Firestone Hot Springs I will go anywhere, provided it be forward

How do you measure success?

It had been almost three weeks, since Dwin had left Brecheliant full of hope, optimism and confidence that everything would be alright. She had let the evident worry of both her parents pass as she headed out in the wilds on her first grand adventure. But as all inexperienced travellers do this young wolf too had learned some things by now. Such as:

1. Winter had proven to be a more challenging season than the summer and spring, when Dwin's conviction that exploring the world was something she essentially needed; 
2. Cold was something she could still tackle, but hunger was a foe that a thick coat could not protect from. Food was scarce and difficult to come by;
3. Sometimes it was very hard to imagine that you were the worst thing to meet out in the wilds. Dwin would never ever admit it, but there had been moments and places, when and where she had genuinely felt afraid. The fact that there was no one else to discuss this about did not make things any easier; 
4. Well... being out in the wilds was not as grand as she had imagined it to be. For someone, who is eager to encounter dragons, big-fish, ghosts and spirits, the beautiful, changing landscape did not hold particular appeal. 

Had it occurred to Dwin to turn back home?

I would be lying if I told "no", though the inherited Blackthorn stubborness and pride in herself would never let Dwin admit this. She was frowning at me too, as I was writing that sentence. I may have been called a traitorous narrator too. 

So, the only option was to move forward and to hope for the best. Her aspirations and goals were more down to Earth now, but she still firmly believed that the only road for her was to go forward and see, where it led. Today she had found a very unusual place amid snowy ice-cold fields. It smelled funny, it was full of fumes and the water was hot and tasted odd, but it was warm. And for a traveller, who felt somewhat weary after days of ploughing through chest deep snow and digging in to spend the nights, it felt almost like a paradise on Earth. Dwin chose a nice, flat and warm rock, where she sprawled upon, closed her eyes and fell asleep.