Opening her eyes, she found herself on cold hard ground. Her blue eyes blinked to adjust to the light reflecting blindingly off of the snow around her. She shivered. Had it been winter? She couldn't remember. Sitting up, she dusted herself off and looked around. She was in a small clearing, surrounded by rocks. There were mountains off in the distance. Their massive teeth carving into the dim sky. Where was this place? With a jolt, she noticed blood blooming on the snow beside her. She jumped away in terror, not knowing what to expect and found that it was her own blood. Her wrist was bleeding heavily from hundreds of small scratches. Suddenly she felt its ache. She tore a strip off the bottom of her dress and attempted to bind it. Knowing very little of medicine, she hardly stopped the blood flow. She clutched her hand to her chest and started running. She fled wildly over rocks and through trees in panic. How did she get here? Where was here? Her mind was so confused. She tripped over a fallen log and hurtled into the snow beyond it. Jarring her wrist, she screamed. The pain was all too real, if nothing else was. She rolled onto her back and lay, not wanting to get up and face this strange world. There, she began to regain her senses. Her racing heartbeat calmed and her thoughts began to clear. She was in an unfamiliar forest, at the base of an incredibly large mountain range. She would have to find some sort of shelter, fast; otherwise she would freeze come nightfall. She stood gingerly, and looked around. She could see nothing past the sparse forest that offered her any comfort. No signs of people or civilization. So, she walked. Angling away from the mountains, and ever down. She was not entirely at the base of the mountains as she had first thought. She was in the foothills. There was a lake in the valley below and she knew she would need fresh water. Night was settling in as she reached its shores. She drank deeply, the wonderfully clean water healing her spirit. She hesitantly washed her wrist, unsure of what to do with such a wound. Somehow she managed to bind it well enough on her second try. She sat by the water and wondered what to do next. Her stomach growled. She would need food, she knew, but neither knowing how to hunt nor fish left her at a disadvantage. However, she had already found fresh water. Casting her eyes over the lake, she felt secure. She would be able to find food the next day. Maybe it was okay to just lay there, open to the stars. All her need for shelter seeped out of her and she lay back. Closing her eyes she took a deep, slow breath. She was so tired.
Sleep took her...