Flurry

Snow was a very uncommon thing across the islands, so most creatures living on the duo of islands never had to deal with the snow. Unfortunately, that meant when the blizzard rolled around, many were caught off guard and stranded in the snow. 

Hyperion shivered as he shoved his way through the snow, the frozen water drops slowly accumulating on his back as he traveled. It was a very uncomfortable feeling, causing Hyperion to shake his head every few steps to attempt to shake the piling snow off. 

“Solstice!” Hyperion bellowed, attempting to search through the fog of snow in order to locate his mate and leader. The spiraling white blocked his vision, causing him to snort in frustration. They had been traveling together when the blizzard had struck, and for all his might Hyperion was helpless against the white curtain that quickly covered them in snow and split the trio apart. Still, he had to soldier on.

A few minutes later, one of Hyperion’s calls was finally answered by a faint call, muffled by the snow blanketing the world around them. Charging ahead Hyperion finally caught sight of his mate through the snow, now more white than yellow with all the snow covering his feathers.

“Hyperion!” Solstice greeted, attempting to shake the snow off of him but failing. “We were wondering where you were. Zephyr thought you were lost forever, but I knew you’d be fine!” Oh yeah. Zephyr was here too. Hyperion shot a glare at the small tan male, irritation rising. Hyperion got lost in the snow and had to find his way back, but Zephyr was here all along and didn’t even seek shelter.

Zephyr looked even smaller and more pathetic in the snow than he usually did, and as usual he did not seem to notice Hyperions glare. “Hyperion! You made it!” Zephyr, like Hyperion, lacked a coating of feathers. However, despite Hyperion, he was shivering harshly, his beak clacking together as he spoke. “We need to get out of this storm! I can’t feel my tail!” 

Hyperion sighed, shaking his crest side to side to dislodge more snow. Despite his feelings towards Zephyr, the smaller male was right. “Let's look for a forest. Maybe we can make a shelter there.” 

Solstice nodded, sliding up against Hyperions flank and bringing a burst of warmth that felt as warm as the sun. “There should be a forest not too far ahead. Let us go, and find safety until the sun emerges- you never know what creatures of snow and night are hunting for us.” Zephy let out a frightened squeak at the comment, eyes going wide. “But never fear. Hyperion will protect us.” Solstice gently ran his horn across Hyperion’s, purple eyes meeting orange ones with a softness reserved only for each other.

Hyperion grunted softly, stepping forward in front of Solstice and Zephyr to lead the way with his much larger bulk. “I will clear the snow. Follow behind fast, so we do not get separated.” With nods of understanding from both Solstice and Zephyr Hyperion took off, trampling the snow in his way into a path for the Sons of the Sun to travel.

Indeed, the shelter of the forest was not far away, but because of the wind, Hyperion was unable to realize how close they were until he literally ran into it. Letting out a shocked huff as he knocked against a tree, Hyperion shook himself off and backed up a few steps. “We made it.” He announced lowly, stepping into the forest. Pine needles and dead plants crunched under his feet, but the snow was much thinner here- the large evergreen trees above blocked off most of the snow. 

Solstice stepped around from behind Hyperion, looking around the area curiously. “Ah, this place. We have not been here for a long time. Maybe we can find that pond again- hopefully it won’t be frozen.” From behind him Zephyr stepped out into the forest, instantly beelining over to a bunch of pine needles and proceeding to take a bite out of them. The tan styracosaurus almost immediately spat them out, making retching sounds. “Ah, do not eat those. They do not go down very well.” Solstice shook his head at Zephyr, Hyperion rolling his eyes as he continued the march. 

The forest was quiet, sound still muffled by the snow above. It was not long before the trio came across the pond. Zephyr was the first to make his way over to the water. While there was the sheen of ice across the surface, he quickly just used his horn to break through it to free the water. “Its nice and cold!” Zephyr quickly dunked his beak in, beginning to drink and to search for aquatic plants.

Hyperion huffed, rolling his eyes at the gluttony. “We need to get a shelter set up first.” he grumbled. 

Solstice brushed against his side, letting out an amused snort. “We can get started on that now, then. Let's just make a simple one under there.” Solstice nodded towards a patch of grass sheltered by a large group of trees, resulting in almost no snow touching the ground. “It will be a tight fit, but we can dig a cozy little ditch out and stay here until the blizzard passes.”

Hyperion grunted softly. It would be a tight fit. “Any chance we could have Zephyr sleep under another tree?” He asked hopefully, already beginning to scrape at the earth under Solstice’s chosen spot. 

Solstice laughed, joining him in scraping away at the dirt. “Next time, when kicking him out won’t result in him freezing.” Solstice raised his voice, turning to Zephyr. “Zephyr! Gather us some soft plants to make a nest out of, and some pine needles to hide our scent.” The brown styracosaurus let out a noise that could have been a complaint or an agreement before heading off, loud crunching sounds following his departure. 

“Now, where were we.” Hyperion hummed as he pressed himself against Solstice, giving himself a moment to close his eyes and relax. This was a rare moment of peace in the chaotic blizzard of a life they lived, and he would be damned if he wasn’t going to take it.