He climbed down and gave me a hug.

I shivered. The day had turned bleak, and I suddenly felt cold and hungry and scared all over again.

His positive attitude had left him too, and reality hit us both hard. He smiled though, handing me a carrot which I practically swallowed whole, as he said, “Let’s go home.”

We didn’t have any more snow days.

Winter dragged on. Blue actually seemed energized by the snow and ice, or it at least didn’t affect him. I, however, became ill. He encouraged me, ushered life into me, and gave me almost all of the food he could find without me knowing. But it wasn’t enough. Over time I grew weaker and weaker. After weeks of giving up his portions and continuously losing hope every time he looked at me, Blue wasn’t doing much better.

One night – a night we felt might be our last – we were lying side by side on the forest floor. We were being tracked down by gargles, and were now way too weak to do anything about it. We heard the horrifying screeches getting closer and we just laid there in that dark glade waiting for them.


Just as we thought the monsters were upon us, a light broke through the thick brush and a kind voice came through the misty cold air. With the light of a lantern, I could just make out the outline of two men and their horses. One of them stepped closer and bent down next to me, the other in a dark blue vest went to Blue.

The man next to me smiled and it seemed to warm the cold right from me. He looked a bit older than the other man, perhaps in his forties, but very healthy and fit. In the lantern’s light I made out his shoulder-length light brown hair and the ancient deep brown eyes that looked as if they’d seen everything. He took my head in his hands and lifted it gently. Normally I would’ve been terrified and fought back, but I was limp with fatigue. I couldn’t do anything as he reassured me with such certainty that everything would be okay.

The strong palm of his hand cupped my forehead and, realizing that I had a fever, said, “This one is very ill, she won’t last long.”

He put a flask to my mouth. Eager for water, I didn’t question. I barely managed to open my mouth, but when I did, a refreshing fluid rushed down my throat. I guzzled it down, barely noticing the sickening sweetness of it.

The man next to me went over to his horse and pulled some bandages from his saddlebags. I had various wounds from monster attacks, and he began to dress them, talking to me with a calm, friendly voice. As the next few minutes passed, I felt some of my energy come back to me. I figured it must have been the flask of liquid he gave me.