Snowfall ◯ The Originals

Prologue

A young boy, who couldn't have been
more than seven years of age based on his looks, stood on the street as he watched the numerous people walk by him. A faded stuffed rabbit in his left hand, holding it by its ear as he walked, shivering from the winter breeze.

He was thankful for the cold almost completely numbing his bare feet, much like the tips of his fingers, for his small body could hardly stand the cold. He shivered, pulling his thin scarf to cover more of his tiny frame, the snow crunching under his feet. His face was pale, almost as pale as his hair.

His hair, small specks of snow adorning it, though his hair was as white as the snow itself. Suddenly, the small boy sped up his step a little, clutching the rabbit tightly to his chest. The boy then grabbed onto the sleeve of the man closest to him.

"H-Hello? Could you-"

"Piss off, kid!" The man snapped, pulling away from the child and turning way without another thought.

The young boy took multiple steps back at the man's harsh tone, nearly tripping over some sort of wood that had been left on the ground carelessly.

"Do you need help?"

The boy was startled by the sudden voice, falling back onto his bum into the thick snow. He looked up before quickly standing back up, colder than before. He glanced around, only to find a young girl, only a year or two older than him, with a thick jacket staring down at him.

"Well, Do you?" She repeated, tilting her head in curiosity at the little boy who was shaking from the cold.

"Y-Y-Yes." He finally spoke after a few moments, clutching his stuffed toy to his chest protectively as if it was his child.

"Well, Come on then. My mother shouldn't be far. She could help you." The girl was blunt, holding her gloved hand out to the boy.

He hesitated for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion as he stared at the girl. Slowly, he reached out his hand to take hers. The girl got impatient, reaching over and grabbing his hand to pull him along before she stopped and shivered.

"God, you're freezing!" She exclaimed, pulling her hand back and quickly taking off her gloves. She offered the gloves to him, causing his eyes to widen. He just stood there, staring at the girl as if he was expecting her to announce that it was some sort of joke, and she wasn't being nice to him but luring him into a trap.

The girl rolled her eyes at him after a moment of staring, grabbing his hands and slipping the gloves onto them. Afterwards, she grabbed his hand again and led him off to her mother. As they walked, the girl had to almost drag him so he could keep up with her.

"By the way, What's your name, Snow Boy?" She asked suddenly, slowing her pace so that the boy could catch up.

"E-Erik."

"Just Erik?"

"Y-Yes."

"Well, Erik, I'm Astri."