Lucie Benier

I trudged through the snow, my boots sinking into the soft, icy ground. I squinted into the white blur of the blizzard, barely able to see a hand’s length in front of me as I tried to move toward the sound of the screams and frantic neighing I’d heard minutes earlier.

“God, I swear my bones are shaking…” I muttered through chattering teeth, pulling my cloak tighter around me.

I’d give anything to be back at my warm camp right now, but something told me something was seriously wrong here.

As I pushed forward, I noticed tracks—boot prints, along with horse hooves—and a trail of blood leading toward a forest of dead pines. Whatever it was, it was badly injured.

I struggled to walk a few more steps, almost ready to turn back. But as I followed the blood trail further, I spotted something up ahead.

“What the hell…?” I narrowed my eyes and realized it was a girl, collapsed on the snow, freezing.

I rushed to her side and knelt down. She had a wound in her abdomen, likely from an arrow. Damn it. What if she is a bad person and someone was chasing her down?

Argh! Screw it. I couldn’t just leave her to die of hypothermia and blood loss. She was unconscious, making it harder to move her, but I managed to carry her back to my camp. ─────────────────────────────────── I stoked the fire, trying to warm her as much as I could. The wound, now treated and bandaged, seemed superficial—no organs were hit. I covered her with a blanket, hoping the gods would wake her soon.

After nearly an hour, the girl stirred. She looked disoriented, her eyes wide with panic as she tried to sit up, but she almost collapsed from the pain.

“Easy, easy easy... You're still hurt.”

I quickly caught her and gently eased her back down, stopping her from trying to stand.

---

I tightened the wire on the fence with my pliers, taking a deep breath as a curious cow nudged the post with her nose, determined to escape. A stronger push, and I had to step back, gripping the wire so it wouldn’t give way. The sun was already high, warming my back and making sweat drip down my temples. The smell of fresh-cut grass and earth filled the air, and the distant chirping of birds seemed to keep time with my movements.