Adam Nocht's Story

It was yet again morning, and time to start preparing to head out in some direction from his trench in the ground. It was still a bit dark out, but seemed to be lightening up as the Sun rose behind clouds. For some days now, a light snow persisted, and an inch of snow lay atop the branches that covered Adam's trench. The familiar cold hit his face, and he pulled his hat down again. All well until a small rumbling in his stomach hit him.

"Maybe I need to hunt again," Adam said to himself. "But I'll wait... I won't die yet from hunger."

Crawling out of his sleeping bag, he reached for his pack. Opening it, and right on top was some long nylon pants which he put over some warmer under-layers. Putting his boots on, he tucked his pants in at the knee, and slid some gloves on. Reaching back into his sleeping bag, he took out three one liter bottle which were two-thirds of the way full, having had melted snow over the night for something to drink during his trip. Kneeling over where he slept, Adam began packing his gear, strapping his sleeping bag on to his external frame backpack. A rifle and hatchet lay at the other end of the trench, the hatchet he put on a belt loop, the rifle he let sit there for the moment. Lastly, he took a plastic cover for his pack and slid that over his gear to protect it from the falling snow.

Pushing a branch off the trench, he opened his shelter to step foot into the snow, careful not to slip on the icy floor of his shelter. Outside was a toboggan frozen in the snow, and smooth snow across an open field and up to and through the treeline. He grabbed it; a loud crack could be heard as he broke the ice that trapped it with sheer force, and slid it towards the side of the shelter. Lying the twenty five foot rope on the bed of the toboggan, he began stacking the pieces of his roof onto it. He tied it up, securing the bundle to its frame. For a moment, he stepped back into where he dug out snow, and slung his pack over his shoulder. Clipping it to his waste, he then grabbed the rifle and put it on the back end of the toboggan. Standing in snow that covered halfway up thighs, he pushed his supplies and walked, as if he knew where he was going. Hopefully sweating wouldn't dampen and freeze the lower layers of his clothing.

---

It was some miles into his trek. It was lighter out, but still clouds floated overhead. Walking among trees, he hadn't seen much to eat, but it didn't seem like it was exactly lunch time, and he was getting tired. A small break wouldn't do him harm, but that's not what stopped him now. He could hear the hitting of axes against wood. His attention caught by it, he kept walking towards where he heard the noise. Finally, he saw people chopping wood.

"Karren...Cassie... Come back here, please. I don't trust these woods right now."

As the taller man in the group backed away, he realized how suspicious he had made himself look. But, he wouldn't care so much, as long as they didn't attack him.

"Well hello there!" Adam said warmly. "Seemed I got a little too close for comfort, trying to see everyone who was here. Sorry about that, it's not easy to be social with no one around."

When she heard the sound of something in the direction behind her, Cassie froze. Then Luka called out to them, but she clenched her jaw ignoring what he was asking. She'd been in situations worse, surrounded at all angles. Well, for all she knew, they were surrounded. She looked over her shoulder back at Karren and Luka, then out of the corner of her eye she saw another person who wasted no time in making his presence known. As he spoke Cassie watched carefully, but turned to look back in front of her only to find another person just off in the distance.

Did they know each other?! Were they together? Was this a trap? Cassie's mind raced, her grip on her axe causing her hands and wrists to cramp up a little. She clenched her jaw, ready to act if anything was about to start up. She swung her axe up over her shoulder, ready to swing as she kept an eye on both strangers on different sides of the trio. She stepped back towards Luka and Karren, remaining quiet. It was a little weird for her to have all of these people around at once, and this was more interaction than she had in weeks. It was a little overwhelming, causing her nerves to fire endless thoughts into her head. She imagined the worst and the best of this situation, and everything in between uncontrollably.

The cold didn't seem to be on her mind anymore, now that her adrenaline was kicking in she felt warmer than ever. She felt stronger than she had just not too long ago when she was mindlessly swinging her axe at the tree. She kept walking backwards, towards Karren and Luka, her vision switching between the two others. When she was close enough she looked over her shoulder once again to see the guy with something in tow. "Is this some sort of Holiday?" She muttered with heavy sarcasm, referring to how everyone seemed to be getting together at such an odd time. It was beyond her to fathom what was happening, and all she could do was take it in stride. She could only think back to her summer in the North, where there were people as far as the eye could see. She knew now that if she was back in the North during the mid-summer she wouldn't be mentally sane, to put it bluntly. She would be afraid to leave her cabin, and now she was questioning why she chose today of all days to leave the house.

Luka Perry was but a man without a goal. How could he have something so trivial in this world? Life as of now was all about survival. He never would give up. He couldn't. He would have broken a promise. "Hello..." Luka said warily, he then noticed the gun that was on the person who just appeared, "Ugh...I didn't need this..."

He turned around and saw another person come towards them. More people! If this kept on, he would have a panic attack. He wasn't use to these many people at once. Taking a big, calming breath full of clean air, he said, in a robotic voice, "Hello. Welcome to Kyrzan, where your dreams come true! As you can see there's snow, more snow. And look, even more snow. People are untrusting and will turn on you if they feel threatened. But through all that the main attraction is the forested areas. Where you will probably get mauled by wolves! Have a nice day!"

After a moment or two, Luka said in his soft voice, "I've always wanted to do that...But serious now. Are you looking for a place to stay or are you just passing through?"

Taking another deep breath, Luka thought, Ready to attack, Luka! Do not be distracted by his friendly demeanor...He has a gun too, dangerous... Luka was still in character. The sarcasm wasn't his usual, but...Luka didn't why he was trying so hard. In all honesty, he should've been dead. But somehow, he's survived. Luka wondered, once again, I wonder if I'd be better of dead...

Luka Perry was but a man without a goal. How could he have something so trivial in this world? Life as of now was all about survival. He never would give up. He couldn't. He would have broken a promise. "Hello..." Luka said warily, he then noticed the gun that was on the person who just appeared, "Ugh...I didn't need this..."

He turned around and saw another person come towards them. More people! If this kept on, he would have a panic attack. He wasn't use to these many people at once. Taking a big, calming breath full of clean air, he said, in a robotic voice, "Hello. Welcome to Kyrzan, where your dreams come true! As you can see there's snow, more snow. And look, even more snow. People are untrusting and will turn on you if they feel threatened. But through all that the main attraction is the forested areas. Where you will probably get mauled by wolves! Have a nice day!"

After a moment or two, Luka said in his soft voice, "I've always wanted to do that...But serious now. Are you looking for a place to stay or are you just passing through?"

Taking another deep breath, Luka thought, Ready to attack, Luka! Do not be distracted by his friendly demeanor...He has a gun too, dangerous... Luka was still in character. The sarcasm wasn't his usual, but...Luka didn't why he was trying so hard. In all honesty, he should've been dead. But somehow, he's survived. Luka wondered, once again, I wonder if I'd be better of dead...

Lyric trudged threw the snow. She hated walking through the snow she was to short for this. She always felt as though the looked like a fat penguin trying to gracefully walk through a mound of fresh fallen snow but horribly falling. She shook her head and glanced back at the group of villagers ahead of her.

Another one. Lyric looked on two girls and two boys. That would be the the rest of the villagers. But this was different she new the new person was not a villager. He did not limp like Jamie. Her heart pounded in her chest. Another new villager. She couldn't handle that. She nearly got used to the blonde who had moved in recently and by 'got used to' she nearly accepted the fact that the blonde woman was not going to kill them all while they slept.

She took a few steps back before tumbling in the snow. The cold seeped into her bones as she sat in the mound of glistening white but she couldn't leave. Her curiosity plagued her. She wanted to know what was going to happen.

Having left the window and closed it after Cassie had thrown snow at him, Jamie hobbled further into his house, making his way towards the kitchen. Looking around, he found his jacket resting on the back of a chair, his boots on the floor next to it and his scarf lying on the table. Slipping on his jacket, Jamie let out a small sigh of relief, enjoying the warmth that the extra layer brought him. It wasn't much, but at least he kept some of the cold out. Sitting down in the chair, Jamie easily tugged on one of the boots, but had a slight bit of trouble with the one on his wounded leg. He should have been used to it by now, but it still bothered him more often than not.

Jamie finished putting on his boots and soon wrapped half the scarf around his neck, the other half covering his face. He contemplated making some food for him and Cassie for when she returned, but he quickly scrapped that idea. Any food he prepared now would be unpleasantly cold without wood. Despite being a little hungry he'd have to wait until Cassie returned with some wood before he could make them anything to eat.

With that in mind he made his way back to the window he'd previous been standing by, frowning when he saw more figures standing around the woods. From where he was he could see at least three people but... they all seemed to be looking at something further into the woods. Not able to help but be worried and curious, Jamie grabbed his cane that rested near the front door, knowing he'd be needing the extra support out in the snow. Mentally preparing himself for the cold, Jamie threw open the door as he shivered against the rush of cold air, making his way outside before closing the door.

As he got closer, he was able to see two more figures further out into the woods, causing Jamie to blink. Did more people arrive much like Cassie had? He hoped not; they barely had enough food and wood for the few of them that were in the village as it was. He was still a little ways off, the high snow making him even slower than normal. The new comers didn't seem to be here to cause trouble, but Jamie was still on guard, unsure of just what they were about to get themselves into.

Just when everyone who was anyone seemed to be there, Cassie spotted Jamie headed their way. Great. This whole situation could easily turn deadly if even one person moved the wrong way. She was on edge, and her comfort with Karren and Luka started to dissipate. She stepped away from the pair, looking around, glancing at each individual for a second as she did so. But when things couldn't get any more… ridiculous, of course they did.

Cassie heard the sound of a low heavy growl from deeper in the woods behind her. She couldn't help but to jump at the sound that sent shivers down her spine. Spinning around, axe at the ready, her eyes went wide. A pack of wolves. Fan-fucking-tastic. "As much as conversation, and meeting new people is fun and all… minus the major trust problems everyone has, I think it's time to pick a side…" She muttered over her shoulder back at everyone.

A day of chopping wood, to heat the home as turned into a complete and utter disaster. Well, she didn't mind meeting new people. But the pack of wolves, that wasn't called for. She stared at them, remaining as still as she possibly could as she started to count how many there were. One, two, three, four, five, six… nine, ten, eleven. A rather large pack, especially for these conditions. Most packs had only two or three, since other pack members would be sacrifices for food. But this one, was abnormally large. They must have been surviving somewhere else if they are still so large. Maybe a larger village was nearby.

"Well I'll be damned." She whispered as she stood up straight, taking a slow step backwards. Her eyes locked on the wolf that stood in front of the rest, the alpha. As she had stepped back, the other had stepped forward. Cassie froze, swallowing hard as she took a sideways glance at everyone else.

Lyric leaned forward as the growl reached her ears. Then she saw them, the wolves emerging from the trees. "There are some many!" She cried under her breathe, the smoke rising from her lips. A pack this big had never wondered into the village, especially after winter began. Her heart froze in her chest as she watched the other villagers ahead of her. What were they going to do? Would they be okay? Then her eyes shifted to another figure walking towards them. It was a decent sized figure, probably male, and he walked with a limp.

Oh thank Goodness Lyric thought to herself as she stood back up, brushing the snow off her coat. Someone she recognized. Lyric slowly and cautiously made her way over to the figure until she got a clear picture of Jamie's face. She let out a sigh of relief. "There's a large pack of wolves ahead." She said softly. "...and a new guy." She added even quieter than before.

The wolves was actually a good sign. That meant their must be food near by, and their den couldn't be to far. And in their den their might be pups. She thought to herself but shook her head. A pet would be so nice because she wouldn't be alone then, however she could barely feed herself and going into a wolf den was suicide. Yet their was the chance of her getting a way with a pup, and maybe death would be a welcome relief. No. She thought to herself. I have to live, I promised Mama Ivy.

In this time...nature rules... Luka thought, And wolves are a part of nature. Now, wolves. Predators to small animals, when in a pack may attack bigger animals. If ever encountering any, try to make yourself bigger and make as much noise as you can... Luka calmly walked up beside Cassie to face the wolves. He puffed out his chest and yelled out, "GO AWAY!!! AHHHH!!!!!"

The smaller wolves scrambled away while the bigger ones just took a few steps back. The leader seemingly took this as a challenge. I see what's happening...I'm going to die! Luka thought as the wolf jumped at him, it's red/orange fur waving in the wind. You see, Luka could do a bunch of things. He could fall backwards into the snow, he could run, he could even dodge. But no. While acting, Luka has to take it to the base of the character. If the character is brave, then he seems brave. If a character is stupid, Luka seems stupid. But only seems. In reality, Luka does not care. He can be brash, he can be emotional. Hell, he can get angry. But most of the time...he does not care.

So, Luka lifted his axe up and swung at the wolf. Someone in the heavens must have taken a liking to Luka and didn't want him to die...yet. The sharp end of the axe hit the wolf and cut it deeply. After a few moments of bleeding out, the wolf finally died. Looking down in shock, he saw his gloves getting soaked in blood. He turned around and stated dragging his axe on the white snow. Blood was being trailed. After just walking, he came to see Jamie, "Oh. Hey, Jamie-" Luka passed out, crumpling to the ground.

Luka just beat nature. A wolf...make that multiple wolves. The ones that fled counted too.

Adam looked around to see that they were surrounded by wolves, and more from the village seemed to be attracted to the action. Not having his rifle loaded, the ammo being in the top of his pack so that if his rifle was stolen, it'd be useless, Adam pulled the hatchet from his belt. Unsheathing it, he ran towards Luka to help him as he was attacked, but his run was clumsy as it was slowed by the high snows. Passing a tree, a wolf lunged at him.

"Shit!" he yelled. "Ragh!" Swinging the hatchet into the side of the wolf's head, the wolf tackled him, but bounced off as it was killed against the blade. The animal dropped in the snow, painting it red with blood as he hurried as best he could. Looking back to Luka, he saw the stranger holding a wolf on the end of his axe. The more distrusting of them had collapsed and was unconscious, with the rest of the wolves running into the woods.

"Someone grab my sled, bring it over here!" Adam commanded, going towards Luka still. "C'mon, we can't let him freeze out here." It went from one emergency straight into the next. Finally getting to the man, he got onto his knees to check the his vitals, and it seemed the blood on him was not his.

"Someone help me pick him up," he directed openly. Perhaps this would be how he made friends, or enemies, with the villagers.

Lyric dropped know by Luka scooping her eyes where locked on the stranger. She didn't trust him but the stranger was right Luka would freeze if he laid here unconscious. She looked down at his gloves, soaked in blood. Carefully she lifted his glove a bit to check the skin underneath. There didn't seem to be any cuts or bit wounds. He was lucky standing up to that large pack of wolves was brave, but insane.

Her eyes trailed back to the stranger. He was shouting commands. She squinted her eyes deciding whether or not the stranger was a friend or foe. But this was no time for decisions. Luka needed help. She placed her hands under his head and lifted it out of the snow. "He shouldn't be alone tonight."she mumbled to the stranger in a barely audible tone.

She was unsure why luka had passed out but he should be monitered until he woke up. Lyric remembered her mother mentioned that before. He could have hit his head earlier or he could be getting sick. Most likely he fainted at the site of blood or the adrenlinw of that moment got to him. He might even be hurt and she just hadn't seen the wound.

Lyric dropped know by Luka scooping her eyes where locked on the stranger. She didn't trust him but the stranger was right Luka would freeze if he laid here unconscious. She looked down at his gloves, soaked in blood. Carefully she lifted his glove a bit to check the skin underneath. There didn't seem to be any cuts or bit wounds. He was lucky standing up to that large pack of wolves was brave, but insane.

Her eyes trailed back to the stranger. He was shouting commands. She squinted her eyes deciding whether or not the stranger was a friend or foe. But this was no time for decisions. Luka needed help. She placed her hands under his head and lifted it out of the snow. "He shouldn't be alone tonight."she mumbled to the stranger in a barely audible tone.

She was unsure why luka had passed out but he should be monitered until he woke up. Lyric remembered her mother mentioned that before. He could have hit his head earlier or he could be getting sick. Most likely he fainted at the site of blood or the adrenlinw of that moment got to him. He might even be hurt and she just hadn't seen the wound.

The events that had happened after the wolves had arrived left Cassie standing frozen. She was completely aghast when Luka came next to her standing up to the pack. And then the alpha had lunged at him, and he swung at it without even a flinch. And now, he was collapsed in the snow unconscious. Adam had fought off a second wolf before running to Luka's aid, and all Cassie could do was stand there and watch. She could feel every bit of her body tingle with adrenaline, her body had geared up for what was coming, allowing her to be ready for anything. But instead, she was stuck there, frozen, like a deer in lights.

Her hand came up and touched her face, wiping a glob of blood that was under one of her eyes. She could feel the warm liquid on her lips and forehead. She was close enough in proximity that when Luka had swung the axe with the force he had, the blood sprayed out everywhere. Drops of blood were in the snow around the body of the wolf that rest just at her feet. She trembled a little, looking down in a heavy daze.

Her vision was replaced with images of her brother, dead at her feet in the snow. She blinked a few times and shook her head, and her brother disappeared, and the wolf was back at her feet. She turned back over her shoulder to see Adam and Lyric at Luka's aid. She knelt down, grabbing the wolf by its midsection and dragging the corpse over to the other one that Adam had killed. "Might as well have a feast tonight." She muttered in a low voice, the blood still smeared on her face and hair. She never expected a day of chopping wood to go like this, but then again, she never expected a winter so long to put her in such circumstances.

I don't understand why I'm like this. An unsociable guy. If only...no if's Luka. Haha...a dream...I see snow, lots of it. I decide to stand up and walk. I notice that my hands are covered in blood...I wonder what happened. I look to the left to see a haze. I stop and look straight into it. I see a young me, reading a book on a swing. My parents nowhere to be seen. A group of boys come up to me and say, "Get off the swing, Luka, if you aren't going to swing."

Younger me says in a hesitant voice, "...N-no..."

The boys laugh and walk away. They know that I get uncomfortable under certain situations but in a small town there are no bullies. People were to nice. They're dead now. I keep walking and look to my right. This time it's like a void. I look into it. I see a me again, slightly older than the one before. What I'm looking into is an argument that my parent's were having. My dad yelled, "No!!"

My mother stepped back in shock. She notices me first. "Jace...Luka is over there," she says.

I tear myself away from those memories. I keep on walking in this dream of memories. Nightmare of forgotten truths. I finally come upon current me. Killing a wolf with a lucky shot. Then falling over and everything turning black. I frown in confusion then...

Luka opened his eyes to see people staring down at him. New guy and Lyric. Starting to panic again, Luka forced himself to calm again. He just kept silent, done with words for that day. He shakily stood up and walked off towards the tree he was swinging at, his axe firm in his hands. He still needed firewood.

Lyric frowned. Her eyes followed Luka as he headed back into the woods. He shouldn't be working after he passed out, he should rest. She let out a sigh and pulled herself to her feet. She could feel the could again, the excitment had began to slip away and cold replaced it. Firewood. She still needed some and had a long way to go. She headed back to the woods and stood near the smallest tree she could find. Unfortunatly there no longer was such a thing as a 'small tree' around here anymore and the wooden warmth she stood before, toward over her.

Her axe swung through the air and collided with the bark making a small thud. That's my girl. A familiar voice mumbled in her ears. Another swing of the axe. What's the matter Lovebird? The voice called from the deepest part of her memory and forced tears to her eyes. She quickly wiped her eyes. The normal warm salty liquid felt like frozen knives out here. She swung the ax again, and again, shoving the memory back down.

She glanced at Luka, cutting down a tree of his own. He needed rest. She did not want to see another person die. Her eyes drifted to the blood splattered snow. She did not want to see anything die again. There was enough death in the village to last them a lifetime. Maybe more.

She shook her blood hair trying to get a grip on the situation. She needed firewood so she could go home. Go home and read a book, forget about everything that had happened. A low, faint rumble crept up from her stomach causing Lyric to pause. When was the last time I ate? That did not matter right now. She needed wood. She needed warmth.

Despite the cold air making his gimpy leg painful to walk on, Jamie continued to make his way closer towards where the others were, looking around as he walked. What could have grabbed all of their attention? When he saw Lyric walking closer to him, he ceased his walking, ignoring the slightly dull throb in his leg. By this point he'd grown used to the pain, it becoming a constant in his life that he'd had no other choice but to accept. At her words, however, Jamie paled, not even hearing Lyric inform him that there was a new guy. Eyes quickly looking out past where Luka and Cassie were his heart skipped a beat, seeing the wolves for the first time since leaving his home.

Jamie was frozen to the spot he stood in, his eyes wide and face pale as he gripped his cane tightly, his body rigid and stiff. Images of gray fur, sharp white fangs, blood and pain flashed across his mind as he stared fearfully at the large pack of wolves. He hadn't seen that many wolves at once since his accident, and even then there had not been this many. There had to be nearly a dozen of them! Frozen in terror, Jamie could do nothing as he watched Luka go and stand by Cassie, ax's held in both of their hands.

With numbed interest, Jamie watched as Luka scared away some wolves before killing one in a single blow, a small surge of jealousy going through him. Luka had been able to handle those wolves no problem, while he'd stood frozen in pure fear from afar. Though, some of his shock disappeared as Luka fell into the snow, unconscious. Worried for the others man's well being, he began to hobble over towards Luka, his leg hurting much more than before. What had previously been a dull ache quickly turned into a near crippling pain, one similar to what he had felt when that wolf had bitten into him.

Stopping a few short feet away from Luka, Jamie panted, gripping his cane so tightly his pale hands turned pure white, the cane shaking slightly from the grip. Had the wolf hurt Luka while he'd been attacking it? Why else would the otherwise seemingly uninjured man fall down like that? Before Jamie could even move any closer to Luka, the man was already back on his feet and heading towards some trees, not doubt to grab himself some firewood. Jamie stood there in surprise as he looked after Luka, wondering why he had suddenly fallen to the ground, only to get back up moments later. Shouldn't he rest? What if he'd been hurt?

Looking around, his mind still whirling from the sight of such a large pack of wolves, Jamie quickly turned, ignoring the pain in his leg, and began to make his way back towards his home. His heart was still pounding in his chest as he quickly limped towards his home, his breath coming in small, short bursts. He hadn't freaked out this badly since he was a kid and still healing from the bite... he'd be fine once he was in the safety of his own, frozen home to suffer his panic attack in silence.

"Jamie!" Cassie called after him as he had been turning to head back to the house. She could see there was something off about him. The way his chest seemed to heave as he had just earlier stared down at Luka. After it was apparent that Luka was alright, there was another situation at hand that she wasn't about to let go of. Although she'd never seen Jamie with such fear in his eyes, she couldn't just let him leave now, she needed his help. His bad leg would hinder his ability to aid her, she knew that, but it was worth a shot. And maybe a distraction would calm him down? But if he decided to head to the house and ignore her, she was sure there was someone else that could give her a hand. It wasn't like the entire village wasn't getting firewood all at once... Cassie made sure she would talk to Jamie about it later, but as for right now, these dead wolves were just an opportunity one wouldn't pass up in these conditions.

She started dragging both carcasses by their hind legs towards Jamie and the house. She had left her axe in the snow, where the bodies were, noting that they still needed firewood and she would go back for it later. Glancing around at everyone, she took in a deep breath before calling out. "I can prepare the meat, and split it all up evenly between everyone." She started as she nodded her head at the bodies in her hands. "I can even cook some up too, so after chopping wood we can have some grub..." She trailed off and looked down at the snow in front of her. She was hoping that to do things efficiently, Jamie could handle the meat and she could continue to get firewood. No way in hell was she going to sleep another night in the cold, and she wasn't proud that she had climbed into Jamie's bed for warmth night after night.

Although there was still blood smeared on her face and in her hair, she wouldn't be able to boil snow-water to rinse herself without firewood. The thought influenced her determination to withstand the cold weather for the sake of warmth, and cleanliness. For the first time in a long time, Cassie finally realized that she longed for the luxuries that came with summer. Working pipes with running water, hot and cold. Although she wasn't a fan of sleeping in the heat, it was definitely a lot better than freezing and staying up all night. As her thoughts trailed off, she realized how tired she was of the fact that everything was such a chore these days. It was starting to grow in her that maybe leaving the village to start south again would be a better option. But fear of the unknown storms and creatures was the only thing holding her back.

She shook her head, turning to look back at Jamie with a small frown. She was glad he had taken her in, but had he not, had the entire village just rejected her, she would have continued south. And maybe that would have been for the better. Although loneliness and the storm that had been passing was definitely something she would have suffered through greatly.

It was then that her mind turned back to the carcasses in her hands, and how she was dragging them back to Jamie's place. It finally struck her, that the lack of trust could easily turn this situation worse. If they didn't trust her or Jamie with handling the meat, they'd be wasting precious time. Of course, the cold winter snow and winds gave them more time than there was if it were summer for the meat to stay good. But even having these carcasses out here were a risk with newly found nearby animals. She stood there, frozen for a moment before looking around to everyone.

"Is that okay with everyone?" She asked nervously hoping for the sake of making things as easily as possible, that this would go smoothly.

They said you'd be fine Luka! They said you would have no trouble at talking to people! Luka thought to himself as he kept chopping at the tree, everything around him a hush, They said you would be fine! But no...It's all a façade. Everything, a lie. My life...this world. What is true? What is real? Ha! Death is the only truth, and the cold is the only thing real. Why try when there's no hope, Luka? Why? Why?! WHY?! With one, final, exerted swing, the tree fell over. Slightly panting, Luka grabbed the tree where it broke off and started walking away. He was ignoring everyone, everything. Then, Luka stopped as he thought, Why don't I just do it? Why should I care about a promise with someone dead? Contemplating this, Luka went off again. He had almost forgotten the wolf! The wolf could provide food. He turned to see Cassie with both of the dead wolves in her hands.

That made him frown, scrunching his already weathered, yet handsome, face. Shaking his head he kept on going forward. Dragging a tree isn't as hard as it sounds. As heavy as some might be, the one Luka picked was about the size he could carry himself. And as he was dragging the tree, Luka was starting to become numb. Not just from the cold, but from what had happened earlier. He talked to people, actually conversed. Something that he doesn't usually do. He killed a wolf, but hey? It's kill or be killed. And he had a panic attack, one of many. He's always wondered, why, his parents ignored him.

He remembered a conversation, back before the winter, back before...his parents death. He was talking about...

Luka was sixteen then, and still the oddest in the town. He had always wondered why he was ignored by his parents, by the people he loved. So, he went up to his mother and asked, "Mom, why do you ignore me?"

She replied in an icy tone, "We don't ignore you-"

"Yes you do!" Luka had never yelled in his life. He was always soft-spoken. Either to shy to talk, or felt to awkward. He'd tried, but they always failed. So this slightly louder voice then usual surprised the Perry matriarch, "You do mom. You and dad. You barely ever acknowledge me! Why?"

Luka's mother narrowed her eyes at her son and said, "That is a secret!" She then softened, "But, I am willing to tell you this: If-when-we die, there is a book. I-we, your father and I-want you to read it, understand?"

Luka nodded solemnly before walking towards his room.

Luka had never bothered to read the book. He didn't want to know, he was just...just to curious back then. Luka looked up and saw that he was in front of his wooden house. Luka just stared, thinking what was in the book. He hadn't thought about the book in years. Luka closed his eyes, ears, everything from the real world. Just another day in the world they called home. Just another day in paradise...

"Why don't we all get inside somewhere with some firewood. We can have a nice meal and perhaps get to know each other, and figure out what any of us are going to do after this," Adam suggested to those around him, settling down from the passing tensions. He walked over to a tree the man he saw fell was working at, and began working at some of the branches with him.

"Are you alright?" he asked Luka, bringing blade to wood. "That was some fall you had, I did my best to get to you. I didn't think that many wolves would attack... I have to question whether someone else is using those wolves for something."

Thinking about it, the occurrence of an entire pack of wolves at once, attacking a group of people on no provocation was unsettling, and questionable. However, he kept his mind off of it for now, working away at the wood as one branch fell to the ground. Grabbing it, he moved it further off to the side and began working on the next.

Cassie smiled at Karrens offer, handing her one of the wolves. It was nice to get some aid from someone she didn't necessarily trust the well. She would have her talk with Jamie later in the evening, she thought as she watched him head into the house. Her attention turned to Adam after a moment.

"We can convene at Jamie's house." She called back at him. She wasn't comfortable with the idea of calling it her house, because it really wasn't. "Karren and I can cook some of the wolf meat. If one of you wouldn't mind bringing over some firewood?" She asked as she set the carcass down for a moment. It was a pain to drag and carry, and a small break wouldn't hurt.

Not to mention her mind was on overdrive, and her body was frozen numb. Frowning at the thought, she started to lose patience as they all figured out what they were doing.