Elemental

Chapter 3: Within The Snow

I walk and walk, then I walk some more. The sun slipping slowly from the east but reluctant to emerge from its grey blanket, fails to provide any heat to my frozen body.
Without the sun as a guide I cannot tell how long or how far I have walked, but I'm guessing I must be close to the next town, or at least I should be approaching it soon. Most of my skin is still black and shrivelled making my progress slow through the labyrinth of trees. However the snow on the ground has returned my feet back to normal, a small victory but I'll take what I can get.
It is impossible to find a running source of water in this weather and I haven't been able to travel as far from the village as I have hoped to, at this rate I won't get anywhere.
I stop, and slowly to avoid injury, lay myself down into the snow. It's cold at first but I quickly adjust to the temperature and pull the wind in a small cyclone over my body to encase it. I can already feel the small droplets of water slip into my skin but it will take a while before I will be fully healed.

I rest here until I'm certain the snow can no longer offer me any relief, then continue to relax. It's not very often I am given the chance to be completely out of danger, so it is these moments that I savour the most.
I'm just about to rise and continue my journey when I hear a faint crunch, the noise continues rhythmically followed by voices, the crunch must be foot falls in the snow for nothing elsa could produce such a sound. I strain my ears to listen but most of what these people (at least I hope it's people) are saying is muffled by the continuing echo of the snow, all I know for certain is that they are getting closer.
I consider running, even if they see me, what are the chances that they heard of my sentence so quickly, and even if they did, that they would recognise me or think me to be alive at all! I decide against it, better to remain hidden until they pass by.
As they get closer I begin to here snatches of their conversation, the odd word here, the casual curse there, then they stop walking, most likely to rest but I cannot be certain from down here. They mustn't be more then five meters from where I lie, my luck that of all of the clearings in all of the forests, they chose to stop in this one. Typical.
" I swear I saw 'er! Runnin' round in that there veggie patch I've gots on the edge of da forest!"
In all possible meanings of the word- I froze. It's not possible, they aren't talking about me, they can't be. I was gone before anyone could have possibly woke!
"Yer crazy! They burnt 'er last night! I was there, I saw it. They lit it, she burnt, end da story! And 'ere you are tryna tell me you saw 'er in the forest? Nope. Yer wrong my friend."
As much as I want to deny it, there simply is to much evidence, they must be talking about me.
"I swear it! I saw her clear as I see you, no mistake!"
"I donno, It just don't seem possible, 'er bein dead an all."
"there's been strangers things happen then 'at!"
"I'll say."
And with that they continue on their travels, their words slowly drifting and fading in the snow. I wait a few minutes to make sure I don't stumble across them, then pull myself out of the ground and head the opposite direction from the men.
I was sloppy, careless. Now I must find a shelter for the night before the snow begins again, in the morning I carry on.