Guest: Which scene exactly are you meaning? If you are meaning the winter coat, then Joel found that in the house. If you are meaning otherwise, Ellie is most likely wearing a similar rendition to what she wore in the game. You could imagine it that way though if you would like :)

Guest: Yeah I would definitely say Ellie is a tomboy :)

Nice story (Guest): The DLC looks amazing! I am definitely counting the days! I bought the season pass before the game came out, so I guess you could say that I have had it preordered since last May :)

Guest: Don't worry; I don't plan on dropping this story at all. I am with you guys till the end of it (and maybe even afterwards)!

Chapter 25: Victory and Defeat

Ellie didn't mind the cold as she led Callus at a walk. First it had started as a run, but now she didn't care so much. Her desperate flight to get away from their fight had diminished, leaving only sadness in its wake.

I shouldn't have argued. I should have just listened to him, she thought, staring down at Callus's mane, but he was exhausted. He's overworking himself, and I'm afraid he's going to die trying to make things right.

She guessed that was one of the main reasons Joel was doing all of this: Kevin had gotten injured protecting him and the fight they had back at Tommy's hadn't settled yet. He felt responsible knowing that he couldn't protect Kevin, so he was trying to make up for it.

"He just needs to let me help him through this," she whispered, "He isn't the only one suffering."

She shook her head, figuring she would put it out of her mind for now. She had hunting to do, and it wouldn't help if she was distracted.

She slowly Callus to a stop and got off the saddle, her landing making a crunch as her feet hit the snow. The cold was helping to clear her head, making her more relaxed.

Ellie closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the sounds around her and clearing her mind of everything but her objective. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the world in a new light. She let out a breath, seeing it rise as white mist in front of her.

"Alright, Callus. Let's going find something to eat," she grabbed the horse's bridle and started walking further into the forest, cautious of the noise she would make. She didn't want to scare all the prey away.

She scanned the ground, searching for any signs of life that might have passed through before her. Small indentations in the snowy ground caught her attention, and she walked over to them. Bending down, she realized that they looked like rabbit tracks.

That's a good sign, she thought, following the trail in her vision. By the looks of the tracks, they didn't seem too fresh. She could still lead Callus with her until a certain distance away, and then she would have to go on her own to retrieve the rabbit.

The tracks kept getting fresher, and she tied Callus to a tree when she spotted the white hare moving in the distance. The wind was favorable, not carrying her scent to the hare. Her footsteps were more carefully planted, quieter and wary of startling her prey.

She stopped when she was as close as she could get without it noticing her. The white hare was searching the ground as she had been, looking for nibbles of dying grass that could have survived.

Ellie stayed crouched near the trees, making sure to try and blend in. Silently, she brought an arrow to notch in her bow and lined up the shot. Her movements were normally fluid, like she had been doing it all her life, but today the bow shook slightly.

She took a steadying breath, knowing that one margin of error could make her miss entirely. Her movements evened out, giving her a clear shot of the hare. A moment later, the arrow was sent cleanly through the hare.

She stood up and jogged over towards it. The hare didn't move, blood starting to pool from the wound. She picked the arrow up and removed it from the hare's body with a smile. She hadn't even been out hunting for long and she had already caught something.

She carried the hare back to where Callus was waiting and tied it to his saddle. She knew the horse wouldn't mind the extra weight, what with Kevin not riding with her.

Don't think about that, another slow breath later, and any thoughts of her friend were gone.

"Looks like we're doing well so far," she murmured to Callus, giving his neck a rub.

Movement among the trees made her freeze for a moment. She sought out the source of the disturbance and felt surprise run through her.

A deer, she had to force herself to not say anything out loud, nor to give her position away.

The deer was walking through the trees, its sleek brown coat blending in. She still saw its movements through the camouflage. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared for a few moments.

The deer was moving away from her, and it would be bad if it got away entirely. She gave Callus a glance and retied his bridle to the tree branch.

"You only startle it," she whispered to the horse, "you watch over our first catch for me. I'll be right back."

She quickened her movements to make up for lost ground and followed the deer. Callus's form faded as she continued to trail the deer. Wherever she went, it seemed like there was never a clear shot.

The deer stopped to graze for a moment, giving her a small window of opportunity. She brought her bow up and aimed, firing an arrow. The deer gave a pained snort before starting to run off.

Ellie gave a frustrated sigh, quickening her pace to make sure she didn't lose sight of the deer. This might be a long hunt.

She swore when the deer did get out of sight. Her back was starting to ache so she stood up and stretched. That's when she noticed the blood on the snow, and realized that it would be a beacon that could help her to keep track of the deer's movements.

Looks like our luck is improving, she thought with a smile, resuming her chase of the deer.

An hour and two arrow shots later, she was still in pursuit of the deer. She was wondering how the animal was still even alive by now. Her hands and feet were starting to ache from the cold, and her back hadn't gotten any better. Despite all this, she knew she couldn't let the deer get away.

Her thoughts wandered back to Callus as she continued to follow the blood trail. She wondered if he was doing fine, and wondered how far away she was. She hoped she hadn't gotten too far lost in the forest; getting out would be another problem if so.

The deer would be worth it though, she thought, I would just have to get it back to Callus and then we would be-

Her thoughts stopped when she came to a slight slope. The blood trail led down to a run-down barn in the field below. The deer was lying dead near the barn.

She hesitated, feeling as if something were wrong. Sure, the deer was now hers and she could bring it back to the house, but something just felt off about the situation.

"Maybe I just have good luck for once," she mumbled, but then took another look at the barn as she got closer, "Creepy."

She felt as if her nerves were alert, almost as if something was watching her. She shook her head; she was just being paranoid.

The sooner I get out of here, the better.

The deer was in front of her now, and she smiled. This was going to help them a ton.

"Now how to get you back," she whispered and started to bend down to pick up the deer's legs, but she never made it.

Something hard hit her in the back of her head, and she felt her world fade to black. She didn't remember hitting the ground. She didn't see the two men who dragged her and the deer away. She didn't hear the cries of the Infected in the distance. All she saw was black.

I wanted to get one last chapter out before the DLC on Friday. Sorry this one was a bit shorter, and a bit based off of the Winter level of the game, but this is where the twist starts. Hope you all are excited! Who were the two men who dragged Ellie away? Will Kevin ever wake up? Is Callus safe? And (the most important question of all) what is Joel going to do about this? Please tell me any thoughts in a review!

-AnimeWolfGirl9