_____Trevor's POV_____

Day: 1

Its been a few minutes since I awoke. Not or any of the others can clearly remember much of ourselves let alone anything else. Each of us was clothed, with supplies and tools in sacks or backpacks beside them. I found some cooking utensils and a hatchet, odd as I remember how to handle the small axe, but the utensils were a blank in my memory.

After a few hours of slow puttering and questions among ourselves. Snow surrounded the small clearing we sat or stood in, dirt and rocks the only thing under our feet. Eventually one of us built a fire, which drew the rest. It was winter seemingly, and we all ended up sitting around it, in a clearing of a frozen forest. There was fourteen of us, most remember their names, a few don't. We tried to help them, which seemed to mostly clear it up, with one still remaining nameless.

We talked for the next hour, mostly jokes about the cold, trees. Some even tried to tell us of what they remember as if to we could elaborate. Suddenly someone noticed that they had a red square in their vision. At first we all laughed, but we all stopped as soon one appeared before the rest of use, one or two at a time. Our little band was soon swallowed in the faint whistling of winder wind through the forest as we each read it. It detailed our names if we knew them, what skills we had and how much magic we had. None of us did, but of the two numbers, we all had warmth. That was what caught our attention to a degree. It was steady, slightly gaining but barely. Eventually one of the others, Sophia, I think got up and stepped out of the fires warmth. Her breath caught as she announced her finding, that she was loosing warmth. She quickly came back to the circle, we all thought about what this meant. Eventually we decided we needed more wood and to make a plan.

After a few hours of talking and foraging we noticed a larger smoke plume. After a short debate, we gathered what we could and started a slow march towards it.

_____Vivek's POV_____

We have been trekking along the mountain for most of the day, the few of us who figured out how to see the red square have started to urge us to find warmth, or build a fire. We don't have much wood, I carry one of the three bundles we have. It was another hour till hope sparked among us. It was a cave, a large chamber at its mouth and a tunnel heading deeper. We all quickly trudged in, with the first man in already getting a fire started. It was surprisingly warm inside this cave, like the wind couldn't get to us.

Once we were comfortable and had set up a little camp in the cave, we started to open up a little. We could all agree it was odd how we all just awoke on the frozen ground. Sarah Joked that this was either some game or stupid story she read, her cheeks flushed as she admitted it. Now that, that deserved a good laugh from us all.

I don't remember much, mostly just that it was hard and I was alone for what I remember... an odd thing to remain in my head. I could tell I liked camping, being out in nature. Most of the others didn't, It was fun pestering them about silly facts or fibs to get their goat. It was peaceful around our small fire.

Nine strangers sat or lay around a fire, night slowly falling on the forest outside. It was odd to see so many pines, with the occasional patch of dead trees. It was eerie, like a warning or bad omen. I just hope the rest of this night is peaceful.

_____Quentin's POV_____

We had gathered in a nice, mostly flat area surrounded by slightly rolling hills. The only real thing of interest was the occasional brick or hunk of lumber laying in the dirt. At first we took it as a sign of people. But at most it looked like a bunch of half build buildings at best. We settled in them, better then nothing in this winter.

At the centre of the camp we started to build a large fire. I seemingly have a skill for tending to one, and I will admit, I enjoy it. As I was putting a few logs where the fire was burning out, I remembered something. As I thought over the snippet from my life, I quickly acted on it. I remembered one of the groups who joined us said they arrived on the edge of a pine forest. I told them to gather a few pine branches and to be quick.

Unsurprisingly, a man asking, yelling for pine branches drew some attention. At first people just looked, while the group just stayed quiet. I won't deny I felt a bit disheartened at the response. But as I explained the memory, how pine needles, when burned will make a thicker smoke that's easier to see. At first they questioned why that mattered. I argued that since we had gathered here, there must be others, maybe help! I could see the conflict in peoples eyes, as I looked around at the impromptu gathering. Eventually I saw hope one out and people muttered and whispered excitedly.

It wasn't long before a team was sent to gather it, and in a few hours our fire was billowing out a oily thick smoke. I smiled as I hoped I could help guide others to us this way.

_____Trevor's POV_____

Day: 2

Night was falling on the slowly growing settlement. Tents were the main stay since what few buildings were up where there before anyone here and crumbling. My group was splitting apart, most heading to groups that seemed to share their tools or similar. I decided to join up with the loggers, who tasked themselves with gathering wood for the fires.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

It was surprisingly how organized they've been, with the groups already getting things done for the settlement as a whole. I saw Jeff being lead to a group who seemed to be tending the large fire, and Sofia seemingly was talking to another that seemed a bit more rugged then the rest, sitting around a smaller fire at the edge of the camp.

Asking around, I was told that this was a new change. Seems a few people from various groups got together and started to work things out. With how many people there are I'm not surprised. From a rough count, I'd guess one, maybe two hundred with a few more trickling in every once in awhile. So far at most I've seen a few arguments, but no first flying!

It was by next morning that my crew was supposed to head out and get the next load of wood. That didn't happen. After the first hour, we found a man bleeding and collapsed in the snow. We couldn't leave him, so we wrapped him up with a few spare blankets we carried and started to head back. We arrived to questions and scared looks. It wasn't long for the council as they've been called gathered. By then he was set by the largest fire, heat bellowing from it, making the ground a good two meters around dry.

His tale send the camp quiet. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon and the winds were picking up, but we all were to focused on that story. I'm glad we found him... I just wish we could do more for him... For now, I've put him up in my tent. I promised him that I would help him search for the rest of his group.

Not long after my crew and me headed for the pine forest, we still needed logs to last us the next day.

_____Sofia_____

Day: 3

I was kicked in the side, soon followed by a scream of guttural pain and fear. Both contributed to my feet planted, eyes open and my hand already coiling around the handle of my steel bat. As I looked around I could tell why Steffen kicked me. The big bloke was swinging a sledgehammer at a bear... a ice bear? Okay stupid question, as its already covered in blood. Other ice and snow beasts were engaged by the other fighters. I quickly noticed someone being chased by a wolf, running the few feet between us and slam by bat into its frigid hide. In a second I corrected myself with shell and grinned as I felt it give. Its yelp only confirming my guess. The man fell, hands read from the snow he's elbow deep in, whimpering as he slowly gets back up. I focuses back on my foe.

It surprising the first life other then people out here was made of the fucking winter around me. The beast growled and flashed its fangs at me. Its little display wasn't that frightening as I saw the hole and cracks I set in its right flank. I step back and let it rush me. I momentarily fall back, catching myself on my left knee and bring the bat onto its chipped side. It growled once more, only weaker, falling atop of me. As I tried to press the cold fuck off me, with only a little give on its part.

In the next moment ice and I think snow coated me, as the shit eating grin of Steffen offered his hand. “Hurry, we still got people to save.” He said with a drive behind it that filled my own heart. “How many?” I goaded, hoping it was just a small group. That was as shattered as the wold when his smile vanished, just as my feet where once more under me. “More then us, can more seemingly in the storm. Their everywhere int eh settlement.” He said, tone hollow. I couldn't stop myself from cringing, getting my bat up. “Then lets show them we can do our job...” I hissed, fear slowly building but I ignore it.

It wasn't long before I get to shatter my own beast, but we were the only ones seemingly accomplishing that.

_____Quentin's POV_____

“Hurry! Get to the fire! They can't get close!” I called out over the camp, the cacophony, screams, yelling and the sounds of the beasts filling the air. I stoked the fire, using what little of this power of mine to keep the fire hot. There was about three meters between me and the closest of the invaders. A raccoon of snow, its maw filled with pink ice. My stomach dropped but I kept myself from thinking why.

I had been tending the fire, having woken up first when the cold picked up. More people awoke... then the screams started. In moments it was chaos. A few people where already sleeping near the signal fire, now standing as close as they could. A few people made their way in, with a few of the beasts taking swipes and bites at them. As I look back, a woman was on the group with two others holding bleeding chunks missing from a leg and side. I grabbed a blanket and started to rip it into strips. As I handed them to the others I froze, remembering doing the same, only the strips were made for the task.

It was then we heard and saw the fighting. Some of the people with weapons or heavy tools were beating the beasts, making a space fore people to flee to. I started to call to them, as did others around me. I caught the attention of a girl mid swing of her bat. The bat connected with the head of another raccoon, shattering its head, with the body collapsing without it. In moments of them talking they started to move towards us.

_____Vivek's POV_____

I awoke to the screams of people fighting. My heart was already hammering, my hand grabbing the hammer at my belt and soon I was in the cold. A blizzard raged just outside the small tent village. He could see a few bodies, and soon the living, fighting beasts of winter. He couldn't stop the snarl as he raced to the closest, jumping his large frame onto the back of a bear, using the head of his hammer like a pick into its head. As He swung again, he glanced around him. It wasn't just bodies of people, but of the living ice. As the head shattered under his might he lept to the side, body checking a wolf that had a man's arm in its maw, biting into his muscle. He punched the things jaw as he saw me, fear flashing in his eyes. He barely got its jaws off as I used by weight to pin the thing to the ground. A sledgehammer took out its head and it went limp.

I was pulled to my feet, a beast of a man, patted my back. “Stay in the circle! We can't risk ourselves beyond it!” He commanded, seemingly talking to the group more then me. They all were taking steps if they weren't fighting. As I followed the way, I saw the fire, the source of the smoke. My heart skipped a beat, as hope finally bloomed, since that night. He joined the others at the outer ring, facing the monsters.

Once we joined with the fire tenders, we fought for another few hours. But eventually the last of the things dies, with the storm breaking soon after.

We lost six more during those last few hours. Almost half the camp lay in the snow, tents or their blankets. We tended to each other, most wounds being just cuts or frost bite. That was helped with the fire. Eventually we all sat around the fire, quietly taking to our own minds. That big guy was the first to speak. “We can't stay here. We need to find somewhere more defensible.” He said, while he sounded a bit cold, he was the one who took more wounds then most, dragging people to safety.

Their was muttering, but we couldn't argue, with no one wanting to stay and agreeing with him. As the last finished agreeing, I got up and headed out. I still needed to do something.

_____Trevor's POV_____

I couldn't find Vivek among the group. People say they saw him at the fire once the storm had cleared. I still shivered, as me and a few others were camped at the edge of the woods. We only had two wolves attack us, surprisingly less then what attacked the settlement.

Apparently someone had seen a valley between the steep walls of the mountains around the forest. Without any other suggestion, we started to follow him. The snow deeper then before and the air still chill but thankfully less then during that blizzard. If we hadn't made a fire right after, I don't think we would have made it back.

Already people were chatting of what to do, whats going to happen and surprisingly a name for the new settlement. The one I've head the most from people has been Holdfast. Lets hope people still agree by the time we get there.