The view was a vast one, towering and narrow mountain peaks in the distance, snow covered woods nearby, a rolling and gentle slope which was perfectly devoid of mark, all covered neatly in a smooth blanket of snow. The sky was a clear, pale blue, with not a single puff of cloud to be seen, not even in the far distance. The air, being languidly moved about with a gentle force, was crisp and cool to those who needed its oxygen. The sun, seeming to have moved into hibernation, shone dimly, not causing a bright reflection from the cover of the snow.

The woods were frosted with snow, obtaining the stoic and noble look of the dark green of the foliage and the brown of the husks, accented by the packets of snow that had drifted their way onto the hanging branches. There were no sounds emanating from the thicket of woods, no sign of natural animal presence. If one were there to look, neither fresh nor aged animal tracks could be seen in the snow-covered earth.

The mountain peaks stood striking against the sky, straining upwards as if to make an attempt at the gates of Heaven. Snow glistened off of their narrow peaks, with a wave of snow being gently lifted into the air by the wind, which had to be howling fiercely at their altitude. The slopes leading to the mountains had a mottled appearance, having had some of the snow cleared from their low foothills, leaving dark patches of dormant earth visible. Again, there was no sign of the presence of life, other than the life that lay dormant beneath the ever-present snow.

However, in the center of this scenery lay another snow-covered item, this one subtly different in that a thin tendril of smoke wafted upwards from one if its peaks. As one moved closer to the indifferent shape, the vague outlines of a human-made home could be discerned in the way the snow covered it, the unnaturally sharp corners and edges. Closer and closer one could see that there was somewhat of a cleared path leading from the cottage, leading--apparently--to a nearby lake, which had given up its liquid state in the current season.

As with the entire vista, there were no signs of movement here, despite the smoke, despite the human presence. There were no tracks or footprints around the perimeter of the structure; no real sense of life was present. There was no soft glow diffused through frosted windows, for there were no windows. There was no scent of rich food being prepared, for there were no scents in this winter slumber. There was barely a rudimentary door built into the wall of this structure, it alone clear of the ever-present snow--indicating that some fairly recent use or activity had gone on here.