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Euria Brotz in:Unexpected Guests
A Milder Tale of Tums, by Rando.

Rando's Personal Note and Disclaimer
This piece of literature is, quite obviously, not for everyone. It contains themes pertaining to Pregnancy of a potentially Exaggerated sort, a Self-Mutated, Magically-Powerful - and currently expecting - Hermit in the Woods subsisting through a frigid winter storm, a couple lost in the storm taking shelter with said hermit and a tiny amount of Belly-Rubs and a whole lot of fluff, with little to no truly 'exciting' content. If any or all of these things put you off, feel free to turn around, avert your eyes and go right on with your day. If any or all of these things makes you want to read further, feel free; I hope you find this lighter tale enjoyable!

On a more personal note, this entire tale came about because of snows that came into my town. That's literally all that inspired me to make this, for the most part. It's certainly one of my more... Calm tales. Regardless, I hope you enjoy reading it! Oh, and before I forget; Meece are not an idea of mine, they are an idea of Bree-Doodles 's and HimitsuDragon 's, used with permission. Credit where credit is due, and all.
Now, then... Enough of my blithering, on with the story!
In the forests, hills and valleys surrounding the Town of Goldsummits lies a house; fairly large, considering it only has one occupant, but nonetheless simple in design. The structure itself was made with heavy timbers and logs, as well as alchemically-hardened plaster and brick in some places. The structure was two stories tall - three if one counted the attic, which seemed to have enough room in it for an entire bedroom - and had a fireplace. While the materials were high-quality, the structure's appearance was simplistic and rustic; perfect for one such as Euria Brotz, the building's first - and only, for the time being - inhabitant.

Euria was, at one point in the past, a simple human, born to mundane parents. She herself had magic potential beyond anything her mother or father had expected, however, and thus they did everything they could to get her educated in the numerous arts. Their efforts payed off, allowing Euria to learn more about magic and the arts, eventually bringing her to her three favorite practices. These are Apothecary, which was also known as Alchemy; Enchantment, the art of applying permanent effects to things; and Warding, the art of forming protective 'barriers'. That was earlier, however; before she performed her own studies, before she left for the woods 'like a madwoman', and before she came to know the sheer power of her magic.

Appearance-wise, Euria was something of an oddity; while born a human, she manually developed animalistic features, primarily from whimsy and a desire to 'fit in' with a few of her former school-mates, but also out of a desire to resolve a condition she once had; infertility. These animalistic features were, in fact, a blend of multiple animals' features; namely, that of a Wolf, and of an Arctic Fox. The two were chosen for practicality above all else, mainly since not only the cosmetic features - the ears, fluffy tail and mannerisms - would be transferred, but the physical strengths as well. The Wolf would grant her increased durability and strength, while the Fox would grant her agility and dexterity. They also succeeded at dyeing her hair unintentionally; a side-effect that she didn't seem to mind too much, as the white hair helped give her a sense of 'mysteriousness'... At least, that's what she told herself.

Aside from the white hair, she had fair skin, teal eyes - which began to glow due to a series of enchantments she placed upon them for night-sight and greater perception - a thin, frail frame... And a set of breasts that nobody could scoff at, also due to a series of enchantments she made. Though she didn't mind the beastly features, she got them for the primary purpose of granting her fertility. She proudly bore the mark of her success; a rather prodigious belly which, while unmarred by stretch marks, was clearly taut and firm in nature.

  Before she 'mutated' the features, she was barren; even fertility spells and the like had no effect on her. Despite this, she never stopped trying to look for a solution; she always dreamt of raising a family, and she wanted to make that dream a reality by any means she could. Of course, Adoption was always her first choice, but after several months of studies and preparation, she finally succeeded; she made the 'mutation potion', and an incredibly potent fertility elixir. After intermixing the two and imbibing the resultant mixture, she immediately felt her body begin to adjust to the coming changes; her old, human ears began to morph and twist, until they took the distinctly pointed shape of a canine's, followed by the rapid development of a rather bushy tail. She didn't notice until later that her hair had taken a silvery color, and through her excitement she failed to notice the faint nausea that began to creep over her... Though she noticed the next day, and the day after, and so on.

Euria let out a faint giggle at the reminiscing, turning a page over on the novel she was currently reading; a tale about dungeons, dragons, ghouls, ghosts, swords, sorcery and the like... In other words, standard affair. This one was different, however; it was less focused on the actual adventuring and legends, and more focused on the way of life for the people in that world. It always intrigued her, hearing stories of a world much like her own, where people lived on the edge every single day of their lives... It almost reminded her of her own way of living for the past few months, especially with winter's onset; with the winter came even more fending for oneself...

Turning her mind away from the novel, Euria listened to the sounds of the world around her, her keen canine ears sensing the noises at a much grander level than a normal human could; there were the heavy moans, whistles and shrieks of the winds that the blizzard running through the region brought, there was the crackling and roaring of her fireplace, the bubbling coming from her soup-and-brew pot, the sizzling of cooking meat just beside said pot, the creaking of the house's timbers under the harsh gusts of wintry air and the faint ringing of chimes she forgot to remove before the storm came in... So many amplified noises that it could almost overwhelm her other senses.

She shook her head, turning her mind inwards instead, to herself; as a Mage, Euria had a keen understanding of her own body and condition, as well as of her mind. This understanding had eventually turned preternatural, allowing her to 'scan' herself at a very fine level; this intense meditation eventually became necessary for the casting of her more potent or unique spells, and it provided her with a way to relax and 'look' at herself, and her own offspring.

'It's already been eight months since then... I'll be able to see you all face-to-face soon enough.' She smiled, laying a hand on her swollen stomach. Said hand was greeted with a tiny, gentle 'kick' from one of her offspring; triplets, from what she could tell through meditation... And the amount of feet prodding at her womb's walls at one time.

She rubbed her abdomen and continued peering into herself, detecting everything about her body's condition, from her current hunger - not that she couldn't perceive that already - to how her litter was currently feeling; right now, they were hungry, like herself... But also tired, which explained the lack of movements, and the lethargy in what few movements were occuring.

Then, she felt it; or rather, she felt two things. The first being that her food was nearly done cooking...
And the second being that there as the distinct scrunching of snow under one's boot, and the sound of aforementioned boots reaching her patio... Which was followed by knocking.

'Someone's here, in this weather?' Euria thought to herself; just what could they want at this time of day, in this weather? Well... Besides shelter; shelter that she would be glad to provide, at the very least.

Euria set her book aside, and put her hands to the arms of her chair. She struggled to lift herself up, the task growing more and more difficult as her pregnancy progressed, before finally standing straight. Her legs wobbled, shaky from their lack of use over the past hour or so, before she slowly waddled her way to her front door. After a good half a minute, she finally made her way to the door, and proceeded to open it...

She saw two figures. Both were lanky and thin, like herself, but one was much more clearly masculine, and the other clearly feminine... Though the more feminine figure did have something off about her; namely, an incredibly swollen midsection. Not only that, she could tell their sexes just by their scent; a sense she sometimes appreciated, and at other times loathed... And she smelled something different about the feminine one. The masculine figure seemed surprised for a few moments.

Before she could contemplate this further, the masculine one quickly regained what little composure he seemed to have left.

"C-could you let us in, please!?" The man of the two spoke loudly; the winds almost drowned out his voice, but she could tell it was wasn't the deepest of pitches, nor the strongest of tones.

Euria simply nodded, and stepped aside for the two. They both bowed politely, before quickly making their entrance.

Yeah, the feminine figure's stomach was most certainly massive. Before she could ponder this any more, she heard the man of the two speak up.

"Th-thank you, miss...?"
"Brotz. Euria Brotz." She smiled.
"Thank you, Miss Brotz... O-or should I say Missus?" The man looked a little sheepish.
Euria shook her head. "Miss is appropriate here."
The man briefly looked surprised, but then shook his head. "Very well, Miss Brotz. The name's Daniel. I'm sorry to bother so late in the day - and in such terrible weather - but I feared we wouldn't make it to Goldsummits..."
She shook her head again, gesturing towards her hearth. "You aren't a bother; go, warm yourself by the fire. I'll prepare more food for the two of you."
  The man simply nodded in response, turning to the woman and saying, "Let's go, Annie..."

The two visitors proceeded to walk into the hearth - the feminine one waddling - and remove their winter clothing, setting it aside before leaning in towards the fireplace. Euria quickly - or, as quickly as a heavily pregnant woman could - removed the still-cooking food from the fire, setting it aside.

"I'll start cooking another serving here in a minute. For now... Why don't you tell me a bit about yourselves?" Euria sat down, back in her own chair, before looking over the two visitors.

The two visitors were clearly lovers of some description; they both bore marital rings on their ring-fingers, and were both huddled together closely; though this was likely for warmth, they seemed to be enjoying themselves in their cuddling. Also of note was that the woman appeared to be pregnant, with a massively swollen belly, much like Euria's own... Bigger than her own, even. The woman of the two seemed to bear mouse-like features, while the man bore cat-like features... A Meece and a Catperson.

The man proceeded to introduce himself as Daniel Jakobsson, a wandering minstrel - or bard, as they've come to be known - and artisan. A cursory glance showed that he possessed black hair, tanned skin and silvery eyes, and that he had some form of weapon strapped to his side in a sheath, as well as an instrument case at his other side. The woman introduced herself as Annie Jakobsson, formerly Annie Dayton, a tinkerer, watchmaker, former backpacker, novice instrumentalist and soon-to-be mother. A brief examination showed her to have orange-ish hair, hazel eyes, fair skin and what looked to be numerous contraptions strapped to her body, which were concealed underneath her winter clothes.

Euria put more food to cook for her unexpected guests, before turning her attention to the two lovers.

"So... Mister and Missus Jakobsson?"
"Yeah?" "Yeh?" The two asked in unison, eliciting a giggle from them.
"Would you mind telling me a bit about yourselves?"
"Oh, I's tink dat's okay's, right, Danny?" Annie turned to her lover.
"Certainly."

The man adjusted himself, sitting up straight.

"Well, I used to be part of a local group of wandering minstrels, called ourselves 'the Dagger Dancers,' 'cause our skills in footwork were sharp, as were the songs we played." He let out a faint chuckle. "Of course, we disbanded after a few personal disputes... But before we did, I met Annie at a local pub we were playing in. She was apparently there to fix up a pipe system that'd broke... Mainly 'cause her friend owned the place, but also 'cause she'd get a bit of pay out of it. Naturally, we didn't hit it off at first... But after we disbanded, we started talkin' more... Eventually, we just kinda... Hit it off. Got hitched after year two, and now at year four, we're havin' a litter of our own." He smiled, putting a hand to his lover's stomach.
"Yeh... I's was a tinkerer fer... Eight yeahs? Since I's was twelve I's been making l'il musheens an' da' like... Den, when I's was fifteen, I's got's a job helpin' make watches an' clocks. Den, 'bout three yeahs later, I met Danny. Liked da' music, but we's didn't know it'd get ta' dis point!" She giggled, leaning on Daniel. "I's guess tings went fastah den expected... But now we's waitin' on a bunch'a l'il-uns. Ma'd be prouds..."
"...That brings me to a question, actually; how far along are you?" Euria asked quizzically.
"Oh, I's about... Seven, eight months? Why's you wonderin'?" Annie tilted her head.
"...In other words, about the same as me. If needed, I can, ah... Help, if the time comes during the storm."
"Oh, I don't think it'll be necessary... The storm should pass long before her due date hits, and we've made sure to stock up on those... Delay Potions, in case the time does decide to try and come early." Daniel interjected.

Euria nodded in response, standing once again, before snapping her fingers.
Suddenly, bowls and plates appeared on the table in front of the extended seat, and her chair. The pot of soup levitated over to the bowls, pouring a heaping serving into each, before floating back to its position over the fire. The roasting meat - venison, from the look of it - then levitated over to a larger 'serving platter', where a knife animated and chopped it into chunks. Said chunks then floated over to each plate, landing on them gently. After this, all the serving utensils returned to their respective original positions, and eating utensils appeared next to the plates and bowls.

"Enjoy!" Euria bowed, before picking up her bowl and quickly consuming the soup; a bit too thin to be called a proper stew, but too thick to be a normal soup, as well... Oh, and it was piping hot. Euria sputtered, exhaling as the food burnt her mouth. "Owowow! Too hot, too hot!"

The two visitors giggled at this, proceeding to eat their meals slowly and with slight caution as Euria continued to devour hers as quickly as she could.
Following the meal, Euria rested her hands on her belly, and turned to the two visitors.

"The both of you can take the guest rooms; second story. Don't worry about taking the stairs, I have a simple solution; a levitation pad. It may feel slightly disorienting at first, but... You'll get the hang of using it in no time." She stated simply.
"Right... Thank you, miss Brotz." Daniel said.
"Yeh, tanks!" Annie continued.
"No problem. If it starts getting cold, just wake me up or somehow get my attention; I'll be in the attic by the time you two are in bed."

Daniel and Annie both nodded.

"Now... Care for some of my special herbal tea? It calms the nerves, invigorates the body and helps soothe any aching one has... Including back-aches, thankfully."
"Oooh... I'd like some'a dat!" Annie perked up, her eyes gleaming.
"I'd appreciate some, too; I need to calm down a bit..."

Euria nodded, walking - or rather, waddling - to grab her tea-pot and the requisite herbs and plants to brew said tea; it was almost more of a potion than a tea, but it still had that... Tea-like quality, so she didn't care which she called it. She set it up to steep, and proceeded to sit down back in her chair.

"It'll be done in about... Four minutes. For now, I can give you a book, or we can keep talking?" She asked.
"Talking sounds nice; get to know each-other more, an' all." Daniel responded, fiddling with the instrument case at his side.
"Yeh, I's agree!" Annie continued, looking over the contraptions mounted to her arms.

Euria pondered what to ask; she could ask about the instrument, the sword, the numerous contraptions, any number of things... But then, she noticed something else, something that caught her interest; a book that Daniel had strapped to his side, in a protective case.

'How did I not notice that until just now?'
"...Well, for starters; what's that book at your side?"
"Oh, this?" Daniel opened the case, and held up the tome that was contained within. "This was my dad's book. First quarter of it was some kinda recipe-book, second was a spellbook, third's a song-book, and the fourth is a journal."
This only served to pique her interest. "Recipes? Spells? Songs? Can... Can I see?"
"Sure; just make sure to be careful, the pages are pretty old, easy to tear."

Euria flipped through the book, activating one of her more strenuous enchantments - Imaging Vision - to rapidly image every page into the spell's memory, to be printed onto pages - or her magically-extended memory - later. After flipping through over five-hundred pages - all for naught but less than a second - she closed the tome, and passed it back.

"Thank you, sorry it took so long."
"...Long? That was only two minutes. Yer' a fast reader!"
"Well... Thank magic for that."
Daniel shrugged. "Either way... You seem skilled with that kinda stuff."
"Oh, some call me 'peerless'... Really, I'm just some crazy lady in the woods."
"Crazy? Nah, you couldn't be any less crazy, I don't think."
"Well... Howsabout mutating the ears and tail onto myself? That make me... Weird?"
"I mean, I wouldn't say so, no... S'long as you have a reason for it." Daniel shrugged again, smiling a bit.

Euria remained silent for a bit, contemplating what she just heard.

"...Well, that's not what the townsfolk think..."
"...What, you not allowed in town?" Daniel tilted his head quizzically.
"Oh, nonono, I'm allowed in. They just think I'm a bit... Off." Euria turned her eyes away.
"Well, comes with being a person who lives in the woods; don't mean ya' are, just means people think ya' are."

Euria, once again, remained silent.

"...Well, anything you wanna ask me or Annie?" Daniel broke the silence.
"Well... How about those machines on Annie's body?"

Annie held up her arms, smiling.

"Deeze be for helpin' lift up duh beeg, heavy tings! Dey'z also help wiff self-dee-fence. An' duh ones on my legs help wit' da' walking an' running!"
Euria nodded in response. "Huh... So you use technology to help with day-to-day living while you're pregnant?"
"Yep! Deeze tings help while I'm pregger-nents... An' when I'm not, too!"
"Interesting... I should see if I can enchant those for increased effectiveness..."
  Annie shrugged, smiling. "I's prob'ly don' even need its... But tanks for da' offer, dough!"

Euria simply nodded, and smiled.

After a few more moments of silence, Annie spoke up again. "Now, den... Tea?"
"Oh, right! It should be done about now..." Euria gestured, the brew-pot flying into her hand.

She proceeded to pour a cup of tea to each of them, setting the pot aside in case more was desired.

"So... What's with the sword? And the case?" Euria asked, her tail swishing behind her a bit.
"Oh, sword's for self-defense - never know when some highwayman or thug'll wanna get your money - and the instrument's for... Playin'."

Daniel opened the case, revealing... A sort of lute-like instrument.

"Huh... Haven't seen one of those before."
"S'called a Guitar. Meece-manufactured, high quality stuff. Kinda like a lute... But different-sounding."

He proceeded to pick it up, adjust a few pegs on the 'head' at the end of its 'neck', and then ran his fingers across the strings. Euria's ears twitched at the harmonic noise it produced; it was pleasing to hear.

"I'll go ahead and play an old piece... We used to call it 'the Winter Winds'. Kinda fitting, if you think about it..."

  And then, Daniel proceeded to play the song. The soothing tone of the melody almost lulled Euria to sleep that instant, but then, he begun to sing... And the melody picked up pace, and the song took a completely different tone; one of adventurousness, but also of desperateness. It could only really be described as a song about subsistence and survival when the lyrics begun. After some time, however, it lowered back into the original, soothing tone, one of safety and security... And then, the song had ended; the song itself was fairly short in comparison to some that Euria had heard in the past, but the ending didn't feel rushed at all.
Euria couldn't help but applaud after the song had ended; she felt it truly phenomenal. Annie seemed to be applauding as well.

"Tanks for playin' dat again, Danny!" Annie smiled, relaxing once more.
"Yeah, thank you; you're certainly skilled." Euria added on.
"I mean... I'm still a bit rusty; you should've seen me when I was still playing with the Dagger Dancers; those guys just made it all come together."

He leaned back, putting the guitar back into its case.

"Well, ah... It's gettan' late, an' I's gettan' tired... We's should heads ta' bed."
"Yeah, probably for the best; maybe when we wake up, the storm'll have abated." Daniel added.
"Very well; here, I'll show you two to the levitation pad."

Euria struggled, before standing once again. She then proceeded to lead Daniel and Annie to the nearby levitation pad, situated next to the staircase into the upper levels.

"Just step onto the pad, and think of what floor - or room - you want to get to. Like so..."

Euria stepped onto the pad, and begun to think to herself.

'Attic, third floor, my bedroom.' She thought.

Then, the pad began to glow with a teal light as everything on it began to feel... Lighter, herself included. Slowly but surely, she began to float up, until finally reaching her destination. Once she made it, the air underneath her 'solidified' as her weight returned to her, at which point it became simple business to walk to her bed.

She then proceeded to shout down the hole, "Don't worry about falling! I've made sure you can't fall down unintentionally; and even if you do, the pad'll slow your fall!"
She heard a muffled "got it" from down below from both guests, who then proceeded to use the pad; she heard their confused and panicked noises as the sensation of gravity left them, before suddenly returning as they got to their destination. Luckily, she didn't hear the distinct whump of people falling over... And instead heard the creaking of the beds downstairs, and the conversations of two lovers.

  Euria simply shrugged, removing her tunic - which was enchanted with elasticity, to allow her to wear it even despite her condition - as well as her leggings and chestwrap, replacing them with a rather comfy silk nightgown - which was also enchanted with elasticity - and pair of specialty-made ear-coverings, so the noises below wouldn't bother her. She clapped her hands once, the lighting in the room extinguishing in an instant, and the warmth enhancement placed upon her blanket taking effect. She could relax and sleep now... Even if she'd probably wake up in the middle of the night from her tiny litter's activity.

'Today was a good day. Had a nice read from an old favorite of mine, met some nice people, kept warm, had some good dinner... Probably have to restock on firewood tomorrow, though. And food... Ah well, we'll worry about those as they come.'
She put her hand to her belly. 'G'night, little guys...'

She then closed her eyes, smiling warmly as she rubbed her maternal swell, feeling the occasional lethargic movement from her offspring. She couldn't wait to see them, to be able to hold them in her arms, to teach them the arts she'd learned... And maybe even find someone who'd help take care of 'em with her. Who knows, maybe she'd find a lover eventually...?
But that didn't matter too much. All that mattered was that she was happy... She and her babies.

These tiredness-induced thoughts slowly left Euria, as she proceeded to fall asleep; not even the whistling and whining of the winds could hope to wake her up... Though an unfortunate kick in just the wrong places might.
Euria awoke with a start, jolting upright from a relatively normal dream. A cursory glance out the attic window - and a brief removal of her ear coverings - showed that the snowstorm from yesterday was still raging on... And that it was really early in the morning. From the looks of things, the sun hadn't even risen yet...

'Guess that means a bit more time to myself, and my studies...' She thought, removing the warming blanket that covered her. She immediately regretted this decision, as the biting, chilly air pierced through her.
"Gah, c-c-c-cold!" She chattered, quickly pulling the blanket back around her. Her litter stirred, obviously startled by the frigid cold. She was glad the warming enchantment affected her whole body, and not just the parts that the blanket itself covered... Else, her face might've frozen in the middle of the night.

That brought her to a different thought; her guests must've been freezing...
So, she got up - still wrapped in the blanket - and walked over to the hole where the levitation pad is.

'Second floor, guest rooms.' She thought to herself.

Immediately, the 'floor' beneath her stopped applying force, and allowed her to descend smoothly to the second floor; it was even colder down here; she could tell by the strain placed upon the warming enchantment that it was at the very least a good ten degrees below freezing; so her guests must be frigid...
She waddled over to the guest rooms, and opened the door... And saw the two cuddling, asleep.

'...Huh... I guess they're okay?'

  She maneuvered closer to the beds that the couple was situated upon, and placed a hand onto each of the two, to ensure their warmth. Sure enough, they felt warm; almost feverish, even... For Euria, this was a bit odd in Annie's case, mainly due to the fact that she was half-uncovered by the enchanted blanket that was provided.
Despite the fact that Daniel was curled up around Annie - and thus curled quite a bit of the blanket around her - she was half-uncovered, her massive belly and average-sized feet poking out from the blanket's warmth.

'She's only half-covered. Surely, she must be cold...?'

So, Euria reached out, and gently laid her hand upon Annie's stomach. Sure enough, it felt colder than the rest of her body; though by no means the bone-chilling, hypothermic temperature of the air around the house, it was cold enough to likely be uncomfortable. Euria could tell this was disrupting the poor Meece's sleep; she was stirring, occasionally chattering her teeth. But that probably wasn't the only thing beginning to interrupt her sleep... Namely, the sensitivity of her skin - and the movement of her litter - were also factors in her beginning to unwillingly awaken from what was likely a restful slumber.

Annie groaned, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She didn't have to say anything for Euria to understand her surprise at her standing right in front of her, with a hand to her belly; nor did she have to say anything for Euria to understand her slight discomfort at both the situation at hand, and her much greater discomfort at her current frigidity.

"...My apologies, I didn't mean to awaken you; I was just checking to see if you were both w-" Euria whispered, before being cut off.
"Is fine... Ya' didn't wake me's up, dat was da' babies' faults..." Annie's teeth chattered once again as she tried to hold a smile, shuffling a hand of hers under the blanket to rub her large stomach. "Can... Can ya' get me's more blain-kits? Danny hogs blain-kits a lot..."
"Most certainly... And I don't blame him; I do it in my sleep, too." Euria gestured, causing a robe to fly into her hands, alongside a blanket. "Why not come to the attic with me? I have a fireplace there, and a study..."
"How's ya' fits a fireplace in da' attic?"
"When in doubt, thank - or blame - magic for every design choice in this house."

Annie raised a finger, as if to interject, but quickly lowered it.

"...Good enuff fo' me's..." She shrugged. "I's come along."

Euria nodded, handing the robe to Annie. She quickly slipped it on over what little night-clothing she had, and wrapped the blanket around that; though the blanket still failed to completely cover her belly, it certainly covered a majority of it. The robe, on the other hand, left her distended abdomen uncovered in its entirety... Though that was more of a design choice.

"Da' robe's not beeg enuff fo' me's..."
"Oh, don't worry about that; it's the perfect size... Or rather, the biggest I have."

Annie shrugged, and began to sit up. Euria helped her to stand, assisting her to the levitation pad; after which, the two levitated up, one-at-a-time. Then, Euria led the two to a small 'study' area, with a mini-bookshelf, desk, two chairs and table. Beside this all was a fireplace; an odd choice, considering it's in the attic and not aligned with the actual chimney, but nonetheless, it seemed functional... Firewood seemingly appeared within the fireplace from nowhere, and then ignited with a snap of Euria's fingers.

"Hopefully this is warm enough?" Euria sat down in the desk chair, where she would normally write in her own compendium, journal, diary, spellbook... All-Purpose Book is a better term for it; especially considering it had an effectively limitless number of pages.
"Mm... Yeh, dis is warm enuff... Dough a drink a' some kind'd be nice." Annie sighed, leaning into the fire; she was clearly growing warmer by the second.
"Say no more." Euria gesticulated, causing a large mug - some would call it a tankard - to levitate over. The lid of the mug opened, revealing some piping hot substance within...
"...Wut is eet?"
"Oh, it's a special beverage. Powdered cacao, some ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground coffee bean, plenty of sugar, a pinch of ground allspice, all in a milk and water mixture, topped with a sweet, foamy 'cream' mixture and finely-grated confectioner's chocolate."
"...Haht Cocoa?"
"Wait, you know what this stuff is?"
"Yeh! Meece make it ev'ry yeah, when da' air gits cold, and win-tah sets in..."
"Oh, well that makes things a lot easier to explain. Homemade Hot Cocoa, a personal blend... Hard to make, but completely worth every coin spent."

Annie's face lit up as she grabbed the massive container of hot chocolate. She proceeded to blow on it - to cool it down to the point it wouldn't sear her mouth - and take a sip from it. Immediately, the Meece did a double-take.

"Wowie... Dis is good stuff!" She said, with a cheerful, excited gleam in her eyes.
"You think so?" Euria's own face lit up; she always felt good when people were happy around her.
"Yeah! Dis is real good!" Annie proceeded to sip more of the substance, holding the mug on her belly like a makeshift table of sorts when not sipping from it.
"Glad you feel that way; there's plenty more where that came from!" Euria pondered for a moment. "...Oh, this may not be the wisest of ideas to mention now, but... That stuff makes ya' energetic, and presumably your... Kids, by extension. Added some ingredients for that; helps me to keep awake and focus."
"Is fine's! Not like I's mind da' babies movin'... An' keepin' me's awake's a good idea, I's can help around da' house!" She giggled, rubbing her abdomen with one of her hands while holding her mug with the other; a few protrusions began to show up as she continued drinking from the mug.
"Oh, there's no need for that; you're a guest, so you should just relax."
"But I's wanna help; its da' least I can do fer ya's!"

Euria pondered upon this for a moment.

"Well... Do you want to help make breakfast for everyone?"
"I's can do dat!" She smiled warmly. "I's make da' best breakfasts... 'Least, dat's what Danny says!"
"Well, first... I'm gonna have to go get things to eat. We're... A bit low on stock, at the moment."
"Go out, in dis weathah? Dat's not a good idea..."
"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine. In fact... I'll be right back; sit tight."

Annie simply nodded, taking another sip from her tankard and continuing to rub her swollen belly as her litter of pups... Kittens? 'Kittenpups,' moved about within her.
Then, Euria got up, shambled over to the hole in the floor where the levitation pad was, and thought to herself...

'First floor, entryway.'

The sensation of gravity lessened - but didn't nullify, as it did when she ascended - and the solid 'floor' of air beneath her once more disappeared, allowing her to slowly and gently float to the first floor of the building. After the force of gravity returned in full, she proceeded to walk to the front door, and opened it. Sure enough, the winds were in full effect, a plume of white obscuring her ability to see entirely, even with her enchantments...

Euria turned around, and gestured to an ornamental suit of plate-mail she kept around as a decoration; and a ward against invaders. Immediately, the suit of articulate plate shuddered, its visor glowing with an eerie purple light, which slowly turned teal as it fully animated. The suit itself looked highly functional, with a design that wouldn't look out of place in an actual battlefield; though the electrum 'engraving' that it had decorating it certainly made it more useful as ornament than actual defensive equipment. The codpiece of the armor was decorated with jagged spirals and repeating designs, all surrounding a 'core'; a plate of lead, into which a rather large, artificial 'gemstone' was set. This 'gem' was, in fact, the armor's 'brain'; it was what allowed it to act while animate, even autonomously.

A voice filled Euria's head... 'Is it time for me to hunt again, mistress?'
'Indeed, servant. Please, retrieve enough food for the three of us; myself, and the two visitors... Perhaps retrieve more, in case this storm lasts longer than expected, or we find ourselves with more guests.'

The animate, semi-sentient suit of armor nodded in response, one of its hollow arms rattling as it reached for a nearby weapon; a crossbow.

'I will return by noon's light. If I do not, don't fret; I will simply be sheltering from the winds.'
'...I really should give you another "frost resistance" enchantment, shouldn't I?'
'Unnecessary, but appreciated.'

Euria nodded to the armor, putting a hand of hers to one of the electrum lines, and tracing it. Immediately, it began to glow a bright teal, which progressively spread through the entire suit's 'body'. The glowing slowly abated, but it was simple to tell that the armor's enchantment was renewed; faint wisps of ethereal light billowed outward from the armor, drifting down like fog and dissipating slowly.

The suit nodded one last time, the glow of its visor changing from a dim teal glow to an overbearing, bloody crimson. It rattled, the glowing across its electrum decorations returning with gusto as it proceeded to march out the front door... And lose its helmet to a particularly violent gust of wind.

'Sight escapes me... My head has been removed.'

Euria sighed, leaning over - a monumental task in her current condition - and picking up the helm, before placing it back upon the suit of armor. It reached up with its hollow gauntlets and adjusted it, flipping a few latches on its 'neck' - not standard affair for the armor, more there to help secure the helm in less-than-ideal conditions - and then proceeded to - once again - march out the door, closing it in the process.

It would likely be back within the next two to four hours... For now, she could head upstairs and continue talking with Annie, or writing in her journal. So, she returned to the levitation pad, returned to the study... And found the Meece lying down on the 'couch', fast asleep despite the seeming hyperactivity of her litter.

'...She must've still been really tired, that Hot Cocoa was full of caffeine... Probably didn't get much sleep from the cold. Poor thing...'

Euria ensured Annie's warmth once again - namely, by feeling her forehead and abdomen, the two most exposed parts of her body, and empowering the heating enchantment where necessary - before dimming as many lights as she could in the room while still being able to see her tome. And then, she began to write about her past day, and the beginning of the present day; about the visitors she met, what she discovered about them, and the like. After a bit, she got so engrossed in writing that she forgot the time...
It had been three or so hours since Euria began to write. She put her inkpen back to its proper place - that being a drawer on her desk - and left the page she had finished writing on to dry. She turned to look out the window; still just as stormy as earlier, but now with a distinct, faint brightness... Dawn had finally broke. She turned to look at Annie; still soundly asleep, her litter now at rest with her. Then, she heard the noise of creaking floorboards; it seems Daniel must've awoken by now.

Euria proceeded to get up from her seat, and move to the levitation pad. With a simple thought, she floated down to the second floor of the house, and knocked on the - now closed - guest room door. The door opened, loudly creaking as it did so. "Mh?" The man leaned through the door-frame, clearly still tired.
"Good morning. Your wife is upstairs; she was practically freezing when I woke up, so I gave her a blanket and a fire to sit by."
"That explains it... Right, sorry for the troubles." He scratched the back of his head, his ears twitching.
"It's nothing, really." Euria turned her head a bit, looking over to the levitation pad. "Why not come up? I can supply some warm drinks, a nice blanket, a fire... No food yet, though; have to wait for the Sentinel to return."
"...Sentinel?" Daniel tilted his head, confused.
"Animate suit of armor. Does lots of menial tasks for me."
"Huh... I guess it's that one that's by the entryway?"
"Yep, that's the one."

Daniel nodded, clearly intrigued; and likely impressed.

"Interesting... And, sure; I'll take you up on that offer for a blanket and fire."

Euria nodded in response, leading Daniel to the levitation pad - and up it, of course - and to the Study. Annie hadn't awoken yet, but was positioned in just the right way to allow Daniel to sit, thankfully. He did so, sitting in front of her legs, and beside her almost-exaggeratedly-large belly. Soon enough, a blanket flew in from seemingly nowhere, wrapping itself around the catperson as he continued sitting, leaving his upper body partially exposed; exposed enough for his arms to reach out of it. He placed one of his hands onto Annie's stomach, gently rubbing it, leaving the other at his side.

Soon enough, a full mug of the winter ambrosia known as Hot Chocolate flew into Daniel's idle hand, levitating for long enough that he could firmly grab it, taking a sip from the tankard. He, like his wife, did a double-take at the drink's unique flavor.

"...This is the best damn mug of the stuff I've ever had!" He spoke, half-whispering.
"There's certainly better out there... But, thank you." Euria simply smiled, a mug of her own seemingly appearing out of thin air.

The two remained quiet as they drank from their respective receptacles of the warm, homely mixture, before they eventually finished imbibing the substance. The two continued quiet, with Euria returning to writing in her tome - this time, on potential improvements to her Hot Cocoa recipe - and with Daniel rubbing his wife's round midsection intermittently while more consistently examining his own tome. Eventually, the Meece began to stir once again, her eyes slowly fluttering open as Daniel continued to rub her belly, and as Euria continued to write in her massive grimoire.

"Mmm... G'mornings, Danny..." Annie muttered, smiling.
"G'morning, Annie. Sorry about the blankets, again..." Daniel scratched the back of his head, a sheepish look spreading across his face.
"It's okay... Me's like wakin' up early." She giggled, likely still half-asleep.

The two continued conversing, occasionally laughing. It was likely a good six minutes before Euria finally took notice.

"...Oh, you're awake. Apologies, I've been a bit too focused on my book..."
"It's okays! I's just woke up, any-how..."
"Well... The Sentinel should be back any minute now with ingredients for food; which means, it's only a matter of time until breakfast."

Euria's ear twitched at that word... Breakfast. Such a magnificent word... She was getting hungry, as were her kits... Pups? Children. She felt a small prodding against her side; a sign of their growing desire for food.
Then, there was the slam of the front door opening, and the clanking, clattering and rattling of metal plates shifting together, followed by two whumping noises; the Sentinel had returned, and with food.

"There they are... Time to go prepare for food."

Euria got up from her seat once again, and levitated down the hole in the floor, before waddling to the 'kitchen' area; more of a general food storage area. There, she found the animate suit of armor, its visor now a faint teal color... As well as two deer carcasses, a wealth of foraged foods - including the ever-useful winter's bounty plant - and even some firewood.

'Really went above and beyond, servant.'
'I function to serve. I hope my services suffice, mistress.'
'They do far more than suffice. Thank you, my servant; go, rest. You have done well.'

The suit's visor glowed with a golden light as the armor rattled in satisfaction, returning to its former post before its visor dimmed, losing all light. Then, the armor fell silent, the rattling that once accompanied its activity ceasing.
Then, a series of butchery implements animated around Euria, and got to work rending the flesh of the two carcasses, and preparing the winter's bounty for use in the one thing she did best - stew - while also leaving enough for Annie to cook if she wanted to.
After what felt like ages of preparation, the two's meals were done, and everyone was huddled around the downstairs fireplace, bowl and plate in tow.

"Today's breakfast is in two parts; the first is fresh Venison Stew, heavily seasoned. The second is..." Euria waited for Annie to continue.
"Roast meats, spiced wif' my personal blend an' da' like, den covered in berry sauce!" She finished, her face beaming.

The meals were mostly meat... But that was more out of lack of any other ingredients. They were lucky to have found winter's bounty; a rather hard-to-find plant, the berries and leaves of which are both edible. The berries were sweet, while the leaves were a tad bitter if prepared incorrectly; luckily, both were nutritious, and could easily sustain a traveler for an extended period of time, even if they only had access to a single sprig of the plant, and a handful of its berries.

The stew was simple, really; take chunks of venison meat, braise them, add in some of the winter's bounty berries - after being finely crushed, of course - as well as carrots, tubers and any other hardy plants one has access to, mix them all together, add water and flour, spice to taste... And you have an edible, filling stew. Wasn't the best, nor the worst of tastes... But what mattered was that it could sustain someone through winter on a day-by-day basis. And this stuff certainly sufficed on that front.
On the flip-side, the roast 'meats' were finely and carefully seasoned to get as much flavor out of the venison as possible, with it having been spiced before the initial cooking, rather than after, as the stew was. The initial seasonings consisted mainly of salt and ground peppercorn, with tiny hints of various other spices to aid in bringing out the more unique flavors in the gamy meat. After it was roast over an open flame, the meat was coated in a simple reduction made from the winter's bounty berries; nothing fancy, but certainly serviceable... And incredibly tasty in its own right.

  The two of these dishes were fundamentally different, but made with similar ingredients; the stew was made with the sole idea of sustenance and survival first in mind, using many base ingredients to make a more 'simple' meal that could keep one sated for longer and could be stored rather easily, while the roast 'meats' were made with taste and enjoyment first in mind, using few base ingredients to make a more 'complex' meal that tasted better, but likely wouldn't keep for too long.
That didn't make either of them any more - or less - tasty than the other, though; both the cooks who made them were quite skilled, and managed to make the best of the ingredients provided.

"Hope you enjoy!" Euria smiled, allowing everyone to collect a serving of the meal before she grabbed one herself.
"Yeh, I's hope you's likes it!" Annie added, smiling as well; she took the liberty of collecting her food first.

And so, Euria, Daniel and Annie all enjoyed their breakfast, even despite the raging storm, gelid air and dark skies outside; after all, they had a warm fire, delicious food, more than enough hot drinks for everyone... And plenty of conversation and friend-making to do.
To Be Continued?

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Euria Brotz in:Unexpected Guests
A Milder Tale of Tums, by Rando.

Rando's Personal Note and Disclaimer
This piece of literature is, quite obviously, not for everyone. It contains themes pertaining to Pregnancy of a potentially Exaggerated sort, a Self-Mutated, Magically-Powerful - and currently expecting - Hermit in the Woods subsisting through a frigid winter storm, a couple lost in the storm taking shelter with said hermit and a tiny amount of Belly-Rubs and a whole lot of fluff, with little to no truly 'exciting' content. If any or all of these things put you off, feel free to turn around, avert your eyes and go right on with your day. If any or all of these things makes you want to read further, feel free; I hope you find this lighter tale enjoyable!

On a more personal note, this entire tale came about because of snows that came into my town. That's literally all that inspired me to make this, for the most part. It's certainly one of my more... Calm tales. Regardless, I hope you enjoy reading it! Oh, and before I forget; Meece are not an idea of mine, they are an idea of Bree-Doodles 's and HimitsuDragon 's, used with permission. Credit where credit is due, and all.
Now, then... Enough of my blithering, on with the story!
In the forests, hills and valleys surrounding the Town of Goldsummits lies a house; fairly large, considering it only has one occupant, but nonetheless simple in design. The structure itself was made with heavy timbers and logs, as well as alchemically-hardened plaster and brick in some places. The structure was two stories tall - three if one counted the attic, which seemed to have enough room in it for an entire bedroom - and had a fireplace. While the materials were high-quality, the structure's appearance was simplistic and rustic; perfect for one such as Euria Brotz, the building's first - and only, for the time being - inhabitant.

Euria was, at one point in the past, a simple human, born to mundane parents. She herself had magic potential beyond anything her mother or father had expected, however, and thus they did everything they could to get her educated in the numerous arts. Their efforts payed off, allowing Euria to learn more about magic and the arts, eventually bringing her to her three favorite practices. These are Apothecary, which was also known as Alchemy; Enchantment, the art of applying permanent effects to things; and Warding, the art of forming protective 'barriers'. That was earlier, however; before she performed her own studies, before she left for the woods 'like a madwoman', and before she came to know the sheer power of her magic.

Appearance-wise, Euria was something of an oddity; while born a human, she manually developed animalistic features, primarily from whimsy and a desire to 'fit in' with a few of her former school-mates, but also out of a desire to resolve a condition she once had; infertility. These animalistic features were, in fact, a blend of multiple animals' features; namely, that of a Wolf, and of an Arctic Fox. The two were chosen for practicality above all else, mainly since not only the cosmetic features - the ears, fluffy tail and mannerisms - would be transferred, but the physical strengths as well. The Wolf would grant her increased durability and strength, while the Fox would grant her agility and dexterity. They also succeeded at dyeing her hair unintentionally; a side-effect that she didn't seem to mind too much, as the white hair helped give her a sense of 'mysteriousness'... At least, that's what she told herself.

Aside from the white hair, she had fair skin, teal eyes - which began to glow due to a series of enchantments she placed upon them for night-sight and greater perception - a thin, frail frame... And a set of breasts that nobody could scoff at, also due to a series of enchantments she made. Though she didn't mind the beastly features, she got them for the primary purpose of granting her fertility. She proudly bore the mark of her success; a rather prodigious belly which, while unmarred by stretch marks, was clearly taut and firm in nature.

  Before she 'mutated' the features, she was barren; even fertility spells and the like had no effect on her. Despite this, she never stopped trying to look for a solution; she always dreamt of raising a family, and she wanted to make that dream a reality by any means she could. Of course, Adoption was always her first choice, but after several months of studies and preparation, she finally succeeded; she made the 'mutation potion', and an incredibly potent fertility elixir. After intermixing the two and imbibing the resultant mixture, she immediately felt her body begin to adjust to the coming changes; her old, human ears began to morph and twist, until they took the distinctly pointed shape of a canine's, followed by the rapid development of a rather bushy tail. She didn't notice until later that her hair had taken a silvery color, and through her excitement she failed to notice the faint nausea that began to creep over her... Though she noticed the next day, and the day after, and so on.

Euria let out a faint giggle at the reminiscing, turning a page over on the novel she was currently reading; a tale about dungeons, dragons, ghouls, ghosts, swords, sorcery and the like... In other words, standard affair. This one was different, however; it was less focused on the actual adventuring and legends, and more focused on the way of life for the people in that world. It always intrigued her, hearing stories of a world much like her own, where people lived on the edge every single day of their lives... It almost reminded her of her own way of living for the past few months, especially with winter's onset; with the winter came even more fending for oneself...

Turning her mind away from the novel, Euria listened to the sounds of the world around her, her keen canine ears sensing the noises at a much grander level than a normal human could; there were the heavy moans, whistles and shrieks of the winds that the blizzard running through the region brought, there was the crackling and roaring of her fireplace, the bubbling coming from her soup-and-brew pot, the sizzling of cooking meat just beside said pot, the creaking of the house's timbers under the harsh gusts of wintry air and the faint ringing of chimes she forgot to remove before the storm came in... So many amplified noises that it could almost overwhelm her other senses.

She shook her head, turning her mind inwards instead, to herself; as a Mage, Euria had a keen understanding of her own body and condition, as well as of her mind. This understanding had eventually turned preternatural, allowing her to 'scan' herself at a very fine level; this intense meditation eventually became necessary for the casting of her more potent or unique spells, and it provided her with a way to relax and 'look' at herself, and her own offspring.

'It's already been eight months since then... I'll be able to see you all face-to-face soon enough.' She smiled, laying a hand on her swollen stomach. Said hand was greeted with a tiny, gentle 'kick' from one of her offspring; triplets, from what she could tell through meditation... And the amount of feet prodding at her womb's walls at one time.

She rubbed her abdomen and continued peering into herself, detecting everything about her body's condition, from her current hunger - not that she couldn't perceive that already - to how her litter was currently feeling; right now, they were hungry, like herself... But also tired, which explained the lack of movements, and the lethargy in what few movements were occuring.

Then, she felt it; or rather, she felt two things. The first being that her food was nearly done cooking...
And the second being that there as the distinct scrunching of snow under one's boot, and the sound of aforementioned boots reaching her patio... Which was followed by knocking.

'Someone's here, in this weather?' Euria thought to herself; just what could they want at this time of day, in this weather? Well... Besides shelter; shelter that she would be glad to provide, at the very least.

Euria set her book aside, and put her hands to the arms of her chair. She struggled to lift herself up, the task growing more and more difficult as her pregnancy progressed, before finally standing straight. Her legs wobbled, shaky from their lack of use over the past hour or so, before she slowly waddled her way to her front door. After a good half a minute, she finally made her way to the door, and proceeded to open it...

She saw two figures. Both were lanky and thin, like herself, but one was much more clearly masculine, and the other clearly feminine... Though the more feminine figure did have something off about her; namely, an incredibly swollen midsection. Not only that, she could tell their sexes just by their scent; a sense she sometimes appreciated, and at other times loathed... And she smelled something different about the feminine one. The masculine figure seemed surprised for a few moments.

Before she could contemplate this further, the masculine one quickly regained what little composure he seemed to have left.

"C-could you let us in, please!?" The man of the two spoke loudly; the winds almost drowned out his voice, but she could tell it was wasn't the deepest of pitches, nor the strongest of tones.

Euria simply nodded, and stepped aside for the two. They both bowed politely, before quickly making their entrance.

Yeah, the feminine figure's stomach was most certainly massive. Before she could ponder this any more, she heard the man of the two speak up.

"Th-thank you, miss...?"
"Brotz. Euria Brotz." She smiled.
"Thank you, Miss Brotz... O-or should I say Missus?" The man looked a little sheepish.
Euria shook her head. "Miss is appropriate here."
The man briefly looked surprised, but then shook his head. "Very well, Miss Brotz. The name's Daniel. I'm sorry to bother so late in the day - and in such terrible weather - but I feared we wouldn't make it to Goldsummits..."
She shook her head again, gesturing towards her hearth. "You aren't a bother; go, warm yourself by the fire. I'll prepare more food for the two of you."
  The man simply nodded in response, turning to the woman and saying, "Let's go, Annie..."

The two visitors proceeded to walk into the hearth - the feminine one waddling - and remove their winter clothing, setting it aside before leaning in towards the fireplace. Euria quickly - or, as quickly as a heavily pregnant woman could - removed the still-cooking food from the fire, setting it aside.

"I'll start cooking another serving here in a minute. For now... Why don't you tell me a bit about yourselves?" Euria sat down, back in her own chair, before looking over the two visitors.

The two visitors were clearly lovers of some description; they both bore marital rings on their ring-fingers, and were both huddled together closely; though this was likely for warmth, they seemed to be enjoying themselves in their cuddling. Also of note was that the woman appeared to be pregnant, with a massively swollen belly, much like Euria's own... Bigger than her own, even. The woman of the two seemed to bear mouse-like features, while the man bore cat-like features... A Meece and a Catperson.

The man proceeded to introduce himself as Daniel Jakobsson, a wandering minstrel - or bard, as they've come to be known - and artisan. A cursory glance showed that he possessed black hair, tanned skin and silvery eyes, and that he had some form of weapon strapped to his side in a sheath, as well as an instrument case at his other side. The woman introduced herself as Annie Jakobsson, formerly Annie Dayton, a tinkerer, watchmaker, former backpacker, novice instrumentalist and soon-to-be mother. A brief examination showed her to have orange-ish hair, hazel eyes, fair skin and what looked to be numerous contraptions strapped to her body, which were concealed underneath her winter clothes.

Euria put more food to cook for her unexpected guests, before turning her attention to the two lovers.

"So... Mister and Missus Jakobsson?"
"Yeah?" "Yeh?" The two asked in unison, eliciting a giggle from them.
"Would you mind telling me a bit about yourselves?"
"Oh, I's tink dat's okay's, right, Danny?" Annie turned to her lover.
"Certainly."

The man adjusted himself, sitting up straight.

"Well, I used to be part of a local group of wandering minstrels, called ourselves 'the Dagger Dancers,' 'cause our skills in footwork were sharp, as were the songs we played." He let out a faint chuckle. "Of course, we disbanded after a few personal disputes... But before we did, I met Annie at a local pub we were playing in. She was apparently there to fix up a pipe system that'd broke... Mainly 'cause her friend owned the place, but also 'cause she'd get a bit of pay out of it. Naturally, we didn't hit it off at first... But after we disbanded, we started talkin' more... Eventually, we just kinda... Hit it off. Got hitched after year two, and now at year four, we're havin' a litter of our own." He smiled, putting a hand to his lover's stomach.
"Yeh... I's was a tinkerer fer... Eight yeahs? Since I's was twelve I's been making l'il musheens an' da' like... Den, when I's was fifteen, I's got's a job helpin' make watches an' clocks. Den, 'bout three yeahs later, I met Danny. Liked da' music, but we's didn't know it'd get ta' dis point!" She giggled, leaning on Daniel. "I's guess tings went fastah den expected... But now we's waitin' on a bunch'a l'il-uns. Ma'd be prouds..."
"...That brings me to a question, actually; how far along are you?" Euria asked quizzically.
"Oh, I's about... Seven, eight months? Why's you wonderin'?" Annie tilted her head.
"...In other words, about the same as me. If needed, I can, ah... Help, if the time comes during the storm."
"Oh, I don't think it'll be necessary... The storm should pass long before her due date hits, and we've made sure to stock up on those... Delay Potions, in case the time does decide to try and come early." Daniel interjected.

Euria nodded in response, standing once again, before snapping her fingers.
Suddenly, bowls and plates appeared on the table in front of the extended seat, and her chair. The pot of soup levitated over to the bowls, pouring a heaping serving into each, before floating back to its position over the fire. The roasting meat - venison, from the look of it - then levitated over to a larger 'serving platter', where a knife animated and chopped it into chunks. Said chunks then floated over to each plate, landing on them gently. After this, all the serving utensils returned to their respective original positions, and eating utensils appeared next to the plates and bowls.

"Enjoy!" Euria bowed, before picking up her bowl and quickly consuming the soup; a bit too thin to be called a proper stew, but too thick to be a normal soup, as well... Oh, and it was piping hot. Euria sputtered, exhaling as the food burnt her mouth. "Owowow! Too hot, too hot!"

The two visitors giggled at this, proceeding to eat their meals slowly and with slight caution as Euria continued to devour hers as quickly as she could.
Following the meal, Euria rested her hands on her belly, and turned to the two visitors.

"The both of you can take the guest rooms; second story. Don't worry about taking the stairs, I have a simple solution; a levitation pad. It may feel slightly disorienting at first, but... You'll get the hang of using it in no time." She stated simply.
"Right... Thank you, miss Brotz." Daniel said.
"Yeh, tanks!" Annie continued.
"No problem. If it starts getting cold, just wake me up or somehow get my attention; I'll be in the attic by the time you two are in bed."

Daniel and Annie both nodded.

"Now... Care for some of my special herbal tea? It calms the nerves, invigorates the body and helps soothe any aching one has... Including back-aches, thankfully."
"Oooh... I'd like some'a dat!" Annie perked up, her eyes gleaming.
"I'd appreciate some, too; I need to calm down a bit..."

Euria nodded, walking - or rather, waddling - to grab her tea-pot and the requisite herbs and plants to brew said tea; it was almost more of a potion than a tea, but it still had that... Tea-like quality, so she didn't care which she called it. She set it up to steep, and proceeded to sit down back in her chair.

"It'll be done in about... Four minutes. For now, I can give you a book, or we can keep talking?" She asked.
"Talking sounds nice; get to know each-other more, an' all." Daniel responded, fiddling with the instrument case at his side.
"Yeh, I's agree!" Annie continued, looking over the contraptions mounted to her arms.

Euria pondered what to ask; she could ask about the instrument, the sword, the numerous contraptions, any number of things... But then, she noticed something else, something that caught her interest; a book that Daniel had strapped to his side, in a protective case.

'How did I not notice that until just now?'
"...Well, for starters; what's that book at your side?"
"Oh, this?" Daniel opened the case, and held up the tome that was contained within. "This was my dad's book. First quarter of it was some kinda recipe-book, second was a spellbook, third's a song-book, and the fourth is a journal."
This only served to pique her interest. "Recipes? Spells? Songs? Can... Can I see?"
"Sure; just make sure to be careful, the pages are pretty old, easy to tear."

Euria flipped through the book, activating one of her more strenuous enchantments - Imaging Vision - to rapidly image every page into the spell's memory, to be printed onto pages - or her magically-extended memory - later. After flipping through over five-hundred pages - all for naught but less than a second - she closed the tome, and passed it back.

"Thank you, sorry it took so long."
"...Long? That was only two minutes. Yer' a fast reader!"
"Well... Thank magic for that."
Daniel shrugged. "Either way... You seem skilled with that kinda stuff."
"Oh, some call me 'peerless'... Really, I'm just some crazy lady in the woods."
"Crazy? Nah, you couldn't be any less crazy, I don't think."
"Well... Howsabout mutating the ears and tail onto myself? That make me... Weird?"
"I mean, I wouldn't say so, no... S'long as you have a reason for it." Daniel shrugged again, smiling a bit.

Euria remained silent for a bit, contemplating what she just heard.

"...Well, that's not what the townsfolk think..."
"...What, you not allowed in town?" Daniel tilted his head quizzically.
"Oh, nonono, I'm allowed in. They just think I'm a bit... Off." Euria turned her eyes away.
"Well, comes with being a person who lives in the woods; don't mean ya' are, just means people think ya' are."

Euria, once again, remained silent.

"...Well, anything you wanna ask me or Annie?" Daniel broke the silence.
"Well... How about those machines on Annie's body?"

Annie held up her arms, smiling.

"Deeze be for helpin' lift up duh beeg, heavy tings! Dey'z also help wiff self-dee-fence. An' duh ones on my legs help wit' da' walking an' running!"
Euria nodded in response. "Huh... So you use technology to help with day-to-day living while you're pregnant?"
"Yep! Deeze tings help while I'm pregger-nents... An' when I'm not, too!"
"Interesting... I should see if I can enchant those for increased effectiveness..."
  Annie shrugged, smiling. "I's prob'ly don' even need its... But tanks for da' offer, dough!"

Euria simply nodded, and smiled.

After a few more moments of silence, Annie spoke up again. "Now, den... Tea?"
"Oh, right! It should be done about now..." Euria gestured, the brew-pot flying into her hand.

She proceeded to pour a cup of tea to each of them, setting the pot aside in case more was desired.

"So... What's with the sword? And the case?" Euria asked, her tail swishing behind her a bit.
"Oh, sword's for self-defense - never know when some highwayman or thug'll wanna get your money - and the instrument's for... Playin'."

Daniel opened the case, revealing... A sort of lute-like instrument.

"Huh... Haven't seen one of those before."
"S'called a Guitar. Meece-manufactured, high quality stuff. Kinda like a lute... But different-sounding."

He proceeded to pick it up, adjust a few pegs on the 'head' at the end of its 'neck', and then ran his fingers across the strings. Euria's ears twitched at the harmonic noise it produced; it was pleasing to hear.

"I'll go ahead and play an old piece... We used to call it 'the Winter Winds'. Kinda fitting, if you think about it..."

  And then, Daniel proceeded to play the song. The soothing tone of the melody almost lulled Euria to sleep that instant, but then, he begun to sing... And the melody picked up pace, and the song took a completely different tone; one of adventurousness, but also of desperateness. It could only really be described as a song about subsistence and survival when the lyrics begun. After some time, however, it lowered back into the original, soothing tone, one of safety and security... And then, the song had ended; the song itself was fairly short in comparison to some that Euria had heard in the past, but the ending didn't feel rushed at all.
Euria couldn't help but applaud after the song had ended; she felt it truly phenomenal. Annie seemed to be applauding as well.

"Tanks for playin' dat again, Danny!" Annie smiled, relaxing once more.
"Yeah, thank you; you're certainly skilled." Euria added on.
"I mean... I'm still a bit rusty; you should've seen me when I was still playing with the Dagger Dancers; those guys just made it all come together."

He leaned back, putting the guitar back into its case.

"Well, ah... It's gettan' late, an' I's gettan' tired... We's should heads ta' bed."
"Yeah, probably for the best; maybe when we wake up, the storm'll have abated." Daniel added.
"Very well; here, I'll show you two to the levitation pad."

Euria struggled, before standing once again. She then proceeded to lead Daniel and Annie to the nearby levitation pad, situated next to the staircase into the upper levels.

"Just step onto the pad, and think of what floor - or room - you want to get to. Like so..."

Euria stepped onto the pad, and begun to think to herself.

'Attic, third floor, my bedroom.' She thought.

Then, the pad began to glow with a teal light as everything on it began to feel... Lighter, herself included. Slowly but surely, she began to float up, until finally reaching her destination. Once she made it, the air underneath her 'solidified' as her weight returned to her, at which point it became simple business to walk to her bed.

She then proceeded to shout down the hole, "Don't worry about falling! I've made sure you can't fall down unintentionally; and even if you do, the pad'll slow your fall!"
She heard a muffled "got it" from down below from both guests, who then proceeded to use the pad; she heard their confused and panicked noises as the sensation of gravity left them, before suddenly returning as they got to their destination. Luckily, she didn't hear the distinct whump of people falling over... And instead heard the creaking of the beds downstairs, and the conversations of two lovers.

  Euria simply shrugged, removing her tunic - which was enchanted with elasticity, to allow her to wear it even despite her condition - as well as her leggings and chestwrap, replacing them with a rather comfy silk nightgown - which was also enchanted with elasticity - and pair of specialty-made ear-coverings, so the noises below wouldn't bother her. She clapped her hands once, the lighting in the room extinguishing in an instant, and the warmth enhancement placed upon her blanket taking effect. She could relax and sleep now... Even if she'd probably wake up in the middle of the night from her tiny litter's activity.

'Today was a good day. Had a nice read from an old favorite of mine, met some nice people, kept warm, had some good dinner... Probably have to restock on firewood tomorrow, though. And food... Ah well, we'll worry about those as they come.'
She put her hand to her belly. 'G'night, little guys...'

She then closed her eyes, smiling warmly as she rubbed her maternal swell, feeling the occasional lethargic movement from her offspring. She couldn't wait to see them, to be able to hold them in her arms, to teach them the arts she'd learned... And maybe even find someone who'd help take care of 'em with her. Who knows, maybe she'd find a lover eventually...?
But that didn't matter too much. All that mattered was that she was happy... She and her babies.

These tiredness-induced thoughts slowly left Euria, as she proceeded to fall asleep; not even the whistling and whining of the winds could hope to wake her up... Though an unfortunate kick in just the wrong places might.
Euria awoke with a start, jolting upright from a relatively normal dream. A cursory glance out the attic window - and a brief removal of her ear coverings - showed that the snowstorm from yesterday was still raging on... And that it was really early in the morning. From the looks of things, the sun hadn't even risen yet...

'Guess that means a bit more time to myself, and my studies...' She thought, removing the warming blanket that covered her. She immediately regretted this decision, as the biting, chilly air pierced through her.
"Gah, c-c-c-cold!" She chattered, quickly pulling the blanket back around her. Her litter stirred, obviously startled by the frigid cold. She was glad the warming enchantment affected her whole body, and not just the parts that the blanket itself covered... Else, her face might've frozen in the middle of the night.

That brought her to a different thought; her guests must've been freezing...
So, she got up - still wrapped in the blanket - and walked over to the hole where the levitation pad is.

'Second floor, guest rooms.' She thought to herself.

Immediately, the 'floor' beneath her stopped applying force, and allowed her to descend smoothly to the second floor; it was even colder down here; she could tell by the strain placed upon the warming enchantment that it was at the very least a good ten degrees below freezing; so her guests must be frigid...
She waddled over to the guest rooms, and opened the door... And saw the two cuddling, asleep.

'...Huh... I guess they're okay?'

  She maneuvered closer to the beds that the couple was situated upon, and placed a hand onto each of the two, to ensure their warmth. Sure enough, they felt warm; almost feverish, even... For Euria, this was a bit odd in Annie's case, mainly due to the fact that she was half-uncovered by the enchanted blanket that was provided.
Despite the fact that Daniel was curled up around Annie - and thus curled quite a bit of the blanket around her - she was half-uncovered, her massive belly and average-sized feet poking out from the blanket's warmth.

'She's only half-covered. Surely, she must be cold...?'

So, Euria reached out, and gently laid her hand upon Annie's stomach. Sure enough, it felt colder than the rest of her body; though by no means the bone-chilling, hypothermic temperature of the air around the house, it was cold enough to likely be uncomfortable. Euria could tell this was disrupting the poor Meece's sleep; she was stirring, occasionally chattering her teeth. But that probably wasn't the only thing beginning to interrupt her sleep... Namely, the sensitivity of her skin - and the movement of her litter - were also factors in her beginning to unwillingly awaken from what was likely a restful slumber.

Annie groaned, her eyes slowly fluttering open. She didn't have to say anything for Euria to understand her surprise at her standing right in front of her, with a hand to her belly; nor did she have to say anything for Euria to understand her slight discomfort at both the situation at hand, and her much greater discomfort at her current frigidity.

"...My apologies, I didn't mean to awaken you; I was just checking to see if you were both w-" Euria whispered, before being cut off.
"Is fine... Ya' didn't wake me's up, dat was da' babies' faults..." Annie's teeth chattered once again as she tried to hold a smile, shuffling a hand of hers under the blanket to rub her large stomach. "Can... Can ya' get me's more blain-kits? Danny hogs blain-kits a lot..."
"Most certainly... And I don't blame him; I do it in my sleep, too." Euria gestured, causing a robe to fly into her hands, alongside a blanket. "Why not come to the attic with me? I have a fireplace there, and a study..."
"How's ya' fits a fireplace in da' attic?"
"When in doubt, thank - or blame - magic for every design choice in this house."

Annie raised a finger, as if to interject, but quickly lowered it.

"...Good enuff fo' me's..." She shrugged. "I's come along."

Euria nodded, handing the robe to Annie. She quickly slipped it on over what little night-clothing she had, and wrapped the blanket around that; though the blanket still failed to completely cover her belly, it certainly covered a majority of it. The robe, on the other hand, left her distended abdomen uncovered in its entirety... Though that was more of a design choice.

"Da' robe's not beeg enuff fo' me's..."
"Oh, don't worry about that; it's the perfect size... Or rather, the biggest I have."

Annie shrugged, and began to sit up. Euria helped her to stand, assisting her to the levitation pad; after which, the two levitated up, one-at-a-time. Then, Euria led the two to a small 'study' area, with a mini-bookshelf, desk, two chairs and table. Beside this all was a fireplace; an odd choice, considering it's in the attic and not aligned with the actual chimney, but nonetheless, it seemed functional... Firewood seemingly appeared within the fireplace from nowhere, and then ignited with a snap of Euria's fingers.

"Hopefully this is warm enough?" Euria sat down in the desk chair, where she would normally write in her own compendium, journal, diary, spellbook... All-Purpose Book is a better term for it; especially considering it had an effectively limitless number of pages.
"Mm... Yeh, dis is warm enuff... Dough a drink a' some kind'd be nice." Annie sighed, leaning into the fire; she was clearly growing warmer by the second.
"Say no more." Euria gesticulated, causing a large mug - some would call it a tankard - to levitate over. The lid of the mug opened, revealing some piping hot substance within...
"...Wut is eet?"
"Oh, it's a special beverage. Powdered cacao, some ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground coffee bean, plenty of sugar, a pinch of ground allspice, all in a milk and water mixture, topped with a sweet, foamy 'cream' mixture and finely-grated confectioner's chocolate."
"...Haht Cocoa?"
"Wait, you know what this stuff is?"
"Yeh! Meece make it ev'ry yeah, when da' air gits cold, and win-tah sets in..."
"Oh, well that makes things a lot easier to explain. Homemade Hot Cocoa, a personal blend... Hard to make, but completely worth every coin spent."

Annie's face lit up as she grabbed the massive container of hot chocolate. She proceeded to blow on it - to cool it down to the point it wouldn't sear her mouth - and take a sip from it. Immediately, the Meece did a double-take.

"Wowie... Dis is good stuff!" She said, with a cheerful, excited gleam in her eyes.
"You think so?" Euria's own face lit up; she always felt good when people were happy around her.
"Yeah! Dis is real good!" Annie proceeded to sip more of the substance, holding the mug on her belly like a makeshift table of sorts when not sipping from it.
"Glad you feel that way; there's plenty more where that came from!" Euria pondered for a moment. "...Oh, this may not be the wisest of ideas to mention now, but... That stuff makes ya' energetic, and presumably your... Kids, by extension. Added some ingredients for that; helps me to keep awake and focus."
"Is fine's! Not like I's mind da' babies movin'... An' keepin' me's awake's a good idea, I's can help around da' house!" She giggled, rubbing her abdomen with one of her hands while holding her mug with the other; a few protrusions began to show up as she continued drinking from the mug.
"Oh, there's no need for that; you're a guest, so you should just relax."
"But I's wanna help; its da' least I can do fer ya's!"

Euria pondered upon this for a moment.

"Well... Do you want to help make breakfast for everyone?"
"I's can do dat!" She smiled warmly. "I's make da' best breakfasts... 'Least, dat's what Danny says!"
"Well, first... I'm gonna have to go get things to eat. We're... A bit low on stock, at the moment."
"Go out, in dis weathah? Dat's not a good idea..."
"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine. In fact... I'll be right back; sit tight."

Annie simply nodded, taking another sip from her tankard and continuing to rub her swollen belly as her litter of pups... Kittens? 'Kittenpups,' moved about within her.
Then, Euria got up, shambled over to the hole in the floor where the levitation pad was, and thought to herself...

'First floor, entryway.'

The sensation of gravity lessened - but didn't nullify, as it did when she ascended - and the solid 'floor' of air beneath her once more disappeared, allowing her to slowly and gently float to the first floor of the building. After the force of gravity returned in full, she proceeded to walk to the front door, and opened it. Sure enough, the winds were in full effect, a plume of white obscuring her ability to see entirely, even with her enchantments...

Euria turned around, and gestured to an ornamental suit of plate-mail she kept around as a decoration; and a ward against invaders. Immediately, the suit of articulate plate shuddered, its visor glowing with an eerie purple light, which slowly turned teal as it fully animated. The suit itself looked highly functional, with a design that wouldn't look out of place in an actual battlefield; though the electrum 'engraving' that it had decorating it certainly made it more useful as ornament than actual defensive equipment. The codpiece of the armor was decorated with jagged spirals and repeating designs, all surrounding a 'core'; a plate of lead, into which a rather large, artificial 'gemstone' was set. This 'gem' was, in fact, the armor's 'brain'; it was what allowed it to act while animate, even autonomously.

A voice filled Euria's head... 'Is it time for me to hunt again, mistress?'
'Indeed, servant. Please, retrieve enough food for the three of us; myself, and the two visitors... Perhaps retrieve more, in case this storm lasts longer than expected, or we find ourselves with more guests.'

The animate, semi-sentient suit of armor nodded in response, one of its hollow arms rattling as it reached for a nearby weapon; a crossbow.

'I will return by noon's light. If I do not, don't fret; I will simply be sheltering from the winds.'
'...I really should give you another "frost resistance" enchantment, shouldn't I?'
'Unnecessary, but appreciated.'

Euria nodded to the armor, putting a hand of hers to one of the electrum lines, and tracing it. Immediately, it began to glow a bright teal, which progressively spread through the entire suit's 'body'. The glowing slowly abated, but it was simple to tell that the armor's enchantment was renewed; faint wisps of ethereal light billowed outward from the armor, drifting down like fog and dissipating slowly.

The suit nodded one last time, the glow of its visor changing from a dim teal glow to an overbearing, bloody crimson. It rattled, the glowing across its electrum decorations returning with gusto as it proceeded to march out the front door... And lose its helmet to a particularly violent gust of wind.

'Sight escapes me... My head has been removed.'

Euria sighed, leaning over - a monumental task in her current condition - and picking up the helm, before placing it back upon the suit of armor. It reached up with its hollow gauntlets and adjusted it, flipping a few latches on its 'neck' - not standard affair for the armor, more there to help secure the helm in less-than-ideal conditions - and then proceeded to - once again - march out the door, closing it in the process.

It would likely be back within the next two to four hours... For now, she could head upstairs and continue talking with Annie, or writing in her journal. So, she returned to the levitation pad, returned to the study... And found the Meece lying down on the 'couch', fast asleep despite the seeming hyperactivity of her litter.

'...She must've still been really tired, that Hot Cocoa was full of caffeine... Probably didn't get much sleep from the cold. Poor thing...'

Euria ensured Annie's warmth once again - namely, by feeling her forehead and abdomen, the two most exposed parts of her body, and empowering the heating enchantment where necessary - before dimming as many lights as she could in the room while still being able to see her tome. And then, she began to write about her past day, and the beginning of the present day; about the visitors she met, what she discovered about them, and the like. After a bit, she got so engrossed in writing that she forgot the time...
It had been three or so hours since Euria began to write. She put her inkpen back to its proper place - that being a drawer on her desk - and left the page she had finished writing on to dry. She turned to look out the window; still just as stormy as earlier, but now with a distinct, faint brightness... Dawn had finally broke. She turned to look at Annie; still soundly asleep, her litter now at rest with her. Then, she heard the noise of creaking floorboards; it seems Daniel must've awoken by now.

Euria proceeded to get up from her seat, and move to the levitation pad. With a simple thought, she floated down to the second floor of the house, and knocked on the - now closed - guest room door. The door opened, loudly creaking as it did so. "Mh?" The man leaned through the door-frame, clearly still tired.
"Good morning. Your wife is upstairs; she was practically freezing when I woke up, so I gave her a blanket and a fire to sit by."
"That explains it... Right, sorry for the troubles." He scratched the back of his head, his ears twitching.
"It's nothing, really." Euria turned her head a bit, looking over to the levitation pad. "Why not come up? I can supply some warm drinks, a nice blanket, a fire... No food yet, though; have to wait for the Sentinel to return."
"...Sentinel?" Daniel tilted his head, confused.
"Animate suit of armor. Does lots of menial tasks for me."
"Huh... I guess it's that one that's by the entryway?"
"Yep, that's the one."

Daniel nodded, clearly intrigued; and likely impressed.

"Interesting... And, sure; I'll take you up on that offer for a blanket and fire."

Euria nodded in response, leading Daniel to the levitation pad - and up it, of course - and to the Study. Annie hadn't awoken yet, but was positioned in just the right way to allow Daniel to sit, thankfully. He did so, sitting in front of her legs, and beside her almost-exaggeratedly-large belly. Soon enough, a blanket flew in from seemingly nowhere, wrapping itself around the catperson as he continued sitting, leaving his upper body partially exposed; exposed enough for his arms to reach out of it. He placed one of his hands onto Annie's stomach, gently rubbing it, leaving the other at his side.

Soon enough, a full mug of the winter ambrosia known as Hot Chocolate flew into Daniel's idle hand, levitating for long enough that he could firmly grab it, taking a sip from the tankard. He, like his wife, did a double-take at the drink's unique flavor.

"...This is the best damn mug of the stuff I've ever had!" He spoke, half-whispering.
"There's certainly better out there... But, thank you." Euria simply smiled, a mug of her own seemingly appearing out of thin air.

The two remained quiet as they drank from their respective receptacles of the warm, homely mixture, before they eventually finished imbibing the substance. The two continued quiet, with Euria returning to writing in her tome - this time, on potential improvements to her Hot Cocoa recipe - and with Daniel rubbing his wife's round midsection intermittently while more consistently examining his own tome. Eventually, the Meece began to stir once again, her eyes slowly fluttering open as Daniel continued to rub her belly, and as Euria continued to write in her massive grimoire.

"Mmm... G'mornings, Danny..." Annie muttered, smiling.
"G'morning, Annie. Sorry about the blankets, again..." Daniel scratched the back of his head, a sheepish look spreading across his face.
"It's okay... Me's like wakin' up early." She giggled, likely still half-asleep.

The two continued conversing, occasionally laughing. It was likely a good six minutes before Euria finally took notice.

"...Oh, you're awake. Apologies, I've been a bit too focused on my book..."
"It's okays! I's just woke up, any-how..."
"Well... The Sentinel should be back any minute now with ingredients for food; which means, it's only a matter of time until breakfast."

Euria's ear twitched at that word... Breakfast. Such a magnificent word... She was getting hungry, as were her kits... Pups? Children. She felt a small prodding against her side; a sign of their growing desire for food.
Then, there was the slam of the front door opening, and the clanking, clattering and rattling of metal plates shifting together, followed by two whumping noises; the Sentinel had returned, and with food.

"There they are... Time to go prepare for food."

Euria got up from her seat once again, and levitated down the hole in the floor, before waddling to the 'kitchen' area; more of a general food storage area. There, she found the animate suit of armor, its visor now a faint teal color... As well as two deer carcasses, a wealth of foraged foods - including the ever-useful winter's bounty plant - and even some firewood.

'Really went above and beyond, servant.'
'I function to serve. I hope my services suffice, mistress.'
'They do far more than suffice. Thank you, my servant; go, rest. You have done well.'

The suit's visor glowed with a golden light as the armor rattled in satisfaction, returning to its former post before its visor dimmed, losing all light. Then, the armor fell silent, the rattling that once accompanied its activity ceasing.
Then, a series of butchery implements animated around Euria, and got to work rending the flesh of the two carcasses, and preparing the winter's bounty for use in the one thing she did best - stew - while also leaving enough for Annie to cook if she wanted to.
After what felt like ages of preparation, the two's meals were done, and everyone was huddled around the downstairs fireplace, bowl and plate in tow.

"Today's breakfast is in two parts; the first is fresh Venison Stew, heavily seasoned. The second is..." Euria waited for Annie to continue.
"Roast meats, spiced wif' my personal blend an' da' like, den covered in berry sauce!" She finished, her face beaming.

The meals were mostly meat... But that was more out of lack of any other ingredients. They were lucky to have found winter's bounty; a rather hard-to-find plant, the berries and leaves of which are both edible. The berries were sweet, while the leaves were a tad bitter if prepared incorrectly; luckily, both were nutritious, and could easily sustain a traveler for an extended period of time, even if they only had access to a single sprig of the plant, and a handful of its berries.

The stew was simple, really; take chunks of venison meat, braise them, add in some of the winter's bounty berries - after being finely crushed, of course - as well as carrots, tubers and any other hardy plants one has access to, mix them all together, add water and flour, spice to taste... And you have an edible, filling stew. Wasn't the best, nor the worst of tastes... But what mattered was that it could sustain someone through winter on a day-by-day basis. And this stuff certainly sufficed on that front.
On the flip-side, the roast 'meats' were finely and carefully seasoned to get as much flavor out of the venison as possible, with it having been spiced before the initial cooking, rather than after, as the stew was. The initial seasonings consisted mainly of salt and ground peppercorn, with tiny hints of various other spices to aid in bringing out the more unique flavors in the gamy meat. After it was roast over an open flame, the meat was coated in a simple reduction made from the winter's bounty berries; nothing fancy, but certainly serviceable... And incredibly tasty in its own right.

  The two of these dishes were fundamentally different, but made with similar ingredients; the stew was made with the sole idea of sustenance and survival first in mind, using many base ingredients to make a more 'simple' meal that could keep one sated for longer and could be stored rather easily, while the roast 'meats' were made with taste and enjoyment first in mind, using few base ingredients to make a more 'complex' meal that tasted better, but likely wouldn't keep for too long.
That didn't make either of them any more - or less - tasty than the other, though; both the cooks who made them were quite skilled, and managed to make the best of the ingredients provided.

"Hope you enjoy!" Euria smiled, allowing everyone to collect a serving of the meal before she grabbed one herself.
"Yeh, I's hope you's likes it!" Annie added, smiling as well; she took the liberty of collecting her food first.

And so, Euria, Daniel and Annie all enjoyed their breakfast, even despite the raging storm, gelid air and dark skies outside; after all, they had a warm fire, delicious food, more than enough hot drinks for everyone... And plenty of conversation and friend-making to do.
To Be Continued?