Meliorism

Two

The dark came earlier that day, swallowing any light it could find. Eventually, the light that once peaked through the trees and their empty branches disappeared, snuffed out for the night. Absorbed in darkness, the woods turned into a terrible place. Clouds blocked out the moon, trapping its soft light from escaping while snowflakes came down harder, the temperature plummeting below freezing. But, with the darkness and its cold came the safety. The safety of not being seen was an advantage nowadays

Sounds were drowned out with the wind, a screaming whistled bouncing off branches as it swept through the forest. It broke branches mercilessly, shook squirrels from their nest and dropped them in the painful snow, and snapped on exposed skin like a switch.

Despite the dark, and the dangerous situation the cold put its inhabitants in, another lone figure walked the same woods. This figure plowed through the snow, the danger was forgotten as each step created a loud crunch, the sound soaked up by the wind. They walked on a layer of untouched snow, the thin layer of ice on top breaking under their weight. Behind them dragged a sled, sloppily painted black over the bright red it was before.

It followed closely behind their footsteps, smoothing them over and creating a small dip, the plastic weighed down by the contents on it. As quickly as their mark was left on the forest floor it was gone, the snow barreling down and erasing all remnants of their existence. The sled was tied to the figure's waistband, their core pulling most of the weight. There was too much on it to fit into their pack, the straps held together with rope and duct tape. Even that was filled with more belongings, unevenly packed in haste.

A little ahead of the figure was a moving shadow, four feet prancing on top of the cold snow. The large black mass blended in well, moving with the darkness. It kept its head down, nose flexing as it took it smells. Ears forward, it trekked on, never straying too far from the walker. If it got too far, it'd stop, head turned back to watch them. Ears pricked forward, it'd dutifully watch until the figure gained the distance and then the cycle would start all over again.

The wind had risen as the temperature had dropped, blowing sharp snowflakes against anything in its path. Fortunately, the figure was bundled tightly. A tattered bandanna covered the lower part of their face, keeping the warmth of their breath against their skin instead. Despite having a lantern, the figure did not light it. While they may not have been actively cautious about the noise they were making, they were about light. Without the moon, any source of light would be increasingly noticeable. They didn't need to be noticed.

Tight against their face were goggles much resembling those you'd wear skiing. Instead of regular, clear plastic across the top, green tinted glass protected their eyes. Within, the dark world was lit, trees visible when they wouldn't have been. The night vision helped them navigate safely and undetected. The dog needed nothing to aid its vision, prancing around without a care in the world. The small beast had nothing to fear.

It was a long walk back to their home, to the warmth of their cabin. The longer it took, the more exhausted they felt. The tired individual trekked on through the thick snow, the weight of the sled seemingly increasing as the minutes passed. They passed their tree, the giant 'X' roughly carved into its bark to indicate the twenty-minute mark from home. Sighing, they pushed on, the dark beast far ahead, sniffing at a large bush.

As the figure approached this bush, they watched the dog circle in, nose low to the ground. A warning growl vibrated from its chest, pawing digging around the edge. On closer examination, the figure realized it wasn't a large bush, but rather a tent. The dark colored tent was coated with snow, only patches on the material showing through.

In a flash, the handgun snugly tucked within the figure's jacket was brought out, finger hovering next to the trigger as their nerves stood on edge. The flap to the tent was closed, but that didn't mean anything dangerous wasn't inside. They swiveled their head to get a view of the forest behind them, watching for any movement out there. Their eyes scanned the tree line, confirming no trap was being laid for them. Nothing but the trees moved in the woods, a stillness in all things.