Cold.  Very cold.  Like I'm in an ice tray.  Opening my eyes, I saw... snow.  That would make sense.  Snow is cold.  Sitting up hurts.  I think something's broken?  Poking at my side, I find the spot.  Tender, dull pain, doesn't quite go away after the poke.  But... breathing doesn't quite hurt.  A bit labored, but manageable.  Probably not broken, just bruised.  Checking, I saw small scratches across my arms, and dried blood on my lip.  Hands remain mostly unblemished.  Didn't try to stop my fall.

But... from where?  Looking up, I saw nothing.  No building to fall from, no cliff to descend.  Just open air.  And a crack in the sky.  Seemed to be coming from, uh.... a nearby mountain.  Doesn't make a lot of sense, but I went with it for now.

So, minor scratches, bruised rib, what else.  Date is... um... hmmm... that's a problem.  Mother's maiden... mother... Oh Arceus, I couldn't recall my mom!  Fuck!  Panic started to set in.  Uh... Ice nearby. I could check.  Crawling over, careful not to sink too deep into the snow.  The ice is not very smooth, but a quick buff with my, honestly way too thin shirt, brought out enough of a reflection to see.

Ok, ok... White hair.  *Stark* white.  Like someone bleached it.  Weird.  Face is... I must have been maybe... 20? 22?  Hard to say, but not quite a kid.  And my eyes.  I... didn't think humans are supposed to have gold eyes.  Weird.  But they weren't dilated, both were the same size.  Probably not a concussion.  I sat back against a rock.  No clue where I was, no memories of myself or my family, and only fleeting memories of skills.

Severe selective retrograde amnesia.

Fuck.

Ok, that's fine. I could work with this.

I think.

... shit, maybe not.  Fucking cold out here.  I *must* have been dropped here, cause I couldn't imagine myself going into the frozen wastes without something heavier than a t-shirt and... sandals? Was like I was headed to the beach. I made a note to myself. Can recall generic concepts, but not specific locations or people.  It's like the plot of a generic rpg game.

Having assessed my health, I took a look around.

Snow. Lots of snow.  Well, I had zero idea what direction is what, so I got up and just started walking.  Standing hurt like hell, but I managed.  Worse was the cold biting at my toes.  I had to be careful of frostbite.

The quiet was broken by a howl, something other than the noise of the wind. Not a great sound, but I knew if something is living out here, then so could I.  That's good.  Over the ridge, I could see... something wandering around.  I felt like I recognized it, but hell if I could name it.  Small, triangle shaped.  Looked like a tiny man in a parka.  Definitely not human.  Approaching it, it seems to sniff my hand.  An animal.  No... not an animal. A Pokemon.  That name rang a bell.  Giving it a head pat, it chittered and ran off.   Mostly friendly, that's good, but not the source of the howl.  And not helping me find safety.

Another creature trotted into the clearing.  A deer.  Seems well insulated.  Not... not a fan of attacking it, but food and shelter matter.  Hide could be used for some better insulation, and the meat for food.  Survival.  I felt my nose wrinkle at the thought.  Must have had it easy before.  Whatever before was.  Fishing through the snow, my fingers found purchase on a rock.  Slightly sharp, perfect.

Careful steps, watch it... run.  I can't sneak worth a damn, got it.  I took off, chasing after it. Biting cold in my lungs. Feet burn just a bit.  Everything was on fire.  Sooner I catch it, sooner I could setup camp and cook it.  It dodges left, I followed.  The open space made it extremely easy to track, even in the white snow.  Good, harder to lose it that way.

Something dashed across.  A blur of white and red.  I spun on the spot, nearly tripping as I skittered away.  It howled.  Same as before.  Dangerous.  Like wolf... or a fox.  Whatever it was, it could have the deer.  I was not about to fight it for that meal.  If those things are out here, I had a better off catching something a bit easier.  Perhaps fish.  My stomach growled.  Preferably sooner rather than later.

---

Minutes of walking later, I overheard a stream trickling by.  Following the noise, I uncovered a large river.  Crystal clear water, I was sure ice cold too.  And a shocking number of red fish swimming by.  Large dorsal fins made them easy to spot.  I considered trying to work down a stick, but when one nearly approached the river bank, I took a bolder act.  The water was freezing, but I plunged my hand right in, snatching the gold tipped fin.  Holding on for dear life, it thrashed and floundered, but I managed to drag it into the snow.  If it's surviving those waters, it probably had thick fat.  Pulling it to a cave, I started breaking down sticks.  Old and dead.  The rock from earlier made breaking them easier, and notching one piece helped me align the wood.

I don't think I ever tried to start a fire before.  Or, at least I didn't expect it to take *that* much effort.  Minutes of rubbing one stick against another melted into what felt like an hour.  But with enough time and effort, smoke started to form.  Dead leaves and dry grass placed on the groove started to glow, and a few puffs brought out a full flame.

Survival, hell yeah.

Placed under a bundle of sticks, it all began to catch, and minutes later, there was a proper fire.  Skewering the fish allowed me to hold it over the flame, and while I wasn't sure how long to actually cook it, I suspected it was probably more than it needed.  Fish was unlikely to make me sick raw, at least from what I recalled.  I think it was more to keep me warm.  Cold fish sounded like the last thing I wanted.  With it cooked, stripping the scales was a bit easier as well.  I had to dodge around the less desirable bits of flesh, but I managed to pull enough chunks free to make a meal.  A bland, boring meal, but survival wasn't about flavor, was it.

Food consumed, shelter was next.  This proved both easier and harder.  I had managed to setup in a cave blocking most of the wind, but my current outfit left much to be desired, and looking around, the trees might provide an option, though making them work would be tricky.  Broad leaves in winter weather seemed odd, but I wasn't in a great place to question it. Not yet at least.  Using the rock again allowed me to pull down a few branches, enough to cover most of the cave entrance.  By the time I was finished, night was upon me.

I had survived one day, but the night was cold, and the fire only did so much.  I didn't get much sleep.  Beyond event the cold, the sounds of the night were far more concerning.  Howls and growls echoed across the frozen plain.  A few times I saw what I thought was fire, but the purple color made me think twice about approaching.  If there were other humans, I could look for them tomorrow.  The night was not for me.

I could try again in the morning.