The frost wolves’ howls had also awakened Farryn, and her instincts instantly moved her into a state of battle readiness. It was a shame, for she hadn’t been able to experience such a peaceful rest for as long as she could remember, and she felt the lingering traces of warmth from the man’s touch dissipate. She had become entangled in the bed’s blankets as she attempted to spring into action. She was accustomed to far less comfortable sleeping arrangements.
She could see that her soundless entrance into the room had startled the man. Farryn paused as he regained his composure.
“The frost wolves,” she continued, “they were pursuing me through the storm.”
“Frost…wolves?” said the man with a look of confusion.
“What fortifications does this building have?” Farryn asked with an urgent tone.
“Fortifications? This is a cabin!” The man exclaimed, “Not a fortress or a military base!”
“Though if it’s just wolves out there, we should be ok,” he said, “unless they can pick locks, I guess. A bear might worry me a little.”
Farryn stared back at the man in disbelief. How could one not know?
“These are not simply wild animals!” She said, “Frost wolves are much larger and far stronger than a mere wolf. They are clever and endlessly vicious. They tear through settlements, leaving death and ruin in their wake!”
“They were made as servants of the powerful Wizard of Winter, and it takes a full company of heavily armed soldiers to fend them off!”
“Oh…” the man said.
His face fell a little, and Farryn could tell he wasn’t completely convinced by her words. He had no idea what lurked outside. Her face softened, she felt terribly guilty for leading the frost wolves to this man’s home. So caught up in trying to escape, she didn’t think of who might be living there.
“Is there another way to leave this cabin?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“This is not your fight, and I am sorry I led those monsters here,” Farryn said. “If you can get me out, I will draw them off, and you can escape.”
“What! Hold on!”
“Please! While I cannot leave this mountain, you can. It’s your best chance.” Farryn continued, “I am unable to thank you enough for your hospitality sir-“
The man interrupted her by placing a hand on Farryn’s shoulder. She took a sharp breath as the warmth once again flowed into her body, effortlessly bypassing the curse that afflicted her. Even though it only took effect while his skin was touching hers, she cherished the long-forgotten sensation while it lasted.
“Please,” the man said, “call me Erick.”
She nodded slowly once.
“What is your name?” Erick asked her.
“I am… Farryn,” she replied.
When was the last time she had even spoken her own name? It was surreal hearing it even from her own lips. It was likely that her name hadn’t been spoken by anyone in years, but now she was finally speaking to another living soul. Emotion wanted to well up within her but her survival instincts kept it in check.
“Nice to meet you, Farryn!” Erick said, “Now what kind of host would I be if I literally threw my lovely guest to the wolves?”
“But it’s dangerous- you’ll die if I stay!” Farryn exclaimed.
She did not want the first person she had met in so long to meet such a gruesome fate.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Erick said, “but I don’t think the odds are all that bad. Wait here a sec.”
Speechless, Farryn watched as Erick quickly disappeared into a closet before reemerging moments later carrying a long, black metallic object. He placed a smaller device into it with a harsh click.
“What… is that some sort of weapon?” she inquired hopefully.
“It is!” Erick beamed. “More specifically, it’s my hunting rifle. A modern sporter built on the AR-10 platform. Chambered in the common .308 cartridge, very effective for taking medium and large game.”
Farryn understood mostly nothing of what he was talking about, but Erick seemed very proud of his “hunting rifle.” It looked like he wanted to tell her more about it, but a sudden loud crash as a frost wolf battered the door demanded both of their attention. The wood around the door latch began to splinter.
“My poor front door isn’t gonna take another hit like that!” Erick said as he raised his weapon, preparing it with another metallic click.
“Oh! Those ears of yours,” he said, “they look sensitive. You should cover them ’cause this thing is loud!”
“I appreciate the warning, but I must be prepared for battle,” she replied.
The words were barely out of her mouth when another impact blasted the door open, nearly tearing it from its hinges! Despite the confidence he had just exhibited, Erick stood frozen momentarily at the sight before him. Farryn could not fault him, the monstrous creature, the frost wolf, bore a faint resemblance to a wolf at all. It was significantly larger, and huge rippling muscles covered its forelegs. The creature’s blood-red eyes stared back at them, and Farryn could sense nothing but malevolence.
The monster’s front paws were grasping the doorframe, attempting to pull its massive body inside. The paws looked almost like large hands with long, fearsome claws at the ends of the “fingers.”
“Holy mother of-!” Erick broke his stupor.
In the corner of her eye, Farryn saw him level his weapon before it made a loud crack as he fired it. With a gasp of surprise, Farryn dropped to one knee and covered her ringing ears as hard as she could. Erick fired his weapon several more times at the frost wolf, and it stumbled backward out the door and collapsed. Farryn managed to reduce the rifle’s shocking reports to muted thumps in her ears. Erick rushed toward the door and fired again and again, presumably at the rest of the pack.
After a short time, he backed up and attempted to close the door. Seeing that he wasn’t firing his weapon anymore, Farryn sprang up to help him brace the door with all the furniture and objects they could find. As she helped him slide a large table over to the door, she noticed how it looked different than the rest of the furniture, less perfect, like it was handmade with much more care. She thought for a moment that she sensed some familiarity with it.
Once the door was sufficiently braced, the two of them sank, gasping, to the floor.
Farryn winced and rubbed her ears, which were still ringing from the sharp crack of the rifle.
“Ah, sorry about that,” said Erick, “are you going to be alright?”
“It’s alright, don’t trouble yourself,” she replied, “it is far better than being torn to pieces by those beasts!”
“What of the wolves?” she asked.
“I took shots at a bunch more of them, I’m sure I nailed some of ’em. But the noise must’ve scared them because they took off real quick.” Erick continued, “I don’t think they’ll be back anytime soon.”
Farryn nodded in agreement. She knew the frost wolves had keen senses, on par with her own Elvaehen ones. And the noise from Erick’s rifle had overwhelmed her. The sound aside, it was clearly a powerful weapon as the monster could not even get close, and he had taken down several of them in mere moments… even with her bow, she would be hard-pressed to mimic such a feat.
“How is it that you are not suffering from the noise?” She asked him, “Does mankind have such poor hearing that they are unaffected?”
Erick stifled a small laugh at the way she worded the question.
“Heh, I’m sure my sense of hearing is way less than yours, but no, my ears are still ringing a bit. It’s surprising which senses one can suppress once when the adrenaline of a life-or-death situation flows through the body, though.”
“Plus, it doesn’t hit as hard when you’re expecting it!” he added.
Again, the way he spoke and described things was very foreign to Farryn. But that could merely be a result of her long, lonely existence on the mountain. It was quite likely the world had moved on without her while she was frozen in time.
“Say, are you hungry?”
The words interrupted her thoughts. It was an odd time to bring up food and Farryn stared back at him for a moment. She noticed Erick’s eyes were still wide; he was shaking slightly, and her ears could pick up the rapid beating of his heart.
This was his first encounter with Frost Wolves, and it had obviously shaken him to his core. His knuckles were white as they tightly grasped the rifle.
This was probably his way of attempting to calm or busy himself to take his mind off the attack. Farryn was rather hungry an was about to accept, but she felt it wrong to impose upon Erick’s hospitality.
“I should not-,” she began to say.
“Nah it’s ok! My mother would slap me silly if I didn’t offer food to a guest. If you like, you can stay until this storm passes at least.”
Farryn chuckled softly. She could not remember the last time she’d been happy enough to crack the faintest of smiles.
“Alright then, Erick, I will accept your offer so as not to bring dishonour upon your household!” she said with a bemused expression.
At least she could help calm him after the wolves’ attack.
“Perfect!” Eric responded.
She heard him stifle a gentle chuckle at her words.
“I was just about to fry up some eggs and sausages, and some leftover potatoes for breakfast. You can use the sink here to wash the battle grime from your hands if you’d like.”
Farryn looked at him with uncertainty; she wasn’t sure what he was referring to. He paused and seemed to read her mind.
“Oh!” said Erick, “Sorry, follow me.”
She followed him to a small room and stood by what appeared to be a wash basin. However, there was no water in it. Before Farryn could comment, Erick twisted a small metal knob, and water came streaming out of the device above the basin. Farryn blinked her eyes.
“Oh!” was all she managed to say.
“Let me know if it’s too hot,” Erick said.
“I cannot feel warmth or heat, so it does not matter.”
“Oh…”
Remembering what happened previously, Erick took her icy, cold hands into his. Instantly, she could feel the warmth.
“May I… lend a hand?” he asked.
“Please…do,” Farryn replied softly.
Erick picked up the soap and helped scrub her hands. Farryn watched as she felt the warm water cascading over her hands.
Erick quickly released her hands and turned to pick up a towel. As he passed it to her she noticed some reddening in his cheeks.
“Uh…sorry… uh, I guess just come on out and have a seat when you are ready,” he said as he turned and left the washing area.
“No, it is al-” Farryn started to say.
But Erick had already exited the room.
