Chapter one: Ursus Maritimus

Uoya isn't used to visitors.

Actually, let her put it more simply. Uoya doesn't get visitors. Period. Especially not soaking wet ones clad only in a sweater and jeans fist fighting a bunch of polar bears.

A harsh gust of wind kisses her already red nose, little flakes of snow brushing into the air from the slate ground. She can only watch for a moment from afar, absolutely dumbstruck, as a 300 pound polar bear is sent flying twenty meters with a howl after getting clocked in the chin.

Uoya drops the fishing rod held in her grasp, raising her hands to frantically rub at her eyes. Nope. As the blur fades from her vision the interesting, yet completely insane image does not change.

Well, until the figure's shoulders dramatically slump and they fall to their knees. Uoya blinks rapidly again as not a moment later their front falls forward onto the ice in an unmoving heap.

"Uhh.."

She should uh, probably check that out, huh?

"Arf!" Uoya jumps, startled as a dusky gray blur suddenly zooms past her, before she reminds herself she should probably move now, and fast.

"Fishcake! Wait!"

It is incredibly awkward running in snowshoes across the fluffy terrain but she refuses to slow down, encouraged by the thought of a vengeful polar bear charging back in a rage any second.

"Arf! Rah- Arf!"

"Hu-god," Uoya heaves violently, leaning her hands on her knees as her chest heaves in and out of breath as she comes to a stop next to the person's heap. She hasn't tried to do that in years. Fishcake is sniffing wildly around the person, who Uoya can now recognize to be a younger man most likely.

"This is crazy.." She mutters, falling to her knees and scrambling forward as Fishcake begins to nudge the man's sides and whimpering. "What the hell… uh- you okay man?"

She pushes him up by his shoulder, groaning at his weight as she finally rolls his body over so his front is facing skyward. His otherwise pale face is tainted in colour at his lips, nose, and ears as they adorn an extremely unfortunate shade of deep, rosy purple. Which makes sense considering the guy is soaking wet and only wearing a goddamn sweatshirt! How on earth has he made it this far?

She catches a glimpse at his hands, not in much better state than his face and her heart pounds even faster. She nearly slams her head down onto his chest at the speed she leans herself down. She waits a beat, and then two.

Silence..?

"Oh my god…" She flings herself back up on instinct, hands hovering above his body, absolutely horrified. His heart isn't beating. "OH MY GOD!"

A faint whistle blows through the wind, just silent enough for her to hear his sudden groan. She leans back, mortified. Isn't there a thing where the body will make noises after death? Releasing gasses and such…

"Oh my god."

"Mhmm.. shhhut.." Uoya jerks back on her heels in fright, before falling onto her back awkwardly because she had leapt back onto her own snowshoe.

Did he just.. Speak?

Uoya swallows as Fishcake leaps back, standing alert and sniffing wildly, digging a little pit into the snow next to the man.

"Umm.." She leans forward bravely, struggling to listen. "- quiet.."

"AH!" She yelps alongside Fishcake who jumps forward and starts to wildly lick the man's face and yap. "You just spoke!"

There's a moment of long hesitation, where the absurdity of the moment washes over her and nearly pulls her in like a tide, and then the man's frozen face twitches against the relentless Fishcake kisses and she hops into action.

"Fishcake go get your dog sled! NOW!"

"Yarf-Ark!" Fishcake bounds off towards the cabin at breakneck speed as Uoya hurriedly unwinds her scarf from around her face and mummifies the man's own.

"You're okay," She stutters, completely out of her own depth as a pair of ghostly blue eyes crack open. "I've got you."