Dizzying circles plague my vision as I slowly render the prickly icicles in front of my nose. I inhale thinly, pushing a breath that whistled past my lips and freezes the fridged air in front of me. A man lingered at the exit of my cave, his eerie stance was seemingly injured and staggering. He clicked his tongue, “You’re awake…” the man murmured, voice hoarse and crisp as the morning atmosphere.

My nose wrinkled with distaste, eyes narrowing untrustingly. “Who are you?” I inquired, crossing my arms over my chest. The man tilted his head like a dog and advanced a few steps forward. I grimace, balling my hands into fists defensively. He smirked, framed features shadowed by the cardigan of thick shrubbery that was thrown over the walls.

“Were you watching me…?” I interrogate, lip curling into a snarl. My eyebrows knit together as his boots crunched the frozen leaves on the floor with every limping step forward.