There was a great snapping sound that echoed like thunder outside. The infant in his arms cried and would not rest. Over the child and the symphony of snow and ice that rained down on his roof, he heard the slightest sound of distress. It sounded like a voice, someone crying out for help. He hated to go outside in the weather, if something were to happen, he would leave his girl with no means for survival. But she was too young and too frail to travel with him. So, he wrapped himself in layers of coats and scarves and started to wander out into the storm. 

 The snow stuck to his hair and lashes, weighing him down and freezing his eyes. The ice that the sky threw at him battered his back. He could feel the shards leaving bruises even with the many layers he wore. The wind whipped at him, trying to pull him from the ground. He wobbled as he marched on, following the sound as it got louder. Then he came upon a fallen tree, the trunk splintered from the cold. Beneath a long and heavy branch was a young woman. She wheezed, “Help… Please…”, she called out one more time before collapsing, her face slowly being covered by the snow. He reached out to her, but hesitated. There was no way to prove she was a person. How did he know she wasn't some fae from the Wood of Beasts, here to lure him away from his new born child. Just as he was about to turn away from her, he remembered the oath he took as a young healer. He had no time to admire her or look at her face, for the sharp, cold wind was making it harder and harder to see. 

 With a struggle, he managed to lift the branch that pinnered her down and pulled her over his shoulder. He marched back through the ever climbing snow mounds and finally made it back to his cabin, half built into a large tree. Snow had coated the roof and almost built up the sides of the cabin walls. With much effort, he was able to push the door open, then close again behind him. He placed her on one of the beds that were tucked in the corners of the infirmary. She was wearing warm weather clothing, a simple red dress with gold beads. Her skin and hair was dark and her back was dark blue from the impact of the limb. After applying salve to her wounds and adding wood to the fire, he went to the cradle. Inside was the infant, as she had been before. She slept soundly, wrapped in her blankets. She must have fallen asleep while he was gone. 

 He slept in the infirmary, keeping a close eye on the woman. She looked like someone from Carnelian, but he couldn't be sure. “What a crazy woman.” He laughed. “Going into a storm with nothing but a dress on. If I hadn't found you, you would be frozen at the bottom of a snow mound, dug up by some wolf and eaten, lost to history.” He rambled on for his own comfort. The woman couldn't hear him, she was asleep and would be for quite some time. The storm rattled the windows as the man fell asleep beside the cradle...