"And… that's all there is… to her story… as we know it," Grandma said, her eyes lingering on the armor.
"It's as interesting as when I heard it the first time. Nevertheless, our lady never ceases to amaze me. Grandma, let's go. The dinner is being prepared, so let's go to eat," Cineris said.
"Ha… ha… so eager to eat food… Back in my parent's day, the winter was harsher… and the food was scarcer… Good times to live in."
"Alright… let us go."
Grandma, kneeling, anchored her body with her arms and bowed, touching the ground with her forehead. "May the Gods revive you, My lady," she whispered.
Cineris, seeing Grandma performing it, followed in her steps and did the same.
Grandma breathed in and out. Extending her hand, she asked, "May… you help me stand up… my child?"
"Of course, Grandma, I'd always help you," Cineris smiled as she stood up, helping Grandma to her feet, and handed her the cane that lay by the wooden, black-planked walls.
"So… the food will be great today…" Grandma said as they walked towards the door.
"It will be, Grandma. Aunt Luurie is preparing it, after all."
"Indeed… her cooking is perfect… Would've died for it… if I was younger."
As their chatting went on, they walked out of the praying room and into the dining area, where the chatting and laughter of the villagers was heard loud and clear.
***
Two years later, during the worst snowstorm yet to be seen, the aftermath left snow reaching the roofs. As the storm subsided, the people of the village went out onto the road to uncover it.
They shoveled the snow from the gravel road, and the snow was converted into water by the campfire, which was so hot its glow seemed to reach past the wooden roofs in the middle of the village center.
Every adult from the village came out of their house to help. Laughter and chatter followed as they loaded the snow onto wheelbarrows and rode them to dump by the campfire.
Cineris looked out of the window from the shrine dining room and watched as the adults in the village worked hard for everyone. She turned back towards the grandma, saying, "Can I go help? Please."
Grandma sat by the wooden table where the light from the candles placed in the middle of the table shone. She looked up at Cineris as her eyes longed to help them. She sighed and said, "You may go… Wear proper clothes… to not get sick."
Cineris smiled as a blush grew on her face. She jumped off the chair and rushed towards the rack holding the thick clothes. Grabbing some, she threw them upon herself and said while running towards the door, "Thank you, grandma! I'll help them with it!"
"Don't overexert yourself… No one wants you to get… sick."
"I know, I know, I will be cautious!"
Cineris grabbed the handle and ran out of the shrine, closing the door behind her. She ran down the steps, gripping a nearby shovel, and ran up to the adults as wind thrashed by her ears asking, "Can I help?" Her cheeks were red from the cold and her eyes glimmered.
"Did grandma allow you to help us?" a black-haired, green-eyed fox beastkin asked, as other people slowly turned to face her.
"Of course! I asked granny and she said to not overexert myself, just help with things I can!" Cineris said.
"We see… Then join us," the man said, patting her on the head. He smiled from ear to ear, his face wrinkling as he stabbed his shovel into the snow, taking out a column of it. He took it and dumped the snow by the hot fire.
Cineris copied him and dumped her portion of the snow, a noticeably smaller portion, but a helpful one.
As the man turned to take more, Cineris watched the snow. In mere seconds the pile started getting smaller and smaller, as water flowed from under it. Unable to get sucked into the ground, it stayed there as the pile of snow disappeared.
The man came back and dumped more snow. Cineris turned to the adults, saying, "Thank you for allowing me to help you." She gripped the shovel and looked down as ice began crystalizing on her eyebrows and eyelashes.
The group of adults vigorously laughed, and a few said, "Your help is always welcomed, don't think that of yourself. There's no place here that you are not welcomed in."
Cineris looked up at them as her mouth grew agape, and then into a wide smile exposing her porcelain white teeth, saying, "Yes!"
Cineris and the adults kept shoveling the snow for the rest of the day, barely uncovering half of the gravel road.
And so the day came to an end, and Cineris's eyelashes and eyebrows, as well as the area under her nose, had crystallized into ice. She smiled barely, as her face muscles hurt. "Thank you, I'd go. I can barely feel my fingers."
The group of adults stood together, each face a mask of ice, with frozen eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair.
"Then go rest well!" the group said back.
"We'll shovel the road far into the night, so rest well," one person said.
Another one said as well, "We are happy that you helped us! Please rest well for all of us!"
And the group laughed, and Cineris couldn't help but laugh back.
And so Cineris came back to the shrine and went to sleep as grandma read her a fairytale. And so, the next day, Cineris was sick from exhaustion.