Noa Kim's eyes fluttered open, realizing she was still breathing.   She had  prayed to die in her sleep, yet not even God felt the need to rid her of everthing she so wanted gone. She sat up, brushing the strands of her black hair away from her tired eyes. " Still freezing." To he suprise she heard no sound of wind, rushing to stand up and run to the windows that had been iced over. Flat land, caked in the white powder; . A bright smile appeared on her face. Overjoyed, she could  finally  leave the confinement of her home. Her dog, perked his head up, confused by her sudden excitement. "Today's a good day, boy. Aren't you happy?" Scowled at him, she pullen open the large drawer in her room, picking out several pieces of warm clothes. Temperatures were unbearable, and many hadn't adjusted to the climate. She pulled a warm sweater over her head, then reaching for a scarf, bundling up. Only her feet were bare, as she made her way into the kitchen, with the dog trailing behind. Opening up a cupboard, she snatched some crackers. She wouldn't let preparing a breakfast  keep her from getting outside.  Signaling her furry friend to come along, he immediately obeyed. As much as she was excited, she was nervous. It had been weeks since she'd been out of the house. What would it be like? After a couple of deep breaths, she slipped on her boots, opening the door to the cold air outside. 

  A red giant glowed behind the clouds, illuminating the snow covered ground in the most interesting way. Cold breezes surged through her body as she took small steps. She glanced around, taking notice of rugged road, trailing to the mountains near her house, and the far off ruins of the city. It felt like a small world, but in reality it was far from such. She took slow steps on the road , stopping occasionally to glance at the mountains she was heading to. Her dog ran in circles, his barks echoing in the distance. 

  The landform was a major spectacle for previous inhabitants. The glow of the giant would be first to touch down on the snow capped summits in early morning. Noa's parents would always tell her legends  when she was a child. "It's dangerous, who knows who or what could be up there." "Umma, it can't possibly be dangerous." "Don't push your luck, dear. There might be an abominable snowman up in those caves !"  Noa smiled, remembering the sound of her childlike laughter from so many years ago. After he parent's died, she began exploring the mountains in her free time when the snow wasnt falling. Making her way up the twisted paths , she heard the contstant cracks of ice from far off. Wind could be heard blowing above the peaks, soothing to Noa's ears.  Humming a small tune, she watched her small dog lead the way up the slope. "Slow down," she scolded him," let me catch up-"  Just then, he stopped short, his ears perking up. A bizzare thing it was, the animal looking very alarmed. "Hm? What is it?" In an instant, her dog shot up the hill, sniffing the ice as he ascended with speed.  

" Ach, stupid dog. Wait!" 

  Noa sprinted after him, trying to be careful of shards of ice sticking up from the path. She called after the dog," Where are you, boy!?" "Come back, please!"  Nothing seemed to break his attention. Her dog dissapeared as he made it up the hill, and Noa reached the top not long after. Out of breath, she looked around, realizing he had lead her to a clearing, a wide open space she hadn't seen before. "Goodness, don't do that! Now I''m exhausted!" She panted, trying to regain her energy when her dog barked again. "What could it possibly be now?" Only then was she completely silent, and then with the sound of wind, came a distant sound of thumping . "What on earth?" Her dog wandered over to the opposit side of the clearing, beginning to dig at the bottom of a block of ice.  Weary, she approached the spot. Strangely, the thumping became louder as she got closer.  Touching the mass, she pressed her ear to the cold ice. Her eyes widened at what she heard. A heartbeat, romantic,  keeping perfect  tempo with hers. It soothed her nerves instantly, a smile appearing on her face. She struggled to see inside the block of ice. She paused, as she made out a hand, followed by an arm. .Gasping, only then did she realize. A man, encased  in ice, stood before her. He looked as if he had been lifeless for ages. His innocent expression struck something inside her. Speechless she tried to figure a way to get him out before he froze to death. In a split second, the ice evaporated at her touch,  and Noa leaped to catch him before he fell. There she was, knelt to the ground, with the unconsious stranger in her arms.