Bigby Garza had been awake for around 34 hours. To say that he was exhausted was an understatement and sadly the suffering for him wasn't over, not by a longshot. All he wanted to do was just close his eyes and catch up on some much needed rest, it would be too easy to just sit down and lay his back against the seat he was in and drift off. The gentle rocking of the boat only encouraged him to submit to his desire. Reluctantly, Bigby rubbed the grogginess from his eyes and stood up bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Thankfully, the sun had already gone down and he wasn't baking in the heat anymore. Instead he was freezing now and all he had on him was light jacket that wasn't really doing much to keep him warm. Staring at the seemingly endless expanse of water, he almost felt at ease. There was something about the moon reflecting on the waves that gave him a sense of peace and tranquility. Even if he was currently on the run.

Letting out a little shout and slapping his face, Bigby could feel himself wake up a bit more. "Alright, Bigby. Wake up, wake up."

For the 34 hours he had been awake, about 13 of those hours were spent on this boat. He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel bad about stealing this boat but it was preferable to the alternative and in all honesty it wasn't anywhere near as bad as what he had done just prior to taking it. He was supposed to be flying under the radar, keeping a low profile and minding his own business but his body moved of its own accord. Strange how just seeing someone get robbed could spur such a reaction out of him especially when he was actively trying not to draw any attention to himself.

To be honest he panicked. There definitely a lot of smarter options that probably didn't require him to leave shore but it was the closest place to go and it would have been a matter of time before they found him had he stayed on the docks. Police had to be combing the waters searching for him and it was more than likely they asked the Coast Guard to help with their search. Going back to Miami wasn't an option.

Bigby went through the options in his head. Where could he go and lay low for a while. He was already traveling past the Florida Keys and hide out there but he didn't feel very comfortable with that idea. Cuba? No too far considering he just travelled in the opposite direction for about 12 hours. Bermuda? Maybe but he would need to change his heading to the north and it would make his already long trip even more lengthy and miserable. Puerto Rico? That could work actually considering he was a third of the way there. Additionally if he remembered correctly he had some distant relatives living down there. Maybe he'd get lucky and they would take him in, at least until he could get back on his feet.

Now if his math was right, Miami was a little over a 1,000 miles from Puerto Rico. If the boat he was traveling on could maintain 10 mph with just the sails then that would mean he could make it in about 100 hours, probably a bit more. Add in the motor and that should cut it down quite a bit. He let out a small of relief. Thankfully he had been traveling in the relatively right direction anyways but he would need to make course corrections.

Bigby ran a hand through his curly hair and sighed again heavily. He was looking at something around four days on the water and that didn't include if he took the time to sleep along the way or if he ran out of fuel along the way and had to rely on just the sails. He'd need to take stock of his supplies that's for sure. Checking his watch, he could see it was 9:21 pm. Almost two whole days without sleep. He couldn't keep this up, not for four days. Bigby decided that he would get some sleep, but only after he took a full inventory of his supplies on the boat which probably wouldn't be much.

It was going to be a long four days.

It must have started raining at some point during Bigby had be asleep because when the thunder rumbled through the sky Bigby awoke with a jolt tumbled out of his seat in the process. Unlike the gentle rocking from earlier, the boat now bucked and rolled with each wave that crashed into it. Rain smacked into the window of the cabin relentlessly and he almost thought it would crack the glass as he used the seat to help himself get to his feet.

Bigby cursed to himself as he peered out the window and got back into the seat. This storm was massive and it seemingly came out of nowhere. There were no signs of a storm coming before he fell asleep. Not on the radar and not in the clouds.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins and Bigby felt the tendrils of sleepiness fade from his mind. Grabbing onto the wheel he began maneuvering the small boat in an effort to combat the battering the the ship was enduring. He was alert and now ready to deal with this disaster but no matter how alert he was nothing could prepare him for what he could see through the cabin window. All around him, surrounding the boat was white water. And it was not like it was a light under the water. No, the water was quite literally white.

Bigby rubbed at his eyes and stared out at the sea in amazement and confusion. It didn't seem real and for a second he thought that he might have been dreaming. A thunderstorm in the middle of the ocean with white water all round as far as the eye could see. It was unreal and yet it was happening right before his eyes. His amazement quickly left and was replaced by the same determination he had prior as another wave crashed into the small boat. The waves seemed to be coming from all sides and it quickly became almost impossible to control the boat. Bigby found himself airborne as a particularly strong wave smash the boat knocking him out of the seat again.

Pain surged through his skull and everything suddenly became hazy when the side of his head smacked against the interior of the cabin. Slowly and unsteadily, Bigby tried to get back to his feet but with the waves relentlessly crashing into the boat getting to his feet wasn't going to happen. He felt something wet and warm slipping down the side of his face. This was it, this was the end for him. Drowned in a tiny ass boat while running away from the law. It was so clichè like something out of an old tale. He would would have been morbidly amused if he was coherent enough, this certainly wasn't how he expected to bite it.

Before long before the violent rocking became like a gentle nudging and the waves crashing against the window dissolved into a sweet lullaby. He felt so tired and didn't want to move. He would just rest his eyes for a few seconds and he'd be back up again in no time. He'd be damned if this storm would be the end of him.

His hearing was the first of his senses to return from the long darkness he was in. There was a loud howling noise though it was partially muffled, he was still inside the cabin then. The wind had really picked up outside and was making itself heard as it pressed against the frame of the boat. Slowly his sense of touch and feeling was coming back and he shivered at how cold the floor felt. Not a nice cold like in an air-conditioned room with marble floors, more like it was freezing cold like he took a nap in a walk in freezer. Opening his eyes he could see he was as he thought still inside the cabin of the boat but strangely enough he could see his breath each time he breathed.

"Still alive." He chuckled lightly as he sluggishly picked himself up from the floor. "Come on, get up. Get up, Bigby."

Rising to his feet he tucked his hands under his armpits in an attempt to stem the chill he currently felt. Looking around cabin, he noted that all the windows had a small coating of frost on them. That didn't seem normal, especially considering he wasn't sailing anywhere near where something like this could happen. Hesitantly, Bigby wiped one of the frost covered windows hissing softly at just how cold the window actually was. Looking outside only served to add more confusion to the already bizarre conditions he was in since there was literally a blizzard happening out there. Bigby blinked and rubbed his eyes, that blow to the head he took must have given him a really bad concussion.

"What? How did… Huh?" No matter how he tried to think of it there was no logical explanation for this. For him to end up anywhere remotely like this would require him to be drifting for months at least and he wouldn't survive that long unconscious. He really wanted to believe this was a dream but the shivering in his body and the pain in his head told him he was very much awake. Looking back outside he could barely see the front of the boat and the howling winds were carrying snow with them.

Really?! A fucking blizzard!

Much to his dismay and unsurprisingly, the boat wouldn't start. He had hoped it wouldn't have been the case because then he would at least have some heat going for him. Going outside was also a no go with that blizzard still going on. Defeated, until at the very least the blizzard went away Bigby had no choice but to stay put inside the small cabin. At the very least he was thankful he had the foresight to move most of the supplies into the cabin in one of the cupboards.

Reaching into the cupboard he took stock of what supplies he currently had with him that he could actually use. They would very well determine whether he would live through this ordeal or if he became a human popsicle. A flare gun with two flares, a flashlight, a first aid kit, a life jacket, a solar-powered phone charger, and some vacuum-sealed high energy biscuits. On him personally he only carried his phone, a survival knife (complete with a firestarter, mini flashlight, seatbelt cutter and glass breaker), his wristwatch, and one particular item that reminded him of all the pain and anger from his past life.

Bigby looked at the coyote tan pistol and lamented sadly at the memories it brought up from deep inside himself. Fire, blood, pain, anger, sadness, fear. Truthfully, he didn't know why he kept it. The last remaining part of his past life that showed him nothing but pure evil and despair until he grew to hate with every fiber of his being. Was the reason he held on to something that brought back painful memories sentimental? Yeah, probably and no matter how much he tried to rid himself he just couldn't give it up.

Bigby shivered and rubbed his arms in an effort to stay warm. All he was wearing was pants, boots, a tshirt and thin hoodie. The lifejacket would help him retain some body heat but he would need to find some place warm pronto.

It would be two hours before the blizzard and wind would die down. Normally in a situation like this, staying put would be the safest and best option. Unfortunately, the radio inside the boat did not work, just static on all the channels. The radar inside was also busted so Bigby had no way of knowing just where the hell he was. So he decided to take his chances and walk rather than wait for help that more than likely wasn't coming.

That was about an three and a half hours ago.

Even without the wind it was still unbearably cold. Bigby had been able to fashion a sort of cloak out of the sails from the boat but it did very little to keep him warm. Still it was better than nothing and he had even been able to fashion a small backpack to carry the the supplies in. Shakily he reached into his waistband and pulled out the flare gun. Pointing it straight up to the sky, he fired and watched as the crimson rocket streaked through the air.

"That's the last flare." He whispered through chattering teeth. He could barely even feel the flare gun slipping out of his hand and into the snow because of how numb they had become. Same applied to his feet since he was trudging in shin-deep snow for about 10 minutes now. It was unreal how cold he felt especially since for a time he had lived up north where the weather was usually around the negatives.

How could it be so cold with no wind. I'm so cold. I'm so cold.

He had to find shelter, he had to find help. But it was so called and he couldn't really feel his face or fingers anymore. Just taking a step felt like it took every bit of his willpower to move his leg forward. His mind felt clouded and loose, what was he supposed to be doing again, wasn't he supposed to be looking for something? The last of his willpower gave out as he tumbled face first into the snow on his next step.

Bigby felt weird, he knew he was still cold but he couldn't feel the coldness anymore. Not even as he laid there in the snow. Clumps of snow mixed with his hair and covered his face but he didn't even notice. He felt confused, where was he supposed to be traveling again? He couldn't remember at all. The snow felt so comfortable, like a soft cool mattress.

Get up, he had to get up. He couldn't stay laying down in the snow. He had to find shelter, he had to find help. Bigby groaned loudly as his stiff limbs moved and propped himself to his feet. Wiping off his face and knocking the snow loose from his hair he could feel himself taking steps forward. He couldn't stop, he had to keep moving.

Left foot.

Right foot.

Left foot.

Right foot.

His teeth chattered and his body shuddered with every weighted step he took. Finally his legs stopped moving. Bigby gritted his teeth as he willed them to move but they wouldn't budge, not even an inch. Bigby looked around but could only see snow for miles around. No mountains, no glaciers, not even the small outline of a village.

He let his head hang and he dropped to his knees. This was the second time within 24 hours that he was experiencing a life-threatening situation but this time it looked like his luck wasn't going to hold out this time. As his body grew colder and colder he felt himself grow very tired, his eyes could barely stay open now.

Well he had a good run almost even had a semi-normal life. He felt himself collapse backwards into the snow freezing snow. The last thing he would see before the darkness came is how blue and clear the sky looked. Slowly his eyes closed and he could feel his breathing slowing down and growing more shallow. It's just a light nap, he should be fine right here. It wasn't even that cold.

"Hey!"

Bigby snapped his eyes open and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. His eyes darted from side to side and took in a sharp breath coughing in the process. Unlike when he closed his eyes, his entire body erupted in freezing cold pain. It was like he was suddenly aware of how cold he actually was.

"Hey, are you okay?!"

There was that voice again. It sounded like a woman but it was too distant for him to properly tell. Bigby tried turning his head to the source of the voice but he felt too stiff and just moving put him in intense pain. There was a fast-paced thumping accompanying the voice so that more than likely meant that they were coming towards him.

The thumping ceased once it was right next to him and Bigby felt something sniffing him before a massive tongue licked his face. Bigby bristled and the wetness and hissed because of the stinging pain it left on his cheek. Through half-lidded eyes, he looked to the source and saw what looked like a massive polar bears face with giant brown his staring curiously at him.

"Hey?" Another face appeared. If he had to guess, it was the person who was calling to him before. While couldn't make out facial features since she had the obscured with a hood and scarf covering most of her face he could at least tell that his rescuer was a girl. The most striking feature for him though was her skin was the same shade as his, dark brown, but she also had very blue eyes like he was looking at the sky itself.

"You're going to be alright. Just hang on, okay."

Bigby tried to mumble out a response but all that came out was a low and pained grown. He could the woman covering him with what looked like furs and he could already feel some of the cold in his limbs retreat a small amount.

"I'm going to get you out of here. We're not far from help." The woman said as she finished covering him with the furs. "I'm going to lift you up now, okay?"

Bigby gave a barely noticeable nod. The woman nodded back before lifting him up from the snow. Bigby screamed in pain as his entire body felt like it was cracking from being frozen stiff for too long. The woman whispered reassuring words to help calm him as she put him on top of the saddle the polar bear was wearing. He would have been impressed at how effortlessly she did it if he wasn't going mad from the pain he was in.

"Let's go, Naga!" The woman commanded whipping the reins. The polar bear roared in response and took off at full speed to wherever the woman's home was. Today had certainly been a weird day that much was certain. Still, if it meant he lived another day then he wouldn't mind how weird things would get.

Little did he know that his new weird life was only just beginning.