Deep in the taiga a solitary figure stumbled through the piled snow. Weaving his way amidst towering pines and leaning oaks he slowly made his way onward in the high snow. His breath rose from his mouth in a solitary plume of steam. He wore heavy winter boots with snowshoe attachments to allow for easier traversing of his wintery path. His snow pants and his heavy coat demonstrated his foresight to dress for the weather. His head was wrapped with a scarf ending just under his nose which jut out beyond the surrounding cloth. Over his eyes he wore goggles which blocked the harsh glare coming from the pure white snow. Despite his excessive wardrobe he still shivered from the cold. In his arms he held a bundle made of a rolled up thermal blanket clutched to his chest. The shivering man glanced at the explorers watch just behind his gloves which gave an average temperature reading of -53˚. Immediately regretting his decision to look at the temperature he tried to stand taller before plowing through the snowbank in front of him. He glanced at the time and saw it was 3:04 P.M. meaning he had less than an hour before sunset. He stopped for a moment, the shadows of doubt turning in his mind. Could he even make it? Was this even worth it? He knew he would have already made it to his camp if his dog sled hadn’t broken through a weak spot on the ice. He shuddered at the thought that he could have died. What if you didn’t escape death? The thought was abrupt but caused him to blank out for a few seconds. You could make it if you didn’t have something slowing you down. He shook his head. That was out of the question. He couldn’t leave his package. He couldn’t stop now. He had to keep going. He determined that if he showed up at his destination camp, he would still be holding the precious cargo clutched in his arms. He stood up from where he had rested on a decaying fallen tree and pointed the hour hand of his compass towards to sun allowing him to find south. He gave a stiff nod to no one in particular as he put his head down to continue marching forward. He had lost his map with his sled but remembered he had needed to head due south. This is pointless. Do you know what the chances that you will walk right past the camp are? You’re in the wild and uncharted taiga. He shook his head again trying to shake the voice of doubt within his mind. He glanced down at the package in his arms to make sure he was still holding it as well as to remind himself of the importance of his trek. His mind faded to silence numbed by the frost as well as weariness. He continued to march forward with little thought to his actions. Lift one leg. Lift the other. He began to mechanically do these simple two actions and soon was moving at a set rhythm. He continued on while his muscles screamed for rest. No. He mentally told himself. He could not rest. He glanced at his watch which now read 3:38. Dark was getting closer. He continued on with his head down staring at the ground in front of his feet. He did not notice the trees swaying in the wind nor the snow falling from the sky. He did not notice a herd of deer curiously watching the lone figure marching through the woods. All he saw was the white floor being churned by his steps. Suddenly a loud, sharp crack resounded from where his steps fell. He instantly froze in place. His breath became more rapid as the sound of crackling rose from the floor around him. He glanced around at his surroundings causing his hope to plummet. He was in the middle of a wide opening. There were trees in front of him and trees behind him but not down a path that wound its way through the forest. He had accidentally walked in the middle of a frozen river. He quickly began assessing the snow around him attempting to see what parts of the ice were strong. All the snow lay in an even field, concealing the deceptive foundation of ice underneath. As the cracking sounds rose around him, he decided to make a dash towards the trees on the opposite bank. Clutching the lump of blanket in his arms he pointed his head towards the trees and gave a mad dash towards the safety of the tall wooden sentinels. With his rapid movements the ice beneath his feet gave way causing the frozen shelf to shatter behind him. With his running he barely escaped the plunge into frozen water while leaping from one piece of complete ice to the next. Just as he was getting close to the safety on the other side his foot slipped off the edge of a piece of ice dousing his left leg in frigid water. Using his right leg, he launched himself out of the water before becoming permanently trapped in the freezing liquid. He landed with a thud on the ice and slid a short distance before coming to a stop. The snapping sound stopped. He looked around and saw that he had made it to the opposite bank safely. He heaved a sigh of relief as he lay on the snow. He stood up and quickly checked on his package before finding the sun with the hour hand of his watch. Reoriented, he quickly set out again this time with a foot soaked with freezing water. He continued on. Though his body was wracked with weariness and frost he kept marching on. The sun began to set, the earth’s looming shadow blackening the landscape around him into night. He continued marching on. He could no longer feel his foot and his strength was quickly failing however he kept walking. He lost sense of time and just continued to walk. When he lost his assurance that he was going the right way he would glance behind him at the North Star to gain his direction before continuing south. He walked late through the night without a single rest knowing if he stopped, he would not be able to continue. As he walked, he glanced at the bundle in his arms continuing to remind himself of its importance. He could no longer see the path in front of his feet due to the darkness but was able to see the tops of trees being framed by starlight. Deciding it was useless to try to see through the dark foliage ahead of him he looked at the stars as he walked while still being careful to avoid trees in his path. Because his head was looking up, he did not see the root in his path. His left foot caught on the protruding stem causing him to tumble headfirst into the snow. His arms, weary from their burden, lost grip of the package he had held so near his heart. He lay in the snow on the edge of consciousness with phrases and emotions filling his mind. Protect. Forward. Cold. Help. Deliver. Rescue. His thoughts and surroundings swirled before he was plunged into the darkness of sleep.
Meanwhile, a group of people were walking through the woods. They were dressed for the weather and had head lamps as well as flashlights to illuminate their paths. Their shoulders bore a simple logo of a pine tree with the words “Search and Rescue” written below it. Their morale was low as they combed through the woods in an organized search pattern. The man was supposed to arrive hours ago with his sled and his cargo. An hour past the deadline they had begun searching the woods attempting to find the missing man. It was now 2:17 in the morning and they still had not found any sign of him, his sled, or his package. Someone suggested they return to their camp with heaviness in their voice. Some searchers nodded somberly. Suddenly one of the rescuers called out for everyone to stop talking. Amidst the howling sound of the wind cutting through the trees she heard a high-pitched noise drifting through the woods. She recognized the sound and began bolting in the direction the noise was coming from. The other rescuers followed suit, their adrenaline pumping. The first woman who had heard the sound had a head start and was continuing to gain distance. She came to an abrupt stop as she saw a fallen form sprawled out on the floor. A few feet away from the dark figure was a smaller bundle creating the noise that had drawn her in. She hesitantly walked forward and scooped up the bundle of blankets laying in the snow. Fastened to the blankets she saw one word written on a piece of tape, “Chloe.” Her eyes filled with tears as she pulled back the layers of blankets revealing the crying and frost-bitten face of a little baby girl. The other rescuers had arrived by this point and had begun to untangle the fallen man’s leg from the root he had tripped over. The rescuers carefully placed the frigid man on a stretcher and began walking back toward camp. Bearing between them, a hero.
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