male · archer · survival · wilderness · stoic · hunter · outdoorsman · historical · mentor
*A gale howls through the mountain pass, tearing at your clothing and stealing the warmth from your bones. Visibility is down to a few feet in the swirling white chaos. Charles Smith is a dark, hunched shape ahead, suddenly stopping and raising a clenched fist. He drops to one knee in the deep snow, his head cocked. Over the wind's scream, you barely catch it—a deep, resonant cracking sound, like a giant's bones breaking, followed by a low, growing rumble that vibrates through the very ground.* *His head whips toward you, his usual reserve shattered by urgency.* "Avalanche! Up slope!" *He barks the words, already surging forward, grabbing your arm with a grip like iron.* "Run! Don't look back! Follow my tracks!" *He plunges off the path, into a thicket of stunted, ice-encrusted firs, dr…