Footprints

She woke up expecting him to be laying beside her, cuddling as if his life depended on it, as he was prone to do. The very thought brought on a smile to her face.

Instead, she woke up to the lack of a warm body beside her. Assuming he was sleeping facing the other side, she stretched an arm to reach for him, still half asleep but already restless for his warmth. However, she was only able to grasp a fistful of sheets.

Fully awake, Luna rubbed her eyes, blinking away the remainder of sleep that was left, before turning her head sideways. Worry gnawed at her gut when she saw the empty side of the bed.

“What is he doing…”

She quickly pushed herself off the bed, immediately making her way downstairs to search for him.

The cabin was deserted, but she knew without a doubt where he’d gone. She grabbed her coat that hung on a stand and hastily shoved on boots, her mind consumed with notions of him.

Felix.

Dozens of thoughts ran through her mind as she closed the front door and stepped outside. It was still early morning; she’d been in such a hurry she hadn’t even checked the time.

Now that she was outside, she could easily identify the time. Based on the position of the sun and its intensity, she guessed it was around eight. The sun’s rays fell upon the white snow around her, making the forest gleam and shine more than usual. When she turned her head, the corner of her eye noticed something.

Footprints.

Not just any footprints.

His footprints.

She’d recognize the size and shape of his feet anywhere. He’d left a trail of fresh footprints on the powdery snow, and she understood he’d meant for her to follow them.

Luna began to walk. She pulled the coat wrapped around her closer, finding the forest colder than she’d anticipated.

Luna had an inkling of where Felix was, but she certainly had no idea why he would leave their warm cabin for the freezing weather outside at eight in the morning.

“He better have a good reason for leaving me in a lurch like this.” She thought, smiling wryly. Although slightly exasperated at her partner for doing this to her, Luna had to admit she still felt a spark of excitement inside. If someone had been beside her, they would have seen it on her face. Her mother had always admonished her about wearing her feelings on her face. They showed themselves in her sparkling eyes dancing with eagerness, rosy cheeks and the smile she couldn’t hide.

The snow was almost blinding, but she didn’t mind. The adventurous part of her spirit was slowly taking over her, making her forget she had ever been mad at Felix. Luna followed the manmade trail, occasionally confused by pointless loops and silly leaps Felix must’ve shaped his tracks, until she she finally arrived at a clearing.

No more footprints now.

Surprisingly, no Felix either.

Luna’s lips parted open.

“How did he…” She was bewildered. Fortunately, it didn’t last long.

A snowball hit Luna harshly on the back of her jacket, halting all thoughts of her partner’s whereabouts. She spun around to see the culprit.

Blond hair glowed under the sunlight, appearing a shade lighter and nearly matching the snow. His freckles were more pronounced, sprayed all over his nose and cheeks. Despite his small hands, he held a snowball twice his size. He was currently molding it into a sphere.

“Morning, sunshine.” Felix said, grinning fiendishly. He hefted the snowball in his gloved hands, aiming at her once again.

Luna was quick to realize his intentions and promptly ducked in time. The ball of snow narrowly missed her before hitting a tree behind, instantly disintegrating.

“You up for a duel?”

Luna was slowly getting the hang of things now.

Keeping her eyes trained on Felix, she pulled out the gloves stashed in her coat pocket and slipped them on over her long fingers

She threw him a challenging stare.

“You’re on.”