He trudged through the snow, his destination in front of him. With each shuddering breath that emitted from him, a little cloud would appear. He gave a chuckle. He used to love watching his breath form into little clouds. He still did, but as he had gotten older, it had lost the mystic it had all those years ago. These days, he was more focused on ways to get food and coal.

A figure sat in the window of the cabin he was heading to. When he wasn't too far away, it jumped off and disappeared.

"3. 2. 1..."

The cabin door burst open to reveal a brown haired, brown eyed, 11 year old. She was tall for her age as well as lanky. In truth, she looked like a female version of him when he was that age. She held the same facial structure as he had, as well as the same mischievous sparkle in her eyes.

"Alana!" He cried, happily.

"Dad! I was worried! You're 2 hours later then you said you would be! Come on! It's freezing!" She dragged her father inside and began to fuss over him. Her mother had died 4 years ago and since then, she had made it her responsibility to look after her father, especially since he began to work over time, so as to get some food on the table. She sat him in a rickety chair which was probably the most well kept piece of furniture in their small house. He pulled the bag off his back and peered inside with a grin.

"Those 2 hours were worth it though." He pulled a day old loaf of bread and a small block of cheese from his bag. He got up, despite his daughter's orders to stay seated. "I'm only 28, Alana! Your treating me like an old man!" He exclaimed with a chuckle.

"Well if you being left with permanent back pains and a half functioning leg means your an old man, then fine."

"Oh don't be silly, Princess!" He reassured as he prepared some cheese sandwiches. "My leg's almost better. It was only a little wolf bite." He gave Alana her supper, with a tap on her nose.

"Only a little wolf bite!?"

"Stop worrying and eat!" He mock ordered, pulling a funny face while he was at it. She giggled and they both eat their sandwiches in silence. When they finished, he took the dishes to the small kitchen. "Sorry you had to spend your birthday like this, Princess," he sighed. He fell into his chair and buried his head in his hands.

"It's fine, Dad." She said. At his skeptical look, she elaborated. "Jess and Laura came over and spent most of the day with me. We played a few games and they gave me small presents, before they left. I don't need anything fancy. "

He allowed a proud smile at his humble daughter. "C'm here, you." He said as he scooped his little girl into his arms. "Clarissa would be so proud of you, like I know I am." That sentence made Alana squeeze him comfortingly. She knew he still mourned the loss of his wife, her mother. No matter who told him there was nothing he could of done, he continued to blame himself.

After a moment, he pulled back and rummaged through his bag. His eyes lit up when he found the thing he had been looking for. He hid it behind his back. "Well, it still is your birthday. You got your games and your presents but there's one thing missing."

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Cake, of course!" He declared revealing the item behind his back. It was a small cake with icing swirling over in intricate designs like flowers. " She gasped happily at it. "THIS was why I was late. It took long enough to convince the baker to quickly make in the first place."

She took it off him and cut a small piece from it. She fed a little to her father and he fed her some in return. When they finished, she packed the rest of the food away for tomorrow. Then she went up to her father and hugged him quickly. "Thanks, Dad. You're the best."

"I know." He stated with a smug grin only to be given a light slap on the shoulder.

"You're crazy." Alana stated, swirling her finger next to her head.

"And you, princess, should be in bed. It's late enough." Despite the stab of pain that shot through his back, he picked up his 11 year old daughter and took her to her room. He placed the half-asleep child on the bed, pulled the covers tight around her and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "G'night, Alana."

"Night."

He quietly left the room and made a beeline for his own. He pulled off his poncho and changed into slightly more scruffier clothing. He sat on the edge of his bed and applied a mixture of crushed herbs to the bite wound on his leg, hissing when it stung at the contact. Once he finished, he lay down but couldn't sleep.

"Mum was right." He sighed. "No matter how much I want to have it, I can't have fun all the time. But that's all that's keeping me sane. That and Alana." And that was the truth. The only 2 reasons he woke up in the morning were for fun and his precious little girl. But day by day it was getting harder and harder. He was paid so little for one hour, compared to others, so he had to work for extra hours most days. All the work caused strain on his muscles, especially the ones in his back.

Jackson Overland fell asleep while mulling over these thoughts, not noticing the moon glow blindingly bright.