She didn't know how much time had passed, because in a desolated place, time has no meaning. The cold didn't bother her, neither did the pressure of the ocean's depth. What hurt her were the memories, fresh and piercing ever since she had ended up alone, wounded and in despair.

She remembered being drawn into the depth of the Antarctic sea with relentless strength, the sudden movement temporarily knocking her unconscious. When she had come to her senses again, she had fought to free herself from her temporary prison, consisting of a chain around a water barrel that held her in place hundreds of meters below the surface.

It did cost her neither time nor strength to free herself, because when it came to prisons, she had experienced worse. There was a strong memory of being held captive deep underground for millennia, being forced to breed every new century, being forced to watch her children die over and over again. Oh yes, that was a prison. Anything less couldn't keep her in. She was all anger and fury when she tore the chain apart.

She felt her blood boiling at the mere thought of the Predators, the vile creatures that had caused her so much pain. She didn't care for the wounds on her body, but she almost broke from the wounds on her soul. She had given birth to thousands of young warriors. None of them had ever been allowed to survive. The Predators had always known how to kill them all and how to keep her alive. Only to freeze her tortured body in never melting ice. Only to defrost her when the hunting games were about to begin once more.

Stubbornly and with all the power still left in her muscles, she swam to the surface, broke through the ice and held on to dear life while she moved her massive body out of the water. Months had gone by since the ocean had swallowed her, but to her it had only been a moment.

She was exhausted, weakened by millennia of mistreatment, tired from spending a lifetime of mourning her children. She remembered all of them, every name, every face, and she kept them dear to her heart. Sometimes, when she couldn't bear the loneliness anymore, she felt their presence still around her, soothing and comforting her.

Resting on an ice floe, she passed the time. She noticed neither the overall darkness nor the snowflakes dancing all around her. After millennia of suffering, she now was about to finally give up, to give in to death and to finally be at peace.

She didn't notice the strange group of people either, that closed in to her from the north. Many days had passed since she'd come crawling out of the water, more dead than alive. Against all odds, someone had been looking out for her, visiting the hostile place every once in a while, not even believing in her survival but never giving up hope.

'Mother.'

She couldn't believe to hear his voice, faint but clear, full of warmth and love. It couldn't be. She had seen him die.

'Mother, please.'

With all the strength still left in her body, she lifted her head, looking in the approximate direction where she sensed his presence. Her senses had almost gone numb over the months in the cold, but now they were alert as ever.

She didn't utter a word, her mental voice silenced by all she had gone through, but she held on to him. Strong arms kept her in a firm grip, a strong mind soothed her tortured soul with words of love.

'My son.'

She couldn't believe he had come for her, couldn't believe he was still alive. But there he was, holding her, comforting her.

When she fell into a dreamless slumber, she finally felt at peace. She knew it would be alright as long as he just held her. She asked for nothing more.