This time of year, I wake well before the sun. This is as it should be. The winter is for honouring the darkness. I put my bed in order and fetch an apple from the pantry. The snow is deep and I walk slowly to my meditation place sheltered in the trees. I lay down the contents of my spirit bag and attune to each in turn.
When I am finished and grounded, the first hint of dawn is in the sky. I pass by the Firewalkers, huddled around their stove. Zuni is just beginning to stir in the stables. She mumbles as I wipe out bits of dirt from behind her frill, then accepts a carrot and allows me to help her into her booties. We stroll through the town as the sun rises. The smell of baking bread seeps into the cold air. One voice after another rises and joins the day. We stop by Haiduc's Hospital to see if anything urgent has come up, but they have had a quiet night.
I give Zuni her breakfast before heading back into the Boar and Thistle for mine. Martha isn't around, but most of the Pathfinders are here. This close to Yule, it seems everyone has put off adventures in favour of holiday preparations.
After breakfast, I meet Noemia for morning training. We walk through her meditation routine. I remind her to be fluid and relaxed in her motions, but her form is strong as far as I can tell. I can offer little more improvement without Wutog's assistance. We practice wrestling, which is still a strange experience for me. I recognize so little of the technique with which Noemia is accustomed, but my combat instincts (and superior bulk) seem enough to challenge her, even when I don't cheat. Eventually I send her off to have lunch with her parents, who have just returned from a trip to the Everice.
It's time to visit Dragonstorm Treeborn. I gather a handful of initiates, and Kat, and the garlands of popcorn and cranberries which we all made the night before. We trek out into the Golden Fields and have a picnic while stringing Dragonstorm with the garlands. Soon, songbirds arrive and begin to munch on the treats. Kat asks them if they're able to keep warm enough this winter. I ask my initiates to identify the birds, their habits, and their place in the natural balance of the fields, while Zuni hunts through the snow for bits of grass.
Back in Willowdale, I find Noemia and head off to the hospital again, saying hello to Ballantino. He and the nurses have everything well in hand, even with Dr. Haiduc off working on some personal project today. I have a walk around anyway, lending a hand where I can and explaining to Noemia what I'm doing and why. One of the Bodeckkers walks in, having broken an arm after slipping on a bad patch of ice. A quick spell mends the bone. I have Noemia tie a sling together so that the arm can rest for a day or two while the magic sets. Spells make many things easier, but you don't rush healing if you don't have to.
There were a few requests for house calls, so we wander around town for a little longer, interrupted once or twice by small children looking for dinosaur rides. Dinner is ready by the time we make it back to the Boar and Thistle. I sit with Goshan and we chat for a little while about his locksmithing apprenticeship and the potions I'm making for my family, whenever they're coming in to town. They usually don't come quite this far North around Yule because the dinosaurs are sensitive to the cold, but who knows?
Rahzer'ok interrupts with a card game he learned from one of the wall guards. We play several rounds. Eventually, I excuse myself to check on Zuni before bed. She stands when I come in so that I can wash out the dirt collecting in the folds of her hide. Leaving the stables, I glance up at the sky to see that clouds have moved in. We'll have some more light snow tomorrow.