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It's Cold Out Side — Description
Mina’s legs dangled over the precipice suspended in the air above the vertical drop to the sea below. A sharp wind had begun to blow in from the north, biting at her nose, and causing her fingers to numb at the tips. The scent of the sea brine was changing, taking on a pungent musk that still clung in the air at the islands peak.
Below her, the algae blooms had begun to shift as well, changing from their once deep green nearly invisible in the surrounding sea to a more rotted orange. The rounded bulbs that supported their snaking columns were separating in mass, and over the last few days had been swept over the rocky shore by the thousands. Their decaying blooms driving her to stuff her nose with moss for the first few days, and even then, it was an effort to not retch whenever she breathed thought her nose.

The seasons were changing, and the already cold air had taken on a deeper chill that penetrated even the thickest of hides she had draped over her bed. With the use of mud and tree resin she had done her best to close the many gaps in the wooden posts that had existed when she first arrived on the island, almost making the single structure habitable. And with the use of gopper oil she had managed to keep a small fire burning slowly in the stone stacked hearth, though it was never enough to truly feel warmed by. Even now the cold was beginning to seep in past her fur causing her to shiver as she looked out across the endless sea.

Nine months, twelve days, sense she had been cast aside, left on this island. Alone.

And yet not truly alone.

Her hand slipped into the pouch secured at her hip and deftly withdrew the tiny silver disc within. Refined to a mirrors’ sheen and bowled ever so slightly inwards the metal rippled, distorting the image of the reflected world back at her.

Focusing on it with all her mind, pushing out the cold, the wet earth she sat on, the sea, she let it all slip away, and stared into the rippling center of the disk.

The Other swam into view, and Mina had to suppress a flash of heat that rippled down her spine, causing the image to flicker and distort almost losing the connection. Foolish, keep yourself in check, she chided focusing back on the vixen before her.

Dressed in fine clothes, a white blouse and black skirt she watched as the vixen walked around a small office oblivious to the world around her as she moved to adjust the thermostat at the wall before returning to her desk. Mina shivered as she watched, she could almost smell the coffee that the other was drinking, taste the hot liquid on her tongue.

There was another figure too, larger and moving stealthily up behind the her, and as Mina watched it draped its heavy arms around her, causing the other vixen to start, spilling her coffee over her papers. Materializing into view, Mina’s lip twitched, as she watched the vixen lean back and grab the grizzly’s eyebrows and pull upon them. Even from her angle she could tell he was laughing, though the vixen was clearly trying to inflict pain upon him. Though he did not seem to care, instead wrapping his muscular arms around her and laughing pull her up into a tight embrace.

The image rippled, distorting at the corners here her fingers held it, and, only as the images faded into a blur of shapes did she realize her fingers digging into the disk were shaking.

Nine months.

Trapped, alone, and cold. Nine months while her other ran around, drank coffee, and got hugged. Her hands were trembling to the point she hand to put the disk down beside her, lest she loose it in the surf below. Entertaining the thought of throwing the accursed item into the sea.

Maybe it would have been better to never have used it.

Yet it was her only connection to the outside world. And through it, what she had seen had at least given her some sliver of hope to hold onto.

Drawing in a calming breath of cold air, she let it settle in her chest.

Three months, seven days.

Then, she could try again. And this time, she would ready.

This time, things would be different.