Danger lies ahead

It had been hours since Thyre last saw Skuli. She'd been walking through the woods for a while now, observing the effects of winter taking their toll. For one, she couldn't see many animals - they were already safely hidden in their little lairs, with the exception of a few foxes and owls observing her from a safe distance.

There were also almost no sounds except for her boots touching what was now a thick, ankle high layer of snow that was nicely sticking to the ground. She was sure that by nightfall, it would be as high as her knees - that meant she needed to find some shelter soon, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to light a fire. Or survive the night.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar and unexpected sound - trickling water. She turned in its direction and saw an entrance to a cave. It was shielded by a fallen pine tree which she removed upon entering. On her left was a little stream of water which seemed to be coming from inside the rock walls.

There was a good amount of space next to it that seemed realtively dry. She decided to stay the night there, setting up her blanket and lighting a small fire to keep her warm with the dry pine branches that fell off the tree. After eating some bread and fish, she decided to try and hunt some dinner. The fire seemed just fine, but she added a few more branches just to be sure that it didn't go out before she came back.

Thyre left her humble shelter to scout the nearby area and to leave some bait. She observed her surroundings. The snow was slowly starting to cover her footsteps, but hers weren't the only ones. She noticed some tracks going west that looked fresh - it seemed they were from a wolf or a large dog. She took out her bow and an arrow, quietly following and occasionally looking around.

She left a mark in the trees every ten steps in case she got lost. She finally found the lone wolf, except it was a female and she wasn't alone. She came to her pups, carrying a dead rabbit. Thyre decided to retreat and leave them be, but when she turned around, she saw a huge brown bear right in front of her, just about to slash her with its claws. It appeared seemingly out of no where, as she hadn't heard it at all.

She screamed and put her hands in front of her face to shield herself, but nothing had happened - the bear was gone as soon as her eyes peeked open. No tracks, nothing.

Instead, she heard deep growling behind her and it was coming closer and closer. She slowly turned around, so as not to startle the creature too much after her scream, still shocked from what had happened. Seeing that the wolf stayed its ground and didn't really want a fight, she slowly retreated until she was out of its sight and they each went separate ways.

Wolves weren't all too threatening unless attacked or startled, though after the events that happened, it was almost a miracle that the encounter ended well for both sides. Thyre was no stranger to wolf attacks, seeing as half her arms were covered in bites and scratches.

Then she proceeded to walk back where she came from, paying attention to any other threats that might appear, but she wasn't sure if she could trust her eyes any longer. That bear she saw - it looked too real. She could almost feel its breath and entire presence in front of her. Perhaps it was a trick of the gods, some kind of a message. Perhaps it was a warning or an omen. Nevertheless, it wasn't a sign of anything good.