The party could see Kolhak in the distance. Anna couldn't have been more relieved, they'd been riding for the better part of a day, even now the sun was slipping out of sight, behind a hill. Nestor had brought seven men with him, he had sent one ahead to scout an hour ago and was finding it increasingly difficult to hide his impatience at the man's return. The last rays of light were filtering through the increasingly dark spaces between the trees.

Nestor hadn't said anything, nor had Kristoff, or any of the other men, but with the village in sight and no sign of the scout, a few new options presented themselves in her imagination. She shivered, pulling the olive greatcoat one of the soldiers had given her tighter around her.

Turning to ask Kristoff a question, she was given pause by the expression on his face. He had been quiet for a while, but now he looked outright tense, face set in a hard frown, as if focusing on something.

'Kristoff…?' She lightly touched his arm. He visibly flinched, too late trying to mask his surprise. Anna began to feel increasingly uneasy.

'Sorry, miles away, what is it?'

'You're spooked.'

'N-no. No I'm not.' He waved her off.

'You hesitated a bit there.'

'No, no, everything is fine.'

'Yeah you did. It's the scout isn't it?'

Kristoff nodded, slowly, scanning the trees around them again.

'Yeah. And…' He trailed off.

'And?' She squeaked.

He turned back to her, placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

'I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to worry you.' Kristoff cringed at the reaction Anna had to his attempted assurances.

'Well I'm worried now!' She yelled.

Nestor and the soldiers turned to look at them, ranging from bemused to frustrated.

'…sorry.'

The party slipped into silence again. Anna tried to focus on not annoying the others only to have her thoughts turn to Elsa. Again. She grimaced at the thought of how they'd parted. She'd wanted to help Kristoff and the others, but now she felt like she was just looking for an excuse not to have to talk to her sister. A gnawing hollowness inside made her feel sick at the thought of Elsa, alone, with nobody to talk to about her doubts. And it was all her fault.

'Anna.' Kristoff growled, gripping her reins and pulling her out of her thoughts.

'Hey!' She yelped. Kristoff ignored her, looking around them. Nestor had called them to a halt at Kristoff's insistence.

'Bjorgman, what is it?' The officer asked.

'We're being followed.' Kristoff's voice was slow and steady, she'd never heard him this bothered.

Nestor turned his horse and rode back to the two of them, removing his shako as he did.

'The village is just ahead, surely we should-'

'No, there's somethi-'

Both men stopped when the low, guttural growl started.

Then there was another. And another. And another.

A chorus of rumbling snarls started up on either side of them. Anna found herself gripping her reins so hard her knuckles were white.

'Turn around captain, ride slowly to the front and on my mark, we ride. Fast. Straight to Kolhak. Nobody stops. Nobody looks back. We all go.' Kristoff instructed, haltingly.

Nestor merely nodded, trotting slowly to the front of the group again, but Anna wasn't listening.

'…there are so many of them…' She breathed, heart pounding in her chest.

She felt Kristoff grab her hand.

'Anna. Focus. Please.' He fixed her gaze, imploringly.

She managed a nod.

Kristoff gripped his reins.

'GO!' He roared.

Things happened quickly after that. The horses leapt into a gallop, the wolves tore after the party, snarling at their heels. Either side of them the pack closed in on them.

'Draw swords, fend them off!' Nestor hollered.

This was insanity, wolves did not attack people like this, certainly not groups of people, definitely not groups on horseback, absolutely not-

A scream built up in her throat as a wolf hurtled toward her side. Without thinking she rammed foot into its snarling maw, sending it reeling. She wasn't ready for the pain that followed as its jaws raked her leg. It shot through her body like a shard of fire, her hands shot to her leg, too late realising she'd let go of the reins. As she fumbled for balance, another wolf crashed into her horse, digging its claws and fangs into the flanks of her mount. Her horse let out a deafening scream and shuddered to a halt, rearing back on its hind legs.

Anna's vision was filled with sky as she felt herself tumble backward. She managed a strangled shout and clenched shut her eyes.

'Anna!'

She yelped as she felt an arm grab hers and swing her onto another horse. Opening one eye cautiously, she was met with Kristoff's determined eyes, frantically searching her for signs of harm.

'Th-thank yo-argh!'

'Are you alright!?' He yelled over the thunder of hooves.

'Sure, s-sure. Just a…hhnn…scratch.' She clutched the wounds.

She looked ahead, willing the village to be closer than it was. She felt ill as a soldier dispatched a wolf with a swift sabre cut. He turned to regain his balance, not seeing the second wolf launch into him, tearing him from the saddle. Anna shut her eyes, trying to ignore the scream that followed.

'Hold on, Anna.' Kristoff wrapped an arm around her, reassuringly.

She tried not to think about what was happening, she tried to think about Elsa. She wished her sister was here. She wished she hadn't upset her. She wished-

Another scream from somewhere around her followed by a sickening crunch caused her to bury her head in Kristoff's chest.

'MOVE THAT BARRICADE!' Nestor roared.

There was the growing bustle of activity and she felt them slow, she risked a glance. The village was surrounded by a hastily assembled wall of furniture, wood, stones and other assorted heavy objects. Villagers were creating a gap to allow the riders entry, others were filing out armed with spears, pitchforks and torches, to fend off the wolves.

She tried to glance behind Kristoff, but he remained resolute.

'Don't look back there.'

'But-'

'Anna.'

Something in his tone robbed her of her voice.

The party came to a halt in the centre of the village. She saw the villagers rushing to reassemble their barricade. She looked around. Nestor was already dismounted, calling for aid, with one of his men, and over there two others and…

'Oh no…' She choked. She felt numb.

She still felt numb as Kristoff lifted her down from his horse. She still felt numb as she saw the dark looks on Nestor and his men's faces. She still felt numb as Kristoff wrapped her in his arms and let her cry into his chest.