Shadewood outside the norm

maybe @Ulrich?

He came by way of the coast, following the gravel that lined the sand where the surf had pushed it, until the sand gave way to frozen ground, and then to forest. The darkness of the forest was something he had always been taught to avoid; it was so much colder there, and there were many twists and turns! 

By the time he'd made it out the other side, Goliad had been lost for a day and a half. He had not eaten, he had only supped from pools of half-frozen water that tasted sour. His head swam with a hunger headache. It was unwise for him to have come so far, he mused — yet he could not turn back.

Where the forest ended, the land tipped down in to a valley made of mud and ice. He would have to be particularly careful moving through it, he thought. His first instinct was to seek out fresh water and then, if he was lucky, perhaps he would find something to eat before he froze to death in this frigid place.