AU: Tales of the Snowfields 

Context: Once Sabre is brought to one of the kingdoms' towns and starting to recover from the events of last prompt, people start trying to figure out what he is.

Also y'all get a bit of a glimpse as to what differences this AU's Steves that evolved to survive in the cold have from normal ones :3

They be creature bois

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[Red Steve's POV]

The stranger from the portal is stable now. The Green Steves that were visiting here and volunteered to help when we brought him in said that as long as he's warmed up at a steady pace so that he doesn't get any kind of temperature shock, he should be fine soon.

He was extremely lucky that the cold didn't do too much damage, and we found him before it got any worse. And before that Darkness creature got to him. The only thing he could really have because of being out there for a while is some slight discoloration we noticed while helping him, but we're not sure if that's some kind of scarring or just what he is.

Speaking of... what exactly is he?

I'm sitting in a chair next to the bed he was put in, keeping an eye on him. He's not like any Steve I've ever seen or heard of, if he's even one at all. He's quite a strange one, but he reminds me of how we apparently used to look like before the endless blizzard came. He doesn't have any fur or fluff protecting him from the cold as far as we can see, and his ears are small and rounded. He's actually just small in general. I could pick him up so easily because of it, he's the size of a Steve in their very early teens. Although, according to history books and some of the few survivors from that era, we used to be that small too. In fact, he looks extremely similar to pre-blizzard Steves. The only thing that's really different are his colors.

I've never seen colors like those on somebody before... at first people thought he might be a variant of an Orange or Yellow Steve, and his colors are just weirdly faded compared to normal, but the Green Steves checked for either color's defining features. No horns of an Orange Steve or specialized eyes of a Yellow Steve. In fact, his eyes are a weird dark, dull green color. That scared everybody, making them worried that he was infected, so that's why I'm keeping an eye on him. Just in case. I wonder why he was wearing a blindfold? The Green Steves put it on the stand next to the bed, in case it's important to him.

I look up when I hear a knock, and moments later the Orange Leader pops his head through the door. He must have been called here and alerted of the strange visitor. This town is an extension of his kingdom, after all.

"Hello, Leader." I greet him, then motion to the strange being. "Here about... him, I presume?"

"Yes, I am. One of the Yellows that joined you came to my kingdom and told me about the incident." He replies, stepping in and shutting the door behind him. "Please tell me, what exactly happened out there?"

I glance at the stranger for a moment.

"Well, I was checking on the portal while everyone else was below ground in the base. It was just supposed to be a quick check-in on it while we were hanging out." I start. "It had been acting strange the past few days, as I've told my Leader, and I was concerned something was interfering with it. While I was checking on the frame, suddenly the portal became active and moments later, he fell out and the portal shut down."

"Shut down-?" The Orange Leader asks. "As in, it's permanently inactive, or...?"

"Yeah. That thing's never activating again."

The Orange Leader gets a look on his face. I know what that look means, and I've been wondering the same thing since this being appeared from the portal.

"...Go on."

"We just stared at each other for a bit. I think he was as shocked as I was." I continue. "Then, he booked it off the portal platform and right into the snow. I tried to chase after him, but the storm started picking up in a few minutes and I knew I'd get lost if I tried to go after him on my own. So, I went back and got the others. They got geared up, and we followed the guy's footprints. Or- what was left of them. The snow was already filling them in, but we were still able to follow his trail. We searched for a few hours before we finally found him."

"And when you did find him, he was about to be attacked by the Darkness you and your group fought?"

"Yep. It looked like he exhausted himself while trying to run from me, and I guess he found that tree and thought it would provide some shelter. From how his footprints looked, it seems like the Darkness found him before he reached that tree and started going after him while he ran towards it. As always, it was just waiting for him to use up all his energy before it struck. It probably would have gotten to him if we had shown up any later. Anyway, the guy was just lying there in the snow and was about to pass out. I saw he was still responsive, so I picked him up and tried to help heat him up a little with my fire ability at a low level. That's when we teleported here, and I'm sure you already know the rest."

"Yes, I do. Do you know why he ran from you?"

"Probably just scared. I mean, he did just get thrown through a portal and ended up in a blizzard. Plus, he's probably never seen a normal Steve of any color before."

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm guessing by his appearance being so drastically different from ours, he's probably from somewhere this accursed snowstorm doesn't affect somehow. That, and he screamed 'What the heck are you' at me before he ran off."

"Ah."

"..."

"..."

"Do you know what he is?"

"Don't have the slightest clue." I sigh. "I'm not sure he's even a Steve at all. And any guesses anyone has made have been proven wrong already. The Green Steves probably would've kept checking for any sign this guy is something we know of, but they said that we should let him rest right now."

"Yeah, that's fair enough. It's not even been a day and he's been through a lot." The Orange Leader replies, looking at the odd visitor.

He then looks back at me, that same look from earlier on his face again.

"So... you do realize what this might mean, right?" He asks. "The portal deactivating, the Darkness recently becoming stronger..."

"Yeah. I know." I reply. "Whatever this guy is, there's a very good chance he... might be the Catalyst."

There's a few moments of silence between us. The Catalyst is the main part of a prophecy that's been controversial for decades, where it's said that this Catalyst will help create the next Rainbow Steve, and together they will fight the abyssal entity that created this endless onslaught of winter storms. Not only that, but it's warned that while the Catalyst is of great power, he will also be one with the tempest of snowfall at his greatest. It's not known what that's supposed to mean, but based off the fact that the blizzard completely toppled the world as it was once known centuries ago, causing us to be forced underground to have a chance of survival, it's agreed that it's probably... not good. Likely a warning to be cautious of the Catalyst's power.

But that can't be this guy, right? He's not built for freezing temperatures at all. The Green Steves saw that there's absolutely no power of any kind in his system, and if there is any that they just missed then it's pretty meager. He has no adaptations or any natural defenses against anything, almost as if he was supposed to be a base for something and then was just sent out incomplete. Not to mention he's... very small. I know I shouldn't be judging off that but- come on.

The Orange Leader interrupts my thoughts, breaking the silence.

"Well, I should get back to my kingdom now..." He says. "When he wakes up, could you send someone out to notify me?"

"Of course, sir." I answer.

"Oh, and... one more thing."

He looks me in the eyes, a stern expression on his face.

"Let's keep the possibility of this stranger being the Catalyst a secret for now, shall we? I... don't want any alarm to be caused. And, if people start hearing about it, who knows what might come looking for him."

"Understood. I won't tell anyone."

The Orange Leader leaves, and I'm once again left alone with the strange visitor. He's still unconscious, but breathing steady and no longer shivering.

...I can't help but wonder what he is.