Setting her pack down on the icy ground, Adelaide sighed in relief. While it was cold inside, her breath coming out in frosty puffs of air, she was used to the cold climate here. Even though it was chilly, the outdoors were even more so, the cave walls blocking out much of the icy winds from outside. She came here often, usually to practice her icy magic or simply as a safe haven to rest and relax.
Adelaide began preparations for a small fire, gathering the sticks and dry brush she had collected outside that were scattered about here and there among the snow and ice. After she had a small decent fire going she warmed her hands up briefly near the red blaze flickering merrily. She looked around smiling contently. The cave was fairly small, but had enough room to move about in. She simply referred to it as the 'The Ice Cave', due to its frosty blue crystalline formations that resembled actual stalagmites and stalactites normally found in caves and caverns. The walls were a shimmering ethereal blue, something she had always found quite beautiful and mesmerizing. Today was no different. If she were a painter, she could easily paint such a picturesque scene, preserving it for all eternity. But alas, that was not so. While she appreciated art, she found she had little talent for it.
As she gazed around her, the walls sparkled merrily as if the fire didn't bother it. It never did, she surmised. Countless times she had built fires here, and the ice around stayed intact mysteriously. She had wondered if perhaps this cave were home to some kind of elemental ice spirit, but there had never been any sightings of one, nor could she sense such a spirit here. If there was, this would greatly explain the cave's resistance to fire. Maybe there was, maybe there wasn't. While Adelaide had decent ice abilities, she was by no means an archmage. Not even close.
The mage closed her eyes and rested, quite content to be here. She was about to drift off to sleep, when suddenly she heard a low growl. Alarmed, she opened her eyes quickly and whirled around to see who the intruder was.
