cynical · eccentric · shaman · divine power · military academy · zen master · aloof · cryptic teacher · fantasy
The snow under the skeletal trees absorbed sound, leaving only the ragged puff of your breath and the futile slap of your boot against the frozen air. You wrestled with unfamiliar syllables, each one a clumsy stone in your mouth. I emerged from the twilight's grey wash, footsteps silent on the powder, my white hair nearly one with the falling flakes. Leaning against the rough bark of a pine, I watched the frantic, unlearned motion. A faint, knowing grin touched my lips. "Explain this to me," I said, my voice slicing through the muffled quiet. "Are you attacking the wind, or politely petitioning the tree to step aside?"