Making it back

[Nivalis Silverfrost]

After leaving her cave, a snowstorm suddenly hit Nivalis with full force, threatening to knock her down. Despite the strong wind, she managed to keep her balance and continued walking. "I need to find food for us," she repeated to herself over and over again, steeling her resolve.

The wind was howling and roaring like a beast, ripping at her clothes and trying to blow her away. Snowflakes swirled around her, stinging her eyes and forcing her to squint to see anything. She stumbled and nearly fell over several times, but she fought her way through the snowstorm. She pushed forward, one step at a time, her feet sinking into the thick blanket of snow, struggling to lift her boots back. Her clothing, which was too heavy for her slender body, hindered her movements, slowing her down considerably.

The walk was difficult and tiring. There were no landmarks or paths visible to guide her through the blizzard. The only thing that guided her was her faint memory of where she had come from. She was surrounded by a white haze, making it impossible to see anything else. She tried to reach the river, hoping to catch a fish for her children, no matter how crazy and absurd the idea sounded.

She couldn't tell how much time had passed, as it felt like forever. Her body was aching, her lungs were burning, and her arms and legs were already numb with cold. Her vision became blurry from trying to distinguish at least something around her, but she kept going anyway, pushing herself beyond her limits. She had to. For her children, she had to. She was willing to do whatever it takes for them.

As she stumbled through the deep drifts of snow, she finally caught a glimpse of the river and released a gasp of relief. Unfortunately, reaching the river was the easy part. Regardless of her chosen direction, she knew she would eventually find it sooner or later. From her first hunt a year ago, she remembered they were on a piece of land between two wide rivers, practically surrounded by water on all sides — their only natural protection against the dark forest still surrounding them.

She cautiously made her way towards the water that stretched out before her. The frigid wind blew against her face, numbing it with its fierce intensity. She tightened her grip on the bow in her hands and focused her gaze on the water surface that, for whatever reason, had not frozen despite the harsh winter weather. The snowflakes swirled around her, obscuring her vision and making it difficult to see.

...

Nivalis was shivering and stamping her feet on the ground to keep warm. Her hands and fingers were aching with cold as she clasped her bow tightly in her numb hands. She glanced around, trying to spot any movement in the water. She had waited patiently for hours, but she couldn't even catch a glimpse of any fish swimming past her, let alone try to shoot one.

— 'I can't give up,' thought Nivalis stubbornly as she stared at the flowing river, her eyes scanning the water intently. Her whole body trembled from being in the cold for too long, but she refused to surrender. She focused her attention, her ears straining to catch the slightest splash of water.

Suddenly, something caught her eye — a flash of movement in the water. Or was it just her imagination? Perhaps it was just a trick of the light on the water's surface? She wasn't sure.

She couldn't afford to waste any time wondering what it was, so she quickly raised her bow and shot an arrow with a rope attached, aiming it toward the spot where she had noticed some movement. The arrow hissed through the air, hitting the water with a loud splash, and the Nivalis immediately began pulling the rope in hopes of retrieving something. Her heart raced with anticipation as she wondered whether she'd caught anything.

Nivalis pulled the rope steadily, feeling her arms ache. Once close enough, she gave a big grunt and pulled it out of the water. Suddenly, a salmon leaped out and landed right at her feet.

Although the fish wasn't big, it would be enough to feed her children and help them survive another day. "Finally! Now I just need to make it back," she thought triumphantly, her eyes shining with happiness. "I'm coming, my darlings. I won't let you down."

As Nivalis crouched down, she quickly grabbed the slippery fish, pulled the arrow out of its lifeless body, and stuffed it inside her backpack without bothering to clean it as she usually does. Her heart continued to race, this time from excitement. She couldn't wait to hurry back to her kids and cook it immediately.

After standing up, she looked around at her surroundings and noticed that the weather had worsened even further, although she had previously thought it couldn't get any worse. The visibility had dropped to almost zero, and she couldn't see her hand in front of her. It seemed impossible to navigate through the weather, but she had no other choice.

Nivalis held her breath, closed her eyes, and prayed to the gods for luck. She then took off, walking through the blizzard, relying on her memory to lead her back to the cave.

...

Nivalis slowed down and tried to look around, but the endless white gave her no clues. The snow blew fiercely in her face, making it hard to open her eyes, let alone see anything. She was unsure of her direction, no longer knowing where she was or where she was headed.

As she bit her lower lip, a feeling of helplessness overcame her. She tried to stumble upon anything she could recognize, but there was nothing to guide her back home.— "How long have I been walking?" she asked herself, with the sun already setting. A terrible feeling crept up in her stomach. Fear.

— "I don't think I'm even going in the right direction... I can't believe I'm lost," Nivalis admitted in disbelief. She felt so powerless and useless. The mere thought of Silvia and Aster waiting for her to return and her not showing up filled her heart with such despair that it cannot be described in words.

She tightly closed her eyes and covered her face with her palms, trying to avoid thinking about the situation.— "There has to be something I can do..." Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke. She breathed heavily, attempting to calm herself down. Her teeth were chattering, and her lips were chapped and bleeding, having been exposed to the freezing wind for too long.

After calming herself, she continued her aimless walk, desperately praying to the gods for a miracle. But as the minutes passed, the temperature continued dropping, and she knew she wouldn't survive the night here. It was a terrifying thought, but even more terrifying was the possibility of leaving her children all alone. This thought kept spinning through her head, torturing her mind and making her want to scream at the top of her lungs.

As another hour passed, Nivalis found it increasingly difficult to continue. Her body felt heavy and unresponsive, making every step a struggle, not that it was easy to begin with. Her movements became slower, less coordinated, and more sluggish. The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving the forest in complete darkness.

As Nivalis walked on the snow, she felt its softness and allure. The temptation to rest grew stronger with each passing minute. The fluffy blanket of snow seemed to invite her to lie down and fall asleep. However, she knew she would never wake up again if she gave in to this feeling. Therefore, she resisted the urge and kept on walking.

Then suddenly, a call from somewhere afar. Such a sweet, familiar voice... She thought she had started hallucinating already, but... no... there it was again.

The distant voice echoed faintly in her ears, growing louder as she strained to listen. "...mommy!..." The sound rang like thunder in her mind, drowning out everything else.

It was her daughter's voice! She could hear her daughter's voice calling out to her from somewhere in the distance.— "Silvia!" she shouted, her voice hoarse and desperate. "I'm here! I'm over here, sweetie! I'm coming!"

She summoned all her strength and began moving faster than ever before, practically running through the snow without a care for how much her body protested. Her heart pounded wildly as she hurried in the direction of the sound. Each breath burned her lungs, but she refused to stop.

— "I'm almost there! Just a little further," she encouraged herself, determined to reach her daughter as quickly as possible. She wouldn't stop for anyone or anything. She stumbled and slipped in the snow several times in her rush, almost falling flat on her face. Nevertheless, she persisted and kept running toward her daughter's voice.

The wind whistled ominously around Nivalis, and her breath formed clouds, white and misty, with each heavy exhale. Suddenly, she heard something that made her stop and her blood run cold, something that no mother should ever have to hear. It was her daughter's scream of pure terror that echoed through the night, filling Nivalis with a sense of dread. Nivalis realized she wasn't the only one who had heard her daughter's calls. Someone or something has found her children.

— "No... No! NO!" She cried out in rage and desperation, making her body move even faster despite her legs trembling violently and being on the verge of collapse. She tightly gripped her bow and readied an arrow, prepared to shoot at any creature that dared to attack her children.

Finally, she spotted the familiar entrance of their cave and rushed inside immediately. The sight that greeted her almost stopped her heart.

A wolf stood right next to her beloved daughter. The beast had its mouth open, showing its razor-sharp fangs. It towered over Silvia, who was crouched in the corner of the cave with her eyes tightly shut, protecting her little brother with her tiny body. Silvia was whimpering pitifully, and the wolf was staring hungrily at her. Drool was dripping from the creature's mouth. The wolf's muscles were tensing up as it prepared to attack and tear the little girl apart.

Without hesitation, Nivalis aimed her bow, pulled back the string, and released an arrow at the wolf with all her might.

The sharp-tipped arrow flew through the air with such speed that it seemed almost impossible. And then, with a satisfying crunch, it plunged deep into the side of the animal's head, nailing it to the rough, rocky surface of the cave wall. The beast let out a pitiful shriek of pain before its body went numb, still convulsing and twitching in its final moments of life. Blood gushed out from the wound, splattering the cave wall and floor beneath it.

The whole cave went completely silent. The only sound that could be heard was Silvia's heavy, fearful breathing as she trembled in fear, her eyes now fixated on the animal right in front of her. The sudden sight of the wolf's body twitching, the smell of blood, and the sound of bone breaking as the animal was pinned to the wall sent a wave of nausea through her. She began to vomit loudly.

Nivalis wasted no time and rushed to her children, dropping her bow aside. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" Nivalis asked hurriedly, trying to keep her voice calm despite the panic she felt. Without waiting for her daughter's response, she examined them, ensuring they weren't injured.

Nivalis first checked on her daughter Silvia, who was sitting on the floor, still vomiting. Her pants were stained with urine, and the front of her clothes was completely covered in puke. The little girl was shocked and frightened, but thanks to the gods, she was unharmed.

Nivalis then quickly picked up her son, Aster, who was right behind Silvia and carefully checked him over. Luckily, he appeared to be fine as well. Aster looked at his mother with watery, wide eyes, and his lips formed a trembling smile. Nivalis hugged him tightly against her chest and cradled him lovingly in response.

"Mommy," Silvia's voice finally cracked as tears flowed freely from her golden eyes. She hugged her mother's leg tightly, burying her face into her pants, and cried uncontrollably. "Mommy," she kept mumbling repeatedly, as if unable to believe her mother was really there. "Is that really you?"

Seeing her daughter in such a state was too much for Nivalis to handle. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she crouched and pulled Silvia into her embrace, holding her tightly like she was never going to let go.— "Shh... yes, darling, it's me. I'm here..." she whispered, kissing the top of Silvia's head reassuringly and stroking her hair. "You're safe now... You're okay now..." she repeated, feeling her daughter's little hands clutching at her back.

Nivalis picked her daughter up and moved a few steps away from the dead wolf. Then she sat on the cold ground and placed the terrified girl onto her lap. Silvia was sobbing uncontrollably, and her hands were shaking as she held onto Nivalis tightly. Nivalis rubbed her daughter's back, attempting to calm her.

"I... I'm so sorry..." Silvia whispered between sobs, her chest heaving up and down, tears flooding her eyes and blurring her vision. "I'm so sorry... I... I couldn't... I didn't..." she stammered, struggling to form words.

Nivalis cradled her daughter close, gently rocking her trembling body back and forth.— "Shh... There's nothing to be sorry for. I should be the one apologizing to you." She pressed her lips against Silvia's forehead, kissing it tenderly, taking in the familiar scent of her daughter's hair.

...

They stayed like that for a while until Silvia managed to calm herself down enough to speak clearly again. "Mommy... you were gone for so long..."

— "I know, darling, I know," Nivalis whispered as she held Silvia's head close against her bosom. "I'm so sorry... I'm sorry for scaring you, my baby. I promise I won't scare you like that ever again."

Silvia lifted her head and looked at her mother from below, blinking away the wetness in her eyes. Her lips trembled, and then, they curved upward into a faint smile. "Okay, Mommy..." she nodded weakly, gazing deeply into Nivalis's blue eyes.

Nivalis smiled back at her, her eyes looking back at her daughter's.— "I love you, Silvia... I love you so much... Don't ever forget that," she said softly, leaning closer and kissing Silvia's cheek with her trembling lips. "My dear precious girl, I could never imagine my life without you. I will always be here for you. Always..."

Silvia nodded quietly and buried her face into Nivalis's chest again, breathing in her mother's sweet scent. She allowed herself to relax and sink deeper into her mother's embrace. Nivalis gently petted her daughter's head, whispering soothing words into her ear. It helped to calm Silvia so much that soon, she fell asleep in her mother's arms. Aster, too, fell asleep shortly after, lying in her right hand. Nivalis didn't dare to move. For a couple more minutes, she wanted to enjoy the precious time holding her children close.