring himself to look away. The last thing he needed was the Beast to awake and chase him down. Sweetlopek took a deep breath and held it, making his next first step away. He paused again. He slowly exhaled and looked away, taking another step.

Another gust of hot breath blew behind him, followed by another rumbling yawn. The Spellbound Beast shifted, its limbs moving to make room for a big stretch. Its paws reached out forwards, cornering the panicked lumberjack, until it finally curled up again, taking him with it. Sweetlopek, caught within its paws, was met with a face full of warm fur. He turned away as much as he possibly could, giving himself air to breath. "Is this you keeping me warm…" Sweetlopek huffed, "or your attempt to kill me?" He felt it shift again, its fur brushing against him as it rose its head up. Sweetlopek could not do anything but watch helplessly as the Spellbound Beast let out a huge yawn and slowly peer down at him.

Sweetlopek gulped. The beast had no eyes, but somehow, it could sense him. He could not tell if having eyes or not made it scarier. The Spellbound Beast "stared" back and licked its chomps. Sweetlopek's heart jumped and tensed up with frightened anticipation. But then, instead of taking a bite out of the lumberjack, the beast stuck out its tongue into a tiny "blep." Sweetlopek slumped back into the snow as he was finally released from its grip. He watched as it stood straight up, stretching its body from sleep. It then shook the snow off its fur. Sweetlopek was not quick enough to miss the falling snow and ended up, once again, covered in it.

Sweetlopek grunted in annoyance as he patted himself down again. The Spellbound Beast sat down and tilted its head in curiosity. He looked up and down at the massive creature. He has encountered it before - mostly seen it - and it had given him trouble for quite some time. But now, here it is, sitting before him like a friendly dog. Sweetlopek did not understand, nor could he, how such an legendary monster of his planet's folklore became docile towards him. "I, uh… I suppose this is your way of… apologizing?" he spoke to it.

The beast tilted its head the other way. Sweetlopek tilted his, and as he did so, it tilted the other way again. "I'm not sure… if that's you saying 'yes'... Heck, I bet you can’t even understand me." Sweetlopek pondered. It then perked up and made a huff as if to say, "Excuse me?" He stopped at its reaction, "Oh, you can understand me?" The Spellbound Beast huffed again and nodded. Sweetlopek blinked in surprise; it shook its head! It then stood up, strolled around him, and went to a large, dying tree. Near the roots of the dying tree, it picked up a large branch, which compared to her size is a measly stick, and carried it over near Sweetlopek. With a slight struggle, the beast adjusted the branch in its jaws, the pointed end facing downwards into the snow. It began to drag the branch and Sweetlopek looked on until he realized that the drawn symbols were letters.

D R Y A D

He gasped and spun around. He looked up at the giant, intelligent creature. "Dryad?" He muttered, his mind completely blown. The beast then responded by drawing another sign into the snow: a simple, smiley face. The lumberjack looked at the smiley face, then back at Dryad, and then back at the smiley face again. He paused. "That was YOU?!" he finally bursted out loud, "YOU were the one who was trying to scare me away?! To keep me from lumbering, my livelihood?" Dryad nodded again. Sweetlopek groaned, "Okay, so you want me to stop doing my job because you're a… tree spirit and all that. But here's the thing, I can't. I can't do that. You know why? Because I need to survive in a society that runs on money. And lumbering makes money." She tilted its head.

"Okay, maybe you don't understand the basics of economics…" he sighed wearily, "But you do understand survival, right? Isn't survival a part of life? That sometimes some living things take other living things to survive? And being able to live… Well, isn't that what everyone wants?" Dryad stood silently, although Sweetlopek could not decipher whether she was contemplating or simply not comprehending anything. She then turned and looked at her surroundings. A low hum emitted from her chest as she looked back at the lumberjack. With an exhale, Dryad lowered herself, lying on her side with her head towards him. Sweetlopek approached Dryad cautiously. "Are we… Are we good? Do we have a deal? For right now at least?" he asked as he knelt down to where her nose would be.

Dryad rolled over a bit and nodded. The lumberjack sighed with relief. No more scares. No more chasing. "Okay, good." Sweetlopek said as let out another sigh, "Do you, mind if I can…?" He raises his hand, slowly and gently, as he inches towards Dryad's snout. He then carefully placed his mitten upon her, petting the smooth and warm fur. She paused for a moment, letting him touch her, and finally relaxed with a loud purr. "Heh. You know, for the Spellbound Beast, you're awfully adorable like this." Sweetlopek chucked, "Makes me almost forget that you tried to eat me a few times." Dryad huffed, and he laughed.

He could not believe it. The Spellbound Beast, lying before him, and there he was… petting it! Or, rather, her. Despite learning of the beast's true identity, being with her was a moment only found in fantasy tales. "Okay…" he sighed with a slight grin, "Can you take me home, then?" Dryad shifted forward and her snout pressed underneath his body, lifting him all the way up in the air. Sweetlopek let out a yelp as he tumbled onto her face and down into her mane. She then let out an odd sound - he assumed it was laughter. The lumberjack clutched onto her mane by the thick strands of hair as Dryad finally stood up on all fours and marched out of the woods.

The morning sun shone over the crystal-like trees. The frost glistened as they ventured like diamonds on a chandelier. Sweetlopek took the view in as his eyes began to close from exhaustion. He could have stayed up, but the slow, swaying motion of Dryad's walking and the warmth emitting from her fur made it impossible. Soon enough, he was fast asleep again

.…Why would she save him?

…Why did she save him?

After all, he's a lumberjack. Like all the others before him.

Was it his determination? His bravery?

His stubbornness?

Dryad is stubborn as well. Perhaps she recognized that.

He should probably thank her soon. But maybe, he'll have to thank her through some… offering or ancient ritual or some-

Sweetlopek felt himself suddenly drop down. In a matter of seconds, he fell from Dryad's mane and landed right on top of a giant snow pile. The sheer coldness shook him to the core, causing him to jolt up to his feet. "Agh!" Sweetlopek groaned, "Are you kidding me?" Dryad "laughed" again. He looked up to see a smile on her face. A mischievous spirit, even as the Spellbound Beast. The lumberjack looked over to his house, then back at Dryad, as he brushed the snow off himself again. "Thank you, Dryad. I mean it." He spoke sincerely. Dryad lowered her head, as if to say "You're welcome", and began marching back. Sweetlopek watched the massive creature return to her home as his heart began to swell with warmth.

Oh, what a beauty she is.