Chill Factor|Finished

During the past week or so Sandra had made a new acquaintance that has been having difficulties with their powers. This woman’s powers were similar to teleportation as she could transfer an object or herself from one place to another at a speed that surpassed the blink of an eye. Her range was quite far and she could easily teleport one person anywhere on the island. Which is where Sandra comes in, she made a deal with her fellow student that if she could help her improve her control over her powers that she would teleport Sandra where ever she desired during the winter since Sandra was basically trapped within the academy during the winter season.

Over the course of the week Sandra played more of a moral support role as to begin with there wasn’t much else she could do to help her. They started with teleporting small objects like pencils and rulers, then moved toward bigger objects and small creatures. Sandra was fairly optimistic in the girl’s abilities after a few days so she finally volunteered herself as a human test subject. The girl’s initial destination for Sandra was the other side of her dorm, but she was nowhere to be seen within the room. She frantically began to search within closed off areas such as her closet, but found nothing.

A couple seconds later, deep within the forsaken frigid forest Sandra was reformed and plopped onto a snow bank surrounded by leafless oaks. She landed flat onto her feet and sunk into the powder. In full alert her head twitched every which way to reassure herself of her new location. She picked up on three things as she searched around in a panic, the sun’s heat rays were still strong enough to reach her even in the cold climate, the school was nowhere in immediate sight, and that her attire was not nearly warm enough to keep her core body temperature away from lethal levels for very long. Two hoodies and thick fabric cargo pants were not ideal for the outdoors during the winter season for normal people, so it was even worse for her.

Sandra had to think quickly and intelligently because as of now her life was on the line and she did not have the time for any slip ups. So first thing she decided on was to start moving and move quickly. She looked up to the sky to try and determine which way she should be heading based on the way that the sun was setting. Unfortunately she didn’t really know where the school’s location was relative to the island, but her gut told her that it might be westward. So she began to sprint as fast as she could since heat was created by friction and the more heat she could get the better.

Sandra would definitely not be able to complete this venture alive alone, so calling out for help seemed like the best plan to make. However the beasts that lurked in these woods was a problem that could not be avoided with that choice. It was a risk she had to take in order to survive because even if an animal of some sort did come around she could still steal its body heat, but the unfriendly ones were a bit more troublesome. She did it anyway, shouting at the top of her lungs and cupping her hands around her mouth to extend the call a bit more. The woods were so quiet that someone near the forest line might hear it although given that the forest was so dense it could factor against her. She began to slow down quickly as her stamina level was none too strong, her confidence also dwindled as her strides became less and less.

Lilly yawned and opened her eyes, stretching and immediately starting to shiver. How did I end up here?
The small girl looked up and around her surroundings. It appeared to be a forest. She pushed herself up off the ground. Lilly brushed her now ruffled hair out of her eyes. Judging by the amount of knots, she’d somehow been sleeping out here for hours.
No wonder she was so cold.
She crossed her arms across her chest, trying to hold her body heat in. This was when hyper-senses were a con. Actually, that was a good chunk of the time.
Lilly quickly decided that staying out here was a stupid idea, even for her. She tried to remember the way back, but she couldn't, and her tracks were covered by the snow, which only left one remotely sensible option. She smelt the air for her own scent, planning to back track like that, but instead of her familiar scent, she smelt someone quite a way away, presumably, with the scents of panic lingering around. When she listened she heard cries and, even more closely, the sound of footsteps through snow.
Her first instinct was to run away from whatever danger had caused the person to call for help, but she still ended up running towards the scent. The snow slowed her significantly, as, with her diminutive size, her legs sank far into the drifts.
Lilly decided that further fright wouldn't help the crier, so once she thought she was close, she started calling out back to them, along the lines of “help’s coming”. She hoped she could help, anyway.
Lilly managed to find tracks through the snow after about a minute and a half more, and then it was considerably faster progress as she could just put her feet down in their tracks. It was a large stretch, but she could manage it. Just.
”Hey!” She shouted as she saw the other girl in front of her. The volume practically deafened her, but she knew that the sooner she was heard to be coming, the better.
The tracks seemed to be bunching together now, which was certainly easier for Lilly, as she didn't need to jump so far, but also a little concerning as to why they had slowed.
She could see the figure now, practically just trudging on, when she’d clearly been running to start.
It was a girl, in appearance a few years older than herself. Lilly slowed down to the same pace when she was next to her and said as reassuringly as she could manage; "You called for help?”
The small girl decided to do what she could for this stranger, and the most obvious thing seemed to be the apparently increased difficulty walking.
Trying to make walking easier for the other girl, Lilly reached one arm around her back to give support. There was a limit to how useful this could be given their size gap.

Feeling nearly out of breath, Sandra’s speed dropped significantly. She changed from a full out sprint to a very slow jog that was bogged down by the deepness of the snow. Her breathes were heavy and her throat felt as though it had no moisture left at all. Even though she had ran for quite a while she still felt it was without purpose since there still wasn’t any school walls in sight. It was a huge place so if she couldn’t see its structure over the trees then it probably wasn’t nearby.

Sandra’s head quickly perked up and twisted around when she heard the echo of another person’s voice pass by her. She felt absolutely relieved almost as if she had been saved already, but a partner to guide her out of the woods was only the beginning. She still had to survive the walk back. She continued to trudge through the thick snow regardless of the small woman who came running to her aid. There was no doubt in her mind that the woman could catch up with her in a matter of seconds and there was still plenty of ground to cover before her arrival to the school.

As Sandra predicted the woman caught up to her fairly quickly and slowed herself down to her pace. Her saviour seemed to be much younger than herself which gave her a little less hope for the situation. Sure some help is better than no help, but Sandra wanted a person with a bit more body mass that could spare some of their body heat. The girl that found her did not appear to be too warm herself. Her effort to support Sandra immediately was much appreciated, but didn’t amount to much. Having a back support helped her balance greatly which might have helped a bit, however it was not entirely noticeable.

Sandra’s body shivered immensely as she continued through the thick powder. Her body’s temperature dropped greatly since she had first arrived and already her feet felt completely frozen since her sneakers were not exactly built to combat against snow. If she didn’t remember this day than her frost bitten toes would. Her enlarged beady eyes peered over to her companion as she took in a large breathe to allow herself clearance to speak. “Yes, I need to get back to the school and quickly… Do you know which way it is?” she questioned with her speech switching back forth from slowly to quickly. With the mixture of the cold wet snow and the chilling air she began to miss overheating and exploding.

Lilly didn't comment on how cold the girl felt. It was freezing cold out here, and she didn't seem to have that much to protect against the cold, so it wasn't much of a surprise for body temperatures to be low.
Lilly was considerably concerned by the shivering, so she took off her scarf and gave it to the larger girl. ”It probably won’t help much, but it can’t hurt. I would lend you my coat, but you’re much bigger than me, so I think it wouldn't be too useful.” She gestured with her arm, the one holding the scarf, indicating the height difference. She also would have lent gloves, but as she didn't have any on her, that would be pretty difficult.
Seriously, Lilly wasn't that concerned about the cold right now. If it got really bad, she could probably heal off from it, which was more than could be said for the other girl. Well, assuming that she didn't also heal more quickly than a normal person; Lilly thought this was a pretty safe assumption.
Lilly nodded slightly when she heard the query, and briefly scented the air, trying to work out their location. She turned her head slightly, attempting to pick up some indication of where they were. She recognized something, a little way away, and decided that was probably what she was looking for. It wasn't like she had explored that much outside the school– it was winter and freezing cold- so it was almost certainly close to the school buildings.
She turned and pointed vaguely in the direction it had come from.
”That way, I think.”
Even with her prediction that her support wouldn't be great, this was a bit of a downer in Lilly’s eyes. She could tell she was of very little help, but at least her idea of where the school should be might be useful.
”I’m probably not very helpful right now, am I? But I guess you really don’t like the snow.” She grinned very slightly. Lilly guessed they should hurry though, like the other girl said, as that weird lilting couldn't be a good sign.

The minute the woman offered her scarf to Sandra she snatched it with her tiny jittering hands and tied it around her neck as quickly as she could so that her hands could return to her pockets. Her hands were more sensitive to the cold due to the nature of her powers, so the less time she had them out the better. Even within the comforts of her pockets, her hands still didn’t cease their movement by impulse she had to keep them moving in order to create friction. It helped a bit, but it wouldn’t be enough to keep her warm. As for her newly received scarf, it covered her neck quite well and the less of her body exposed to the freezing air the better. ”Thank you… much appreciated” she replied in the same sort of mannerisms as before.

Sandra slightly turned her head toward the direction the stranger had recently pointed out to be where the school was. It wasn’t exactly the route she had taken, but she wasn’t going to question her judgement. Sandra supposed that the girl probably had a better idea of the school grounds, so her hunch was probably Sandra’s. Even if the girl didn’t know much about the school grounds she still was definitely more knowledgeable than Sandra, she hadn’t been outside the building since she first got there. She shifted her body to face the way her guide had pointed out to her and once again began to plod through the deep, thick snow. As she moved forward she could feel the snow filling up her shoes and already the tips of her toes went numb.

Sandra’s chin tried to snuggle its way into her scarf so that she could at least try to warm it up before that could go numb as well. It didn’t work too well, but it was still satisfying enough that she kept it there. She attempted to twist her head back over to the younger girl and tried to peer over the side of her hood that was blocking Sandra’s vision of her. “Little help… is better than no help” she muffled through her scarf. “I’d like the snow… if it wasn’t so damn… coooold” she tried to convey in a more light hearted tone. Even at the brink of death, Sandra didn’t like to keep things all too serious although it was a bit difficult as of now. “My body isn’t made for cold… My body can barely withstand room temperature.”

Well, it was good to see that her offer was accepted, seemingly with great enthusiasm. Apparently it shielded from the cold pretty well, but that was only to be expected.
“You’re welcome.” She considered for a second. ”I could lend you the coat if you didn't mind looking a little…er, well, strange, but I guess you’re probably not too concerned with that right now, are you?”
Lilly wasn't entirely sure if they were going in the right direction, but she thought it was most likely to be this way, and even if it weren't, it would be better to be moving quickly and confidently, for warmth’s sake.
The snow was pretty thick now, and Lilly didn't have any tracks to assist in picking her way through, and her legs had to go pretty deep into the snow, so she was aware that she might be slowing them down. However, they still seemed to be making decent progress, so she wasn't too concerned about that detail.
She nodded in acknowledgement of her appreciation again. She wasn't sure if that was a jab at her size or not, so she just decided not to react at all.
Her tone was very slightly sarcastic when she spoke again. ”Yeah, snow would be fantastic if it wasn't ready to freeze your fingers off at any second.” She didn't add that the snow seemed to deliberately bounce the light into her face; as it was, she thought she could pass off the very slight squint as not wanting to get snow in her eyes. Lilly also wasn't too sure how the topic had passed onto snow from trying to work out how to get back to the school.
”I think I know what you mean.” Sort of. Well, Lilly was normally okay in reasonably cold locations, but it was just the scent and noises of most places that made her suffer. ”I’m not exactly built for modern life, either.” She pulled her arm in close across her chest again, after it getting too cold. Super-senses really weren't fun very often, and Lilly thought the comparison, as she could see it, was fairly similar- they both suffered as a result of their abilities, it appeared. ”I assume that’s because of your “Gifts”…”
Lilly shivered slightly. It sure was cold out here. Still, she wasn't regretting her decision. The other girl seemed to need her winter gear more than Lilly, and she wasn't going to turn down helping if the result was…well, there really was no way to describe exactly what the other girl seemed to be going through. It was certainly more brutal than anything Lilly had seen from a normal human in the cold before.

Sandra gazed into the distance as she continued to move forward through the deep, thick snow. By her vision there was not much to see, it seemed as though the trail that lied ahead of them only contained leafless oaks and an amount of snow that could compete against the Himalayas. It was going to take a miracle for her to reach the school without gaining frost bites so horrid that that amputation may be required. It was definitely a dirty thought she wished she never put into her mind. It seemed worse than not making it back at all. She was intensely fearful of such an outcome, so when the other woman offered another of her winter wear Sandra couldn’t refuse it. “I’d look… a lot stranger with a body covered in… frost bites… your jacket would be nice” she stated sounding as though her vocal cords were shivering as well. Sandra was not bothered by the fact that she left little for her guide to keep herself warm since she was the one offering so she knew what she was putting herself through.

Sandra was doing all she could to preserve as much heat as possible and yet it still wasn’t enough. Sure her body temperature was high enough to keep her alive, but it wasn’t going to stay that way in the next twenty minutes or so. She was already feeling strange palpitations within her chest. She didn’t know much of what that could mean, but if anything was for certain it wasn’t good. Every step she took she could feel less and less impact on the soles of her feet, just another bad indication to give her less hope.

The woman began to make comparisons of herself and Sandra. Sandra had a bit of difficultly listening to her guide as her erratic breathing patterns were a bit loud. The woman may not be fit for modern life, but Sandra was barely fit for life at all. In fact, her survival up to their current period of time was astonishing, since her ‘gifts’ gave her such a huge disability that she would have died at a younger age if man had not learned how to harness heat. “I would never refer to my abilities as… a ‘gift’… there has never been a time in my… entire life in which IIII’ve felt thankful for my powers… Not once” she attempted to muffle through her scarf. “Matched with my… incredible stupidity this day was bound to come” she mumbled very spitefully. “I had just one thing to avoid in this world… and now I’m surrounded entirely by it. Fucking moron.” she spat out silently while shaking her head in disappointment of herself.

Lilly really was no longer using her sense of sight. With her heightened senses, she could navigate just fine by nose and ear. This was certainly easier through the snow, although it didn't help the issue of the snow’s depth at all. Some of the snow was easily reaching up to her thighs now, which her trousers couldn't protect from the chill of and she struggled to walk through. Snow had found its way into her boots, and was melting in a puddle around her toes.
Lilly didn't have much difficulty working out what the other girl was trying to say. Her senses made the girl’s loud breathing hurt a little, but not greatly, and also meant she could easily make out the quieter sections too, even through the fabric.
”That was pretty much what I was thinking.” She slipped off her jacket and almost immediately the cold hit her. Lilly just managed to suppress the shivering for a few seconds, as she handed it over. She couldn't stop the shivers any longer than that, though. From the small amount of information she had received about the girl’s powers, Lilly felt that the cold would be worse for her, which was a comfort for Lilly given how cold it was.
That quavering in the other girl’s voice really quite worried Lilly. It appeared her assistance wasn't as great as she had hoped.
”Well, I kind of have to in some ways. They've saved my life way more times than I can count, but that doesn't stop them being a constant pain as well. I can’t complain about the usefulness of my Gifts, no matter how much I hate it.
“Maybe the time they’ll be useful to you is coming up.” Lilly was banking on feeling the cold like that being some form of payment for her actual abilities.
Lilly wanted to mention that if she was “incredibly” stupid she wouldn't be able to believe it, but she figured that would be highly counter-productive. ”Don’t beat your-self up. How is that gonna help at all? Very few people have ever achieved anything worth the effort while beating themselves up.”
The scent she’d picked up before was definitely stronger now, but it still felt like it was quite a way away. She just hoped they could get there quickly enough. Judging by those shivers, the other girl was seriously cold, even with Lilly’s attempts to keep her warm, and except for keeping going as fast as they could manage, there really wasn't any way to help further that she was aware of. Judging the distance was pretty hard. She had a lot of experience with that trick, but as she didn't know exactly what she was following yet, it was pretty hard to judge how far it was.
Lilly didn't know when the best time to introduce her-self was, so she decided to just do it now. ”My name is Lilly Smith. When we get up to the school, I’ll get you hot chocolate, okay?” She smiled slightly up at the taller girl. ”Get some compensation for this cold, or something.”

Just like the scarf she had been handed earlier, Sandra quickly swiped the jacket from the smaller woman’s clutch. A winter jacket required a bit more time to put on than a scarf so her hands suffered the cold for a little bit longer than she had wanted them to. As she tried to connect the two teethed ends of her newly acquired jacket she had missed the mark a couple times due to her haste. She eventually got the thing on and within seconds her hands shot back into the warmth of her pockets. The coat was stretching a lot and no doubt there was probably a tear or two somewhere on the fabric of it.

The snow had become noticeably deeper; the other girl almost seemed buried in it. The same went for Sandra except it was at the midpoint between her knee and waist. She could already feel the numbness from her feet creeping up her leg and tensing up her muscles. Hope was wearing thin the more and more she walked. She needed a larger source than just a jacket and scarf. Her eyes travelled toward the young woman for a moment as she began to speak. She still heard her words and processed them, but in the back of her mind her survival instincts were demanding her to steal the woman’s body heat. She held back the temptation, but her arm still made a twitch outward almost like she was about to release her hand from her pocket. “It isn’t saving my… life now, in fact it’s being quite… counterproductive at that” she muffled.

“And… I know negativity isn’t going to help now… but I need to own up to my mistakes… for once. Having little… self discipline is what got me here to begin with. Besides, I can already feel my… legs giving away” she stated as she began to stumble a bit. Her slouch became greater as she could already feel her muscles tense up slightly. “Hot chocolate would be nice… could you tell the staff to… send it up to Sandra Petric’s room… I’ll pick it up when summer comes around…” she stated as her body began tilt forward almost causing her to fall face first into the snow. Luckily she caught herself before she could fall. “…because unless the school’s close by… I might just be sleeping for the next… lifetime.” she continued with a couple pauses to snivel. From Sandra perspective her little spiel seemed more cohesive than it actually was. Her body wasn’t the only thing readying itself to shutdown.

As Sandra began to struggle a strange sound of something trotting through the snow echoed. Out from the brush, a bit further ahead of them on the left side of their path, came a hopping deer that quickly ran off the pathway as soon as it appeared. The thing seemed to be startled by something although there was nothing that gave clue to what spooked it. No sound of anything chasing it and clearly nothing could be seen following it either.

Lilly was glad to see her offer was accepted- it couldn't hurt too much, really- but a tad disappointed that her jacket got torn. It was only to be expected really, even if she didn't like it.
”I’m guessing you didn't turn up here of your own accord, though. You seem pretty intelligent to me, and I doubt you’d deliberately run off into the snow, if you suffered from the cold this badly. The tracks didn't seem to come from anywhere, so I would think you ca- no, you’d have already used it- know a tele-porter of some kind, who can’t aim very well. Blame your luck, not yourself.” Lilly had only said her half-monologue quite quietly, as she was listening in to what the other girl was saying.
”Yeah, sure.” She thought that after saving this girl-Sandra’s- life, ordering a hot chocolate would be easy.
As the other girl leaned forward, Lilly made to stop her fall, but Sandra already had righted herself. Lilly would have asked if Sandra were okay, if the answer wasn't blatantly obvious as a “no”.
The next comment worried her considerably, however. ”I hope it’s close then.
“I should tell you, the ability that’s saved my life, the one I could actually like, is healing, so maybe, well, I’m guessing, but, if what you do is drain heat from your surroundings, if you drained from me, my temperature wouldn't fall as much as a normal person. I think.” Her thoughts to this end weren't particularly organized, and it showed in how she was speaking. If that twitch had been anything to go on, it was in Sandra’s instincts to sap something from Lilly, and heat did seem the most obvious solution given how cold she seemed to be. All Lilly was really doing was granting permission, in a round-about way.
Lilly could tell she’d been a wild child for too long when the deer came. Her first instinct was to follow it, to avoid any predator, but she couldn't detect the reason for it to flee, and Lilly was not going to leave Sandra alone like this.
”Lucky bastard. He’s actually got thighs to speak of.” Lilly checked the air for any signs of predators, but she couldn't detect anything much except what she was tracking. Maybe it was just because she didn't recognize whatever had frightened the deer. ”Okay, I have no idea what that was about, but do you reckon he might have been running from some danger, or from people or something?”
Lilly decided it was probably their best bet to go in the opposite direction to the animal, because the only scent she could think of that she would be this desensitized to was a human scent, and that could only be a good sign. Pretty much anyone would have to be sympathetic to Sandra right now. If Sandra had no inclination to not go that way, then Lilly would want to take them up there.

Sandra was actively clenching her teeth in order to cease their jittering movements. Her jaw muscles were the most responsive muscles in her body at the moment. She continued her sluggish movements regardless of how little she could feel her legs. Even though her tone and speech made it still seem as though Sandra was ready to give in she was still giving her all to continue walking. However, her all wasn’t too impressive. “Luck would only be a factor of it… I chose to be a test subject knowing… damn well the risks that lied ahead. We could have gotten someone else… it didn’t have to be me. My irresponsibility is what done me in. The sacrifice I made was not worth the end results… it took me until now to realise that.”

Sandra’s head lazily tilted upward after the deer had crossed their path. She wished she had the energy to run after it and try to catch it, but even at her full potential she wouldn’t be able to succeed in such a feat. The thing probably kept itself quite warm under that layer of fur, too bad Sandra couldn’t harness it. Lilly had deduced a bit more from the deer than Sandra had on her own since she was a bit distracted by the thing’s body heat. As soon as Lilly mentioned that the deer may be fleeing from a sight that may have spooked it, something immediately clicked in her mind that caused her head to flick over to the other woman in incredible speed. “She must have teleported a search party!” Sandra announced loudly with incredible enthusiasm that oozed her restored hope.

Sandra quickly twisted her body in the direction of where the deer had originated from and began a strange leaping hobble that had a bit more speed to it than her previous movements. “She must have been able to tell… where she sent me last and sent over a group near our location! It could only make sense… what else would be lurking around here that wouldn’t be chasing deer?!” She didn’t cease her strange hopping to let the other girl catch up since her small adrenaline rush wasn’t going to last for long and she was well aware of that.

Beyond the trail of bushes and trees that lied ahead of Sandra, there was a fairly large figure that was a bit above the height of an average human being. It had a very humanoid look to it, but the bulk of it was big enough to suggest otherwise. It looked as though it the upper half of its body was covered in fur, but that detail was not something Sandra could pick up on due to its distance (about 50 or so meters away) and the fact it was obstructed a bit by the trees and bushes ahead. As well the thing was also moving, but not too fast.

Lilly was a little surprised at Sandra’s refusal to just accept what happened wasn't her fault and stop blaming herself. Sure, she could have stopped it, but that didn't make her responsible. That was like saying because you weren't stopping a crime that meant you were a criminal. However, Lilly had to respect that Sandra hadn't given up in her situation, especially with that conviction.. ”It’s surely bad luck that you ended up that far away. I saw those tracks. I doubt much of this island is further away from the school. And I’d recommend blaming yourself after we've got back, if you have to do so at all.”
Lilly was still a little tempted to go after the deer, but saw she’d have to leave Sandra, and Lilly didn't want to abandon her. In addition, she was seriously struggling through the snow, and keeping pace, let alone catching up, with that deer would be nigh-on impossible.
She was taken aback a little at Sandra’s sudden reaction, and that enthusiasm.
Lilly smiled, hoping for the help to come shortly, as Sandra’s thinking made sense to her. It was good to see Sandra moving more quickly, and to be honest, Lilly had difficulty keeping at the speed, so she let Sandra go a little ahead, until she was able to see a faint figure, when Lilly sped up, until she was only a short way behind.
When Lilly saw the figure her first reaction was fairly positive. It certainly made her hopeful, like her companion. The outline was a little fuzzy, but Lilly knew her sight was her worst sense, and the snow wasn't helping, so she was unconcerned, until the wind changed minutely and she caught the scent. She thought she knew it somehow, and couldn't place it, but nothing could hide the undertone that normally only animals can pick up; a slight edge that told her to be careful.
Lilly coughed. ”Sandra.” She said this in a cautious, quiet tone, as if she was trying not to alert anything around them. ”I…I don’t think that’s good. It looks –and smells- somewhat familiar, like, er…well, I don’t know.” She did have quite a few ideas to what it could be, but she was certain none could be correct. Lilly wasn't even sure where her ideas were coming from- they seemed like some kind of mythology to her.
”So, fingers crossed it’s just a Gifted with some rather strange abilities.” She checked her mind for standard techniques for not frightening animals. No sudden movements, don’t look them in the eye, and so on. Maybe that wouldn't be too useful as Lilly could easily tell that it wasn't a regular animal, if it even was an animal (which Lilly became less certain about the closer she got, though she stopped circa 35 meters away), but it was still reassuring. She had a feeling that if they didn't anger it, the figure could be incredibly helpful. Lilly couldn't shake off thinking she recognized the scent, though.

As Sandra had expected, her sudden burst of energy was short-winded and only got her a couple of feet before she began to slow back down to a sluggish pace. She wasn’t entirely worried this time as help did seem to be coming, although the figure wasn’t too fast moving. She barely got a glimpse at the thing as she was much too busy gasping for air to try and build herself up for another sprint. Lilly had the better advantage of seeing the figure so she could only trust her word when she sounded skeptical. At this point even if it wasn’t human Sandra would still pursue it if only to steal its body heat. It didn’t matter how large or violent it was, she was quite confident that she could overcome it and if not she would be no worse off.

“If I make it back to school… I’ll be too busy celebrating my survival to beat myself up” she replied quietly with a large huff. Sandra gazed down at her cold damp lower half of her body for a brief moment and then shot herself off in an amazing burst of speed that surpassed her last attempted rush. Since the snow was incredibly deep she had to run and jump as though she was competing in a race with hurdles. “If I’m wrong then be sure to scrape up whatever’s left!” Sandra shouted behind her. Her head quickly swung back to in front of her as she began to shout again “Hey!”

The large figure turned as Sandra shouted, revealing its pale-ish face among the brown fur that covered a majority of its body. The figure then as well began to sprint towards Sandra’s location hollering back a deep throated “hey” at her. The figure seemed to be human by the way it was able to communicate back, but its true identity couldn’t be assured until it was met close up.

She glanced over, checking Sandra was okay after her little burst of speed. Well, that might be the wrong wording for the situation- it was more like checking Sandra hadn’t gotten worse.
Lilly laughed lightly. ”Well, I guess that’s the right attitude.” The next comment rather changed her mood though. She raised her eyebrows slightly. ”You really are an optimist, aren’t you? But I won’t let that occur, whatever might happen.” Lilly stopped about half a yard behind Sandra, and a little to her right. ”For starters, I don’t have anything to scrape with.” She intended the last part as a joke, but it came out slightly shaky.
Lilly’s hand rose quickly to her ear, unsuccessfully blocking the shout. Lilly couldn’t blame her- the volume was necessary for the figure to hear her- but that didn’t soften the blow on the girl’s hyper-sensitive senses.
When they had obviously been noticed by the…whatever it was (it did seem mostly human, she could see that much now), Lilly unsheathed the claws on her hands (wincing a little), deliberately raising her fists as she did so, as a warning that she was armed. This was one of the few times she was glad all her gloves had been used by her a lot. She hadn’t done any further damage with her claws.
”No offence or anything, but if this goes awry, I’d suggest you’re probably not in the best state to defend yourself right now. So, just get into shelter, I’ll hold it off for a while.” Honestly, Lilly wasn’t too sure why she felt the need to make a plan for the situation. Even if something did go wrong, Lilly thought it was a fairly obvious plan of action. Sure, Lilly didn’t like her odds against that thing, but she probably had a better chance than her companion, and with her healing, permanent damage was, to say the least, unlikely.
They were pretty close to the figure, certainly closer than Lilly would have chosen to be, but she figured that if they had difficulty through snow, so would the humanoid, making their disadvantage mutual, and moot.
What the heck? Lilly walked forward another couple of yards.
”Hi. Hello. Good morning.” Okay, she didn’t actually know if it was morning or not, which worried her slightly, but she figured it was the thought that counted. ”Can you help us? My friend Sandra is er…very, no, extremely cold, so is there any way you can help get her back to the school or anything?” Okay, so it probably wouldn’t help, but it couldn’t really hurt.

There was less of a push given off by her feet every time they impacted against the ground. It wasn’t really an indicator for anything Sandra didn’t know and it surely didn’t help much. Though given the fact she potentially had two different sources of aid this occurrence wasn’t all too bad. It could definitely be a lot worse. Her movements ceased when the figure wasn’t too far from the two since she would need the energy just in case something was to go wrong. However, how much worse this situation could get for her was questionable.

Sandra quickly investigated her surroundings while she was listening to Lilly. “Where exactly do you expect me to take shelter? Under the snow or behind a tree? I’m not too sure how effective those would be” she half jokingly asked the girl.

Sandra’s pain for the cold slowly began to numb, which she knew was not a good indication. Thankfully the figure was had an easier time shifting its way through the deep snow than the two of them did due to its legs being longer. Upon a closer examination of the figure, it was clearly obvious that it was human and that he or she (though based on the voice it seemed to be male) was wearing some kind of brown fur coat that could possibly be bear. He also had a black strap hung around his shoulder and a barrel of a rifle slightly towering behind his head. No doubt he was a hunter.

The hunter paused himself when he was close enough to the two of them and he began to huff and puff deeply trying to regain his breath. He nodded at Lilly’s greeting as he bowed still attempting to regain his breath. His head finally lifted once his heavy breathing ceased which he ended with a slight attempt at a whistle. “Morning?” the man looked up to the sun and back down at Lilly “how long have you two been out here?” “Not very long, but still too long” Sandra interjected. The man stood up tall and looked over to frigid female after she finished speaking. He quickly slipped off his big burly jacket and tossed it over to her, which revealed another coat underneath that was no thicker than a sweater.

“It’s been years since I was last at that school and even then I don’t know the way from here” his attention switched back to Lilly “The nearest place we could get her is my cabin, but that’s still quite a walk from here…” he spoke with uncertainty.

Sandra surrounded herself with another newly acquired piece of attire, which was as warm as it was smelly and it definitely had a strange stench to it. It wasn’t much to complain about though.