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Prompt 5: Though Destiny City is a busy metropolis, dense forests encircle the city. It's uncommon for wildlife to wander into the city--especially larger creatures--but something is making its mark on Destiny City. Large footprints, humanlike but far too large to belong to any ordinary human, are appearing around Destiny City. They always lead to the woods, and back again--and the strange part is that no one seems to be able to see what has caused them. Cameras distort, and anyone who thinks they've come into contact with the creature can only make out a thick, white fur and something easily nine feet tall. Oddly enough, any surface near the tracks are covered in a sheet of ice, as though whatever passed close to them was so cold it left a frosty trail.
Backdated to December 12, 2020
The snow added to the sharp, crisp scent in the air. Realta's long tail flicked, lazy and content. She could hear people squealing and laughing, the higher pitched tones of children's laughter, the sharper ones of parents' and guardians' warnings. Hills had been turned into sledding lanes, the larger ones being particularly favoured for the speed proper sleds and tubes could reach upon them.
She didn't mind the chill as she sat perched on a bench. One she'd had to clear some of the snow off of the plastic ‘wood’ to give herself a somewhat dry seat, but only enough to bunch it up around her. Giving some insulation against the more biting winds. Her coat was thick, sure, but the Savannah breed was meant for warmer climates. What was 'thick' for coating on her, didn't match up well against the Main Coons and other felines suited for the worst of winters.
Which also meant the pads of her paws weren't as effective at barring the icy cold. That was some of the worst of it. Even though she enjoyed going around the city still while it was done up in its finest winter blanket and holiday adornments, she had to frequently find slightly warmer places to rest her paws and let the painful tingles and numbing chills thaw out.
Something a bit more difficult in these parts of the city, where suburban and urban finally began to give way to rural and dense forests took over in place of dense cityscapes. Trees towered instead of skyscrapers here, a thick underbrush being as formidable to maneuver through as rush hour traffic. Woodland creatures peeked about branches and trunks, and chattered as loud as any cluster of pedestrians.
For Realta, the forested regions of Destiny City were a balm to her soul. She always found herself returning to these spots--particularly a hill where she could see the stars so wonderfully brightly and clear.
The fact she could do a great deal of her hunting out there, of course, only made the place all the more appealing to her.
Not that she was the only predator that stalked through the forest. Or snowbanks.
“Look I found some!”
A screech of a child’s voice came near enough to make her ears flick back flat to her skull, eyes shutting briefly on the flinch from the piercing sound. The child continued to call out a few more times until the small gaggle of other children they’d been trying to flag down descended on their location. She slowly relaxed her ears, letting them flick about this way and that to catch whatever of their conversation might clue her in to what the big deal was.
“Look how big they are! They’re huge!”
“Did you make these before we got here?”
“No I didn’t, stupid! My feet aren’t that big!”
“I dunno, you’re little but your feet--” The older child’s attempted teasing--ongoing form of harassment, was Realta’s guess based on the younger’s red face--was silenced by the first pounding their mittened fists into the older boy’s shoulder. The group continued to chatter and focus on whatever the subject of interest was.
“Do you think there’s really a yeti here?” Ah, there we go. Now her attention was truly piqued.
“We don’t live up in the mountains, do we? No, we don’t,” one snide girl remarked, huffing at her companion. “So of course we don’t have any yetis around here!”
Realta wanted to snort. Of all the things they did have running amuck in the city, and this girl was going to claim a yeti of all damn things was impossible just because a lack of altitude?
She hung back, waiting the kids scattered maybe a half hour later before she hopped down from her perch. Long, slender legs were at least good at getting her through most of the snow, though the piling drifts required more jumping and lunging to push her body through. Once she reached an area that was covered in thick ice, though, she paused briefly. It was strong enough to hold her weight--substantial, for a cat--and she had to move slowly to keep her footing properly beneath her. For the time being, she ignored the chill coming up through her paw pads. She had an inquiry to see to.
Their boots had trampled much of the snow in the vicinity of their object--or objects?--of interest, but Realta was pleased to see even the children hadn’t gone forward enough to entirely destroy or muddle the tracks. They were indeed massive. Had toes in the print, like a human’s, but far too large for any human she knew of. They were large, broad. Didn’t sink as far down into the snow as one might expect. The feet were able to function somewhat like snowshoes, she figured. The fact there was also a dense layer of ice all around everything didn’t hurt.
She sniffed towards a tree trunk whose side was covered in the layer, shining like crystal in the sunlight filtering through the clouds overhead. Beautiful, but concerning when she eyed the tree trunk on the other side of the trail of tracks, facing her, that was also covered in a sheet of ice. Now, should weather conditions conspire just right, you can get sheets of ice on trees and whatnot. Usually, from rain or freezing rain coming down, and freezing further as temperatures continue to drop. But that’s usually along the whole tree, or spots where the rain could soak down and cling to freeze. It’s not usually along specific single sides, and nothing up on other branches--to be sure herself, Realta even climbed up a non-frozen side of a tree, getting up into the higher branches to confirm… no ice.
At least, none above a nine-foot level.
She hummed, fascinated, tail flicking this way and that in her growing intrigue. She could see further into the forest from her perch, skeletal trees not offering much to block her where pine trees weren’t covering the view. All along the trail of tracks, ice sheets covered snow and flora alike, all focusing in on the same central direction of the trail. No other trees in the area were affected. Nor were upper branches on anything. The focus had been from the ground level, not a weather phenomenon.
A slow smirk played along her feline features, pearlesque eyes shifting slightly as she looked through the trees, her vision sharpening as her irises constricted and relaxed over and over to better focus her sight. “Now, where are you visiting from, my dear? You seem to be a long way from home,” she murmured, voice a purr as she stared at the mass of white fur deeper in the forest. Puffs of air came from the thing, soft, temporary clouds of vapor. It let out a larger huff of vapor, and she watched as a large bulk was moved, delicate ears picking up the sound of crunching snow, and snapping branches deep, deep amongst the trees. Growing further and further away, far from the potential intrusion of humans.
“Enjoy your visit, at least,” she hummed, tipping her head briefly to the creature before she shifted her attention back to the amusement of those gathered to enjoy the winter wonderland. Locals and visitors alike, per the norm, all looked for ways to best enjoy their time here.
[wc: 1254]
