The sun shone as though afire as it sunk below the horizon, throwing into sharp contrast the features of the land as its last dying rays faded into the oncoming darkness. The wind tore through the trees, causing them to stir, a whisper of the oncoming storm.

In the village all was silent as the remaining townsfolk scurried to batten down their shutters against the brewing storm, until finally everyone had retired inside their homes and the lights had been extinguished, shrouding the town in near complete darkness.

Suddenly there was a shout, and a door to one of the largest houses was thrown wide sending its occupants scuffling into the night. The bear of a man subdued the small figure and cussing under his breath dragged the figure around the house towards the towering barn behind it, and upon reaching the barn doors went to a ring set into the wall next to the doors where a chain was attached. Upon finding this chain he threw the figure on the ground and slid the chain through the figures collar, padlocking it and with a final brutal tug that sent the figure sprawling into the light spattering of the snow that had started to fall, he went strolling back to his house.

;p

Clouds drifted silently across the moon, effectively intensifying the dark chill of the night. All was still throughout the sleepy village; the shutters secured fast against the swelling snow storm that raged on outside unseen and unheard by most of the inhabitants, all except for one figure huddled outside of a closed barn door, studiously ignoring the biting cold of the snow that swirled and danced around her, covering her in a fine layer that she constantly shook off. With her legs folded against her body and her arms wrapped around them, she fought against the sleepy allure of the cold, huddled deep into the sacking she had scavenged from the surrounded houses, once she had escaped the chain linking her to the barn wall. As escaping tendrils of hair whipped against her face she looked with unseeing eyes into the unyielding darkness her mind swirling with the snow, offering her an escape through the night; until they finally began to close sending her into a deep sleep.