*GRRRRWWWW*

“Umm… Somebody?… Anybody? Help?” Anna whispered in terror as she stared down what looked to be a snow leopard with a flat head and shark like teeth.

She saw it hunch on its hind legs.

Is this how I’m going to die?! Terra! Grandma! Anybody! Save me!

*GRAAAAAAWWWWW*

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-“

*RAAAA-EERRIIIGH?!-*

Anna was thrown into the snow, as the leopard landed on top of her, pushing deeper with its weight. The cold snow started surrounding her, as she felt a warm liquid pour on top of her.

Oh god! Oh god! Am I dead? Am I dying?! Is this what death feels like?! Is it eating me?! What?!-

Her thoughts were interrupted as the leopard pulled away.

A large muscular figure covered head to toe in furs was holding the large leopard in one hand, carrying a large blade in the other.

The shadowy figure stared down at her as she thought to herself,

Ah! Yes… this is where I die…

As the world around her goes dark.

————————————————-

The large figure looks down at the unconscious woman and sighs. They throw the carcass of the gawanta away, in-favor of reaching down to hoist the unconscious burden on to their shoulder as they take the woman back home.

————————————————-

As Anna started to wake up, she felt very groggy, to say the least.

God what a nightmare! I thought I was— UGH! My back!

She reaches down to feel her hand hit something flat and hard.

What the hell?

She takes a look around for the first time, and as she does. She finally notices that she isn’t in her room.

Oh god! Oh god! Please tell me this is just a continuation of my nightmare! Please don’t let this be real.

She looks over towards the candle on the stone mantle. She reaches her had towards it.

“OW! Fuck! Definitely real! Definitely awake!…” Then the reality of it all rushes in on her. “Oh god! I am awake… this is… all real!”

She thought back on everything she had seen.

There was that snow storm and hill I was on… the leopard… Ah! Then there was that person! They must have brought me here!

She looks down on herself. She sees some tears her pajamas, clear marks were the leopard had torn her clothes.

She pulled her tops to see that there was patches of cloth stuck to her skin. She peeled the back slightly and hissed.

Three small puncture marks marred her skin from when the leopard fell on her.

Did that figure kill it before it attacked me?! Woo-hoo! I was saved!- Ow!

She threw her arms into the air, pulling on her wounds.

I should sit back down… No! I need to find that person and thank them for saving me! *HISS* but I need to sit down.

Her own pain won out, so she sat back down onto the stone slab. She looked around the weird looking room she was inside.

It looked like she was inside a cave of sorts. There was her blanket and comforter laying on the stone slab she was sleeping on just a moment ago, along with a carved stone shelf that was on the wall next to where the slab was next to.

In fact, it looks like the slab was a part of the wall, not a separate entity. It looked like this whole room was actually carved out.

“Wow!” Anna stared quite amazed at how long it must have taken a person to carve-out a space into stone inside a cave like this.

What she could see in the wane candlelight, there was dozens of jars and pots lining the shelves that were carved into the wall above the stone slab.

“Amazing.”

She looked around the room, where she noticed a small stove in the corner of the room. It had a pipe that connected to the wall.

That must be how the smoke escapes.

She also noticed for the first time, that the room was warm.

Thank god for the small things too I guess… if the person who rescued me didn’t have a stove, or someway to heat this place, I probably would have died from hypothermia.

She reached down for her blankets, on the slab.

They’re dry… I must have been out for a while. Not that it would take long in this warm room.

She the focused on the other point of interest of in the room.

The door…

There was a crude looking bark wooden door. Looking like a slab of wood just tied to the side of the stone wall.

Still impressive that they carved holes through the stone to sling rope hinges to this door.

She looked back towards the candle to pick it up before trying to open the door.

No telling if there will be lights or something on the other side of this door.

As she picked it up. She moved to the door. She saw the small rope like handle where a door handle might be.

She gripped it to push it open.

Oh my god!

She pushed again.

Oh. My. GOD!

Why is it so heavy?! I can barely move it!

She had to put the candle down, use both hands, and to just barely get the door to move. She pushed on the huge slab for a good thirty seconds before she had it opened enough to get out of the room.

For the love of god! Who makes a door this heavy?!

Anna picks the candle back up, the slides her way out of the room. Inside the next room. Was more of the same.

A larger more open cave, with a large wooden table with two chairs at it.

There was the pipe that ran through the wall in the other room into this one, towards another wall at the far end.

Where the pipe ended. There was a light shining from what looked like an entrance. Which looked sealed with something that looked larger than the last door she pushed open.

Guess I can’t just leave then. Not unless I am desperate. Which I am not right at the moment.

Anna looked around the large open area of the central cave she was in. There wasn’t much, just the open area, with the table and chairs, the entrance, the door she came from, five other open paths.

One path as she shined the candle down it, seemed to be some sort of storage. Another seemed to be where whoever this person that carried Anna into this cave, held their clothes.

Another held tools. There were some pickaxes, along with several bladed hatches and axes. A wood splitting maul. Some sort if sled.

Wow! This person lives like this? They must live way, WAY off the radar then… I wonder why?

But better yet. Where was this? I was home one minute, sleeping in my bed. Next thing I know, I’m on some sort of slope that is covered in snow with a weird, flat headed, lizard leopard thing! What was with that?! Is there something like that for real?! Must be a South American animal… I really need to start watching the animal planet more…

As Anna was pondering her predicament, she heard a thud from behind her. She spun in place quickly to see that the large object in-front of, what she thought was the entrance, gave way and slid to the side.

Anna stared in wonder as the huge heavy looking object was effortlessly moved away.

Their stood the figure from before. Dressed in furs similar to the thing yesterday she had seen.

She saw the person’s eyes as the fire from the candle flickered from the rushing air coming in from the outside.

Their eyes were purple! Violet even! What?!

The figure wrapped in fur grunted as it threw inside the cave the beast from earlier.

“*EEEEP!*”

Anna jumped back from the animal’s corpse.

My god! That thing is twice as big as I am! How are they just carrying it around so casually?

*TSK*

Wait? Did they just tsk at me?

The person moved to set about the place. Anna stepped back out of their way, as they moved to put he large blade like object into the cubby pathway that held the other tools.

Then to the path that held the furs.

They slowly started to get undressed. Fur coat was the first to go, leaving them in what looked like a leather shirt of some sort.

That can’t be comfortable.

Then their boots, along with strapped on leggings.

Leaving them to take off their hooded mask last. Long black hair spilled out from the fur hood as it was removed.

Anna had to gasp as the figure turned towards her after undressing for the first time.

Wow… she is just, holy shit…

The tall dark figure looked at Anna with an air of authority that screamed like she was the head bitch around here. Her muscles glistened with sweat, her skin the color of milk chocolate. Her jutting jaw line made her look strong and fierce.

Damn… if she wasn’t the personification of a butch, then I am handing in my lesbian card.

“What? Do I amuse you gack’tug?”

MMM! That voice! Splush! She must be a contralto,- No, it’s a little high, maybe a coloratura!

“Hmm… gack’tug? And what does that mean?” Anna couldn’t believe how her voice sounded to her ears, she sounded like she was a purring cat in heat.

Woah there girl! Bring it back we don’t even know if this woman even punches for the V-cards yet.

The woman breathed sharply out her nose like she was frustrated.

“It means, unwelcome.”

“……” Say what now?

Anna couldn’t believe what she just heard.

“Unwelcome?”

Surely I heard that wrong?

But the woman nodded her head.

“Yes, unwelcome, another troublesome mouth to feed.”

Wow! Rude. She has the looks, but lacks the personality.

“*SIGH* Look… I am sorry if I am intruding on your home. But let me say first, thank you for rescuing me.-“

“I do not need your thanks, I need your hands.”

“What?!”

“If you are going to be staying here, you must earn your keep.” The woman walked to the storage and pulled out a knife. She spun it in the air with a toss before catching it by the blade.

“Woah! Wait a minute-“

*THUNK*

“EEEEP!” Anna screeched as the knife landed and embedded into the table next to her.

“Carve this prey I have caught.” The woman said with a jerk of her thumb towards the leopard. She then walked towards the door of the other room. “Have it done before I wake.”

“Woah wait a minute! I don’t know the first thing about-“

The woman turned back to her, rage filling her face.

This startled Anna into flinching involuntary from her anger.

“THEN YOU WILL LEARN!” The woman yelled at her. “I can not do all the work to provide for the two of us! You must earn your keep! If you cannot! I will throw you to the hungry beasts of the wilderness!”

Anna was stunned, to say the least.

“B-but you can’t do that!”

“Of course I can! By custom I may! I have saved you, I am responsible for you! And now! I am to help you. But I may choose to abandon you as well! I am free to do so!”

Anna couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

How could this person expect me to do something I have never done before?!

The woman pointed at the animal again.

“Remove the skin and fur, cut up the meat, cook the tallow, prepare a meal. I want all of this done before I awaken.” The woman then turned towards the door, opening it with ease, before slamming it shut behind her.

Anna stared after her for a good five minutes before her brain kicked in.

This is a joke right? You have got to be fucking kidding me right?!

Oh god! What the hell is going on?!

As much as Anna Anna wanted to protest, she was honestly to scared of the muscular woman to ask her to just take her to the closest town or city.

She looked from the dead animal, then to the knife that was stuck to the table.

Great…… Good thing I am not a vegan or a vegetarian… She walked towards the table to pull the knife free.

Let’s get this over with.