Wilson's POV

Turns out, Winter was very cold.

It was even colder when you were alone away from a fire or any other source of warmth.

I blew heart into my already freezing hands and rubbed them together as I trudged along, trying to drive the shivers away from my vulnerable frame. Some part of me was greatly regretting leaving like that, but if I was honest with myself I wasn't completely certain Webber wasn't about to tackle me. And despite the fact he was almost half my size, he was also half spider with claws and teeth and I had nothing like that, so he probably would have had the upper hand.

Shivers of fear joined the pre-existing shivers on my arms, and I closed my eyes and forced myself to take a deep breath. I was imagining something that didn't happen- that would never happen. The fact I was imagining being mauled by a seven-year-old only cemented the fact that I was being completely ridiculous.

What I wasn't being ridiculous about was that I could very easily die out here. I squinted at the sky. I wasn't completely sure how long I had been wandering around, but it must have been long enough. The skyline on one horizon was orangish pink with the sunset. Even as I stood I could hear the sounds of birds and other animals becoming quieter and quieter. I slowly dropped my eyes to my feet. I wanted to go back so badly. I wanted to go back and sit next to the fire and watch Webber and WX argue and relax.

If I go back now, they'll team up on me, I thought wryly. Even if I could take on and defeat Webber by myself, there is no way I could defend myself against both him and WX.

And that'd be admitting defeat! They'll see that I don't need them!

But what if they need you? A tiny voice pointed out. Then it's their own fault for chasing me away, I thought back furiously. I nodded to myself and looked around the forest, searching for something to make a fire big enough to survive the long winter night and chase away the cold that had settled into my bones.

By the time night had fully fallen, I had managed to get a small fire going. It wasn't much, it probably wasn't enough, but it was something at least. I couldn't let myself fall asleep, the fire was just too weak to allow me to stop caring about it for a minute. It was admittedly hard though... mainly due to the fact it was so cold and being near the fire made me warm, and it was like a blanket, hiding me from the darkness, surrounding me, blanketing me, encouraging me to relax...

No! Stay awake, Wilson! Stay awake!

The sky happily obliged in helping and gentle flakes of snow began to drift down from the sky. They landed softly, without a sound, a silent killer hidden cheerfully behind a mask of frost. I frowned at the fire. Just a little longer. Just stay awake a little longer... if you fall asleep this fire will go out and you WILL freeze to death. Or get killed by the Night Monster. Or some other terrible fate I can't think of right now.

Daytime was a long time coming. A long, exhausting, time coming. But it finally did come, and when it did the fire was still alive. First thing's first, I need to find a way to keep myself awake.

My mind instantly turned my feet to the side, and I wondered for a moment why. Oh, right, the frog ponds.. maybe a little cold water would help.

I didn't want to waste the precious fire though. This was the only thing that stopped me from moving that very second. Hesitantly, I grabbed some fairly thick and sturdy branch from nearby and let it hover in the fire for a moment until it caught. I was careful not to move it too quickly as to kill the newly born flame, but the fire took to the wood much better than it took to the damp grass, and it stayed steady. I shoved the hand not holding the torch into a pocket and puffed my chest out.

I wasn't that easy to take out.

I wasn't that easy to take out!

Filled with rather forced determination, I set off towards the ponds. The snowfall from the night before had become heavier, and as I walked the heaviness only increased. I paused, squinting through the snow as it stung my eyes. I need to get to shelter first... the chill was enough to wake me up finally, but that was no longer something I cared about. The wind was picking up as the snowfall tried to turn into a full-on blizzard.

And yet... below the sound of the howling wind... below the sound of my panicked heartbeat...

Was that coughing?

I frowned and kept my gaze low, trying desperately to keep the snow out of my eyes. It didn't matter if that was someone coughing. They were probably going to die anyway, just as I was. The sound soon disappeared, and I assured myself it was just a figment of my sleep-deprived imagination. In the corners of my eyes, something black whizzed past my vision, and I glanced up.

Naturally, this was a mistake.

Along with the blast of ice-cold snow whipping me in the face, something suddenly wrapped itself around my ankles, and before I could struggle to get them off I tripped, hitting the ground awkwardly. It wasn't a hard landing, but it was a cold landing. The shadows around my feet retreated, and they swirled together vertically in a pillar for a moment.

Is this what dying is like? Is this me hallucinating? Will those shadows turn into something to escort me to the afterlife?

The figure, however, was not at all familiar. I could make it out as being tall and thin, but its silhouette didn't give any indication to any other features. The shadows drew away, just leaving me and the silhouette.

I didn't even notice that it had stopped snowing in a perfect circle around us, and the blizzard raged on around us.

It slowly walked towards me and offered a hand. I was still breathing heavily due to the exertion of pushing through the blizzard for so long, but I took it anyway and it pulled me to my feet.

Its hand was cold and slippery, almost slimy.

"You seemed to have fallen," the figure commented. Its voice was impossible to describe or comprehend, but if I had to, I would explain it as 'feminine yet masculine, deep yet high-pitched, cheerful yet filled with hatred'.

"Yeah... thanks for helping me up." I narrowed my eyes, trying to put out distinguishing features. "Who... are you?"

The figure shrugged a movement that sent ripples all down its incorporeal body. "No one important to you... yet."

"Yet?"

"Let's just say we aren't supposed to meet until much, much later."

"Wait..." I took a few panicked steps back, trying to put the pieces together. I wasn't even cold anymore... like the presence of the figure eliminated everything deadly. "Maxwell...?" I didn't even mean for my voice to sound so hostile, but the thought of that arrogant grin resting on me again made me want to punch the nearest living thing.

It laughed. "No, no. Maxwell is... the master."

"Master? You're one of Maxwell's creations?"

"I existed long before the master," it circled me, its body warping and shifting unnaturally. "You are lost?"

"I-I guess you could say that."

"You are alone as well... I could have sworn you had more people." It paused. "They are lost as well."

"Lost? No, they're back at camp." I frowned. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to assist you." It waved its arm, a tuft of silver-black fur suddenly appearing in its palm. I cautiously reached out to grab it and shivered at the oily texture. "The fur of the beast mortals like yourself call the Bearger," it announced. "One of the five items needed for your escape."

"One of? What are the other four?"

"Your friends know the answer," it replied simply. Behind the figure, more of the blizzard lifted to reveal a pathway... a clear pathway. "Go to them. They understand now that you need each other."

I was left with my mouth half-open. "Wait! How would they understand!" I looked back at it, and it was gone. No! "What is your name!? Who are you!?"

The edges of my vision darkened as the same voice echoed through my mind, accompanied by the incredibly loud and piercing sound of tinnitus. "I am the demon that comes when you call its name...

I am your greatest Nightmare."