Epica!

The storm had come. A violent blizzard had come and gone. The only thing that seemed to remain from Salvo was the snow covered buildings. If you looked between the buildings one would see that not everyone had completely evacuated into the shelter of their homes. Plenty of people had squandered their small fortunes on somma and in the abundant amount brothels in Salvo.

Ariel had long since left Salvo. He had returned to his his home and packed a change of clothes, a loaf of bread, and his pistol intent on leaving Salvo once and for all. He hadn't anticipated the storm to come in so quickly and thought that he would be able to escape it. Ariel stumbled through the blinding blizzard into the neighboring forest for hours trying to find the correct route but was unable to. He didn't know where he was going to anymore, or what to do. He was lost in more ways than one.

The blizzard had subsided and the moon had shown her face, but he didn't know which way to turn anymore or if he even wanted anymore. Trudging through the snow for hours had weakened Ariel. All the trees appeared looked the same and he didn't even know if he could find his way back to Salvo.

Under the moon's light, the snow looked blue along with the icicles which clung to the bare and thin branches. The fresh coat of snow on the ground looked strangely comforting and welcoming. Without warning Ariel collapsed on the soft snow. Moments later, her rolled onto his back to stare directly at the jagged icicles. But the tiny icicles didn't seem as intimidating as before. The moon's blue light shone through them casting light and illuminating the surrounding area.

It's beautiful Ariel thought bitterly to himself as he looked at his blue filled surroundings. They were beautiful he thought when he thought the blue that filled those eyes. The color of those eyes he had seen of often lately was engraved into the back of his mind so brutally and painfully real. And here they were in this snowy winter-land staring back at him. In the stars they were, in the ice, in the snow, and in the moon.

It was strange that Ariel saw her in this winter wonderland when together they had never experienced snow together. They had shared however, the same full moon of tonight; once so long ago.

A young Ariel had wandered from the shelter of the Ark and into the neighboring forest towards the lake. The control in a series of water contaminant tests had spilled and now needed to be replaced. Now it was placed onto Ariel to fetch the new control sample from the nearby pond. The only issue being Ariel having a single idea to the surrounding area.

As had become custom for him, a young Ariel was lost and it had long since gotten dark. Ariel thought about returning to the Ark and asking his mentors for directions the morning after. As the thought to head back rung in his head, he heard, through the thicket of the forest, a beautiful singing eerily echoing through the forest.

"Some of the pieces, they remind me of you. How could I know. . . ." Curious and skeptical at the possibility of a woods ghost, little Ariel continued confidant that he would find the source of the strange singing. Walked a few short steps towards a large thicket and he could hear her on the other side. Wanting to find the source, Ariel stepped through the dense growth and came out on the other side.

"I thought that I was that melody, oh so wrong," Under the full moon, everything under the moon visible. "I'm but a whisper tonight." Then she was there standing with her back to him. Before her was the lake upon which the moon reflected beautifully. Her hair was long and pitch black. From his lips escaped the most beautiful sound. "And if this is goodbye I will leave. But I'll lov-"

She turned and stopped mid-sentence, her eyes wide with surprise at her sudden company. When she turned Ariel saw her eyes blue, like the moon reflected on the lake. "H, hello." Ariel greeted cautiously and watched as the girl picked up her bag from the floor and place it over her shoulder. She walked off in a hurry ignoring Ariel and that he had come upon her singing in the forest at night.

Just she passed by him to cross the growth that Ariel had just come out of he felt a sharp pain on the side of his head. So intense was the pain that Ariel fell to the floor clutching his ear. Seconds later the girl appeared over him. "That's for interrupting my alone time!" she shouted before leaving. Right before crossing the growth she stopped and spoke again. "Welcome Home, Ariel." said she before she disappeared through the bush.

Back in that snow covered forest Ariel stared at a nearby bush hoping that maybe Helena would return for him and find him. Helena had always been there for him. At first as a bully then as a best friend when she didn't find it as amusing when others also began to bully him. Since then Helena defended him and Ariel somehow had become somewhat of a celebrity at Home.

His body going numb, how he wished to return to her. He wondered if he would die there outside Salvo, or if anyone would ever find his frozen body, or if anybody would know who he was. He feared that his body would go unclaimed and fed into the incinerator that helped power Salvo. At that moment he knew what he wanted. He wished to be Home again in the safety of the Ark and in the comforting company of his Helena.

Now Ariel had only two fates thrust upon him. To die slowly from frost bite or to die even slower and painfully as a meal for the wild wolves. Suddenly, a third came to mind and the pistol in his pocket seemed like his new best friend.