The next morning…
"Pss, Wyliame! Wake up..."
I frowned and rolled over on my side.
"Hellooooooooo? It's time to go hunting..."
I gently opened my eyes. Instantly, the ray of light crashing in from the window blinded my pupils.
"Ugh... already…?" I mumbled with drowsiness.
Onas put a finger on his lips. "Shh... make sure Mya doesn't wake up. She gets real cranky whenever she doesn't get enough sleep."
Then, he began walking out the door with a bright smile, gesturing for me to follow him. "Come out here whenever you're ready." he whispered.
I yawned and gently pushed the blanket away from me, making sure that I stood up as slowly as possible to keep Mya asleep. Then, I steadily fixed the blanket around her to keep her warm, tippy-toed out of the room, and quietly closed the door behind me.
"Let's be sure to not make too much noise. Lorelia's still sleeping too," Onas whispered. He walked over toward the dining table and picked up a small fur jacket along with gray pants that seemed to compliment the jacket's dark-white color. "Put these on..."
I walked over and began to suit up. With every movement whilst I was putting on the clothes, I couldn't help but let out a small grunt of struggle.
"I will admit... these are a bit *grunts* too tight."
"Hahaha! These are Mya's clothes after all. I got them for her a while back, but she's not too fond of hunting. Honestly, you could just have them. I know it's a bit tight, but I'd prefer it if I didn't have to carry your frozen body back to the house by the time we finish."
I grunted for the seventh time as I finished putting on the garments. Although it was a tight fit, I felt strangely comforted by the way that the clothes hugged my skin with their warmth.
"Take this too. You'll be using this for today."
Onas handed me a bow.
<[Appraisal Activated]>
Nice, my first weapon! “Thank you,” I replied gratefully.
He nodded and chuckled as he began walking toward the front door. “Be sure not to hurt yourself with the bow! I’ll teach you everything you’ll need to know to be a master hunter like me, so let’s get going now. Mya's- I mean your boots are sitting outside.”
[12 Minutes Later]
I was surprised. The boots that Onas gave me fitted rather well. It did make sense though- I was the same age as Mya, after all.
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Onas and I carefully tread through the snow, thoroughly feeling the frost’s cold embrace on our bodies. The wind, although soft and gentle, was so piercingly cold that it burned my bare face as we progressed.
*Crunch* *Crunch*, the snow beneath us sounded with every step, complimented by the rattle of the bow strapped behind my back. Onas had a bow himself too, although unlike me, he was grasping onto it tightly with full confidence.
I glanced around the snowy trail, noticing the uniqueness of the hundreds of trees that surrounded us. Some had plenty of white leaves, while others had none. Some were dark brown, while others were light brown. Some were skinny and lanky, while others were bold and brawny. The comparisons between the different trees were almost like Onas’s muscular build compared to my small, skinny frame.
The sun above us had completely disappeared- the only thing that came from the gray sky above were clusters of white snow.
But although I had admired the environment around Onas and me in great detail, the horrid conditions that I had faced were not so admirable. The frost was beginning to tear me apart with each minute that passed by.
“H… how long until w-we’re there?” I asked as the small fog that came out of my mouth flew away into the air.
Onas, who seemed completely unbothered by the conditions, simply smiled at me. “Just a little bit left!”
Ugh… I… I don’t know if I can handle this anymore. I’m starting to get horrible flashbacks right now. Am I really about to faint in the snow again?
“O-Onas… let's go back....”
Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt a sharp, paining sensation on my back. Onas had slapped me with all his might, causing me to stumble a few steps forward.
“Hey!” I yelped in pain. “What was that for-”
Wait a minute... my body… it’s warm again? How…?
Onas smiled at me, keeping his eyes forward as I stood still in confusion. “Aaaaand… we’re here!”
I turned around and unexpectedly, a large statue made of ice sat in front of us- one that was so massive that it seemed as though the gods had placed it there themselves. It toppled at a height that was well above any of the trees around it. Naturally, my jaw dropped as I admired the view in awe. “Wow…”
The snow laying around us became rather thin, and our legs no longer had any resistance to restrict our movement.
Onas walked toward the statue's foot and ushered me to come to sit down beside him. As I marched over, I couldn’t help but be appreciative of the fact that the snow on the ground had cleared up so much. Not only that, but my body wasn’t freezing like it was earlier.
“This will be our origin point, the main area that we will patiently wait at until we notice that some animals have appeared." Onas began, staring down at the bow in his hands.
I raised an eyebrow. "We're not gonna go after the animals ourselves?"
Onas shook his head and placed a hand on my shoulder. "To be a successful hunter, one must have patience. If we chase after the beasts, then they will simply run away. They'll always be faster than us when moving through the snow- it's what they've evolved to do. And when we notice that an animal finally comes our way, then we have to draw our weapons as slowly as possible, not making a single noise, understand?"
"Yes, sir!" I replied with a nod.
"Good! Let's test your patience skills now..."
For the next few minutes, the two of us remained seated down between the legs of the ice statue. Thankfully, the snow coming from above no longer fell on our heads because of the statue covering us.
Yet, I stared off into the distance, emphasizing my sight on every single piece of snowflake that gently fell to the ground, adding to the mass pile of white that was already beneath it. The sound of gentle, frigid winds softly whispered its melody to my ears as my body began to naturally loosen up. My shoulders loosened and the tension in my neck was slowly relieved. The stinging, frigid air no longer pained my face, but rather became a source of energy that awakened my senses.
For that moment, despite the ruthless horrors that the frost had brought beyond this world, I was still able to find a sliver of peace within it.
But that peace was broken in nearly an instant.
<0 Meters Away>
With my eyes wide open, I quickly stood up, pulled my bow out from my back, and rapidly turned in all directions.
"Where?! Where is it?! [Appraisal]!" I screamed.
<[Appraisal Activated]>
Surprised, Onas stood up and glanced in every direction along with me. "Wyliame? What's wrong?"
“T-There’s a Giant near us!” I yelled out as I immediately began sprinting away, stumbling on my first few steps.