Submission (#3562) Approved

The winds of ice and sheer cold howled and whipped past Aklivi, catching their hair and wings in a vortex of snow as they trudged through the sudden blizzard in the Tundra.
"This is not how I wanted to spend the anniversary," thought Aklivi. The terralien of ice and frost grew up in these conditions, but did not want to return home for their celebration. Instead, they were hoping to pass through the Tundra to reach Nowhere, the sacred heart of the cold and frost, where a party was being held at the secluded location. But there seems to be a sudden snowstorm in the Tundra, and Aklivi could only imagine what Nowhere must look like now. In a break of the wind, Aklivi spread their wings and took off, out high above the snowstorm to get their bearings. The air was still chilled up here, but had nowhere near the strength of the howling winds below. Finally free of the blizzard’s grasp, Aklivi took off still in the direction of Nowhere.
Only a few more minutes by air, and there they were, floating high above the ravines of Nowhere. Spotting the lights far in the distance, Aklivi dove down and soared closer to get a better view. As expected, the town was drenched in thick snow and ice, and Aklivi could only catch glimpses of movement through the snow, as the terraliens below still tried, against all odds, to celebrate. Despite being a creature of cold themself, Aklivi did not feel drawn to the mysterious village’s celebration. Banking sharply, heading back over the tundra they came from, they decided to look at the other festivities being held in more temperate climates.
After soaring back over the twinkling mass of perfect blanket snow, the snow gave way to more rocks, which gave way to a more temperate climate, and then finally the Wasteland. Here, the mostly mountainous terrain hosted large, but sparse trees that kept the cold winds at bay. Few terras lived here, but several visited to harvest its unique resources and take refuge in its quiet atmosphere. Aklivi dove, easily sweeping through the large swaths of open rock. It was not long ago that Aklivi explored this open place, discovering the new world of Terrah, with their newfound terralien companions.
"How far I’ve come…" Aklivi thought to themself, with a sweeping gaze across the silent plains. It appeared nobody was celebrating here, so Aklivi continued onward, easily flying low amongst the Wasteland’s native trees, who appeared to just barely be sprouting their Fallen Tail fruits.
Aklivi continued flying, until the trees started getting more dense, and the rock gave way to lush grass. Gently coming to a stop, they continued their journey on foot, through the approaching Lush Forest, right as the light of the day was coming to a sunset. Aklivi thought more about perhaps turning around, as the light faded away, and the forest became darker. They tried carefully to step over the twisting roots and branches, ducking underneath the glowing, carnivorous plants above, but the light was disappearing fast, and the bioluminescent plants and gentle fireflies did not help much in raising visibility. Right as the last of the sun disappeared, and Aklivi was about to start reassessing their predicament, the trees began to thin, giving way to open sprawling fields which were clearly illuminated in the night by lanterns and celebrating terras. Sighing a breath of relief, Aklivi spread their wings, taking off in the cool night, across The Grasslands. Carefully circling overhead until they could spot an opening, Aklivi gracefully descended and landed with no more than the gentle whisper of their wings. From there, Aklivi got lost in the sea of terras, enraptured from the sound and smell of celebration, illuminated until late in the night.