#katarlina

[snowlupinwoodstories]

On The Slopes

My first paid commission! So sit down and read about how this lovely Lynx and Oriental Shorthaired couple got together!

(Art done by katarinalin, title added by me with help of @vigoburrito)

Maisie, a gray-tone lavender oriental shorthair and with coral contrasting hair pulled her scarf further over her blue gray-toned dark muzzle. Why she’d let Misty, her silver fox extrovert of a best friend, drag her out to a frigid snow covered mountain in the middle of winter she’d never understand. She’d bundled up in so many layers she felt like she was starfishing; an awkward body posture for the already clumsy cat. The black snow pants contrasted with the dark puffy green coat that Misty had insisted Maisie rent. The coat had zipper openings for her wings, but Maisie kept them closed, wanting to stay as warm as possible against the icy wind. Her tail had a bright green knit tail cosy, allowing the white tip of her tail to be exposed. 

She balanced precariously on the soles of the ski boots that Misty had rented for her, the slipperiness of the pact snow causing her tail to twitch and sway as she kept herself from falling. Misty shuffled up to her, carrying a set of skis, carefully shuffling on her own pair. “Here!” She set them down with a clatter on the snow, adjusting them so they were in front of her friend. “Step in so we can get to the bunny hill! I don’t want to be late for the lesson.”

“On second thought,” Maisie pleaded as she lifted up a leg, tentatively placing it on the ski while correcting a major side wobble, “Maybe I should go inside and you can join me after? I mean I don’t think I’m really cut out-”

“Stop being such a worry wart!” Misty cut in, bending down carefully to push Maisie's boot into the ski, connecting it with a distinct set of clicks. “A bunny hill is easy and we’re getting there right after they’ve finished grooming it. You’ll be fine!”

Now strapped into one ski Maisie felt even more unbalanced than before. She had to reach out and put her hand on Misty’s shoulder to give her enough balance to click the second ski into place. Having the two skis cut into the snow helped her feel a little more stable, but the weight of the boots and skis were still awkward. Watching Misty shuffle ahead of her she attempted to follow. 

The slight decline on the way to the bunny hill and her awkwardness led to her falling backwards in a few steps, landing on the pact snow with an “Oof!” The extra layers prevented it from actually hurting, but it still surprised her how fast the ground came up to meet her. 

Misty sighed, turned around and reached down to help Maisie up. “Remember, don't lean back! You need to keep your body centered,” she scolded, pulling the cat back onto her feet. 

The pair slowly shuffled their way to a hill beside the ski lodge; this early in the day it hadn’t attracted as many skiers. A black and cobalt lynx with a matching snowsuit was waiting near the top of the hill. His suit and coloring stood out against the white powdery snow. 

“Misty and Maisie?” he asked as they approached him, Maisie still struggling to shuffle over to him. 

“That’s us!” Misty proclaimed, speeding her shuffling over to the lynx.

He smiled at the two, “Good we can get started right away!” He said as he moved with his side to the hill, standing between them and the slope. “My name is Cobalt, and I’m your instructor here at Powder Falls. First we’re going to go over your stances. Proper stance will help you balance and stop you from eating powder.” 

He looked over the two, reminding Misty to bend her knees so her weight was more evenly distributed but kept forward, rather than the leaning forward she’d been doing earlier. He took longer to help Maisie, who needed instruction on the right bend in the knee and weight placement. Her balance still wobbly, he frowned before asking, “Do you have any extra limbs or other things you do for balance? Or do you have the right length of skis? I’d like to have you more confident at a stop before we start moving.”

Maisie tilted her head, before looking away shyly. She wasn’t really sure how to answer his question. She had small wings but they weren’t that helpful and she was always clumsy anyways. Maybe he’d suggest she go back to the lodge and she wouldn’t embarrass herself trying to ski. 

 “She’s got wings on her lower back,” Misty answered for her. 

Cobalt looked at her zipped up sides and said “ I think you’ll find your balance will be easier if your body is less restricted. Do you mind if I open the sides?” He shuffled around her and, after she nodded, pulled the zipper down on one side and then the other. Maisie was surprised that she didn’t feel any colder despite the openings. The padding in the coat created a seal even with the zippers open. “Try letting your wings act normally,” he encouraged.

Using her poles to hold herself steady she flexed her wings experimentally, pushing them out of the coat. The air was chilly, but her feathers were warm, and she instantly felt a change in her balance as they adjusted to her shifting weight.

“Much better!” Cobalt praised moving back in front of the two friends. “Now this slope is meant to be taken at a slow pace, to get your snow chops going. So we’re going to pizza slice it. 

“Take your toes and point them into each-other. Don’t cross your skis, or else you’ll find yourself tripping over yourself,” He nodded at Misty as she adjusted her stance, and waited while Maisie shuffled her toes inside. “Perfect. Now we’re going to go down together. Don’t straighten your skis out, we want to take this nice and slow. When you get close to the bottom, twist your hips to the right to help you come to a stop, okay? Let’s try it.”

He moved out their way, Misty immediately pushing herself forward using her poles sliding down the hill with the ease of someone who had more experience with winter sports. Maise on the other hand gripped her poles tighter, nervous to even try to push off. 

“Nervous?” Cobalt asked. After seeing her nod he continued, “That’s okay, most everyone is their first time. Here I’ll stay right beside you, I’ll match your pace,” He tilted his skis inwards, “Count to three and we’ll push off.”

Maisie took a deep breath, and then another. She really was nervous of making a fool of herself. Misty was already looking back expectantly from the bottom of the hill. She had promised that she’d at least try. “One…….two……,” She noticed Cobalt wasn’t looking at her, and she felt herself relax. She really could go at her own pace. Before she could chicken out she let herself say, “Three,” and she pushed off with her poles. 

She slowly began to move down the hill, and though she did gain speed it wasn’t as fast as she feared. Cobalt was right next to her the whole way down, “That’s it! You’re a natural, just keep it nice and steady. Don’t break the pizza.”

As she reached the bottom Maisie turned her hips hard to the right and found her skis going out from under her. “AHH!” she exclaimed as she hit a mound of powdery snow that hadn’t been there a moment before. The snow propped her up so her skis were easy to set on the ground, and she wasn’t splayed out like she’d feared. She gasped as she saw the snow flurry from Cobalt’s paw wind down. 

Cobalt wiped his paws on his coat, removing the extra snow he’d summoned to help cushion her fall. “You alright there?” He asked, as he offered her his hand. “Turning and stopping are hard, and you looked like you were trying to carve around a mound there.”

He pulled her up, helping her stand perpendicular to the rest of the hill so she wouldn’t keep sliding. “That was an amazing first attempt though! After one more straight, I'll teach you some turns.”

Maisie’s face was flushing from more than the cold. She did well? That seemed like a first. But Cobalt was genuine, and even helped her over to the carpet lift. At the top of the hill he talked her through how to better turn on her skis. The next run they practiced turning slightly back and forth, serpentining down the shallow bunny hill. After a few more tries of that Cobalt encouraged them to try the next step up, a slightly steeper hill that required a ski lift to get to. Maisie found that her nerves of trying the lift seemed to melt away when Cobalt offered to ride beside her. 

—-

The lesson ran long, in fact Cobalt admitted that since he didn’t have other classes after them and he was having so much fun teaching them he just didn’t tell them when the lesson time elapsed. After skiing until the cold set in, and an incidental snowball fight, they headed indoors for some warmth and hot chocolate with marshmallows. The perfect mid skiing break. 

“That was amazing how you caught us when we fell,” Maisie gushed, having become more comfortable with Cobalt throughout the day. “What’s someone with ice magic doing teaching skiing?”

Cobalt chuckled, “Honestly I get to ski for free as long as I’m an instructor here. You can’t beat free, and the pay’s not bad. I get paid per class so I can earn as much as I need to when I need to. I also get the benefit of meeting some pretty fun people, Miss Curveball.”

Maisie's face reddened as she remembered the snow ball she’d thrown that’d whipped back around and hit the Lynx in the face, “I swear I was aiming for Misty.”

“You’ll have to spend more time in the snow to best me,” the silver fox quipped, a dollop of whip cream on her nose, “I am the undisputed snowball champion. No one has ever bested me in a snowball fight.”

Her boasting was met with a face full of snow, tossed from Cobalt’s paw. The sight of her friend’s face being covered in the freezing white powdery snow while indoors caused Maisie and Cobalt to burst out laughing. Misty frowned before shaking her head back and forth, sending the snow flying further. “Doesn’t count there’s no snow here to make a proper snow ball fight! You cheated with your magic.”

“I don’t know,” Maisie said with a giggle, “What about the time you ‘won’ by bringing a gallon baggie of snow and dumping it over my head while I was asleep?”

Misty frowned, “Still I had to gather the snow. I didn’t just magic it out of thin air,” she grumpily sipped her hot chocolate, her fur on her face still soaked from the snowball. 

“So what do you do when you’re not skiing?” Maisie asked, turning her attention away from her sulking friend.��

“Mostly chill at home, play fortnite,” Cobalt nonchalantly shared. 

“Fortnite? You?” Maisie pushed. Fortnite seemed outside of what she’d thought he’d do. She’d pegged him as a jock, not a video game nerd.

“Yeah, it's cool! You battle a bunch of people on an ever shrinking map and they do a whole bunch of collabs. Like I’ve gotten characters from The Last Windrider and Nine-Tailed Ninja. I think they’re also working on a Mesozoic Zoo one at the moment. They’ve been dropping hints,” He paused looking up as he thought. 

“You know,” Maisie shared, “I haven’t played it. But maybe I should give it a shot.”

“Really? I’ll give you my friend code. I’ll show you the ropes!” Cobalt shared.

“Once you show her she’s going to outshine you,” Misty cautioned him. “I hope you never have to play against her once she learns your game because you won’t be able to beat her.”

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Thank you zephyr.ventus for the commisson!