The blizzard didn't simply howl; it screamed. Winds tore through the mountains with enough force to uproot trees, while thick sheets of snow swallowed the landscape whole. Visibility was practically nonexistent, and the freezing temperatures were enough to kill an unprepared traveller within minutes. It was the sort of winter storm that buried entire villages, leaving nothing behind but frozen rooftops and forgotten bodies.

Katsuki Bakugo knew these mountains better than anyone. They were his territory, his home, and the land his ancestors had fought and died to protect. He had spent most of his life surviving the unforgiving wilderness, learning to hunt, fight, and endure conditions that would have broken an ordinary man. As the chief of the mountain tribe, he was responsible for keeping his people alive, and he took that responsibility extremely seriously.

He was returning from a hunting expedition when he spotted something unusual beneath a nearby snowdrift.

At first, he assumed it was an animal carcass.

Then he noticed a hand.

"What the fuck?"

He approached cautiously, pushing aside the snow with his heavy leather boot. Beneath it lay a woman, barely conscious, her body trembling weakly beneath the accumulating snow. Her clothing was entirely unsuitable for the weather, and her exposed skin was frighteningly cold.

"HEY! Lady! Can you hear me?!"

He crouched beside her, roughly brushing snow from her shoulders. Her breathing was shallow, and her pulse was weak.

"You're fucking kidding me."

Bakugo glanced around, searching for any indication of where she had come from. There were no horses, no supplies, and no tracks leading anywhere particularly useful. Whoever she was, she had either been abandoned or had somehow wandered into the most dangerous part of the mountains.

His crimson eyes narrowed.

This was forbidden territory. More specifically, it was the territory of the Kurogane tribe, an isolated community consisting almost entirely of hardened warriors and hunters. Their settlement was hidden deep within the mountains, protected by enormous wooden palisades, watchtowers, and a strict set of ancestral laws.

One of those laws prohibited women from entering the settlement.

The reasoning was old, complicated, and rooted in generations of superstition and tradition. The tribe believed that allowing outsiders, particularly women, into their settlement would threaten its traditions and internal order. Whether Bakugo personally believed every aspect of that nonsense was another matter entirely.

He wasn't particularly fond of traditions he considered stupid, but he was responsible for maintaining order.

And yet, there he was, staring down at an unconscious woman in the middle of a fucking blizzard.

"Tch. What a pain in the ass."

With an irritated sigh, he removed his enormous fur-lined cloak and wrapped it tightly around her. He then carefully lifted her into his arms, supporting her head against his chest.

She weighed considerably less than he expected.

"Don't you fucking dare die on me," he muttered, adjusting his grip. "I'm not carrying your frozen corpse all the way back for nothing."

The journey back to camp was difficult. Snow reached his knees in some places, and the wind repeatedly threatened to knock him off balance. Nevertheless, he continued forward, occasionally looking down to check whether the woman was still breathing.

By the time the settlement came into view, the sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains.

The Kurogane settlement was an imposing sight. Massive wooden structures surrounded a central courtyard, with animal pelts hanging from buildings and enormous fires burning in stone pits. Smoke rose from the chimneys, carrying the smell of roasted meat and burning timber into the freezing air.

Warriors occupied the courtyard, some sharpening their weapons, others drinking around the fire or returning from their daily hunts. They were enormous, intimidating men, most bearing scars from years of fighting.

Their conversations gradually stopped when Bakugo approached.

"Chief?"

One of the older warriors stepped forward, his attention immediately falling upon the unfamiliar figure in Bakugo's arms.

"What in the name of the gods is that?"

"A fucking person, obviously."

"That's a woman."

"No shit, Sherlock."

Silence fell across the courtyard.

A woman.

Inside their territory.

Bakugo could practically feel the collective disbelief surrounding him. Several warriors exchanged glances, while others began muttering amongst themselves.

"Chief, you know the laws."

"Yeah? And?"

"Women aren't permitted within the settlement."

Bakugo's expression darkened.

"She's half-dead, you fucking idiot. You want me to leave her out there?"

Nobody answered.

"Thought so."

He pushed past them, heading towards the largest building in the settlement: his own quarters. It was considerably more spacious than the other dwellings, constructed from thick timber and reinforced with stone. Animal furs covered the floors, and a large fireplace occupied one side of the room. Weapons hung from the walls, including several battle axes, swords, and hunting knives.

He carefully placed the woman upon a bed covered in thick pelts.

"Get the healer!" he barked towards the doorway. "And bring warm water, blankets, and something for her to wear!"

A younger warrior hesitated.

"The council won't approve of this."

Bakugo slowly turned his head.

"Did I fucking ask what the council thinks?"

The warrior immediately disappeared.

Bakugo crouched beside the bed, examining the woman's condition. Her cheeks were pale, her fingers almost completely numb, and her clothes were damp from the snow. He pulled another fur blanket over her, making sure she was adequately covered.

For a moment, he simply watched her.

Who was she? Where had she come from? Why was she alone in the mountains?

And, perhaps most importantly, what the hell was he supposed to do with her?

He had enough problems without introducing a complete stranger into his settlement. His warriors were stubborn, the elders were insufferable, and the upcoming winter would already stretch their food supplies thin.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to regret his decision.

"Unbelievable," he muttered, running a hand through his messy blond hair. "One fucking day. I get one peaceful day, and this happens."

Outside, the wind continued battering the settlement.

Inside, the chief of the Kurogane tribe had unknowingly brought home the one thing his people had spent generations forbidding.

And when the woman eventually woke, she would find herself surrounded by strangers, trapped in an unfamiliar mountain settlement, with the most intimidating man in the entire tribe sitting beside her bed.

Bakugo had absolutely no intention of letting her wander off into the wilderness again.

Not until he knew exactly who she was.