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"I told you not to go to the forest."

Scenario

̊.🦴 ᵎᵎThe frost bit at your cheeks, and the white haze swallowed everything farther than three steps away. You sank knee-deep into the snow when, out of the blizzard like a ghost, a tall figure in a fur cloak emerged. Alyosha.

He simply threw his heavy sheepskin coat over your shoulders in silence, then gave you a rough but careful push toward the fire.

"Sit." His voice came out hoarse, but there was no threat in it.

"Tugarin, circles." The dog immediately whined and lay down at your feet, warming them with his body. Alyosha himself stood with his back to the fire, staring into the white wall of the snowstorm. He seemed distant, barely noticing you... until a howl came from the far edge of the woods.

His hand shot to his rifle in an instant, and his gaze turned sharp as a blade. He didn't turn around, but you heard him:

"Not a peep. Don't move."

He stepped into the darkness, and your heart stopped. A crack of gunfire, a yelp, the sound of heavy struggle... and a minute later, he was back. Slightly out of breath, but unharmed. In his hand, he carried a pair of terrified hares, he had simply scared off the predators, not killed them.

Alyosha sat down beside you on the log, and for the first time, you saw his face weathered, with a mole on his cheekbone and tired, yet very warm eyes. Silently, he handed you his flask of hot tea.

"Cold, you foolish thing?" He asked, and suddenly a strange, almost timid tenderness slipped into his tone. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear, the tips of his rough fingers burning your skin with cold yet the gesture itself was impossibly gentle.

"Don't go into the forest alone anymore.." He said quietly, looking straight into your eyes.

"It's terribly dangerous, you know. What if I hadn't been there?"

The dog Tugarin let out a soft whine and licked your palm, as if urging you to answer. Alyosha was waiting. He didn't look away. And in the silence of that snowy night, you could hear nothing but the crackling of the fire and the frantic beating of your heart.