Chapter Text
~❄️❄️❄️~
"Nunu~" a voice sang his name.
Nunu knew it was his mother's voice. He smiled and snuggled deeper into his warm bed.
"It's time to wake up, today is a special day." Layka was now sitting at the foot of his bed. Nunu could imagine the soft smile on her face as she looked at him, but he kept his eyes closed.
Layka shifted closer to Nunu. Nunu accidentally let out a muffled chuckle, he knew for sure that Layka knew he was awake. He felt some warmth leave him as his mother dragged his blanket away from him. He curled into himself more, missing the warmth of his blanket.
Nunu felt his mother's hand under his arm. He assumed that she was going to pick him up, but she started to tickle him. The vicious tickle attack came out of nowhere. Nunu opened his eyes and started to laugh uncontrollably. Nunu attempted to squirm away from his mother's tickles, but he couldn't get away.
"HAHaha Wait wAit hehe I'm awake I'm awake!" Nunu yelled, his face was red from laughing so hard.
"I knew my tickles would wake you up. Now, go and get ready. I have a surprise for you in the main room." Layka patted Nunu's leg before standing up and leaving his room.
Nunu let out a small gasp, A Surprise! I almost forgot that today was my fifth Nameday! I'm such a goober, I would forget what today is.
Nunu jumped out of his bed, tossed his pajamas into a basket and put on his clothes. He ran out of his room and into the main room.
The main room had a fireplace. There was a cooking pot over the fire cooking breakfast. Lanterns were hanging from the roof, giving light to the whole room. Wooden furniture lined the walls next to the widows. There were blankets and coats hanging off the furniture. Layka was sitting at the table, tying a blue bow in a cloth sack. Nunu guessed that was his Nameday present and went to sit next to his mother.
"What's for breakfast?" Nunu asked his mother. He started drumming his hands on the table.
"I'm making a rabbit stew, an elder from the last village gave me recipe as a gift for singing to the children about The Anivia, so I'm making it for your Nameday." Layka grabbed a large spoon and two bowls. She filled the two bowls up with the golden stew.
It smelled sooo good, Nunu wanted to drool from the smell alone. The bowl was placed in front of him. He grabbed the bowl and was about to start eating, but Layka gave Nunu the 'expectant mom look'. Nunu put the bowl down and grabbed a small spoon and started shoveling the stew into his mouth. It tasted very good.
"Slow down Nunu, your food is not going anywhere" Layka chuckled when Nunu looked up at her. He had stew dripping down his chin.
"Sorry mom, it's just soooo good." Nunu finished his breakfast. He sat still at the table, waiting for Layka to finish her breakfast.
"Can I open my present now?" Nunu asked
"Wait for me to finish my breakfast, then we will open your present."
Nunu pouted, Layka always took a long time to eat. Nunu grabbed his bowl and spoon and put them with the dirty dishes. He sat back down at the table. He stared at his gift impatiently, hoping his mom would finish quicker.
Layka finally finished and put her dishes away. She sat back down at the table and placed the present in front of Nunu.
"Happy Fifth Nameday my little hero!" Layka ruffled Nunu's hair as she handed him the gift. Nunu eagerly untried the blue bow, letting the sack fall to reveal a leather backpack. There was stuff inside the backpack, Nunu could see one of the items sticking out.
"It's a flute!" Nunu grabbed the flute out of the bag. He has always wanted an instrument of his own. Nunu would listen to Layka sing to the music of different instruments from all the villages they would visit. With his own flute, Nunu was now able to play music to the songs of Layka's stories.
Nunu put his mouth at the end of the instrument and blew into it. Nothing happened. Nunu blew harder, his cheeks turned red from his efforts. It finally makes a noise; a loud, off pitch screech. It wasn't majestic, but Nunu counted it as a victory.
Layka watched Nunu with amusement, "I'll teach you how to play the flute later. There are more presents inside the backpack I got for you" Nunu looks up at his mother in surprise. There's more?
Nunu places his flute on the table and checks the inside of the backpack. He pulls out a thick pair of leather gloves and an orange hoodless cloak with golden swirl highlights at the bottom with white fur sticking out from inside the cloak. There was also a light blue hat with two ears, two button eyes, a black nose, and a white tuft of fur between the two ears.
"Woah, these are so cool!" Nunu put on the orange cloak. It was very soft. Nunu grabbed his new hat and looked at it curiously.
"Mom, what creature is this? I don't think you have ever mentioned something that looks like this." Nunu looked at his mom expectantly.
"Well, there is a story behind everything, that includes your hat." Nunu perked up, excited to hear a new story.
"This hat was created to look like a yeti, wise creatures of white fur and ancient magic. There was said to be a large group of yetis in the Freljord, but they have long since disappeared from the Freljord like they never existed in the first place. There was once a song about these creatures, but it was lost to time. Some people say they were stripped of their magic, turned into savage monsters, and lost to the winter storms of The Anivia's wing."
"So, will I never get to see a yeti?"
"Some never will, but if you know where to look, you might be able to find them."
"I want to see a yeti! Do you know where to look to find one?"
"I heard villages of the North-East tell a rumor of a yeti that lives alone in the ruins at Yeti's Vigil. It's said that he guards a very powerful, magic gem that is filled with frozen dreams. Many heroes and warriors have gone after this ancient magic, but all who searched for the yeti never came back."
"Woah, do you think I'm strong enough to fight the yeti and get the magic gem?"
"Maybe you could, how would you defeat the yeti?"
"I would use my trusty sword," Nunu picked up his flute and held it up like a sword, "and I would fight the yeti, he will see how strong I am and give me the gem." Nunu swung his flute around like a sword. "And I'll become a hero to all in Freljord!"
Layka chucked as Nunu pretended to fight an imaginary yeti. "How about this, I'll teach you how to play the flute and together, we will write a song about the yeti and his magical gem."
Nunu stopped swinging his flute and ran over to Layka. He sat next to her, flute in hand eager to learn.
"Alright, first you need to learn how to hold the flute correctly...
~❄️❄️❄️~
Some time has passed since Nunu first got his flute. He learned how to play many of Layka's melodies and has even made his own songs. Nunu tried to play songs for the other Notai children, but they were more interested in playing with their daggers than listening to his music.
It was later in the evening. Layka was feeding their giant, long fur Allocamelus. The other Notain were also getting ready to move to the next village. Nunu ran to his mother, away from the other Notai children.
"Where are we going next." Nunu asked his mom.
"We are going to a village next to the towering citadels, it's where the Frostguards live from some of the stories I've told you." Layka gave the Allocamelus the rest of the feed. "Besides, it's getting late and it's almost your bedtime." She picked Nunu up and walked towards their cartel home.
Once inside, Nunu ran to his room and changed into some pajamas and jumped onto his bed. Layka walked into his room and tucked him.
"Goodnight Nunu." Layka kissed Nunu on his forehead and made her way to the door.
"Mom, can I ask you something." Layka turned around to look at Nunu.
"What is it?"
"Well, while I was playing with the other kids, I heard one of their parents talk about something called 'Noxians'. Do you know what they are?"
"Well, Noxians are a tribe of people not from Freljord. They speak in a different tongue than us, so we don't understand what they say. They are known for destroying villages and stealing from Freljord tribes. There were rumors of a Noxian camp close to where we are traveling, so we are going to travel in the night in order to avoid any conflicts." Her voice was serious, yet soft.
"These Noxians sound like bad people, but all Noxians can't be bad right?"
Layka smiled, "I'm sure there are nice Noxians out there, but it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Oh ok, goodnight mom!" Nunu yelled before pulling his blanket up to his chin. Nunu heard Layka close his door. The caravan softly rumbled as they started to move. The rocking of the caravan lulled Nunu to sleep.
I wonder if I'll ever be able to befriend a Noxian...
~❄️❄️❄️~
BANG!
Nunu jolts awake. Everything in his room is slowly sliding to one side. His entire room was tilted to the left.
In a panic, Nunu jumped out of his bed, almost falling because of the uneven floor. He quickly ran out of his room and into the main room.
The main room was dark, the only light source coming from a lantern Layka was holding. She looked panicked, filling a backpack with items from the kitchen. Nunu could hear loud noises outside, people shouting, some screaming.
"Mom, what's going on?" Layka turned and looked at Nunu, she looked scared.
She grabbed Nunu's backpack and handed it to him. "Someone's attacking the caravans, they-they are destroying the wheels, killing the Allocameluses. We have to leave." Layka was trying to sound stern, but her voice was panicked and stuttered.
More shouts came from outside, they sounded closer. Without warning, the widow to Nunu's left shattered as a torch flew through it. Nunu yelled as glass rained on him, it felt like cold needles on his skin.
Layka quickly picked Nunu up and ran out the door. Nunu looked behind Layka as she ran. He saw people from his tribe running away, some were fighting, some laid in the snow motionless. Allocameluses bellowed in panic, some of the snow was red while the rest of the snow looked orange from torches and caravans set ablaze.
What's happening? Why would someone attack us?
Nunu heard a shout to the left. There were men standing there wearing black mental armor covering their faces and chest. They had bows, axes, swords and torches. They were yelling something at us, but it sounded like gibberish.
Are these Noxians?
Layka started to run faster. She was running towards a rocky hill covered in snow and ice.
That's when Nunu saw something fly by them. Nunu turned and looked back at the Noxians, some of them had their bows aiming at different people, some of them were aiming at us.
They're shooting at us! They're trying to hurt us!
Nunu was afraid. He hugged Layka tighter as more arrows flew by.
Suddenly, Layka fell forward, letting out a yell of pain. Nunu fell forward into the snow, hitting his head on something hard.
Nunu has never felt this much pain. His head throbbed and he felt dizzy. He has only ever scraped his knee or elbow. Nunu started to cry, he felt a warm liquid slowly travel from his head down the side of his face.
Nunu looked up and saw Layka in the snow. She hissed in pain, there was an arrow sticking out of the back of her thigh.
Nunu pushes himself into a standing position, almost falling back down from dizziness. Nunu could see black stars dancing in his vision, but he could also make out a group with torches moving closer to where they were.
Nunu looked at Layka,"Mommy, you have to get up! The bad people are coming!"
Layka sat up, she went to stand but she fell back down, hissing in pain.
"Nunu, sweety, I n-need you give mommy a hand." Layka held her hand out for Nunu to take. He grabbed Layka's arm and pulled with all his strength.
Nunu's pulling was just enough to get Layka back on her feet. Layka grabbed Nunu's hand and limped over to a group of rocks. Layka looked around the place frantically, the shouting behind them got closer.
Layka moved forward towards a large rock with a large crack on the bottom. Nunu saw her wince in pain as she crouched down to Nunu's eye level.
"I need you to crawl in here and go as far into this hole as possible, ok? Don't come out until I tell you to." She said urgently.
"Are you coming with me?" Nunu didn't want to be left alone.
"I need you to be brave, like all the heroes in my stories." Layka kisses Nunu on the forehead.
"I love you, so very much." She whispered.
The shouting was very close now, Nunu could hear the pounding of their footsteps.
"Go!" Layka yelled at Nunu. He turned around and crawled into the hole. The walls were all cold stone and ice. He went as far as he could into the hole before turning around.
Layka wasn't there anymore.
He was alone.
I can do this. I just have to wait for Layka to come back
I have to be brave.
I just have to be brave
I have to be...
Nunu started crying again. He can't do this. He's so afraid. He needs his mom.
Nunu was about to crawl out of the hole, when he heard a group of people walking outside. They were talking, but Nunu couldn't understand what they were saying.
The orange glow of a torch poked through the entrance of the cave. Nunu crawled farther back until he felt the cold stone on his back. He put a hand over his mouth to muffle his heavy breathing.
I have to be brave
The torch stood there for a moment before the glow went away. They were talking again. Nunu could hear their footsteps as they ran away.
Nunu moved his hand away from his mouth as he started to sob.
I'm not brave
I can't even be alone in a cave without crying for my mom.
My head hurts so bad
I'm so cold
So...tired...
Nunu closed his eyes.
...Maybe Mom will save me...
~❄️❄️❄️~
Nunu heard voices outside. He could make out some of the things they were saying. It sounds like they found someone.
Nunu slightly opened his eyes. He saw an orange light dancing at the entrance of the cave.
Why do my eyelids feel so heavy?
He closed his eyes, exhausted and ready to fall back asleep.
I don't feel cold anymore, I just feel numb. Maybe that's a good thing.
He felt something warm grab his arm before falling back into unconsciousness...
~❄️❄️❄️~
"Why does Lissandra want to see me of all people?" Nunu questioned his caretaker.
"Lissandra works in mysterious ways. You should feel honored, Lissandra rarely comes to the villages outside the citadel." She removed the bandage on Nunu's forehead revealing a small pink cut.
"At the rate you're healing, there won't even be a scar left on your little head." The caretaker seemed happy with his progress. Nunu stayed quiet.
It had been two weeks since he had last seen Layka. Nunu was stuck in a little cottage in a village outside the citadel. A group of Frostguards found him in the small cave, almost frozen to death. One of the Frostguard's wife took care of him. He was stuck in bed for days, recovering from his head injury and frostbite.
Nunu rarely left the cottage. The children of this village all teased him for having a flute that he claimed was a legendary sword. He spent most of his days alone playing his flute, imagining his mom singing along with the melodies of his song.
He missed Layka so much. Nunu wished he was a brave hero. Maybe if he was, then he could find Layka.
His caretaker, Naela, would try to get him to play outside more with the other children, but Nunu always refused. Even with Naela, Nunu felt lonely. He felt comfort escaping into the stories of Layka's songs. Naela pitied Nunu, but not even she knew how to help him feel better.
Nunu would always ask Naela's husband if he could go looking for his mom, but he always said it was too dangerous. He wasn't even impressed by Nunu's flute Svellsongur - a powerful sword only existing in his imagination.
Today, Naela was informed by her husband that Lissandra wanted to see Nunu. Lissandra visiting a simple villager, let alone a child, was unheard of.
Naela made sure Nunu got ready to meet Lissandra, Nunu begrudgingly did so. Naela couldn't tell if Nunu was anxious or annoyed. Once he was ready, sat down on his bed. He sat upright, his knees at his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. Nunu rested his head on his knees, he really wished Layka was here.
Nunu heard the door open back up, the sound of footsteps followed. The room felt colder. He hugged his legs tighter. Nunu felt the bed shift from a person sitting down on his bed. He looked up expecting to see Naula, but it wasn't her.
The leader of the Frostguards herself, Lissandra, was sitting at the foot of his bed. She was a lot taller than Nunu thought she would be. She wore a black dress, there were dark ice spikes coming out of her shoulders. Her eyes were covered by the black ice. Straight, white hair flowed behind her back.
It was almost scary how she was looking right at Nunu, but her eyes were completely covered.
"Do you know who I am?" She asked. Her voice was calm, yet cold. Her voice also had a slight echo, like she was talking in an empty room.
"Y-Your Lissandra, leader of the Frostguards." Nunu stuttered.
"Has your mother told stories about me?" Nunu looked at Lissandra in confusion.
"How did you know my mom?"
"This isn't the first time the Notai have traveled to the citadels."
"If you know my mom, do you know where she is?"
"I do not know where she is as of right now, but I do know of a way to find her. That's why I came to you." Nunu perked up when hearing this.
"What do I need to do?" Nunu said, all the shyness disappearing from his voice.
"I need you to tell me about everything you know about the yetis, in return, I'll give you a poem of my own making."
"Mom told me a story about the yetis! They were big creatures that used to use magic. Mom said that no one knows exactly what happened to them, but they just disappeared, like they never existed in the first place. Everyone thought the yetis were gone, but mom heard that there was a yeti that lives somewhere called Yeti's Vigil. It's said that he's guarding a really powerful gem, but how does me telling you about the yetis help us find my mom?"
"That gem the yeti guards is a world rune, one of the most powerful sources of magic. Thousands have died to get the world rune's power. Many get consumed by the promises of power the gem makes. This is why we must find it, so we can keep people away from the gem's temptations. "
"Woah, so we can use the world rune to find my mom?"
"...Perhaps, I simply came to see what else you knew about the yeti before I sent another patrol of men to retrieve the world rune." Lissandra stood up and looked down on Nunu. "And thank you for telling me about the yeti." She handed him a slip of paper. Nunu opened the folded paper and read the poem out loud:
The witch hissed as her spell was spun
And heroes raised their voice as one
'For glory, for freedom!'
They joined the fight,
But their cries were trapped in darkest ice...
"What happened to the men in the poem? It sounds like an epic battle." Nunu hoped that Lissandra would tell him the story behind the poem, but Lissandra was already making her way to the door.
"Wait!" Nunu yelled, forgetting about his question about the poem, "Can I go with the patrol? I've always wanted to see a yeti! I even got a sword called Svellsongur!" Nunu jumped down from the bed, flute in hand, and looked up at Lissandra. She continued to look straight ahead.
"...Every hero has their calling, but this journey is not yours to take." Lissandra left the room.
Nunu watched her leave, disappointed that not even Lissandra thought he was strong enough. He looked down at the folded slip of paper she handed to him, wondering what the bigger meaning behind the poem was.
~❄️❄️❄️~
Naula's husband was one of the men sent on patrol to retrieve the world rune from the yeti. Nunu could hear him say he would be back in about 4 days time. He kissed Naula goodbye as he left to face the yeti.
Ten days passed. The patrol still hasn't returned. Naula talked less, she didn't check on Nunu as often. She only spoke when she needed Nunu for something.
He felt bad for Naula, she didn't deserve to lose her husband. Nunu lost his mom and nothing has felt the same sense.
He knew the Frostguards wouldn't let him go after the yeti, not even Lissandra thought he was strong enough.
I know I'm strong enough to fight the yeti! Mom said anyone can be a hero, I just have to be brave. I'll retrieve the world rune, find my mom, and help everyone on the way! I'll be the greatest hero of all of Freljord!
Nunu waited for night to fall. He packed all his stuff into his backpack and put on his hat and cloak. Naula didn't tuck him in anymore, so he was easily able to sneak out his room through the window.
It was a cold night, most of the villagers were in their homes. Some lingered outside by fires, but they were too distracted to notice Nunu sneak by.
He just had to watch out for patrolling Frostguards. His small size made it easier to stay hidden, but the guards will be actively looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Good news is that the Frostguards were looking for threats trying to sneak in, not people trying to sneak out.
Nunu ran to the outskirts of the village away from all the Frostguards. Once he was out of eye sight of the village, Nunu pulled out a detailed, Freljord map that he took from Naula.
Sorry Naula, but I need this to help my mom and your husband.
He looked at what direction Foundling village was to Yeti's Vigil. Once he found what direction Yeti's Vigil was, he started his journey.
He could hear odd noises from the creature of the frozen night. Ice wolves howled, raptors screeched, Nunu could hear the patter of hooves in the snow.
Nunu ran ahead and saw a pack of Elkury. They noticed Nunu, a large male Elkury moved between him and the rest of the herd. Nunu pulled out his flute, putting the mouthpiece against his lip.
Nunu played a soft melody. He would play this song to his Allocamelus to calm her down when she got startled.
The male Elkury relaxed a little. The other Elkury looked at Nunu curiously.
Nunu slowly approached the Elkury as he played his song. The Elkury towered over him, but they seemed to trust him.
He brought his song to a close. He was to the side of the male Elkury. He quickly grabbed onto the side of the Elkury's fur and lifted himself onto his back.
The Elkury finched from the sudden weight on its back. He simply glanced at Nunu and huffed. The male Elkury moved to the front of the herd and started walking. The other Elkury followed suit.
The Elkury were walking towards the mountain that housed Yeti's Vigil. Nunu decided to rest upon its back.
His fur is so soft and so warm! It's like a portable bed...
...
Nunu felt the morning sun shine on his cheek. He opened his eyes to see that he was closer to the ground. The herd of Elkury stopped to rest. Nunu could feel the deep breathing of the male Elykury he was riding.
He slid off his back and left to figure out where he was. He walked out into a clearing. He was at the foot of the mountain that leads to Yeti's Vigil.
There was a trail that led up through the mountain. It looked like something traveled through this path.
At closer look, there were boot prints in the mud. It looked like a group of people walked through here.
Maybe it's the missing band of Frostguards!
Nunu followed the trail, walking at a faster pace. He followed the trail for a while, until the trail led to a clearing.
Straight ahead was a ruin. There was a strong smell of death in the air. Discarded weapons and armor pieces, some rusted with age, others new. All the armor pieces were damaged with dry blood. Nunu averted his eyes from the scene.
I need to be brave.
Nunu pulled out his flute and walked to the entrance of the large ruins. There were giant claw marks on the ground.
The inside of the ruins smelled worse than outside. Nunu's eyes watered and he left out a small cough.
This was a huge mistake. Something moved inside the cave. There was a creature with white fur on the inside.
The Yeti
Nunu heard a huff come from the yeti. It's blue eyes looked straight at Nunu, but something was off.
It's blue eyes looked so sad.
It must be really lonely, being stuck in a cave with no friends to talk to.
The yeti's eyes suddenly turned angry. Nunu could hear its claw scrape against the cold stone as it stood up. A light blue glow came from behind the yeti causing its nails and teeth to glow.
The yeti let let out a furrocious roar. Blue magic swirled around the yeti, it's teeth and claws grew larger and it's muscles became more defined.
Nunu started to walk backwards as the yeti moved forward. He felt something catch against his foot as he fell backwards onto his butt.
The yeti was now standing over him. Nunu could see drool on his teeth. The yeti raised his hand over Nunu, ready to end the boy.
Be Brave!
Nunu grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at the yeti. The yeti paused for a second. Nunu looked up at the yeti, he hit the yeti directly in the face.
The yeti wiped the snow off his face and started growling at the boy again. Only to get hit in the face with another snow ball.
Nunu was now laughing at the yeti. He hadn't laughed this much since before getting separated from his mom.
Nunu wiped the tears from his eyes and looked back up at the yeti. The yeti had an arm full of snow, ready to drop it on Nunu.
The yeti dropped the snow on top of Nunu. The yeti heard a small 'oof' from the boy. He was buried in snow with only ears from his hat sticking out.
The yeti let out a bellow that sounded like laughter. Nunu stood up and let all the snow fall off him, some of the snow was stuck on his clothes and hair. Nunu put his flute back in his bag and grabbed more snowballs before running away from the yeti. He turned around and started throwing his snowballs at the yeti.
Together, they had a snowball fight! Nunu hasn't had a snowball fight in a long time. The other Notai children always wanted to play with their daggers, pretending to be warriors.
The yeti has never felt such a wonderful feeling before. He was so lost in the misgivings of his past for centuries. He forgot the simple joys of life, like playing in snowball fights.
The world rune glowed as magic swirled through the area, reflecting Nunu's imagination. The yeti could feel his body change from the magic with each snowball they threw.
Nunu ducked behind a rock covered in snow after running out of snowballs. The yeti took this chance to make a giant snowball.
Nunu made an armful of snowballs before returning back out into the open. Nunu looked at the yeti.
The yeti had changed drastically. Most of his fur was a light blue with a long beard of white fur and a big white belly. He had four arms and a pair of antlers that ended in swirls. He looked a lot fuzzier and a lot more friendlier.
That's when Nunu noticed the giant snowball he was holding.
Nunu dropped all his snowballs and tried to jump back behind cover, but the yeti was quicker than him. The snowball hit Nunu in the chest and knocked him on his back.
SNAP
Both Nunu and the yeti went silent at the sudden noise.
Nunu rolled over and looked where his back was. In the snow was the bottom of his flute, broken off from the sudden impact.
Nunu panicked. He grabbed the broken piece and yanked off his backpack. He grabbed the rest of his flute and tried to put the two pieces back together.
They wouldn't stick together. In desperation, Nunu looked through his bag, hoping to find something that could fix his flute.
He found nothing.
His flute was broken.
He could no longer play Layka's songs.
The one thing giving him comfort in the absence of his mother was destroyed.
~❄️❄️❄️~
The yeti watched from afar as the boy tried to fix his flute. The boy was desperately pushing the two parts together only for more splinters to fall from the excessive force.
The glow from the world rune dimmed. The yeti could hear the hushed voice of a woman in the wind.
The boy was crying now, the yeti could tell he was trying to hold back a sob.
The world rune's magic swirled around the yeti and the boy. No longer was the gem swirling with the boy's imagination, instead with the boy's memories
A woman's warm smile, a burning caravan, men in dark armor with torches, an injured woman and her child running, a dark cold cave, the blind one.
These memories filled the yeti with the emotions the child felt. Love, despair, hope, grief. The yeti had never felt these feelings before from any human, not even from the three sisters.
In the moment, the yeti understood everything. The world rune was simply a tool, a key to unlock what was already there. This boy had the power to save all of Freljord.
With a simple gesture, the world rune flouted down to the boy.
~❄️❄️❄️~
Nunu lost track of how long he had sat there in the snow, crying over his broken flute, crying for his lost mother. He kept his eyes closed, no longer able to bare the sight of his broken flute.
He felt a cold wind blow against him. His cloak did nothing to protect him from this sudden gust of cold wind.
Nunu opened his eyes and through his tears, saw streaks of blue surrounding him. All of them were coming from what looked like a bright blue orb in front of him.
He could hear whispers coming from the orb. Promise of adventure, promise of making friends, promise of becoming a hero, promise of finding his mother.
Drawn by the voices, Nunu leaned towards the light. He reached out and grabbed the orb, it's shape felt rigged like a rock.
The orb suddenly flashed very brightly.
All Nunu could see was white.
~❄️❄️❄️~
Nunu felt something tap him on the head
Nunu didn't want to get up. His limbs felt sore and tingly, like he just got trampled by a pack of Elkury.
He felt another tap on his head.
Slowly, Nunu opened his eyes. The yeti was looking down on him, he looked like he was worried. The yeti was holding him like a baby with his two lower arms.
"Are you okay?" The yeti grumbled at him. Nunu rubbed his eyes and let out a small mumble.
"Yah, I'm o-" wait a second "You can talk?!" Nunu yelled. The yeti huffed at him.
"I was always able to talk, you just couldn't understand me."
"O-oh, well, why can I understand you now?"
The yeti looked down at the boy's right hand. Nunu lifted his hand to see he was holding a circular blue gem. There were blue swirls moving inside the gem.
This must be the world rune!
"Woah! I did it! I got the world rune!" Nunu sat up and held the blue gem up dramatically. The yeti clapped in applause with his upper hands.
"Sooo," Nunu put his hand down and looked back up at the yeti, "how do I use it's magic!"
"Just use your imagination! The world rune will do the rest."
Nunu looked around, deep in thought. His eyes landed on his broken flute. An idea popped in his head.
Nunu hopped out of the yeti's arms and walked over to his flute. He fell on his knees and held the two broken pieces together. He closed his eyes and thought of his flute before he broke it.
Thoughts of playing his flute, imagining the melodies of his songs in his head. The tips of Nunu fingers felt tingly. He opened his eyes to see swirls of blue magic flowing from his hands to his flute.
The gap between the two broken pieces glowed white before crystals of true ice froze the pieces together. Nunu stares at his flute in wonder.
He stood back up, placed the flute against his mouth and played a quick melody. Being able to play his flute after thinking he would never be able to play it again felt amazing.
The happiness he felt was overwhelming. He looked back up at the yeti with a big smile. Nunu started laughing as he ran towards the yeti.
The yeti looked at him in confusion as he ran towards him. Nunu jumped as far as he could straight at the yeti. The yeti let out a surprised huff as the boy landed on his belly.
The yeti held the boy up with his lower arms. The yeti sat down, Nunu was still hugging his belly. A moment passed before Nunu looked up at the yeti.
"Thank you so much for the world rune uhhh...Mr.Yeti? What even is your name?"
The yeti's face dropped into a sad frown.
"No one has said my name for a long time. Years for cold isolation and savage thoughts have corrupted my mind. I can't even remember my own name." The yeti grumbled in a somber tone.
"Oh well...what do you want me to call you? Do you have a nickname maybe? My mom would call me her little hero." Nunu rambled sheepishly.
"You can call me whatever you want"
"I think I'll call you...Willump!"