Part One Chapter Eight

                                    

                                          
Chapter 8: Meta Knight Part I
It was cold. Very cold. 
That was the first thing Meta Knight noticed when he started regaining consciousness. And that his body felt different. 
Opening his eyes, he saw that he had landed face first into some snow. 
Was it snow? It was cold like snow and it looked like snow, but it smelled a bit like sugar. Considering he had a bit of a sweet tooth, it did draw his attention.
After taking another whiff of the air, Meta Knight realized the entire environment around him smelled like sugar, not just the snow. The air also felt slightly thin. 
Getting up, Meta Knight looked at his surroundings. It was some kind of snowy environment or cold climate. The trees were a dark color with some icicles hanging from the branches, and the terrain seemed rough and sturdy. 
(Where am I?) Meta Knight wondered (Did I land in a mountain? Or is this the fabled planet Shiver Star?) 
Suddenly, Meta Knight remembered the situation that brought him here. Glancing around, he desperately searched for everyone else who got taken by the vortex. 
"Kirby? Dedede?" he called out as he started looking around the area "Bandana Dee? Elfilin? Anyone?!?" 
No luck, no matter how much he searched around the snowy forest, he couldn't find anyone.
Maybe it was how he was traversing, maybe he could try looking in the air. 
Meta Knight opened his wings, and that's when he finally noticed. His wings, they looked... different. 
They were chrispy looking and less detailed, and instead of the membrane part being pink, it was purple like the rest of the wing. 
Meta Knight blinked in surprise at seeing them. Now that he noticed they were different, he realized the rest of his body had probably changed too. He could already tell he felt flatter, but what else had changed...
Glancing around to make sure no one could see him, Meta Knight took off his mask and used the reflection from his sword Galaxia to look at his face. His eyes were somewhat the same, though they did look less glowey. The big difference was that his mouth was just an outline, and his skin looked chrispy. 
Putting his mask back on, Meta Knight gazed at his gloved hands. (Have I... been turned into a cookie??) 
Meta Knight shook his head, he didn't have time to worry about what form he took, what mattered was finding the others. Yet knowing what he was did start to give him an idea on what kind of world this was. 
It did occur to him that he had to make sure this form didn't alter his abilities. Flapping his wings, he jumped up to see if he could still fly. Thankfully, it worked, and Meta Knight had no issues flying. 
(That's a relief.) Meta Knight thanked in his mind (Now to see if I can get a better look at the area.) 
Taking to the skies, Meta Knight flew around the area. He was able to see more of the snow covered forest around him, but none of the Star Allies were in sight. 
Meta Knight grunted, surely one of them had to be out here right? It was then that he spotted what appeared to be a tall pine tree. Perhaps he could get a better look from atop that. 
Perching himself near the top of the tree, he looked out across the forest. From this view, he was able to see many more tall trees and not far from the forest was what seemed to be an ongoing field of snow. Yet he still couldn't see anyone, not even a creature.
(If only it would stop snowing, perhaps I would have an easier time spotting someone.) Meta Knight complained to himself. However the snowfall did not look like it was going to stop anytime soon. 
Not wanting to give up on finding Kirby and the others, Meta Knight pondered if he should try calling out again. 
(What if something else hears me? I don't want to give away my position if there's monsters out there. Hm... I might have to take that risk, if it means finding the others.) he decided in his head.
"Dedede! Kirby! Adeleine! Daroach! Bandana Dee! Is anyone out there?!" 
No response, Meta Knight kept trying though. 
"Dedede! Kirby! Elfilin! Marx! Magolor! Mage Sisters! Gooey! Hyness! Taranza! Ribbon! ... (*Sigh*) Susie?" 
The only response Meta Knight got was a loud and cold breeze blowing past him. The cold air made Meta Knight flinch, and his wings started feeling numb. Looking at his wings he noticed that frost was starting to form on them. Meta Knight rapidly flapped his wings, hoping to get the frost off, but it remained.
(This won't do,) Meta Knight thought (if my wings freeze up, I won't be able to fly.) 
Jumping down from branch to branch, Meta Knight landed back down on the snowy ground. Once he reached the ground, he wrapped his wings around himself like a cloak, hoping it would keep them and his body warm. (This'll make it harder to find everyone, but at least my wings will be safe.) 
Despite it not being that warm, Meta Knight was starting to feel less chilly with his wings wrapped around him. 
He then looked around to see if anyone was approaching. Nothing happened. Meta Knight sighed, were none of the Star Allies around here?
Meta Knight then had a thought. (Did we all get sent to different places like with the Forgotten Lands? If that's the case, am I all alone here?) he then sighed once more (Well, if that's the situation, I just hope the others landed somewhere better than here.) 
Meta Knight looked up at the gray sky. A blizzard was likely approaching. He would need to find shelter before it got to him. 
Plus, if this was indeed a mountain that he had landed on, he would have to traverse down it, where hopefully it would be less cold. 
Straightening himself up and having his sword close and ready in case a monster or a wild creature tried to attack him, Meta Knight marched forward, intent on finding shelter or perhaps civilization. 
And, if he was lucky, Kirby and the others.
"I promise, on my word as a Star Warrior, I will find you all." Meta Knight said as an oath. 
Taking a short breath, he kept going onward.
Unbeknownst to him however, someone had seen him. A hooded figure had heard him from the tree and had now found him. The figure was hidden behind the trees and was watching Meta Knight cautiously. Curious about who he was.
When Meta Knight headed deeper into the snowy woods, the hooded figure started following him.