The explorer was colder than she could ever remember. The ends of her dark hair had frozen hours before, and her fingers and toes felt pieces of ice. As her breath vanished in tiny clouds around her, the voyager knew she wouldn't see the dawn if she couldn't find shelter. The route up this vast mountain had been much longer than it appeared on her map.
Snow blew into the explorer's eyes as she raised her head, and she trudged ahead, lifting her feet as if they were made of stone. Her efforts were rewarded from some high benevolence- there was a crevice nearby in the bluish ice. Strangely, faint light was coming from it, barely brighter than the half-moon hidden in patchy grey clouds.
The explorer rubbed her eyes, but the crack remained. A smile lit her face and with a loud grunt of effort, she pushed and stumbled through the windblown, ankle-deep snow. The radiance was light yellow and seemed to pulse faintly, lighting what it held as the explorer peered inside.
It was the mouth of a long tunnel, stretching into the heart of the mountain. The path sloped gently downwards in an invitation to crawl, although the explorer's numb body protested. It was already much warmer inside, with a curious lack of ice on the walls. And that seductive warmth was emanating from within...
After many minutes of slow descent, the tunnel gave way to a cavern, enough for the explorer to squeeze through. She could stand now, top of her head barely touching the roof. The otherworldly glow was bright enough for a shadow to flicker on the rough wall. Compared to the shrieking winds and blowing snow, this place was cozy enough to sleep in- but where was the heat coming from?
Too tired to question further, the explorer sunk to the floor, rubbing feeling back into her hands and feet. The winter couldn't reach her here. She would investigate this place later. With her rolled-up overcoat as a pillow, the explorer barely had time to stretch out before she was asleep.
But she was not alone. At the apex of the tunnel, another creature was rousing. A massive head, covered in pale blue frills, lifted with a yawn that exposed many long teeth. The snake-like body was embossed in iridescent scales and a mane of transparent fur shone on its chest. Great, clawed fists clenched and relaxed as the creature pulled itself to its feet, a massive tail swinging out behind it. Golden eyes as large as a human face opened, and the creature's nostrils dilated as it inhaled a new scent.
Curling its thin lips, the ice dragon turned itself towards the mouth of the cavern, sniffing loudly. The scent told it that this human was a woman, fairly young, and exhausted, and needful in other ways. Its eyes narrowed to glowing slits as it rounded the corner of its rocky bedroom and saw the sleeping shape.
"Bold of her to enter this place," the dragon murmured to itself, its voice a deep rumble, "or foolish. Or simply desperate. Perhaps all at once... no matter. I shall help her."
The dragon approached in a few careful steps, then gently curled its long body around the woman. It touched a cool nose to her face, sniffing noises ruffling her hair, then strong arms pulled the woman onto its furred chest. Heat pulsed from the fur and skin. The dragon waited, its own eyes closing after some time.
In a few hours, the woman stretched out her arms and lifted her head a fraction of an inch. She was lying against something a lot softer than her coat, and there was a regular sound nearby, like breathing. It was only when she turned her head and opened her eyes did she see the dragon's face.
In immediate panic, the woman jerked her head up and tried to squirm away. But when the eyelids lifted, revealing gold and black slit pupils, something silenced the scream rising in the woman's throat.
