Submission (#1751) Approved

As though the visor itself had the ability to emote, Marzipan could feel the discontentment in her companion; Their the nonexistent eyebrows were furrowed against smoothed eyes that blended right into the visor of Octo. She shifted, her foot stomping the ground in an expecting manner as if to say “hurry up”, the snow crunching beneath her paws. The minuscule, chibi-like poodle within her visor shared the same sentiment, impatient with how long their not-so-adapt to snow friend was taking.
Octo may as well have been red with fury, if they were not already primarily red in tone and shade of their marine, silky skin, as they stayed on the stairs from the cabin. On the hill, numerous terraliens were skiing down, or snowboarding if that was their method of choice. Marine ones, too. It just appeared that the sullen octopus was not keen to risk their life in such cold weather. In their head, they only wondered what it would do to them. Would they not survive even just standing in the snow? Would their skin become too dry and begin to shrivel up and fall off?
Marzipan stepped forward and took one of Octo’s hands silently, tilting their head to the side. “It’s okay.”
Octo, tentatively and reluctantly, placed both of his feet down into the snow. It crunched and gave way, allowing shivers running up the poor octopod's spine and the small cephalopod in the visor shooting a glare at the poodle within Marzipan’s own head. However, upon investigation, nothing bad occurred. Octo felt normal. A little chilly on the toes, yes, but the two of them had adorned thick winter coats regardless, so how bad could this truly be? Perhaps they had worried themselves for naught.
Marzipan’s poodle tipped excitedly as the octopod nodded in gesture to approve that she was correct. With a hop, skip, and a jump ahead, Marzipan led Octo from the doors of the resort and towards the fun. Besides skiing and snowboarding, many others and their pets had chosen to do other activities, all while being bundled up and warm. Some of them laid in the snow, swishing their tails and limbs around to create crude imprints of themselves among the layers of thick ice and brush. Octo glanced to their left, and saw a Terra and their pet both buried up to their chest in snow, two smaller Terra’s laughing and giggling along the way as they buried the one who brought them there in some sort of game.
Octo couldn’t help but laugh, their fear bubbling into joy and excitement at the ways in which winter was enticing them further and further. They could enjoy it without fear, and that simply elated the Octopod.
Marzipan and Octo, without missing a beat, witnessed a tall, slender, angelic Terra round the corner of one of the other buildings, a stand that sold pet friendly hot chocolate. They both froze in place, an icy wind brushing past their heads, both animals inside the respective visors glancing between one another and the mystery Terralien that just emerged from seemingly nowhere. The golden eye inside of the visor caught wind of both of them cowering in front of it.
As though it sensed their fear, the nameless one crouched down slowly to reach behind its golden, elegant exterior, and revealed something small, and round… which immediately got chucked at Marzipan, making them fall to the ground. A snowball. The perfect way to make friends out of enemies, first.
Octo launched one back, narrowly missing, but the feeling of fear and uncertainty faded. This was just another stranger in this world enjoying the new snowfall, and once who meant no harm. Snowballs were exchanged back and forth as the sun peaked and then dipped in the sky, all three then remaining together and doing other shenanigans throughout the day. They fetched hot chocolate for themselves and other sweets, the slender angel showed them how to tell between soft, easy to walk on ice, and the hardened spots that would wipe out any inexperienced winter-goer.
And at the end of the day, as they all said their goodbyes under the glimmer of the sunset, a bond grew. Snowflakes coated each one of their heads as the Octopod and Poodle rested, and the golden shimmer had dimmed from exhaustion. They all left content, and ready for another winter day that laid ahead a good night's rest.