The snow came down in flurries and storms, making the world white and piling more flakes onto the carpet of white that had already been laid down. Adam huddled deeper into his leather jacket, the fox fur that lined his hat keeping his ears warm as the snow flittered down around him. His hands were in the pockets of his jacket as he tried to keep as warm as possible. The dark sunglasses he wore cut out the blinding glare of the snow and protected his eyes.
He was muttering angrily to himself, his breaths steaming in the air. What was going through his head when he decided to leave at the beginning of the winter season? Almost as soon as he had gone over the hill that was nearest to his home, the snowstorm had set in. For the past two days it had blown constantly westward, blocking out the world before him and the world behind him, as well as the stars at night. He only assumed that he was going in the right direction and that the wind hadn't shifted at some point during the night.
The snow slid under his soft shoes as he climbed the steep hill, repeating Ian's directions rhythmically in his head. He hoped that the man had made it out of the tundra before the first snow storms had arrived two months ago. He should have, if he had been moving fast. In this harsh wind, Adam's progress was forced to be no faster than a stumble and a trudge through the deep snow, wearing him out faster than it would usually.
He stopped in his struggle and put his back to the wind, taking off the backpack he wore. He was travelling light, carrying some food, water, blankets, kindling, Flint and steel and a small purple gem his father had presented to him as a coming of age gift. The gem wasn't anything more than a pretty stone but the thought that had come with it was what made it valuable. His dagger was at his belt, hidden under his jacket and his bow was unstrung and tightly wrapped, safely in his backpack alongside his quiver. He took his drink bottle out of his bag and took a sip, shielding his face from the wind.
He continued his march, wading through the snow. The snow kept falling, sometimes in a light flutter, sometimes in a screaming wind that ripped at his jacket and threatened to tear his hat away. Over the next few days, Adam forced himself to go through the storm, stomping through the snow in what he thought was the right direction.
Finally, the snow died off and a warmer breeze drifted through the sparse trees. Adam raised his head from where he had been staring at his walking feet, snow caking his hat, clinging to his jacket and his glasses, his nose bright red. The only reasons that he was still alive was because his constant movement had stopped him from freezing and his sturdy clothes had been built for this weather. Even so, they were nearing the end of their useful life after such brutal treatment.
Adam hadn't realised that he was out of the tundra until he started seeing trees that he didn't recognise and caught the flash of a few wild animals. The snow that covered the ground was thinner and wetter than before and his boots quickly became soaked through. The air grew warmer the longer he tramped through the wet snow and dead grass until finally, the snow disappeared completely and he heard the laughing of running water, eventually reached a low-running stream.
He sat down with a sigh next to the banks of the river, taking a long drink of the fresh water. His hat, boots and jacket were all wet and he slowly peeled them all off, along with his sunglasses. Several drooping trees with thick branches leaned out over the river and he draped his jacket over one, putting his hat beside it and boots below, shoving his sunglasses in his bag. Adam let them dry a bit in the warm sun while he emptied and refilled his water bottle in the river and checked his weapons. His bow was undamaged despite the brutal chill and seeing as it was warmer, he hoped that he could shoot some game to replace the dried and smoked caribou meat strips he ate now.
Judging from the movement of the sun, an hour passed before his boots and jacket were dry and he pulled them both on but put his hat in his bag. He frowned, remembering that Ian had said something about an army being based on the other side of the river and while he couldn't see anything at the moment, he saw no reason to doubt Ian's word. So he moved upstream, well rested now, his boots slightly damp and his bow hanging over his shoulder, quiver at his side. The walk upstream was uneventful except for some strange water bird diving out of the reeds in front of Adam and disappearing into the grass on the other side before he could get out an arrow.
It was nearing night when Adam reached a fork in the river and the first decent crossing point. He camped under another drooping tree and crossed the river as soon as the sun got up, jumping from stone to stone just like he did when he had been at home, although these stones were flatter and not covered with the green lichen he was so used to seeing. He kept walking across the unusual countryside for the next few days. The grass was greener and longer and the air wasn't so frigid as it was at home. It was warmer too, about as warm as summer even though it was still winter. He kept walking with the rising sun ahead of him until he saw a long line of dark green on the horizon. He was almost at the base of the trees before he realised that it was a very dense forest.
He came to a stop and sighed, taking the opportunity to take a drink. "Forest. What did Ian say about a forest?" He wracked his brains for a few minutes before turning south. The forest stretched out on his left for hours as he walked, bored out of his mind but enjoying the warmer air.
Almost two weeks after he had left home, as the sun was nearing its peak on his left, Adam saw a dark spot on the horizon which slowly grew. As he came closer, he recognised the tall stone of a protective wall around what was presumably an army base. The stone seemed old and it was crumbling in parts, and though he was still half an hour's walk away, Adam fancied that he could see no warriors atop the wall.
He walked around the base of the wall, one hand lightly touching the stone. He could hear people talking nearby and heard the snorting of multiple horses and saws on wood. The sounds didn't seem to be an army at rest, but Adam still kept a hand on his dagger. Up ahead, he saw large stones scattered across the grass and he was almost upon them when he realised that the stone wall had been attacked at some point, falling down until it was scattered across the grass like the wood pieces he played with as a child. The gap stretched for metres on end and when he looked past the wall, he saw people dressed in old coats working like honey bees, cutting up trees and shaping them into beams and moving the stones that were also scattered on the other side and calling out to their fellows.
Several of them gave curious glances to Adam as he picked his way over the stones and around the work hive. No doubt he looked very curious with his leather jacket and thick boots. One man who was helping to lift the logs that formed the frame of a house saw him wandering through and passed off his load to another before approaching the newcomer, dusting his hands off on his beige shirt.
"Hey," he said easily. "How can I help you?"
"Uh," Adam hesitated. "I'm just... looking for something."
"What kind of thing?" the man asked. "I might be able to help you."
Adam quickly appraised the man. His long-sleeved beige shirt and blue jeans showed signs of frequent hard work but his red shoes were in good condition. He had light brown hair that was cut short to stay out of his brown eyes that were undoubtedly doing the same appraisal of Adam. He seemed welcoming but prone to jumping into action. Adam cast a quick glance around the base. It was obviously an old army base, but while the people working seemed to be general village people, he didn't want to risk getting tangled in another petty war between lords.
"Just directions," Adam said vaguely in answer to the man's question. "I'm looking for a friend."
"Well, we've got a few connections in the surrounding villages, we might be able to point you somewhere," the man said with a grin, waving Adam forward. "Come on!"