“It’s going to take most of the day to enter the forest. So we need to sleep out the night outside,” Seth said.

They were getting ready for their trip. To find Etta’s home. Or Nathanael hoped to find it there.

In his honesty, he had little faith. It couldn’t be easy finding it in the forest. Etta had said she lives in a house somewhere in there, but finding the road would be hard when it’s all covered up by days of snow.

“How big is the forest?”

“Big enough to easily get lost. And searching the entire forest without knowing where you have been would take a few weeks. Especially when going in deeper.”

“Deeper…” Nathanael glanced at the gas mask he has yet to use. And he remembered that Seth said the further they went, the more dangerous it would be without that mask.

Still. What is in there?

Etta wore a double layer of mostly everything she could fit and feel comfortable in. And somehow she managed to keep a comfy blanket inside her coat.

“Etta, you sure you can walk like that?”

“…No. Aren’t you going… to carry me, Nat?”

“Eh?”

“…Mm?”

“You’re not gonna walk yourself?”

“…The snow… it’s cold.”

Nathanael gave a sigh. If he would hold her the entire time, the slower they would be. That was rather obvious, and she would be heavier with all that clothing.

“It shouldn’t be that cold. But I guess your legs would be more covered in the snow than ours when you are still this small.”

“…Mmph.” Etta puffed her cheeks.

He knew it would be a harder track with Etta on his head the entire day. Yet he didn’t want her to fall and freeze.

“Perhaps the sled?” Nathanael gave the idea.

“We’re taking the two sleds with us to hold our bags. That way our track would be less exhausting,” Seth answered.

“And you think Etta could ride on one?”

Seth glanced at the small girl in annoyance.

“You must be able to walk through the snow. Otherwise, how did you appear in that bunker?”

“Huh. You’re right. There isn’t anything but the plains of snow all around for kilometers.”

Yet she doesn’t remember, Nathanael thought. You don’t remember how you appeared in that bunker. You said you took shelter in a different one, and that bunker was somewhere in the forest.

How you ended up here is a complete mystery. Just like me.

“…Mm.”

“We’re not putting her on the sled unless she tries walking first, she’s not a damn toddler.”

She didn’t want to do it, not one bit, but after convincing her with a chocolate bar, she’d suddenly changed her mood. But they quickly realized how bad she really was at walking through the snow.

At first, it looked fine, she didn’t sink that far down, the snow didn’t reach her ankles. But though she never went deeper, she started to shiver. Her teeth rattled, she held firmly around herself, and she couldn’t move anymore.

She managed to reach the workshop, which was about ten meters away from the house, but that was it. She couldn’t bring herself to walk back, and she fell into the snow.

Nathanael hurried and pulled her out of the snow, and carried her back inside. And while Etta was being carried, she felt warmer once in his arms.

“I guess you really can’t walk through the snow. But then how did you end up in that bunker?” Nathanael waited for her to say something, but nothing came. “Etta?”

He glanced down. Her eyes were closed. She was gently breathing while sleeping in his arms.

Never once have I seen you fully awake, Nathanael thought.

“Well… I guess she can be on one of the sleds. But we aren’t making room, she needs to be on top of the cargo.”

“Thank you, Seth. By the way, what are we bringing?”

Seth brought out a small notebook and flipped through the pages.

“Sleeping bags, dried sticks, rope, ice axes, harness’s, food. All the essentials for this trip.”

“Why am I thinking we need to go down or up a cliff?”

“Because there is a cliff we need to clear if we want to go into the forest. The entire thing is surrounded by cliffs actually.”

“Uh-huh…”

Does this journey need to be this harsh?

Etta woke back up once preparations were complete. She trudged on with unsteady legs to Nathanael’s sled. She found her spot and sat down. She nearly fell asleep again right there and then.

Nathanael and Seth had their own sled, both carrying enough supplies for their weight to carry. They used hiking poles while they dragged the sleds with a rope around their waist. They would switch on holding the rope from behind when going downhill, but there weren’t really that many hills around these same old snow.

Underneath the sled went smoothly, and without difficulty, through the snow. They could barely feel the weight of their sleds.

“…Nat, it’s cold.”

“Your still cold?”

“…Mm,” she sounded in agreement.

It was snowing, but only lightly. There was little to no wind. Etta had enough clothing that should suffice for her need for warmth. Yet she still slightly shivered.

“There are blankets in the bag beneath you, you can use them.”

Nathanael heard rustling noises behind him while he was still on the move. He took a peek at Etta and noticed she made what looked like a makeshift bed on the small sled.

“…Warm.”

“That’s good. And Etta, before you fall asleep, can I ask you why you started calling me Nat?”

“…Your name… is too long.”

“Ah, okay then.”

“…It’s… okay?”

“Yeah, don't worry, you can call me Nat. I like it.”

“…Mm,” she sounded, happily.

Nathanael took his satchel with him, along with his notebook and Etta’s drawings. He didn’t know why he took the drawings as well, they were already there so he just kept them inside. He took the notebook in hopes of actually writing something down. Perhaps something interesting is within the forest, but he didn’t know what to expect…

Or how dangerous it actually is. His imagination of the forest is not identical to what he thinks it to be. Not even close.

Even when Seth lived in the plains of snow for years, he couldn’t predict the weather. The clouds never change after all.

And the weather itself comes and goes randomly, which means they couldn’t know a snowstorm would suddenly brew out of nowhere.

Goggles worn, scarfs tugged above their noses, and their hoodies over their heads. That was the best way they could face the monster that showered all over them.

Etta, on the other hand, hid in a bag whilst everything went on.

Visibility was near to null, they could not see anything around them. Seth and Nathanael kept close to each other with a connected rope.

Seth said there were no bunkers or abandoned villages nearby. No caverns or other houses to hide in. All they had were themselves.

“Where did this come from!? It was all fine a moment ago!” Nathanael yelled so he could be heard through the storm.

“Storms appear like this often! Thankfully, they don’t last long! Only a few more minutes!”

They huddled around their sleds, to feel that needed flame inside their bodies. The warmth to fight off the cold.

This ferocious type of storm Nathanael has only seen whilst in the house. And only seen it twice. But this time he gets to experience it. And he quickly came to the conclusion that he hated it.

The snow started to grow more around them. The sleds would be needed to be dug back from the ground. That wouldn’t take long but could cause slight exhaustion, and time they couldn’t waste.

Sleeping in the plains of snow is harder than inside the forest. Storms brew and extinguish the campfires, their sleeping bags would only succumb to the snow. And the snow could harden, trapping them below.

But in the forest, the storms don’t pass through the trees. Little to no wind within, allowing the fire to keep living through the night. And snowfalls are gentle and kind, as if it was a whole new world, away from the plains of snow.

The thing the two regions have in common is the silence. If you exclude the raging storms in the plains of snow, you wouldn’t be hearing anything besides your footsteps crossing the lands. The trees don’t rustle on their own, wildlife is rarely seen and heard. The calm peaceful aura kept people calm, but also anxious when nothing was happening.

As said, the only voice of nature that could be heard was the storm the three were now facing. And the cold kept seeping through their clothing.

I guess I was right about this journey being harsh! This is awful!

“…Mmhm!” Etta whimpered inside the bag she hid in. “…So… cold…”

Snowstorms don’t last long. But though they last for only a few minutes, they could feel as if they would last for hours. Struggling through it could be hard, but easily overcome with the right protection, such as the clothes they wore. Also, a tent could be used, but that would take time to set up, and the weather appears out of nowhere, there is no telling when is the right time to put it down. That’s why Seth didn’t bring one when he had one inside his workshop.

Seth knows if they would survive it or not. He couldn’t predict the weather, but surviving is something he is fully aware of. And in this instance, they would win the fight.

It lasted for fifteen minutes. The storm passed and then dissipated in the distance. The light snowfall came once again, and everything turned peaceful.

“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Seth said.

“How can you endure this every time you go out? Nothing but a sled with you, does this happen often?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t be here with you if I didn’t survive the first one.”

Etta’s head popped out from the bag. Once she noticed everything had calmed down, she found her spot again, and suddenly fell asleep once more.

You lose concern quickly when the threat ends, don’t you?

The sleds were slightly stuck within the snow, shovels were brought out from Seth’s sled and they dug it out.

“How did the snow harden so quickly?” Nathanael asked.

“That is what this storm does to the environment. You should be glad it only lasts for a few minutes. And the hardened ice would become puffier again sooner than later. But if it was night, the hardened snow would last till daybreak.”

“What about us? Wouldn’t we freeze?”

“Not if your body still produces heat, your winter clothing helps provide that. Now come on, let’s not waste time chatting about, the cliff should be an hour away.”