“Oh! A kitty!” I smiled at the little void cat. I wouldn't have noticed him except for a flash of his brilliant green eyes peeking out from beneath the large pine branch he was huddled beneath.

The cat opened one gorgeous eye to glare suspiciously at me.

“Let's get you somewhere warm!” I told him, reaching out my hand so he could sniff my fingers, in case he was friendly. But he hissed instead, so I backed off, speaking in a reassuring tone, “It’s alright! I promise I'm not going to hurt you! But I also won’t try to pet you, okay?”

The little feline watched me, body tensed and green eyes baleful.

“Oh, if looks could kill!” I giggled. “Relax! I just happened to notice you.” I shook my head, frowning. “It is an awfully cold day.” Would the poor thing be warm enough outside?

The temperature had been dropping dangerously low, even for animals, at night lately. I could bring him in, just for the night. There was room in the cottage for another kitty, even if the two cats I already had wouldn't like having him there. Well...they could just get over it. But that was only if he'd come inside.

He might prefer to stay in the barn. Given how he'd hissed, I was pretty sure he wanted very little to do with me. With the enchanted heating stones I’d bought from Dern, the dwarvish merchant, to keep my barn animals toasty, it was always plenty warm inside.

The clouds hung thick and low overhead, threatening snow. If the little cat would go into the barn, he’d avoid the snow and bitterly cold wind that was sure to come.

“Hm." We weren't far from my cottage, so I hatched a plan. “You wait here, and I’ll be right back with a treat for you!” Standing, I turned and hurried back towards home, breaking into a run for the last bit, and darting up the stairs two at a time.

Bursting through the door, I apologized to my two grey tabbies, Lou and Diana. “Sorry babies! I gotta help another little kitty! I’ll be right back!”

Grabbing a big chunk of dried fish from the pantry, I hurried back outside. I quickly made my way back to where I’d left the black cat curled up beneath the large pine branch.

For a moment, I didn’t see him. Disappointment filled me.

Keeping this little guy safe, at least for as long as he wanted to hang around, would have been really nice. It was why I'd taken Lou in when I'd found her wandering around as well. As much as I'd hate to struggle through a briar patch again to catch a cat, as I'd had to do for Lou. That said, I'd do it again if it's what it took to help the little black cat. If I could find him again, anyways.

Suddenly, I caught sight of his brilliant green eyes and realized he’d just moved, having come a little ways out from where he’d been hiding. “There you are!” I smiled triumphantly and slowly approached, pausing before I got too close.

He glowered at me with those piercing green eyes.

“You’re such a handsome boy!” I smiled, then broke the fish into small pieces. “I brought you a snack! And I can give you a nice warm place to stay! You could stay in my cottage with me and the other kitties, if you wanted, but I don’t think you’d do that. Instead, how about the barn with the other animals? It’s nice and warm in there, I promise!”

There was no reply, of course, but his eyes blinked once. I pretended he understood.

“Alright, snackies first, though.” I reached out slowly, holding a morsel of fish.

The stunningly green eyes watched my fingers get closer. He hissed once more, warning me, and for a moment I was afraid he’d scratch me. Instead, he paused and sniffed.

“It’s fishy! I use it as food for my two girls, and I figured you’d like it as well.” I murmured. “I hope you do, anyways.” Putting a few pieces down on the ground, I took a couple of steps back. “Go ahead! I won’t bother you!”

The cat stared at the treats I’d left on the ground, then craned his neck to sniff at the tasty little morsels. He glanced up at me, then took a step forward. As he did, I noticed the little guy didn’t put any weight on his left paw.

“Oh, are you hurt?” I asked softly, suddenly extremely sad.

Of course, the cat didn’t answer. He couldn't, given he was a cat. But he had started to eat some of the fish, at the very least.

Maybe if I could convince him to let me touch his paw, I could help him. My healing abilities might be weak, but they weren’t nothing.

Once the fish was gone, I caught his attention again, and held up more fish so he could see it. I made another pile, then stepped back again in the direction of my cottage, and thus the barn.

I repeated the process multiple times, and though it was slow progress, we eventually made it to the barn door.

“Well, that’s half the battle.” I sighed, opening the barn door as the cat ate the most recent pile of treats I’d made for him. “Now, let's win the war! If I can get you into the barn, anyways."

Warm air enveloped me, thanks to the magical heating stones nestled in their little holding box. They really were wonderful. Some day, I’d save up enough to buy a stove and oven powered by the same magic. If it worked as well as the dwarvish merchant said it did, I'd be able to cook things faster and more reliably, since my current stove was old, and both the burners and the oven often heated unevenly.

“Please come in, kitty. I can do the food trail again though, if that’s what it’ll take.” To my surprise, the cat stretched luxuriously, taking care not to put weight on his hurt paw, then waltzed right through the barn door.

“Well, that worked.” I shook my head. “Probably felt how warm it was in here, didn’t you?” I crouched, smiling at the cat as he prowled about the barn. Cats did love a nice warm place to snuggle down in, so it was really no surprise. On the note of liking a warm place to snuggle down, I told him, “You make yourself comfy, I’ll get you a little nest made up for you to curl up in, and get you some food and water and a sawdust box"

Leaving the barn, I shut the doors so he wouldn't escape, and hurried back into the cottage.

After managing to fit all the supplies into a large box, I carefully made my way back to the barn. Slipping in, I paused to flick the lamp on. The lanterns I used to light my house and barn were another genius piece of dwarvish innovation, as I only needed to flick a switch to light them since they held their own lighting mechanisms. I just had to keep them filled with oil as needed and I was good to go! They had been my first purchase from Dern. I'd had them for several years now, and they'd never had a single problem.

The dwarf had first arrived in the village about ten years earlier, and his coming had alarmed folks a little, given how few magical beings we had in these parts, other than me. In their minds, I really didn’t count as a magical being, given I was human, and had lived among them my entire life. But when the people had seen how Dern’s wares had improved the quality of life of those who bought them, they'd gladly accepted him.

Dwarves were very competent in making useful things. Their wares were never pretty, but they worked well and reliably. Must be nice. All I could do was make healing salves and mend small scrapes, cuts, and burns, and even that sometimes required outside help.

Sure, the magic in my veins gave me an unnaturally long life, but it wasn’t as useful as you might expect. The goddess’s gift to my ancestor had grown weaker with each generation, though the faintness of the triangle-shaped mark on the back of my hand belied how feeble the gift had become. My brothers didn’t have the mark at all. They would live unnaturally long lives, probably a couple hundred years, but they wouldn't stay young forever, like I would.

“Alright, little fella, let’s get you a nice warm bed made.” I pushed my thoughts on the failing family gift from my mind and sat the box full of supplies down on the work table.

Grabbing some extra hay that had spilled from my cow trough, I distributed it evenly into one of the two smaller boxes I’d brought and then put a soft blanket down on top. “There we are!” I smiled, satisfied with my quick work.

Looking around to see where my new little feline friend had gone, I saw him sitting upright on one of the short walls between Daisy and Poppy’s enclosures. Poppy, my pony, snorted and tossed her head, while the cow, Daisy, sat amicably, apparently without concern.

“He’s not hurting anything! Besides, it’s just until he wants to leave, anyways. It’s very, very cold out.” I told her.

Poppy snorted again, but more softly this time.

“Thank you.” I laughed a little, then told the kitty. “I’ll leave the bed on the work table, since it’s up off the ground.” I knew cats preferred higher perches.

After a few more moments of work, he had a food bowl, a water bowl, and a sawdust box.

“Okay, I think that’s that!” I told him, dusting my hands off. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want. If you ever decide to come into the cottage, just let me know!”

After bidding the rest of the animals goodbye, I turned the lantern off, then left, returning to my two kitties inside the cottage.

“Alright, babies!” I sang as I came in. “I’m finally back in!” Given how cold it was getting, I probably wouldn't be going back out unless I absolutely had to. With the quickly gathering clouds, I had to turn the lamps on indoors now as well.

Lou and Diana wove around my legs, maowing pleadingly at me. “Oh fine, you can have treats too!” I laughed, going and giving them some bits of dried fish as well. “You two are so spoiled!”

I stroked my kitties’ soft fur for a little while. Some movement out the window caught my eye, and I glanced up to see falling snow.

“Looks like I finished up inside just in time.” I murmured, glad the black cat would be safe and warm in the barn that night.

Snow was pretty, but it would make my chores outside more of…well, a chore. I already worked hard enough, and something that only made my life more difficult wasn't particularly welcome, even as beautiful as it was.

Seeing that twilight was falling, I glanced at the clock. “Dinner time.” I sighed, stretching my arms, then staggered to my tired feet and headed to my small kitchen area.

It had been a long day, and I didn't feel like cooking, so I raided the cupboard and the cold box for whatever nibbles I could find. Soon, I sat down to a meal of toasted bread, cheese, slightly withered winter greens, and dried fruits from the fall harvest, which had been particularly good that year. The wild blueberry bushes nearby on the eaves of the forest had been particularly bountiful, and they were pretty good dried, still sweet despite their wrinkled state.

Looking around my little cottage, I thanked the goddess for my calm, cozy little life. Sure, it was a little lonely at times, but it was good.

After eating, I washed the few dishes I'd dirtied, then sat down with my sewing kit to patch the elbows that had worn through on a dress. Once the mending was done, I let myself give into my sense of whimsy, and added some pretty, embroidered flowers, simply because I could.

Some people thought embroidery was dull, but I found it was a nice way to add a little bit of brightness to an otherwise plain dress or spruce up a room in a small way with some floral flourishes on a pillow. Embroidering did take patience, though, and I suspected that's why most people found it boring. Or maybe I was just boring. If I was, that was alright. I was content with my life and myself, and whether or not other people thought I was interesting was irrelevant.

Smiling at my handiwork, I glanced outside, and saw that the snow was now coming down pretty fast. Indeed, it already covered the ground in a light blanket. We’d probably have a couple inches at least, but if it kept falling at the same rate, we’d have more than just a couple.

Yawning, I put away my sewing things, then went to my bedroom. After changing into my nightgown, I threw a robe over it, shoved my feet into my fluffy slippers, then headed to the washroom for a bath.

Usually, bathing in the winter was a miserable chore, but when I was a child, my parents had saved up so that traveling dwarvish workmen could put in hot and cold running water, as well as the cold box in the kitchen. In doing so, they’d paved the way for other such amenities in the village, making it a little easier for the villagers to accept Dern and his wares so many years later.

My family wasn’t particularly wary of magic, all things considered, though we did know the dangers it could cause if misused, as everyone did. That’s why some folks were wary of it, understandably so. It could be frightening, but when used to heal, help, and protect, it was perfectly fine. Luckily, magic generally wasn't common in these parts, other than mine and Dern's, and we were both peaceful sorts, so no one really had to worry about us misusing it.

Soon, I was sinking into the warm bath, and thanking my lucky stars that I was fortunate enough to have such a luxury.

It was so nice and warm.

I’d have to be up early to wade through the snow so I could take care of the animals, and that would be cold. Very cold. But I'd just have to bundle up as warmly as I could and deal with it.