The last fire village

It was mid-December when it happened. The cold frigid wind scratched at Hail’s face while she attempted to dig up some Earth fire crystals. She was trying to provide for her family and for her Village which was dying completely. There was no real way that she could finally go home if she didn't find a fire Crystal… because then there would be no warmth and then they would all die from extinguishment and cold. It was a harsh reality but at the same time it was the only one she knew so she had to endure it while she dug for scraps of fire crystal. 

It had been exactly 4 years 7 months and 3 days since the ice controllers invaded, and even though Hail was used to the long icy winters and ice troller invasions. she was not ready to accept that their race was coming to an end. She was still clinging to a small spark that told her this wasn’t the end, a better future for her kind. But, sadly, it was the harsh reality that nobody in their small, rare village wanted to change anything. It seemed as if everybody who lived with her was ready to accept death. But Hail wasn’t-she wanted a better life, a better world but that obviously wouldn’t just happen because she wished for it to. So she just did everything the elder (who was their chief) asked. Like collecting fire crystals for the village to huddle around and seek the tundra for a better refuge or look under rocks for the meager meal of frost bites. Small bitter edible roots that were VERY hard to swallow. 

That was why she was currently in the middle of the tundra searching for fire pebbles and not back in the warm hut crocheting with her grandmother.  It wasn’t exactly a dream, but it was worth it, anything for the village's safety and health to stay. Also when she finally did come home for bitter frost bite stew and small fire crystal collection meetings, she knew somehow she could change things. When she came back, her grandmother told her about the Sacira Mountains. A place that is a safe haven, and it's warm. It’s the ultimate fire village heaven…but most in the village thought it wasn’t a real thing and that her nana was just going crazy. Well she didn’t think so. 

Being her only legal guardian she could let me leave, and she did. The only problem now being, she had to climb an ice mountain to get there. Ice mountains were the death of fire. They were like a lethal ice bath. The last place anyone in the village would want to go unless they wanted to die. They could extinguish them completely, but with the help of dragon skins, which trap in heat and were legendary for warriors only. But luckily enough her father was a warrior battling ice trolls, which was how he died. But with his dragon skin armor which was a little too big on her she was able to stay warm as she breached through the intense cold. It wasn’t too long until she breached the tundra and to the mountains. 

Climbing was hard but it wasn’t as hard as trying to find camp for the night. Since she was alone she had to find everything for herself. But she was used to being alone. So she was completely okay with this arrangement. She also felt like the world was on her shoulders and her dragon skin suddenly gained about 60 pounds at the thought…everybody, whether they knew about her or not, wanted this better future and these supposedly mythical mountains were their last hope. SHE was their last hope! 

That really added weight to the situation and she felt like she was already climbing an invisible mountain before climbing the actual thing. She gathered up her gear containing some frost bites, ice climbing ropes, and her journal in which she kept records of maps and fire spells her grandmother had taught her. Due to this she was an excellent cartographer. The last essential item was a pendant containing poison fire, it melted its victims from touch but was a beautiful sight. Like watching multi-colored northern lights in a bottle, it was the only thing her father and mother gave to her before her mother got murdered and her father fought against the kind ice controller and lost in an unfair battle to seven mega ice trollers and the king himself. 

At that moment as she trudged through the treacherous magical snow of the ice troller territory with her already frozen boots and slowly freezing feet she felt an unusual blast of cold air that had to mean one thing: Ice patrol. They came around the borders,which were the mountains that she planned on climbing. Another downside of her journey: she had to climb the mountain without getting seen. This would be expectantly hard because ice patrol had impeccable night visions. Capable of spotting a mouse at least a mile away. She needed to get past the guards to the towering obstacle up ahead when…BAM! 

In the distance she heard the sound, but she knew the impact was coming…an avalanche. The patrol signaled a safety maneuver into the nearby cave Hail was planning on hiding in and leaving her uncovered and exposed in the frigid weather with an avalanche coming. In the near distance she saw the force moving toward her and was scared out of her mind…she could run away and jump off the nearby cliff…she could still get away!...The mountains could wait!...NO! She refused to let fear get the better of her, she was going to climb this mountain even if she had to withstand an avalanche and her allergies to snow would kill her.

Suddenly as the giant monster loomed closer she became very aware of its height and size and most importantly, speed. If she didn’t hold on so tight that the rock cut through her skin and went to her bone she would be swept up by the current and die while falling off of a cliff. She started the climb and it was hard! About at the ⅕ point she heard a rumble. What came next was snow…lots of snow.