It was in the middle of a winter's morning when the ranger Sawyer Jander quietly walked out of his house. He slender, but well toned body was covered in thick wools and leathers that protected him from the cold temperatures and the snow that fell from the sky and blanketed the town of Bellroose. Walking down the path in front of his home, he brushed the dozens of snowflakes that were already forming on top of his head.
Sawyer stared down the road, his green eyes spotting his friend Virgo Cloveer, who was recently appointed a deputy of the law in the small town. Virgo appeared to be scolding a group of gnomes and dwarves who had started a snowball fight. She had her flaming red hair tied up in a bun and wore a shining coat of mail over her wool tunic.
Sawyer’s eyes lit up as his mind conceived a mischievously plot. Picking up a handful of snow, he began moving silently towards his friend, his hands firmly packing the snow into a tight ball.
Sawyer moved to the right, in hopes of avoiding her sight, and when he was close enough, he threw the snowball as hard as fast as he could, then watched as it flew in a straight line and struck the deputy in the back of her head.
Deputy Virgo Cloveer let out a scream as cold trails of melting ice flowed through her clothes and down her back. She drew her magical sword Redcrosse and turned to face the culprit that hit her When she spotted her friend, she sheathed her sword, noticing the grin on his face, but failed to see the small round white object in his hands. "You son of a-" her words were ceased as the ranger had already released another snowball, this one hitting her in the face. Quickly brushing aside the snow, Virgo charged her friend and speared him.
Sawyer let out a grunt as his back struck the ground. He tried lifting his body, but Virgo's strength body mass-her weight combined with the weight of the chain mail armor she wore on her person- kept him pinned to the ground while her hands picked up piles of snow and dirt and shoved it in his face.
"Whose laughing now?" Virgo said as she stood up and helped her friend to his feet.
As the tingling sensation covered his face, Sawyer shook her head. "I'd...I wasn't laughing. Sometimes I forget how strong you are."
"So do some of the fools down at Turpsy‘s Tavern," the deputy said with a smile. "Are we still planning to light the Yule Log together tonight?"
"I was on my way to get the log right now," Sawyer answered as he and Virgo began walking down the road. For a moment, his thoughts turned to his friends. Virgo’s brother Val and their friend Roland were in Shyremire, visiting Roland’s mother Lorlei. Both Virgo and Sawyer had been invited to go along with Roxi and Timber, but Virgo was busy with her duties as deputy while Sawyer was busy with his duties cooking at the Fillfar Inn down the street from his house.
"Remember, Laura would like up to stop by the Inn tomorrow morning," Virgo broke in, turning the ranger away from his thoughts and back to reality. Sawyer turned the blond haired woman, about to say something, when the cries of "Thief!" echoed from at the end of the block.
"Duty calls," Virgo said, shaking her head. "I will see you tonight." After giving her friend a kiss on the cheek, the deputy walked away.
The ranger felt a warmth in the place on his cheek that had just been touched by the lips of a woman. Smiling once more, he continued to walk, his mind now on the task at hand.
* * * *
For the remainder of the morning and the early part of the afternoon, Sawyer continued down an invisible trail that had led him the base of Violet Hill. His eyes searched all directions, seeing several trees and bushes in every direction. He found the midsection of large oak tree, much of it already cut into pieces.
Grabbing a large log that was smoothly cut, the ranger felt a little heartbroken. As a man who spent much of his time in the forest, Sawyer was attuned to many of the trees that grew around the town. Yet he knew that the parts of this tree that had been harvested, would be used by the townsfolk to light their Yule fires. He also knew that these trees would grow again.
Holding the log in his right arm, Sawyer began walking back to town, when he noticed a trail of bloody paw prints embedded in the snow, heading in the northeastern direction.
Sawyer quietly followed the trail of prints, until he came across the body of a large white wolf. The animal appeared to by laying in its side, breathing heavily from exhaustion.
Sawyer moved quickly and scooped the wolf in his arms, gently tossing it over his left shoulder. A shiver went down the ranger's spine as the wolf let out a whimper that echoed through his eardrums.
"Better get you back to town my friend," Sawyer whispered as he raced home.
* * * *
The stars were shining when Sawyer had arrived back at his house. Wasting no time, he placed the wolf on the small rug in front of the fireplace, then placed the smoothly cut log inside. As he went to his bedroom to get a blanket from his bed, Virgo entered the house, her eyes filled with irritation and relief.
Sawyer looked at Virgo as her eyes found the animal near the fireplace. "I found him after I found our Yule Log," he said as he placed the blanket on top of the wolf's body, who was shaking as the deputy's fingers stroked his fur.
Virgo shook her head as she stood up and grabbed the flint and steel from the ledge on the fireplace. "I take it you were going to start the Lighting early then?" she asked as she struck the flint and steel together, which then caught the log on fire.
"Of course," Sawyer said as he brushed the wolf's smooth white coat. It was then he noticed the animal's black eyes look up at him. The ranger smiled politely at his new friend, then turned his attention back to the fireplace, where the log he had selected from the forest, was now burning brightly and beautifully.
"Good," Virgo said as she sat next to Sawyer. She placed her head on his shoulder as her eyes went back and forth between the white wolf and the burning log. "You know Sawyer, I am starting to wonder if was fate that led you to this beautiful creature. Are you going to keep him?"
The ranger nodded. “I think so. You could take him with you while you’re on duty.
"If a scary wolf doesn‘t keep the criminals of this town under line, I don‘t know what will?" asked Virgo. “So what shall we call our new friend?”
Sawyer thought about it for a moment, then looked into the wolf's eyes. "Dasher," he finally declared in a calm voice. "His name will be Dasher."
Virgo patted Sawyer's arm as she looked back into the fire. "Dasher is a good name."
Sawyer continued to look down into the white wolf's eyes, sensing that the animal agreed with the woman.
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