Chapter 1-
On the side of a little cobblestone road, lies a noble carriage with its silk curtains burning and Silver horses ripped apart, dead guardsmen lay around on the frosty earth, their orange and grey gear either damaged beyond value or missing. The family chest of the noble Sunblaze house shines in the setting light.
The raiders are long gone having taken anything that they deemed valuable enough to either keep for themselves or sell to anyone willing to buy the stolen goods. Leaving behind a small sliver-furred creature shivering in the harsh Northern cold.
“Hewwo, is thewe anyone who wiww hewp Siwvew Heawt, pwease?”
It cried out, only to be answered by the howling of a wintrous wind. The bare trees creek ominously, as if readying to break under the force of the wind and the weight of the heavy winter snow. A small orb of yellow light glows on the tip of its horn.
A brown furred creature ploughs though the snow, towards the source of the light. It seems to not be bothered much by the winter chill, Its own horn bathed in a sickly green light, revealing the wings on its back. Eventually the two fluffies meet.
When the brown one comes close enough to be seen clearly by Sliver Heart, he sees the wings on the back of the larger other and sharp fangs when they try to give a reassuring smile. The realisation hits the smaller unicorn shortly after.
“Munstah, you am mustah.” Silver Heart’s yellow eyes grow with fear. He stays put, trying to figure out how to find help.
“Greeting, what am your name?” The brown Alicorn speaks very clearly without a hint of a lisp, seemingly unfazed by the other’s words.
Silver Heart takes a deep breath, realising that the monster in front of him may be his only help and answers:
“Fwuffy am Swivew Heawt. Yours?”
“Onyx, Onyx Metalhunter, would want stay at fortress? Have warmth and nummies.”
“Ye, Siwvew Heawt wan go.”
As the two fluffies walk together towards the old stone fortress, talking to fill-in time, Sliver Heart presses himself farther into Onyx’s thick fur, grateful for the warmth. Onyx lightly warps his wing around the short-fur unicorn, shielding the other from some of the twilight winds.
Sliver Heart looks up at the forbidding fortress with its high walls and taller spires. If he looks closely, he can see coffin cages hanging off the walls and bridge. Not even the snow truely covers the remains of the ruined souls that were tortured by the Monster of Snowhill.
They get to the bridge, where the black coffin cages with partly eaten corpses still inside swing in the wind, the chains rattling with the movement. On the sides of the bridge, there’s lanes of archer status with their bows drawn and a lone warrior besides the entrance, a glassy orb sits in a stone hand of the warrior statue, the other clenching a broken sword. Onyx directs some of his magic towards the orb, activating the statue.
“Welcome to Fort Scarwood.” Drones the warrior, eyes aglow with the sickly green light. The light dances between the statues, their eyes light up, signaling activation.
Once they pass the glowing eyes of the statues, Silver Heart looks up at the both the arcane symbol burnt into the huge, wooden doors and the snarling face of a gargoyle, its eyes sockets filled by light blue orbs. Onyx nudges him and the pair enter the fortress.
The fortress has a short hallway before entering the main foyer, which is lit up by torches that suddenly spring into flame upon approach, making Sliver Heart jump whenever one lights up. The main foyer itself is plain yet elegant with a dark blue carpet with some simple talosian patterns in sliver thread; four towering, iron braziers and some small paintings.
Onyx removes his wing from Sliver Heart’s flank and tells the unicorn: “Sliver Heart, please stay here. I get mummah to come see you.”
Sliver Heart nods and moves to sit down near one of the braziers on the edge of the semi-circle cut into the carpet. The carpet is thick and soft enough to be used for bedding for most fluffies, but as a nobleman’s fluffy, Sliver Heart stubbornly tries to stay awake despite the weariness of his body and plus, he feels that it would be rude to have his first impression on his hostess be him sleeping on her carpet.