[Gift] The 11th Hour | Diamond Dust

Demidrew felt the cold trying to wind its fingers under her velvet scales and gave her entire body a shake, shrugging it off. Her tail’s feathers fanned out behind her, and her dark eyes closed, pushing away the sensation before she opened them again and took in the sight before her.

The sun was shining through the winter-bare trees, barely a cloud in the sky. Snow hung heavy on the branches, lay like a thick quilt on the world below, enchanting and bright. It was only broken by the occasional robin and cardinal hopping through the snow in search of a midday meal.

But, there. Glinting in the air, what caused the chill, was a small dusting of ice. It caught the light above, rainbows and halos gleaming in her eyes. Her thick scales caught some of the diamond-like ice, made her look jeweled as she strode through the familiar path—now made unfamiliar by the season’s change and the gorgeous tricks of the light.

The shimmer already present in her coat magnified, and Demidrew almost cast light as she walked, radiant—without using a drop of magic from either of her elements. And yet, she reveled in it, tilted her head and let the wind run across her throat, casting her eyes skyward to see the distant, looming threat of more snow.

Such a shame that it couldn’t last forever, but nothing could. Demidrew shook herself and departed with a certain elegance to her bearing, and anyone who looked upon her would not know that she was anything but royalty.