Chapter One: The Freezing Forest

The frost clung to the trees as the man walked through the barren wasteland. The white snow piling up on the ground reflected light, gleaming off the glare of the sun. Snow settled on his eyebrows and nose, covering his face with a light cover as he attempted to walk through the forest. The animals, howling, barking, screeching, and squawking, ran after him, as they had not had food in days. The small animals dug holes deep in the ground and foraged for small food, such as worms. The cold, freezing weather and the unforgiving blizzards, that seemed to have no end, battered at life and all that represented life. Still, the man trudged on, as he was determined to reach his destination. On the other side of the forest, was his salvation; a town, with living, breathing people, food, and shelter. First, he had to conquer the cruel temper of the snow, ice, and freezing rain. As a blizzard kicked up, he thought he saw light, bright, man-made light, in the distance. Alas, it was just a mirage. He got to the light, wonderful, blinding light, as it disappeared. It was a trick of the shadows, the sun gleaming off the ice frozen to the trees. It resembled a chandelier, and he was able to appreciate the beauty of nature. He still was forced to trudge on, even though he was at the breaking point. He thought he saw something in the distance, but he already was fooled once, he did not want to be fooled again. As he got closer, the light got brighter, and he saw concrete and bricks in the distance. Unfortunately, his legs started to give out, and started to shake. The burden of his journey started to chip away at his strength, and the wild still trying to beat him down. He was so close to the village as his legs gave out. He crawled into the streets, people looking down at him and gasping. Finally, in front of his home, he collapsed. The wild had finally chipped away at him, and beaten him down, until he finally gave out. It was too late, though; he had made it to his destination. He was home.

Chapter Two: The Beauty of Life

He woke up in a bright room, too bright. His eyes burned as they adjusted to the light. Somebody must have taken him into his home. If he was out in the cold for as long as he was resting, he surely would have died. As he sat up, he could tell that this was his home. He was previously on a hunting trip, and he chased his prey too far out of the hunting grounds, and into the uncharted forest. He had to go on another hunting trip, this time closer to the village. As he trekked out of the village, all that was left of the previous, unrelenting blizzard were a few ice crystals. They sparkled in the light of the sun, casting an eerie shadow on the nearby trees. The snow-covered plants shined off the light of the crystals, as his rifle rested heavy on his back. He pocketed a couple of the ice crystals and took them back to his home. A curious contraption consisting of tape, the crystals, and a piece of string, hung the crystals over the window, reflecting the light for all to see. It was beautiful. Suddenly, he was reminded of his current mission; the hunting trip. He left his humble abode, and trudged back to the hunting grounds. He was the best hunter in the village, he was able to stalk and defeat his prey before they even knew what happened. If he was any worse of a hunter, then the village would have surely died out years ago. He found a few rabbits and moles, but, unfortunately, not enough to feed the village. Then, he saw movement in the trees. The tree broke free of its stump, and came crashing down. He leaped out of the way just as the object came crashing down. Snow scattered everywhere, and he was covered in a white blanket. Then, he realized; it was a bear. This time, his skills could not help him, and the bear swiped at him. He knew it; this would not be silently stalking prey from yards away. This was going to be a battle.

Chapter Three: The Bear who Roared

The bear approached. He shot it in the foot, dismantling its flesh as it shattered the rifle. He kicked the bear, and as it was nursing its ruined foot and clutching its head, he scampered away, back to the village. He thought he was safe. Then, he heard a roar, from the outskirts of the village. Suddenly, he witnessed the bear crashing through a house nearby. It was destroying any building that was in its path, like a vicious battering ram. He got another rifle and moved out of the way just in time to see the bear crashing by. Half of the village had been destroyed, and his house included in that portion. The bear was unrelenting in its quest to destroy life. He hit the bear in the arm with the rifle, and the bear noticed him. The bear started running at him, but he could not move away. The bear tackled him and knocked him over like a bowling pin. The claws tore into his flesh, and, as frightened as a mouse, scampered back into the forest. He watched on as the bear annihilated the village, as his home was being destroyed. In a matter of minutes, the village was gone. Then, the bear turned his attention back to the man. The man ran, deeper and deeper into the forest, until he had lost the bear. But, by now, he had no idea where to go, what to do, and how to survive. He was having a panic attack, until he realized that there must have been more villages out there at some point, and he set out to find them. He was not feeling optimistic, quite the opposite, but still he walked on. Then, suddenly, he had a flashback; of when he had gone too far out on his hunting party. He found himself in a similar predicament; only much worse. He did not know where to go, but you know what? He liked it. He was using solely his survival instincts, and relied on them to help him, well, survive! He felt free. But, ironically, he was going to be very far from free.

Chapter Four: Back Where we Started

He had been able to fashion a spear from an old stick he tore from a decaying tree. He made sure the point was sharp; else he would not last very long. His only prey were a rabbit and a baby moose. Neither provided much rest for his long-denied stomach, and he searched longer. But, as a blizzard kicked up, he realized that he needed shelter, else he would be swept away, just as the village was swept away by the bear, only this time by the storm. He found a soft patch of snow, and he started digging. He had no tools; he had only himself; and the temperature was below zero. Eventually, he had a deep enough hole that he could begin to dig sideways. As he climbed into his little enclosure, he chose to dig underneath the hardest snow. He, eventually, created a sphere-resembling hole that was about five feet in diameter. It provided shelter from the storm and a safe place from the beasts of the wild. He remembered how he had made it to his village, in the beginning, just like now. When the blizzard fizzled out, he emerged from his shelter. He found a couple animals in burrows dug, seeking shelter from the storm. Eventually, he could find no more animals, nor did he have the will to move. He was drained of his energy, and he could make it no more. He found a good place to rest, to rest forever. As his life was snatched away, piece by piece, by the wild, he reminisced of all the adventures he had, but it all ended now. He was drifting away. Slowly, his life was fading, the candle, previously burning bright, now flickered out. His life was complete, and he let go of his spirit to be devoured by the ravenous appetite of the wild.