Chapter 19
Sophia was officially lost.
She had walked in what felt like a giant, mocking circle for hours, stubbornly refusing to admit it at first. But as dusk turned the snow crust into ghostly blue and the frost pinched at her nose and fingertips, the truth couldn't be denied. She was back at that same ancient rock, a hulking thing with strange runes carved deep into its flank, glimmering in the darkness of the night.
She glared at it. "Seriously? You again?" she said as her body grew with irritation. But deep down, there was something more, like fear and uncertainty.
"Are you following me, you stupid chunk of stone?" When the rock stayed stubbornly silent, not even offering a glint of comfort, she gave it a swift kick, only to stub her toe.
"Ouch!" She turned to the rock with a glare "I hope you crack and fall down."
The wind started picking up, shadows swirling among the trees, and the cold became fierce, finding every gap in her clothes, crawling under her new wool layers. There was no path, no sign, and no hope of a cottage magically appearing out of the snow. And she was sure if she had magic she'd make it happen.
Sophia wrapped her cloak tighter and tried to scan the white, rolling world for shelter. Everything was either bone-chilling or bone-breaking, and neither of those options were looking better as the night hunched over the forest. The ground itself even looked hostile, all lumps and frozen ridges.
She kept moving, searching: maybe there would be a fallen tree, a hollow to hide in, a thicket or even a pile of dead branches she could pull over her head like some fairytale hermit. And when she survived and saw Orion another day, she'd boast that she was a fairy.
But nothing. The only thing she could see was just endless snow, a sky tightening with bruised purple clouds, and those sharp, cruel winds.
Eventually, even her stubborn pride caved and she circled back to the warmth radiating ever-so-slightly from the strange rune-carved rock. She pressed her back to it, and to her surprise, her shivers lessened a little bit. Whether it was sheltered from the wind or some weird magic, she didn't care. It was all she had.
She sank to the snow, knees curled, pulling her cloak around her and tucking her satchel close to her chest. Her breath fogged the air, and her limbs ached, but it was exhaustion as much as cold that finally dragged her down.
'At least if something tries to eat me, maybe this rock will do its job and protect me,' she thought grimly but she knew that was far-fetched. What could the rock do?
Sleep came in bits and pieces, broken by dreams of endless white and faceless shadows. She woke often, sometimes to the dead silence, sometimes to her own racing heart, other times to the faintest crackle of ice shifting, branches groaning under the weight of night, or far-off animal cries. Each time she woke, she'd curl in tighter, pressing her body as close to the rock as she dared.
Her body was used to being comfortable and this was just…she couldn't explain it with the word, 'discomfort.'Her back hurt. Her feet felt like blocks. Fear lived in her ribcage, sharp and bright as a splinter. The woods here didn't feel empty. They felt… predatory, and every muscle in her body tensed against the feeling of being watched.
Finally, as a dull, grey light oozed between the trees, barely dawn but enough to see, Sophia stirred fully awake, senses prickling with unease. The forest was dead silent, not even the wind dared rattling the branches now. That was wrong. In every way that mattered, it was wrong.
She listened, breath shallow, her heart thudding so loudly she was afraid it would give her away. Something was nearby. Something big.
A branch snapped, echoing too crisply through the clearing.
Sophia sat up fast. If there was one thing she was sure of, silence in the woods was never a good thing. The few animals that were awake hid, birds stopped calling, even the wind seemed to hold its breath when something dangerous was close. And whatever was moving out there, the woods themselves seemed to shrink away from it.
She forced herself to quietly, methodically pack up her scant belongings, every second her hands were steady, she whispered a plea to whatever powers might be listening.
The growl shattered the silence. It sounded like a wolf's growling but this wasn't like what she had heard from the wolves dragging Tobias' carriage. This was different. It was lower, deeper, and longer. The ground seemed to rumble with it, snow shivering loose from the lowest branches. Sophia froze, blood beating at her temples so loud she could barely hear anything else. The sound was wrong, too deep, too… hungry.
She stood, pressing her back to the warm stone, eyes wide and searching as something huge moved between the trees. It was there,just past the line of frozen pines, a shape impossibly white against the snow, hulking and powerful, thicker than the tree trunks around it.
It padded closer, massive paws silent on the frost, breath steaming in wide, swirling gusts. She could smell it before she even saw the details, something wild and musky, but behind that, the coppery reek of blood.
The beast was… not quite a bear. Larger, bulkier, its fur so white it almost shimmered with silver. Mounds of thick, oily hair protected a body built seemingly from slabs of muscle and primal hunger. Its snout was longer and more angular than any normal bear, with black lips peeling back to reveal fangs far too sharp, more wolf than bear. Its yellow eyes locked on Sophia's with an intelligence that made her legs threaten to fold beneath her.
Scarred ears twitched forward, and it gave another rolling, bone-juddering growl, pawing at the snow with claws longer than kitchen knives. There was a rawness to its hunger, a madness, a predator that'd spent too long hunting and now wasn't going to walk away from such easy prey.
Sophia couldn't breathe, couldn't move. She tried to swallow but her throat locked. Her whole body shrank with fear. Her eyes darted to her satchel, counting her provisions. Was there anything she could use to defend herself? She had gone through it but there was nothing except a small pocket knife which she knew was utterly useless against this beast.
What then?
The beast prowled closer and she was frozen in fear begging her legs to move. Then, she remembered the whistle hanging from her neck.
She had no idea if it would work. If it would even matter…
The beast stepped forward, slow and deliberate, as though savoring her terror. Its nostrils flared, tongue flickering over its lips, almost gleeful.
She yanked the satchel up, hands shaking. What should she do? Run. Or face it. Or beg for mercy. Or blow the whistle. Run! Move, now!
But her feet felt rooted, heavy. Her back pressed so hard to the rock that she half-wished it would swallow her up, do something, please, give me even a fighting chance.
The beast lunged, powerful shoulders bunching and bursting forward, teeth bared so wide Sophia could see the dark pit of its mouth. She barely dodged, throwing herself into the snow as the monstrous paw swiped past her, claws raking sparks from the rune-marked stone.
She hit the ground hard, rolling, gasping, cold air burning in her lungs.
The creature's roar shook the trees. Now it stalked her slowly, each step crunching the snow, its yellow eyes locked unblinking on hers.
Sophia scrambled up, mittens slipping, hands so numb she barely felt the whistle in her fist.
The beast sprang faster than she thought it could move, jaws snapping for her face.
She screamed.
And as the massive shadow reared over her, hunger blazing in its eyes, something crackled in the air, old magic, or the memory of a dream, or maybe it was just a trick of the cold.
She blew the whistle.
She didn't hear any sound from it so she blew it again but still nothing.
The creature howled, a ragged sound of fury.
This was it. She had no idea what she was going to do. She picked up the first thing her hand touched holding it against the beast when suddenly, like it was a movie, everything took a turn.
Maybe this was her end after all…