Chapter 2 – Cold and Lost

The city of ruins was miles away from where Pyrrha stood now. It looked like a smudge of light in the distance, a mere speck in the absolute darkness. Not even the horizon was visible. It was as if she stood in a void with her scroll out for light. Ashes fell onto her hand and disintegrate leaving nothing as a reminder of their existence.

She lets out a sneeze. The air here was many times colder than it was in the city. If she didn't have Tadashi's cloak over her shoulders right now, she would surely freeze to death. Tadashi on the other hand, was by the shore of the lake unraveling the knots he made to dock a raft after he finished loading up his scooter and weapon aboard it.

"Pyrrha, let's go." He signaled to her with his electric lantern.

They got on the raft, a little tight to fit the two of them in with Tadashi's scooter hogging up the center. Balance was important here at maintaining on the raft. A little splash of water on Pyrrha's feet lets her know how freezing cold it was. Tadashi pulled on a rope to move the raft. It anchored beyond the reach of their lights.

They were moving slow and Tadashi was putting in his all at pulling them across. He was huffing clouds of his breathe in the cold air.

"Can I help?" Pyrrha asked.

"I got this. Thank you though." Tadashi continued to pull.

He meant well, Pyrrha could tell but she can't let him drag her along as dead weight. At least, she should make the raft lighter on him. With what little strength she had, she concentrated on Tadashi's scooter and weapon and lifted them up only a small bit so that Tadashi won't notice her.

With one tug, Tadashi overestimated the force of his pull. He was caught off balanced and rocked the raft. It caused Pyrrha to wobble and soon, the both lost their footing on the slippery wooden surface and plunged into the icy water.

They were just by the shore of Tadashi's shelter: a small warehouse in the middle of the lake. Out they crawled onto the shore quickly and hauled the raft in. Thankfully, none of Tadashi's things fell off.

The cold cuts into them like knives now that they were soaked. Tadashi got the fire going once they were inside. Not much of a fire place he had. It was merely a bundle of stove burners upon a metal stand in the middle of the room. It burnt in a blue flame with yellow tails. Hot as it may be to be able to make its iron stand glow red, the cold was still relentless on their soaked bodies.

"I'm so sorry about that. I made the raft too small." Tadashi spoke with a gentle smile yet keeping his sincere tone.

Pyrrha lets out a sneeze. A cold is what she had now. She was shivering as if she had a convulsion. Tadashi, having been more accustomed to the temperature, had enough dexterity left to grab a spare cloak and put it over Pyrrha's head and shoulders.

"Thank you." Pyrrha clutched the cloak tightly

"I got some spare clothes. You better get out of those wet ones." Tadashi lay them down by Pyrrha and went on.

He was just in the other room shutting the door. The fogged window made it impossible for Pyrrha to see him clearly through it but she could tell he was changing. Though still shivering, the cold began to subside. She manages to see through the little stuff Tadashi had in this warehouse despite the dim light the stove fireplace gave off.

She looked onto the clothes he had. It was a big shirt and apparently a pair of jogging pants. For all she knows, this is the only other clothing he had on him.

"He seems like a nice guy." Pyrrha whispered to herself.

"All done." Tadashi came out of the door dried and dressed but stopped in his tracks, "You still haven't changing."

"Oh right!" Pyrrha stood up grabbing the clothes and entered the other room.

With the door closed behind her, she looked onto the fogged window seeing Tadashi's silhouette sitting by the fire patiently.

"I'm really sorry about this." Pyrrha said as she changed clothes

"Don't worry about it. I haven't seen anyone else since I got here. You helped me back there. Let me return the favor at least."

"No, I meant the raft."

"What about it?"

"I used my semblance."

"Your what now?"

"It's polarity. It allows me to control metallic objects."

"Okay? What did you do then?" Tadashi pretends to understand what she just said

"I kind of tried lifting your scooter and weapon just a little bit so it would be lighter on you but that got us soaked. Sorry about that."

Tadashi's attention peaked hearing that from Pyrrha. Thinking about it, the weight of the raft did suddenly change for no apparent reason as if mass was removed from it. What she says is truth. If what she said was true, it's nothing ordinary from where he's from. His suspicion may have been right. He needed more information to be sure.

Pyrrha on the other hand finished changing. She hung her wet clothing and opened the door. Tadashi looked to her caught for a moment dazed in her charm clad in the simple attire he gave her. He snapped his gaze away as soon as he was conscious about it and cleared his throat.

"Protein bar?" He offered lifting one to the air

"Gee… That's too much. I'm not hungry–really!" Pyrrha smiled really not wanting to trouble Tadashi any further with what little he had but her stomach growled aloud almost echoing throughout the building.

Tadashi hasn't budged his head to look at her to at least to spare her from some of the embarrassment. Pyrrha's face lit up red. Tadashi doubled his offer raising two protein bars now and so Pyrrha silently accepts it.

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha sat down and began eating onto the protein bar.

"Hey, it's really no trouble. I'm sorry I don't have anything better at the moment."

"I'll be out by morning, I promise."

"It's really not any trouble. Believe me. I'm really glad to see someone else here. I've been stuck here for two months now."

"Why? Are you on a mission? What's a huntsman doing here?"

"I can't really say where here even is. Lost… kind of."

Pyrrha looked down. Her vivid green eyes bounced about with her mind bombarded with a thought after another. Tadashi could read her distress written on her face.

"Hey, it's going to be ok."

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" Pyrrha lashed out, "Grimm were everywhere. The white fang unleashing them on the city. Cinder… She…"

Just there, her mind struggled to pull out a memory that wasn't there. It returned to her with fragments. A fight broke out. The Fall Maiden's power. A burning sensation in her chest. She couldn't put it to words but her heart pounded and she broke cold sweat with her breathe shortening as she tried to recall her lost memory.

"Pyrrha!" Tadashi firmly planted his hand on her shoulder snapping her out.

"I'm sorry. I– I don't know what's happening." Pyrrha looked at her hands too shaken up to even hold her protein bars.

She's worried sick of her friends back in Vale but she never seen herself shake like this. She was too weak to sit up straight and there Tadashi willingly gave her support.

"It's alright. It's ok. Shh… calm down. I'm here."

Her tears ran down her face over spilling her eyes lids as if she wasn't conscious of it. It took Pyrrha a few moments to regain a hold of her faculties. Her shivering stopped and her breathing returned to normal eventually.

"Pyrrha…"

"Yes?"

"Could you tell me how you got here?"

"I–I don't know. I can't– All I remember is waking up in the middle of nowhere."

"Anything just before that?"

That question made her hands shiver again and her chest felt like burning.

"Sorry." Tadashi held her hand steady, "You don't have to answer that."

"Tadashi…" She struggled to get out a whisper.

"I woke up here too about two months ago. I've been trying to get home ever since."

"What is this place?"

"I wish I knew."

Out and about in the dark field, a woman clad in black ran for her life. She caught her breathe behind a scorned tree. She clutched a notebook close to her chest. Shadow creatures ran past the tree she hid behind but they weren't chasing after her. They were running away. She could see everything around her brighten up and casted long shadows accompanied with slow footsteps drawing closer behind her. She froze still slowing her breathing down until it was barely audible. In her peripheral vision, she sees the man's arm burning like a candle but undamaged.

The man stopped in his tracks. She leaned harder against the tree and stopped herself from letting out a gasp lest he finds her. He stayed quiet for a moment. She didn't know what he was doing but the shadows were still meaning he hadn't budge from his spot just yet. He may know about her at this point. She pulled out her hand clad in a black long glove in front of her face. With her will's command, her fingers lengthen and sharpen to a point. If a fight could be avoided, she would do so at any cost but if it can't be helped then she would give the fight her all.

The man gave a groan and briskly walked onward. Eventually, his light vanished from where she stood. Her body loosens up and she could breathe easy. Her hands return to their normal form. She ran off after confirming the coast was clear. She smiled as she ran looking at the notebook she had. Her hope was alive and at hand. This may just work.