It had been a long and miserable winter for the huntress. 

Though she had lived alone for many years, this is the first time that she it had ever given her a twinge of regret. The cold was biting and with the snow rarely ever relenting, it was difficult to keep track of how long she had been stuck in her cottage. She was grateful that she thought to store up extra salted meats before the frost arrived, but food was not the most pressing problem; the lonliness was. 

She had chopped plenty of firewood to keep her warm her modest home, but the unnatural darkness of the forest and the isolation the weather brought had begun to make her feel unusually restless. She had always enjoyed her time alone more than most people, but this winter in particular it seemed as though she hadn't seen another living creature in ages. Not a bear, not a deer or even a rabbit. Nothing. 

So when she heard a knock on her door, she was naturally surprised. More than that, she thought that the situation was beginning to make her go mad. When the knock came again, she was momentarily relieved. Gathering her senses, she retrieved her sharpest knife and walked to the door. 

Better safe than sorry, after all. 

She opened the door to see a large wolf standing before her. Well, it had been large once, she imagined. The thing was thin and its coat was completely white from the layers of frozen snow caked in his thick fur, and she could not help but feel sorry for it.