The first snowflake fell like a verdict.
Cold. Silent. Final.
It drifted down through the dead air of the forest and landed on Colin's outstretched hand, melting instantly into nothingness. But what it carried was not gentleness—it was a warning.
Winter had come early.
Ten days early.
And for Blackwood Castle, ten days was the distance between survival… and extinction.
That night, everyone gathered inside the stone house.
The fire crackled, but no one felt warm.
"You've all seen it," Colin said, his voice steady, cutting through the silence. "This snow is just the beginning. Once the mountain paths are sealed, the food we have won't last the winter."
No one spoke.
They already knew.
"We either starve… or we're hunted down."
His gaze swept across them—Goff, Linna, Anna, Finney… no longer scattered survivors, but something closer to a people.
Goff exhaled slowly.
"Hunting nearby won't work anymore," the old hunter said. "The animals are gone. Hiding. Migrating. Yesterday, we searched all day… and caught two rabbits."
Silence deepened.
Then Goff spoke again.
"There's one place left."
All eyes turned to him.
"North. Past Ravenwhisper Valley… to Bear's Spine."
The name alone chilled the room.
Goff stared into the fire.
"On the other side is a basin. Good water. Good grass. Herds gather there—Frosthorn Deer. Big ones. If we take even a few, it's enough for a month."
Hope flickered.
Then died.
"Because that place…" Goff's voice lowered, "…belongs to them."
No one needed to ask.
"The giant bears."
The fire popped.
"In winter, before hibernation, they feed. Anything that moves… becomes food."
He paused.
"Once, a hunting party went in. A dozen men."
"And only one came back."
"What did he say?" someone whispered.
Goff didn't look up.
"He said… 'the mountain is moving.'"
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
Colin stood.
He walked to the door and pushed it open.
Wind howled in, carrying snow with it—sharp, biting, merciless.
He let it hit his face.
Then he turned back.
"We don't have a choice."
His voice was no longer loud—but it was absolute.
"Stay here, and we die slowly."
"Go there… and we might live."
He looked at each of them.
"I choose to live."
A beat.
"We leave at dawn."
Dawn came gray and cold.
Nine figures stepped into the snow.
They did not look back.
By sunset, they reached the ridge.
And beyond it—
A world of white and silver unfolded before them.
The basin stretched wide, a frozen river cutting through it like a blade. Beneath the thin snow, green life still clung stubbornly to the earth.
And there—
A herd.
Massive. Dozens upon dozens of Frosthorn Deer.
Their antlers gleamed like frozen branches. Their bodies moved like drifting snow.
"My… God…" Linna whispered.
"Quiet," Goff breathed.
The wind was in their favor.
Colin didn't hesitate.
"Positions," he ordered.
Goff and Anna climbed to high ground.
The rest circled.
Then—
Colin gave the signal.
Two arrows screamed through the air.
Two deer fell.
And the valley exploded into chaos.
The hunt was fast.
Brutal.
Efficient.
When it ended—
Six deer lay dead.
Six.
Enough to save them.
Relief surged through the group like fire.
"Quick! Process them!" Colin ordered.
Knives flashed. Blood spilled.
And then—
Goff froze.
His nose twitched.
"…No."
Something was wrong.
The air changed.
A low sound rolled through the valley.
Not loud.
But deep.
Too deep.
It felt like the ground itself was breathing.
"Run," Goff whispered.
Then louder—
"RUN!"
Too late.
Trees snapped.
One by one.
Then—
It stepped out.
The world seemed to shrink around it.
It wasn't a bear.
It was a mountain that had learned to move.
Towering. Black. Massive beyond reason.
Its fur hung like rotting armor. Bones were tangled in it.
One eye burned amber.
The other—
Dead. White. Empty.
It looked at them.
Not with anger.
Not yet.
Just hunger.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
"We… we give it the meat…" someone whimpered.
Colin didn't answer.
His eyes never left the beast.
Retreat?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Fight?
Certain death.
But—
If they ran now—
Would it let them go?
No.
He knew the answer.
"Everyone!"
His voice snapped the world back into motion.
"Positions!"
Orders came fast.
Sharp.
Final.
"Goff! Anna! High ground—eyes!"
"Linna! Left flank—harass!"
"Rest with me!"
No hesitation.
They moved.
Because they trusted him.
The first attack—
Failed.
Spears bounced.
Like hitting stone.
The bear roared.
And charged.
Tali didn't even scream.
The paw came down.
And she was gone.
Gone.
Just like that.
"SHOOT!" Colin roared.
An arrow struck.
Not the eye—
But close.
Enough.
The bear turned.
Changed targets.
Goff.
It climbed.
Like gravity didn't matter.
"COLIN!" Goff shouted.
Colin moved.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Only calculation.
A spear.
A rock.
An insult.
The bear turned.
Looked at him.
Chose him.
Good.
"Come."
Colin lowered his stance.
The world narrowed.
To distance.
To timing.
To death.
The charge came.
Fast.
Too fast.
Colin stepped in.
Not back.
Forward.
The claw fell.
He slipped past it.
The ground exploded behind him.
He cut.
Shallow.
Useless.
But data.
Always data.
Again.
Dodge.
Cut.
Move.
Breathe.
He wasn't fighting to kill.
Not yet.
He was learning it.
Then—
Opportunity.
Small.
Fragile.
Perfect.
"Now!" he roared.
Everything moved at once.
Spears struck its legs.
It slowed—
Just enough.
Colin ran.
Straight at it.
Not to attack.
To anchor it.
He jumped.
Low.
Impossible.
Sliding beneath it—
Into death's blind spot.
And in that instant—
He drove the blade up.
Deep.
All the way.
The bear screamed.
The world shook.
And above—
Goff released.
The arrow fell.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Just—
inevitable.
It struck.
Deep into the throat.
Silence.
Then—
Blood.
A flood.
A collapse.
Colin didn't stop.
Spears.
One.
Two.
Three.
"Fall."
And it did.
The mountain… fell.
Silence returned.
Real silence.
No wind.
No breath.
Just—
stillness.
Colin dropped to one knee.
Breathing hard.
Alive.
"…We… won?" Linna whispered.
No one answered.
Not yet.
They just stared.
At the impossible.
Then it broke.
Laughter.
Tears.
Shouts.
Life.
They had done it.
Colin stood slowly.
Walked to the beast.
Placed his hand on its fur.
Still warm.
Still real.
Food.
Warmth.
Survival.
And something more.
He looked south.
Toward Blackwood Castle.
When they returned—
They would not just bring meat.
They would bring proof.
Proof that even monsters…
could bleed.
And that Blackwood Castle—
would endure the winter.