Inside The Hut
The door is ajar and seems terribly inviting, especially with the wind picking up and the sun going down. As you step inside you find the dimly lit structure to be nearly empty. A few leaving from what must have been vagrants or campers, litter the floor in spots. The thick varnished wood is worn and scuffed but seems very solid. The wind dies against thick walls as they shield you from the cold. There are clothes in a closet, further in the house. This seems odd, however, considering these people seem to deny any clothing other than military garb. You pick out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt.
Reaching into a pocket, you find a crumpled photograph, worn and faded. Holding it up to the light you're surprised by what you find; humans. A human couple. This house must have been theirs, abandoned long ago by looks of it. The clothes smell of must and age but they keep you warm in the weather-beaten house.
With the temperature continueing to drop and the clothes not being enough, you're forced to make a fire. The fireplace, which stands at the center of the house, seems older than even the house itself. The spiderwebs and dust on it's bricks appear centuries old. There is no wood stock in the house and the basement door is sealed tight. You try to start a fire with some of the junk strewn out about the floor but it isn't enough. You decide to use some of the old clothes from the closet.
For nearly an hour you sit, struggling to catch a flame. It's not until your arm is nearly ready to give out, that the flame catches and you are able to kindle a small fire. You huddle the small cinder into the fireplace and huddle up around it, feeding it slowly. The soft warm glow and crackling of the fire slowly lulls you to sleep.
Written by Lokor and Kire Kitsune on 17 November 2013