Nick slowly advanced through the valley, his thick boots sinking into the soft snow with every long stride.
Despite his thick white fur and the warm red coat that he wore, the cold was utterly unbearable, as if the mountains themselves howled with fury at the creatures beneath them.
With one of his gloved hands, he pressed against his own chest, trying to keep his core warm against the hellish winds, all while doing his best to keep hold of the big sack on his back, the whole reason for this insane trip.
He had parted with the best intentions, knowing it was dangerous, but stupidly confident on his own knowledge of the land and its tough winters.
But nothing could have prepared him for this.
Despite the bone chilling cold in his chest, he lifted his hand towards his face, trying to protect his eyes from the wind, looking for something, anything, to take cover under.
His eyes caught the glimpse of a shadow in the white-out, and with desperate steps, he moved towards it.
Even moving such a short distance took what felt like an eternity, each step like rooting and unrooting a tree.
Finally, the shadow he had spotted slowly became clearer, an old abandoned cabin.
He knew of this place, part of an old homestead that had been abandoned years ago, before he was even born.
Time and the elements had withered away the whole place, leaving only the sturdy old structure of brick and rock that lay before him.
This also meant that he was not yet near his village, and there would be no further refuge for at least hours of trekking.
Alas, this old ramshackle place would have to be his haven in the storm.
Nick advanced further towards the cabin, each step bringing him closer, feeling like an odyssey worth of a bard's song.
Finally, with his joints aching and his bones feeling like ice, he made it to the old rotten door.
The knee-high snow, however, made it impossible to open it immediately, forcing the desperate traveller to clear snow with his freezing hands until there was enough room for the door to swing open and thus squeeze in.
Shivering, and with no feeling in his gloved hands, Nick slid inside, closing the door carefully as it felt it may break off it's rusted hinges at any moment.
The inside of the cabin was less bare than what he had expected. Old broken down furniture littered the place, telling old faint stories of those that once dwelled here.
Someone long ago had barred the windows, which thankfully meant he had to do less to try and keep the warmth inside.
He got to work, as he had to move fast.
Thankfully, the old broken down furniture was made of wood, and while rotted it seemed to be fairly dry. He smashed what appeared to be a couple of old, useless chairs and a night stand, and rushed to the abandoned hearth.
The fireplace had seen better days, as it was covered in moss and detritus that had fallen down the chimney, but at one point in time this must have been the pride of the people living here.
Intricate carvings flowed through the stonework, depicting the warmth of fire and its majesty.
Shaking his head back into focus, Nick started clearing the detritus from the hearth, just keeping some old twigs as kindling.
He could feel the deathly cold slowly seeping through the chimney, which at least meant that it was not blocked.
Satisfied, he made a little pile of wood and kindling, and pulled out his tinderbox.
His hands shivered as he clumsily tried to light the fire, and it took several tries, but eventually, in between grumbling and curses, a spark flew forward and lit the hearth.
It slowly came alive, the flames gently licking the fuel that Nick had provided them, their life giving warmth flowing forth.
The weary traveller could not but bask in this small success though, such a small fire would not be enough to keep him alive, specially as the old cabin had many cracks that the deathly blizzard was using to push its tendrils in.
Powering through his exhaustion, Nick used whatever he could use around the house to plug every crack on the boarded windows or the structure he could find, using anything that was lying around; dirt, broken bricks, twigs and even snow.
He worked relentlessly, and did not stop until he could no longer feel any cold air flooding in.
Utterly spent, Nick dropped in front of the fire, sitting cross-legged as close as he could to it without setting himself ablaze.
Still, it was such a tiny thing, the dampness of the cabin and lack of fuel limiting its roar.
He took off his gloves, which were soaked and filthy from sorting out the place, and pushed his trembling hands almost over the flames.
Nick cursed again under his breath, and looked at the big sack he was bringing from the city. The thought crossed his mind of chucking its contents into the fire, using them to save his life...
But no, the sack was the whole reason he had made this trip, and he couldn't bear to lose its contents.
Resigned to his situation, he rubbed his hands and body, trying to make the most out of whatever heat the hearth could provide.
The beautiful flames were hypnotic, lulling him into a daze with their dance, as the old wood and rubbish cracked under their power.
He was numb, and his mind was fading, but there was little left he could do.
With a resigned sigh, Nick allowed himself to doze off, hoping that he would either open his eyes later still alive or, if he was to go, for it to be as painless as possible.
His vision went blurry and time seemed to go still as a grave.
For how long he sat like this, he didn't know, it could have been minutes or hours, the whistling of the blizzard outside drowning his mind with only the slow cracking of the fire keeping him rooted to this earth.
And then he saw her.
At first, he could only make out her eyes, like two hot coals shining through the hearth. They were kind and warm, looking at him with the curiosity of a child that has found a wounded animal.
The flames seemed to coalesce around her features, making out a feminine vulpine face, her short snout beaming him a sweet smile. A pair of little horns curved over her pointy ears, raising like a blue candlelight.
She raised onto the cabin slowly, coming out of the hearth as if crawling through a vent, her paws drying the damp stone around her, and stood over Nick.
Her radiant fur was the colour and shade of warm fire, shining like a candle in this dark place, and her long tail was a flickering tongue of flame.
Gently, she bent her slender body towards him, and caressed his face with the tip of her delicate fingers.
The exhausted traveller could feel her warmth sinking into his body, and could not help but to press his cheek against her hand like a needy puppy.
Her fingers followed his ursine face, each touch giving life to his aching body.
Nick wondered if she was an angel sent to take him away from this earth, for she was too beautiful to be real.
Her hands glided along his fur, reaching the rim of his snow-blasted coat. Desperate to feel her on his body, he roughly unbuttoned his coat, allowing her access to his big chest and soft tummy.
The beautiful spirit sat on his lap, her legs to each side of his ice-bitten hips, and wrapped her arms around him, pressing his face against her modest but welcoming bosom.
It felt like being embraced by a bonfire, but there was no pain, just sweet, life giving warmth.
Nick embraced her back desperately, pressing his face against her beautiful chest, almost crying with relief.
To his surprise, the angel from the hearth moved her dainty hands towards his groin, and delicately both unfastened his belt and pulled enough of his trousers down to release his manhood.
He was too in awe and content to offer resistance, which he would have anyway offered out of shyness rather than lack of interest, and was shocked to see how erect he was already, painfully throbbing for his beautiful companion.
The spirit from the hearth gave him a sensual smile and wink as she saw his erection, gently lowered herself onto him while still holding his face against her divine chest.
Nick almost instantly orgasmed from the utterly divine warmth and softness of her insides, which coiled around his phallus like flame on kindling.
A big, loud gasp escaped his lips, making him cling to her tightly as he resisted his urge to just let go and release his seed, for he wanted her to enjoy this too.
His mind, finally somewhat clear of the blizzard induced fog, managed to utter some words through his lips.
"Who... who are you?" he said, panting in delight as she caressed his ears and slowly moved her hips.
"You may call me Ember..." she said with a gentle voice that reminded him of the soft crackling of the fireplace.
Nick let out a loud moan, clinging to her desperately, soaking up her heat as his mind melted with delight.
Ember did not relent on her riding, still slowly moving her hips while holding him close in a loving embrace, savouring every second.
She lifted his face by holding his round cheeks on her palms and landed a tender kiss on his lips that left a small trail of vapour.
"Let me take care of you, it's the least I can do for awakening me..." she said as Nick drowned in her eyes.
He did not respond, and just relaxed and held on tightly to her, nuzzling her warm chest and covering it in kisses.
Ember continued her delightful rhythm, moving ever so slightly faster.
"I can't hold..." Nick said, not wanting to disappoint her.
In response, she moved faster and held his head close to her bosom.
"Don't my sweet traveller, give me your all..." she said in a loving tone.
As she requested, Nick let go, and a torrent of pent-up seed exploded into the warm furnace that was her insides.
He shivered and panted, his whole body convulsing in the best orgasm he had ever had, becoming almost unto a doll in her arms.
With a satisfied look, Ember helped him lay down on the now warm floor, placing herself on top of him playfully. It almost seemed like Nick was trying to cover himself with a thin, small pelt, for her slender body was much smaller than his large ursine frame.
The now toasty Nick took long deep breaths, still somewhat in shock for what had just happened, and looked up towards Ember to make sure he was not hallucinating.
