Most definitely not a squirrel. For one, its eyes were too sharp, too cunning to be as simple as a squirrel's. The tilt of its head made me focus on that. It didn't have the type of teeth for breaking open nuts, it's mouth held canines. Its limbs might've been slightly different in length compared to a regular squirrel but their form was likely spot on. The main difference was the lack of fur, or rather the present red scales that adorned it instead.

Slowly, I leveraged my harpoon towards it. I loaded the spring, even as it watched me, until I heard a click. At a flick of my wrist, the harpoon would skewer the thing. Or glance off its scales. I hoped it wouldn't come to it.

I was surprised I could see its eyes. It wasn't the beady black I was expecting. So I could clearly make out its gaze, looking back over its shoulder, and perhaps the hesitance in its posture, if I could attribute human body language to such a thing. The familiarity was deceiving.

"Now, what do you want?" I asked slowly, feeling both relieved and insane I was talking to a scaled squirrel thing.

I eased, remembering it had helped me before. But despite that stroke of insanity, I kept my harpoon leveled.

It squeaked in a manner that was indistinguishable from a dog's chew toy and seemed to disappear. It had come from a burrow in the trees' snow. I would have missed it too if I didn't see the thing pop into the tunnel. The white camouflaged the entrance too well.

It was big enough for me to fit when I stuck my head into it to find where the little critter went. I backtracked and ducked down a level to scour the supports, but it seemed this particular passage of snow was heavily reinforced with thick twisting branches from three different trees. I slapped the snow and found it to instead be solid ice. Having checked my potential passage, I glanced back at the odd tunnel of snow in the treetops.

Then the squirrel's head peeked out and stared at me as if wondering why I hadn't followed.

I led the way with the harpoon not taking any unnecessary risks. In the next moment, however, the weapon faded into nothingness. Pausing at my vulnerability, I shrugged but kept alert. I followed the squirrel through what must have been a whole network of tunnels, all eerily large enough for a human-sized mammal. There were open areas that afforded visibility of the ground below, looking down, I could've pictured myself walking, even being chased by giant if I really tried. I couldn't feasibly check the supporting branches of each passage, so whenever I came across an open area like that I stuck my head out only to find the surrounding trees to be thick and healthy.

The squirrel played a hard game. It was only ever just far enough for me to see, leading me further into its own territory. I crawled after it, acutely aware of exactly what I was doing. That was, following a squirrel creature into a maze of snow burrows held up by frozen trees. Weaponless at that.

It was a small risk to play. The sun was nearly setting. I knew the direction of the fire and what might be signs of humans like me but there was also no telling what prowled about in the dark here. I wouldn't even have risked it if this were normal woods. It was a hassle keeping myself oriented but I wasn't having trouble. Worst case, I'd have to climb a tree again.

I didn't blindly follow the creature. I was very aware of what a stupid decision this might be. But... I needed to take a risk. That squirrel had already saved me once so until proven wrong I'm inclined to believe it has the same interest in seeing me live as I do. If not, then I'd just have to get lucky.

A small smile decorated my face. A small calculated risk to get me excited. I wasn't about to spend a night down on the forest floor after that giant had come out of nowhere to surprise me. I convinced myself it was safer at a height.

The crawlspace wasn't overly claustrophobic but I hadn't even noticed that in the first place. Now, as the tunnel widened enough for me to crouch comfortably and move along like that, I was relieved and intrigued. Because the squirrel led me further and then the tunnel expanded again, enough for me to stand tall.

And then I was staring at furniture, carved right out of the snowy walls. An unmistakable chair and table. A shelf. What caught my eye more than those were the wooden items littered about the place. A wooden jug. A wooden plate. There were various implements that I deemed appropriate for throwing. Weapons in short. A spear made of wood, or alternatively a very sharp stick. A club, an axe.

In short, the place looked lived-in. Up here. In a tree of all places.

The squirrel slowed down and suddenly I was walking through what was undoubtedly a living space. A house even. The transition was nearly seamless and I paused once my brain caught up. The place was suspended above the trees by snow and frost alone. I rounded a bend - a hallway I idly realized - and entered a room.

What was probably the sickliest looking man I've ever seen greeted me. He was lying on his back and his clothes were made of fur pelts, but what drew my eye was the discoloration in his face. Like a fever had taken him and hadn't ever let go.

I began to put my things down but realized they had disappeared quite a while ago. The squirrel found a snow shelf and perched on it staring intently at me and then the man.

"Damn man," I said aloud. A soft groan responded. "At least you're human. That's probably the most I could've asked for. How'd you get stuck up here?" I spoke to the man but stared at the squirrel. "Well, let's see what I can help you with."

I rolled my metaphorical dice. "[Buff Roll]. [Armor Roll]. [Weapon Roll]. " I stated, taking my chances with whatever might help the man. "[Cheat]. [Lottery]. " Nothing on that end. Seemed they were still on cooldown.

Green light suffused me centered around my hands and forearms.

Favorable Buff: [Gift]

A single-use effect that allows the user to bestow upon another an item bound to them. A soulbound object may accept another this way. A curse on the soul may be transferred to a willing recipient in such a way. To give a gift to another, or receive a gift in taking.

Favorable Armor: [Armguards of Health]

Sturdy of armguards worn on the forearms. They are enchanted with vitality and health. The wearer may have an easier time of small diseases and sickness. Prolonged exposure eradicates the worst of mundane mortal afflictions.

Weapon: [Sword Staff]

A staff made sword. A warrior's weapon adapted to that of sorcerer's conduit. Where physical prowess might fail this weapon magical aptitude picks up the slack. A well-balanced make of materials that prove sturdy and magically conducive. A simple weapon made deceptively powerful well versed in martial and magical disciplines.

The first thing I felt intrinsically was the light feeling of a healthier body. It was obvious in the most natural sense, the knowledge that before I felt worse, and now I felt better. The contrast was small but such that I knew I was unhealthy before.

But before my eyes landed on the armguards my eyes were drawn to the staff in my hands. It wasn't so much half-half of a sword and staff, but more close to being both sword and staff fully. It was a morph of the two, something new. And something about that staff made my senses sharper. What senses exactly - was up in the air for me.

The armguards glowed green, a shade more humble but not too different from the visuals of my [Powers]. They adorned my whole forearms and as I moved minutely, I felt them flex with me. I winced, feeling my shoulder protest at the movement, but not as much as it should've been.

Lastly, the sense that both weapon and armor belonged to me and only me. That no one, no person, no animal, no god, or anything could take them from me. Or perhaps more accurately, use them to the extent that I could. I think physically prying the items off of me was doable.

With that sense, was the feeling I could give it all away. These items, bound to me, I could simply Gift one of them away. Only one of them. It was the single-use buff and it too was oddly pertinent.

Favorable.

"Look squirrel, these things have never lasted more than a few minutes," I said aloud to the squirrel's odd gaze. "We'll have to see if that's long enough."

I had already decided to help the sick man. If for nothing other than to help. I wasn't doing anything anyway. Maybe he'd let me stay in his snow home afterward?

Placing the sword-staff against the snowy wall, I took the armguards off. The process was surprisingly more convoluted than I would've guessed. There were straps and ties that secured the armor to my forearm that came custom fitted to me. It was easy enough to undo, however.

The harder part was willing the armguards to the man. To Gift them. I knew, deep down, that normally such a thing wouldn't have worked out. With the buff I rolled, however, it was possible. They came off my arms and I approached the man. There was no spectacle of magic in the process, but there was definite weight to it. The significance was lost on me, seeing as these things would just disappear eventually.

Taking the man's hand I realized we could've been the same age. The beard and stinking furs hinted at someone at this life longer than I'd even been here though. I fastened the armor to his arms and stepped back. There was no telling what might have happened if he woke up to me looming over him.

The coloration returned to his face. His red-pale face turned to a more healthy beige. His whole body relaxed. I hadn't even known it was tense. The armguards glowed gently and his ragged breath became easier to listen to.

Seeing as there was nothing for me to do. I rested against the wall, sword-staff across my lap. I watched the squirrel on the shelf, chittering softly, moving back and forth and occasionally simply staring at the prone man breathe.