Rick stared above the open fire, flames licking the air in front, flickering around like the most chaotic whip. Staring through it, Rick watched with wide eyes, staring at Bobs still body and the slowly moving monster above. Slowly moving to stand, staring with what Rick could only explain as confusion on its monstrous face. Looking like a cat having stepped on something sticky, wondering if it was bad or good.

Rick stayed still while the monster stared confusedly down on Bob. Its eyes blinking rapidly, nose flaring as if smelling, tongue flickering as if tasting. It stared down at the still Bob, seemingly unaware of Rick’s presence, maybe forgetful.

A wet nose reached down to smell Bob, eyes bright, an intelligence hiding behind. It sniffed quietly, nose twitching, suddingly freezing. A second passed, then it rose its head up, staring at the flickering flames and Rick behind them.

It flared its back, tail raising behind it, rising it high as it found its voice yet again. Growling loudly with teeth exposed. Ricks hands clasped for the safety of his axe, tightening to a bright white, seeking the comfort of the hardwood and cold steel.

The monster growled louder, sounding like rocks smashing against a mountain in a raging river, but muffled, as if holding back from being too loud.

Rick just stood there, staring back. Mind like a whirlpool of emotions crashing against the shore. Rage, fear, confusion. A melting pot, an ocean of molten lava, a sea of clashing armies.

The monster grew more silent with its growl, taking one tiny step forward as it reached its head down, keeping its eyes affixed to Rick.

Rick just took a firmer grip around the axe, tense, hand growing painful yet not aware of it.

The monster bared its fangs at Ricks unconscious move, but kept its voice mild, continuing to reach its head down.

Rick followed the monster’s sight, letting his eyes follow its trajectory. Realising where it was heading and took an unconscious step forward, axe raising.

The monster immediately reacted by taking a step back and growling with renewed vigor, louder than before. But keeping its head low, reaching down with teeth that seemed endless in its small mouth.

Rick flinched back from the growl, blinking twice, thrice. Raising his axe ever further, holding it in front as if holding a shield.

The monster kept its steady pace downwards, growl growing with intensity, down until its mouth met the still body of Bob, grabbing him and lifting. Ever growling as it did, growl going muffled upon picking up Bob.

Seeing what it did, Rick let out a soundless yell, taking one determined step forward and raising his axe as if readying to strike. The monster reacting immediately by dropping Bob and baring its claws, fangs like a wall of knives on its snout.

But the two did not move further. The two threatening, but not dangerous. A stalemate, the two found themselves in. And Rick quickly realized it. For even if he did not completely understand the monster’s thinking, he quickly assessed that it wanted Bob. And that was something Rick could not accept.

Rick felt his mind focus, focus once it realized it had something to do, shoveling away all unnecessary thoughts, for it had a mission, a goal, a task. It needed to think, think to save his friend.

Food came to his mind. A weird thought, but a weird thought turned to realization. He kept the monster’s gaze within view, making sure that it wouldn’t dash off with his friend without him seeing it. Then slowly crept towards his pack.

The monster seemed content with the stalemate, having lessened the volume of its growl even further. Though it kept its claws drawn and its fangs bared. Keeping its head in a striking position and its body ready to attack, or flee. Hard to tell which.

Slowly, but quickly, Rick made it to his pack, holding the axe as if holding the very torch to light the burial bonfire. Opening the pack, Rick ruffled through with one hand, not looking down to search, making it hard to find what he was searching for. But memory prevailed as his fingers found it.

Pulling it out, keeping the monster in sight, he held the cold jerky in his hand. Rising up, he moved to stand a little to the side of the fire. Giving him a view of the outside world that was the white landscape of the cave’s entrance. The raining snow like a hail of fire.

The monster kept him in its own sight, shifting its body ever so slowly to keep him in a favorable position. It had let its back fall down slightly, its fangs hiding somewhat within its small mouth, claws retracted. But its eyes were ever so focused, staring with an intelligence and intensity that scared Rick.

Gulping down some saliva, Rick then let the axe fall to the side of his body, hiding it somewhat, then raising the jerky with his other hand. The monster seeing, finally shifting its gaze from Rick to the axe, then up to the jerky.

And for a second, a split second, the monster’s eyes seemed to widen, widen in what looked like an expression of longing. Then it snapped back and refocused on Rick.

But Rick had noticed and felt a flicker of hope upon seeing those eyes. So he started to, at first, slowly move the jerky in a circular motion. Something that made the monster glance back at the jerky, and like before, its pupils quickly widened. But just as quickly, they narrowed back down as it refocused on Rick.

Rick did not falter, but kept slowly moving the jerky in circles. Seeing the monster keeping its focus on Rick, but noticing its body language change. Its back falling further down, less threatening. Its fangs gone, replaced by a thin mouth, closed and focused. Its entire demeanor less, threatening, more curious if not docile.

Rick stopped moving the jerky, noticing the monster seemingly freeze, its focused eyes casting a single quick glance at the jerky. Then Rick pulled his arm back, readying it for a throw. And the monster immediately reeled its body up and started growling. Its calm demeanor but a shadowy past.

Then Rick threw, and the jerky soared to the side of the monster, then beyond and out into the snowy landscape beyond. The monster fell silent seeing the throw, its pupils dilating immediately, like two pits of darkness pushing aside the red of molten lava. Its body turning to a spring bursting with speed, and it jumped back to catch the jerky, body twerked impossibly mid air to succeed in the jump.

Taking his chance, Rick darted beyond the fire and towards Bob’s body, grabbing it quickly and darting back towards the fire. As he passed the fire, he quickly turned around, spotting the monster just jumping back into the cave, a wave of snow following. And in its mouth, it held the oversized jerky.

Impossible, Rick thought. For he’d taken but seconds to run up and grab Bob. Too little time to jump, grab something, fall down and jump back. But the proof was in the stew, and Rick would just have to deal with it.

The monster took a second to reevaluate the situation, spotting Bob in Ricks grasp, and started growling with meat in its mouth. Rick himself, was breathing heavily, feelings as if having run through a hail of arrows, as if having stolen a toy from one’s brother. His mind half focused, half jubilant. His hand still keeping a tight grip around the axe, but his other hand having a tender grasp around Bob.

But even if Rick had managed this one victory, the two had, yet again, gone back to their stalemate. Though now, with things they both greatly desired. One having gone silent, gnawing uneasily on its confusedly won prize. The other forcibly silent, yet happy to have his friend back.

Without much thought, Rick let his life flow back into Bob. Bob quickly reanimating and opening his eyes slowly. As they opened fully, he let out a soundless yawn and smacked his wooden lips together. Looking as if having just woken up from a wonderful nap.

Rick felt relief at the sight, but remembered what Bob had done, and quickly fell into deep thinking. Half focused on the monster, half focused on Bob.

The monster itself half focused on the man in front, half focused on its savior, half focused on its wonderfully tasty prize.

The trio of mismatched people in a stalemate that was a long way from being broken. The outer world roaring with icy winds and the battering off white pellets.

The day was long from done.