The 27th

Chapter 25

She preferred the loose snow. It was soft and fluffy, falling though her fingers when she picked it up. Though, as much as she like it, she had to walked on the harder pact snow, otherwise, she'd sink need deep into the frozen earth. She didn't mind the cold at first but when it started to seep into her layers the deeper they went, she couldn't tell if she enjoyed it anymore.

For the first few days, she stumbled around clumsy at the inclines terrain, obstacles hidden under thick patches of snow. Often, she mistook soft snow for packed and her foot sank down to her knee, sometimes even her hip. Arias helped to free her each time, each time making her more annoyed. At first, it was quite amusing but after a few more falls, it made her frustrated that she could not tell the difference between the two. Each time she mistook one for the other, her dislike for the snow overrides her like for it.

Though, over the days following her several incidents, something from within her changed, as if she could just tell the difference between the two. When she were about to step on the soft snow, a strange feeling would crawl down her spine, making her question of this were a good idea. When that feeling occurred, she changed her footing and stayed above ground, the snow coming back to her good side.

Since she no longer found herself annoyed with the snow, she began to appreciate it and the landscape. Sun reflecting off the white powder made it shimmer, like hidden treasure lay beneath the surface. She could see a nothing but forrest and trees which scared her at first, adding to her frustrations, but now she could appreciate the vast wonder. She had to suffered though heat most of her life, sweating as they basically cooked her alive locked in a room, and this was the polar opposite.

There was so much room, constantly opening up to show her more of the wonders it had encased. Small, fluffy animals sometimes scurried across her path, catching her attention. If they hadn't moved, she would have never had seemed them, for their white fur assisted them into blending into the ground seamlessly. They had long floppy ears and short puffy tails, their large, innocent eyes drew her to them and she often found herself looking for more of them.

Arias called those little creatures rabbits and informed her that they were harmless, which she suspected. Every since she grew a liking to them, more seemed to show even though Arias said they were very scared animals. Other animals were seen as well, what he called deer, bear and another being lynx, what his cape was made of.

No one bother the animals until it was time to eat, when a few of the men would leave to hunt while the others set up camp and made fire. She felt saddened when they men returned carrying rabbits and a deer slung across one of their backs but she ate a portion anyway, not wanting to be picking and criticize the work they put in to assist her in surviving. They didn't have to help her at all.

The more they climbed deeper into the wood, the more appreciation she held for it. The men, she could tell, respected the land. They never over hunted, only killing what we needed, leaving nothing wasted. The men were careful not to disturb the wolf life, even the men who were shifted, prowling along the outer skirts of the group. They held respect for the land for what it gave them and she began to as well. Here, she felt free, no longer trapped, no longer suffering for the benefits and satisfaction of others. Here she felt like she could could start a new, live out her life the way she wished to, manipulated by hand of none other than her own. Though, no one could control her life anymore, she was still at the mercy of the elements.

It grew very cold at night as the further they went, the worse it got. So much so that she could no longer sleep in her own furs. Although the fire also provided warmth, she could never find enough of it, shivering and unable to succumb to sleep.

Now, at nights, Arias would join their furs and they would find sleep together. He kept his hands to himself for the most part but in the mornings, an arm or two seemed managed to wrap around her waist, as well as their legs tangled in each other's. She was embarrassed the first time she awoke to this but as they walked on, the temperatures continuing to drop, she'd come to look forward to his heat pressed against her back while the fire warmed her front.

After several weeks of constantly following the same routines, the scenery just as beautiful but looking as if they just walked in circles, something could be seen peeking out from the tops of the trees.

"Mountains." Arias nodded his head as he swung his pack onto his back. "Home."

The hardest part of journey had to have been the cliff they had to climb; a pass that was settled between the base of two mountains. It wasn't flat by any means, rather and extremely steep incline that she needed to use the rope that had been tied off somewhere high above, using it to pull themselves up while her feet slid on the soft snow, ice and loose rocks.

By the time she reached the top, the gloves the pack wolves had supplied her with before she left were tattered and her palms burned from abrasions the rope had given her. Her thighs and calves also ached from such a steep slope but she was distracted from the pain when she saw several streams of smoke in the distance, more trees obstructing her view.

Arias climbed up behind her, moving to stand by her side. He too, noticed the smoke and she was as he took in a slow, deep breath, closing his eyes as another rumble emitted from his chest.

"We home."