The sound of wind rushed in your ears as you sprinted through the snow. Bristled pine limbs reached out and snatched at your wild locks, causing you to stumble. Still you ran. Legs pumping, lungs constricting, breaths becoming ragged and wheezy; your body was slowing.

You had to keep going, to persist! You could never allow him to catch you.

Huffing and puffing, you slid up behind a particularly fat spruce. After a few agonizing moments, you breathing evened. Before you could become too comfortable, a series of startling booms quaked the earth, knocking snow from the frost-burdened boughs.

A blue-haired, heavily-muscled, Imuchakk bounded into your area. The giant surveyed the surrounding forest before continuing in the direction you had been headed.

Another minute or two crawled by before you exhaled a sigh of relief... and immediately regretted it.

"Tag!" A shout burst out from behind you. Two massive arms wrapped around your waist and and heaved you upwards. Next thing you knew, you were being smothered in a hug, swinging back and forth, like a rag doll.

"You're crushing me, Hina!"

"Oh, sorry.." He gently released you from his embrace and you plopped unto the ground.

"It's fine." You offered him a warm smile, beaming from cheek to rosy cheek. "Cheer up, Snowflake!" Delight illuminated your features as a slight wince, in reference to Hina's long-dreaded nickname, flashed on his.

"I think I should really get back to training. That narwhal isn't going to cower at a 'Snowflake'. Besides... You're the dainty one."

You leaned down and scooped up a fist-full of snow. Between two gloved hands, you began to clump the powder together.

"Dainty, huh?" Smirking, you lobbed a perfectly packed snowball at his exposed chest. The icy projectile exploded in a shower of sugar-white dust.

A silence passed briefly as Hina squinted at the frost coating his skin. As quick as lightning, his gaze clashed with yours and competitive glee flooded into those golden pools.

"You're on!"

You broke away in a dash, galloping toward the cover of the dense pines. Something whooshed past your ear. Before you could register that you were under fire, a gob of half-melted slush was splattered across your left shoulder. Chills skittered up your back as rivulets of ice and water dribbled down it.

Further behind you peeked a pale log, half-entombed in ice. Almost instinctively, you dodged another whistler as it soared over your head, ducked behind the gnarled wood, and flattened your body against the forest floor. You gouged at the packed snow, rolling and squeezing until it was molded into a tight sphere, adding more and more. Eventually, it grew to the size of your head. The orb, flecked with dirt and braided with moldering pine needles, kindled a flicker of pride within. It was your opus, your masterpiece. It deserved to be displayed somewhere special... particularly Hina's smirking face.

You popped up, lugging the frosty bowling-ball in your arms. With every ounce of strength, you heaved it above you head and launched it at Hina, who could only gape. It connected with a thick thwomp. Hina paused a moment, processing the arrival of his new hat.

You restrained a bout of laughter as you admired your handy work. Hina's mouth (which was the only part of his head not encased in infamous Imuchakk ice) twitched a moment. A low rumble flowed from Hina's core, growing higher in pitch, before bubbling up and erupting in hearty roars. With a wag of his head, he shook the snow from his face, sending it rolling down mountainous shoulders in a mini avalanche.

Hina hunched low and, with his two great paws, swallowed up a boulder of hard-packed ice. He bounced it onto his shoulder and prepared to take aim.

An excitement like lightning shot through your body, animating you with wild, boundless energy. You flew over the slippery terrain and leapt into a tree, scurrying up with ease.

"Scared of a little snow?" Hina ground his heel into the snow and spun on it, using the momentum to sling the frozen meteor.

The snow boulder soared over the tree line in an arch, pausing only for a moment's breath. A rounded shadow slipped over you, and you glanced up in time to witness the crash. You clamped onto the trunk as it shivered from the sudden impact. Slush and pine needles rained down and matted your hair and clothes with all the wintry debris. At once, it was over. You released a sigh into the thin, chilly air and pressed your forehead against the bark.

From below, a pair of feet trampled the snow with increasingly loud crunches. You turned your head to watch that bright, blue head of hair come bouncing up to the tree. To your surprise, when you spotted Hina, his face was a stretched image of horror and shock.

You quickly descended from your perch, hurrying to a beyond-worried Hina.

"I am so sorry. (Y/n), I just got swept up in the game, and I didn't mean to scare you or hurt you. Please, please, don't be hurt!"

As soon as you approached his arm's reach, he began inspecting you for bruises, brakes, or cuts (which of course you had none of).

"Hina?"

His eyes, filled with concern, were zipping back and forth at a rapid pace as he continued to scan your face for marks. You were entranced by him. He was so focused, so handsome... so close.

He drifted from your cheek, slowly meeting your eyes. Those eyes, so bold at times, only communicated tenderness. A tingling buzz ran from you toes to you head and, at that moment, you felt weightless.

Something pink flitted out of the corner of your eye and when you looked back the moment had faded.

Hina, who had been cupping your face with a single, gentle hand, quickly dropped it and shifted away.

"It's looks like you're fine." He stated, avoiding any sort of eye contact.

You started slowly, still shaking off his spell. "W-Well, in that case, are you up for a walk?"

Hina frowned at the sky. "I don't know. What if we're late? I can't disappoint him... Not again." His frown took on a upset tightness.

You patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Snowflake. Just follow my lead."