I wrote this story almost a year ago, and posted it on the Long Dark subreddit. However, it wasn't really the place for a fanfic. This is my first published work, so please give me advice, and let me know if you want the continuation of the story.
Chapter One
A lone figure walked across the snow-laden ground, his breath clouding in front of him as he trudged through the snow, leaving a trail of footprints behind him. His nose was red from the cold, and his lips were pale behind his full beard, his black hair covering the lower half of his face, keeping it warm. A thick toque covered most of his head, with his ears safely covered, and only a few tufts of curly hair poking out of the hat. The outermost jacket that he wore was partially unzipped, allowing for some cold air to come in to keep him from sweating, but not enough to substantially lower his temperature. He carried a backpack, with a bow slung over his shoulder, a quiver hanging from his right hip, and a hatchet hanging from his left. A pot hung from the bag, and the morning sun shone brightly off it, unfiltered by any clouds, for the sky above was a deep blue blanket.
Amongst the rocky outcrops that he walked between, scarce few things could be seen; a fallen tree branch here, a lone rabbit hopping along by itself there. Yet he kept his eyes alert and his ears attentive.
"It only takes one slip up to end it all," he murmured to himself, remembering the advice of his father.
Up ahead he could see the frozen ocean, stretching out all the way to Jackrabbit Island, a decently sized landmass that was one of two islands in the bay that indicated the edge of the stable ice, an invisible line one shouldn't cross without reason, for fear of the weak, deceptive ice further out. The other island was known by the locals as Misanthrope's Island, upon which stood the Misanthrope's Homestead, the house belonging to an old hermit who lived alone on the island. Lucas remembered that island well, as his father had been hired to investigate a rumour of a bear settling in the cave nestled in an alcove of the island next to the shore. He had accompanied his father, and the whole time he had been nervous about whether or not a bear had actually made his home in the cave. No bear had been found, much to the relief of the fourteen-year-old, and at least the hermit had been grateful for the work Lucas and his father had done. Both were treated to a hot meal, a welcomed gift after a day in the cold.
Glancing forwards, Lucas saw the road up ahead, deserted, as it had been for a while now. Very few people came to Great Bear Island, and that was before The Collapse. After that, the only ones there were those who needed to, such as workers, or those who lived there, such as Lucas himself, born and raised in the untamed wilds of the island. Turning to the left, he stepped onto the road, feeling the ground change from fresh snow to hard concrete, providing much more grip on his boots. Just ahead stood three houses, lined up on the shore with a jetty protruding out from the shore onto the ice. Lucas saw a man standing on the peer, keeping his head on a swivel, looking out for any wolves, or worse, that might be prowling the ice. The man noticed Lucas approaching, waved, and started to walk over to him.
"Greetings, Orion," the man, Barry, called out, walking over with a grin on his face, his brown hair and clean-shaven face exposed. "What brings a hunter like yourself to Coastal Highway?"
"Mayor Quincey has asked for my services," Lucas, also known by some as 'Orion', replied. "Apparently one of the men in Cinder Hills twisted his ankles."
"Ah, yeah, I do remember someone mentioning that. Pretty sure it was George who busted his ankle. No way he's going to be up and on watch duty. No good patrolling if you have to take a breather every couple of minutes," Barry lamented, shaking his head as he stood in front of Lucas. "Quincey might have been tempted to try it, but with the bull moose that was sighted recently, she isn't taking any chances. She's probably called you to deliver some supplies to the lads across the bay," Barry gestured, pointing across the frozen expanse, and Lucas could just make out in the clear daylight a group of three houses.
"Right," he said, "then I'd better be off, I don't want to waste much time. I've got an errand for Quincey to do, and then I need to head to the Riken. I've got an order for some arrowheads that should be made by now to collect."
"Ah, heading to the old whaling ship, huh?" Barry asked. "Well, in that case, give Lohar and his family our regards. I'd also better get back to watching the lad's backs."
"I will, thanks. Have a good day Barry."
With that, the two men parted ways, Barry heading back to the pier and Lucas continuing along the road.