Horizon-Bound

--In The Snow--

"And that's how I blamed my brother and got him banned from the bakery!" Chester snickered, telling the last of a story from his living life. It seemed like the subconite was oddly opening up to you just a bit more.

"You sounded like a handful of a kid, dude," You responded, giving a small smirk as you did so, "What's got you so talkative anyways? Thought you didn't like me."

"Eh well," his hand motioned around the slowly thinning out tree line, "With all this moving, it's not like I have anything better to do."

He muttered a little, "Boss doesn't really like when we talk about our past anyways."

"I see," You hopped up a couple taller rocks, helping the smaller being up afterwords, "Why's that?"

"He thinks it's useless information, and that we should just move on."

Everytime you learned something about Snatcher, it annoyed you just a little. He seemed very focused on the present, and saw most things as an annoyance or distraction. You knew deep down, thinking of his own past life probably hurt deeply as well. Thus the constant forwards attitude he displayed.

That didn't matter to you. You didn't work for him, not wished to communicate with the shadow. What mattered now, as you gave a shiver, was heading towards the colder part of the deep woods. Might as well get searching over here over with.

Branches snapped underfoot, long fallen from the dead or dying treelife around them. Even the iconic leaves that littered the ground were becoming increasingly absent as you descended down your own path. Pillars of ice slowly got more common, some even slowly overtaking the purple bark of the greenery. It all gave you an eerie feeling.

As the snow began to run rampant, a small tug from the rope you carried caught your attention.

"Kid? Kid, are you crazy?" Chester's voice had become a panicked whisper, "We shouldn't be here!"

"It's not close to the manor, it'll be fine." You shrugged, "Come'on."

"No! Doesn't matter how close it is, this is still--  Her part of the forest!"

"Am I going to be caught by her?"

"Unlikely but-"

"Then it's not an issue."

"Kid! I don't want to be here!"

Chester's pleading voice caused you to pause, turning to look over at your traveling companion. He was shivering from the cold, worse than you were, and fear was clear in his movements. 

Vanessa had frozen everyone she could. She had killed him, his brother, and anyone else in her way.

You were about to drag this poor creature through the territory of someone who terrified him and many others.

What were you doing?

"I..." you fumbled, "You're right. I'm sorry Chester."

Leaning down, you scooped up the freezing subconite into your arms with little protest. Either the cold or fear was keeping him from tearing into you for 'coddling' him or whatever he'd probably complain about. Guilt hit you as you turned, back tracking through the snow. This was a stupid idea anyways, why  would anyone come here, yet alone Moonjumper?

"This was stupid of me." You stated quietly, tripping a little through the snow from the added weight to your arms, "I'm...I'm really sorry."

"Pft...Kid I'm not a baby," Chester mumbled out, putting his hands in his sleeves slightly, "People make dumb mistakes all the time."