barucai

[Story] Finding Warmth

Published: January 21st 2025, 4:47:53 am

Hi Hi ✨

Got a cozy little story for you today! Big week coming up - we've got some story continuations, February's content preview, and a sneak peek at the Hugeness 2 image pack! Stay tuned!

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Finding Warmth

"Bloody hell..." Rufus muttered through chattering teeth, stumbling through knee-deep snow as the pale winter morning light filtered through the dense pine forest. His hiking boots, thoroughly soaked from the night's ordeal, felt like blocks of ice attached to his feet. The early January wind whipped mercilessly at his face, and his thin jacket offered little protection against the biting cold.

He'd lost his backpack somewhere in the darkness, along with his phone, compass, and the emergency blanket he'd packed. The night had been a blur of disorientation and growing panic as the snowstorm intensified, forcing him to seek whatever shelter he could find beneath the evergreens.

Now, as dawn broke over the wilderness, Rufus could barely feel his fingers. His right arm throbbed where he'd struck it against a hidden branch during his nighttime wandering. Each step forward seemed to require more effort than the last.

"Just keep moving," he told himself, his breath forming thick clouds in the frigid air. "There's got to be something..."

As if in answer to his desperate thoughts, a flicker of movement caught his eye through the trees. Smoke. Rising in a thin column against the pale sky. Where there was smoke, there had to be...

"A cabin!" The word escaped his lips in a hoarse whisper as he caught sight of the structure through the snow-laden branches. It was a modest building, rustic but solid-looking, with warm light spilling from its windows.

Rufus quickened his pace, ignoring the protest of his frozen limbs. As he drew closer, he noticed a smaller building adjacent to the main cabin – a sauna house, its windows clouded with steam. The sight of it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

Without hesitation, he made his way to the sauna's entrance. Any thoughts of propriety or trespassing were pushed aside by the desperate need for warmth. The door wasn't locked – a stroke of luck he wasn't about to question.

The blast of humid heat as he stepped inside was almost painful against his frozen skin. The steam was thick, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. Rufus barely registered the size of the changing area as he shed his frozen outer layers with trembling fingers.

Wrapped in one of the clean towels he found hanging nearby, he pushed through the inner door into the sauna proper. The steam was even thicker here, and the heat enveloped him like a blanket. Through the haze, he could make out the tiered wooden benches typical of any sauna, though something about their dimensions seemed off. In his exhausted state, he couldn't quite process what it was.

Rufus collapsed onto what he thought was the lowest bench, his frozen body beginning to tingle painfully as it slowly warmed. The surface beneath him felt oddly firm yet yielding, but he was too tired to give it much thought. His eyelids grew heavy as the warmth seeped into his bones.

"Just a few minutes," he murmured to himself as his consciousness began to fade. "Just need to... warm up..."

He was jolted awake by movement beneath him – what he'd thought was a bench was shifting. The steam had thinned somewhat, and as Rufus's eyes snapped open, he found himself staring up at a face that seemed impossibly far above him.

"Well," a woman's voice said, tinged with amusement and surprise, "this is certainly an interesting way to start the morning."

Rufus scrambled backwards, nearly losing his towel in the process. As the steam cleared further, he realized with a start that what he'd mistaken for a bench had actually been the outstretched leg of a woman who made the sauna's generous proportions suddenly make sense.

"I... I'm so sorry," he stammered, pressing himself against the far wall. "I got lost in the storm last night, and I saw the smoke, and I just... I needed to warm up, and I didn't think anyone was in here, and..."

The woman sat up, and Rufus's voice trailed off as she reached her full height. Even seated, she towered over him. Her dark hair was pulled back in a practical bun, and her features, while striking, held more curiosity than anger.

"Breathe," she said, her voice surprisingly gentle for someone of her stature. "You look half-frozen. How long were you out there?"

"All night," Rufus admitted, still trying to process the situation. "Lost my pack in the storm. I'm Rufus, by the way. And I really am sorry about..." he gestured vaguely, "...using your leg as a bench."

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Anna," she offered. "And honestly, I didn't even feel you at first. Though I suppose that's not surprising, given the size difference." She paused, studying him with concern. "You're hurt."

Rufus glanced at his right arm, which was beginning to show an impressive bruise. "It's nothing. Just had a disagreement with a tree branch in the dark."

"That needs looking at," Anna said decisively. "And you need proper warming up – not just steam heat. There's a first aid kit in the main cabin, and I just put coffee on." She stood, and Rufus had to crane his neck to maintain eye contact. The top of his head barely reached her solar plexus.

"I don't want to impose..." he began, but Anna cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"You've already used me as furniture," she pointed out with a grin. "I think we're past formalities. Besides, I could use some company. Working remotely gets a bit lonely out here."

Rufus found himself smiling despite his embarrassment. "Well, when you put it that way..."

"Good," Anna said, reaching for her robe – a substantial garment that made Rufus's standard-sized towel look like a handkerchief in comparison. "Let's get you warmed up and sorted out. Then you can tell me exactly how you ended up using a strange woman's leg as a pillow in her sauna."

As they made their way toward the main cabin, Rufus couldn't help but notice how Anna had to duck slightly to clear the doorframe. The morning was certainly not going how he'd expected, but as feeling returned to his extremities and the first rays of sun broke through the clouds, he had to admit – it could have gone much worse.