>This drive had become so routine to you 
>Almost every day you traveled this long stretch of highway
>The miles simply blending into the background as your vehicle made its way. 
>Whisps of snow swirled around in the wake of the truck 
>While this winter storm was no major hurdle for you you had seen a few abandoned cars along the highway
>Most of them buried in a snowbank and left until a tow truck could make its way out to them
>But their lights were out and marked with the proper flags so you paid them no mind. 
>You had lived out here in the Midwest most of your life so these storms had never held much agency over your routine
>You had learned how to drive through these decades ago
>So even as you felt a strong gust of wind shift the truck roughly to the side you kept calm
>Only adding a touch of a turn of the wheel to keep yourself between the lines
>It seemed like this storm might soon turn into a blizzard. 

>She looked over her cellphone with increased trepidation
>The signal falling between nothing and a single bar
>While the car had done its job and prevented her from injuring herself in the admittedly not so violent crash it still left her in a perilous predicament
>With every exhale she saw her own breath fog up in front of her
>Her scaled hands looking over the insides of the vehicle
>Trying again to crank the vehicle over
>The only result being that she drained the already dying battery a few more volts
>And if this situation continued she was going to need every single drop of power that little battery could give her
>She had been here for the better part of two hours
>She was lucky this was going to be her day off
>At least she wast worried about being late to work
>But over the snow covered hood of her car she watched as the cars sped by
>Their drivers oblivious to her perilous situation

>But as they drove on down the highway she could feel the creeping cold slithering it way into her car
>Into her body
>So as she looked up to the dash of her car she began to dial her phone again
>Hoping to get through to someone
>The needle on her car just barely above the red bar that would signify the death of her battery, and the lifesaving heater that currently just barely clung to life
>The Midwest wasn't supposed to be this bad
>As a girl that grew up in Louisiana she had never dealt with Nebraska winters
>She had always assumed the rumors to be the overblown tall tales of ancient elderly folks that had let their imaginations run wild
>But they had been right after all
>The sow began to pile up over her windshield
>Dusting the car in the pure white danger she had now come to know so well
>Her phone kept ringing the signal fading in and out
>"Of all the places to have a damn dead spot why here?!"
>She shouted to herself as it went silent again
>She huffed watching the could of foggy breath float in the car again
>She felt a nasty shiver rock her body
>She felt slower already
>Looking up to the thermometer in the car her heart only sunk
>52 degrees
>She looked forwards and cranked the heater up higher
>Hoping that the dying battery would hold out for a little longer
>She saw the lights of a plow truck drive by in the other direction
>Throwing up a wall of grayish snow onto the roadside
>Piling up even more snow onto her already chilling car
>With a now shivering hand she reached up to the steering wheel and made sure her hazard lights were on
>From behind the car all one would see from the road was a pair of flashing amber lights
>The rest of the white car covered with snow
>The gator tried the key just once more
>The vain hope that this time the car would turn over
>Keeping her warm even though she knew the danger of doing so
>But this time all she heard was a click

>The battery that only just clung to its fleeting charge didn't even have enough to turn the engine over
>She felt a cold spot form in the pit of her gut
>She could hear the whirring little fan in her car start to quiet down
>The amount of heat being pumped into the cabin trickling to a whisper
>She held her hands in front of the vent
>Trying to soak up whatever meager amount of heat they would give her
>Her hands shook in front of them 
>She could only feel a slightly warm breeze that would soon run out
>She went through her options in her mind
>She could get out of her car and try to flag someone down
>but she would have maybe 2 minuets before the cold got to her even through her jacket and pants
>And she would have to sacrifice what little warmth was left int he car as soon as she opened the door
>The only realistic option was too stay where she was and keep trying her cellphone

>So she sat there in the relative silence of her vehicle
>The only noise aside from her breathing was the dull ringing of her phone, and the rushing frigid wind outside
>She watched as the signal on her phone's screen switched between zero and one bar
>She watched as the wiggling phone symbol eventual set back down and turned red
>The only sound emanating from the device was a steady three bleeps
>Another phone call that no one would hear. 
>She looked through the rapidly covering windows
>The snow slowly obscuring her vision as the blizzard hammered on
>She let out a shaky sigh again. 
>Watching as the cloud of her breath slowly wafted in front of her face
>She felt her toes and fingers start to go numb
>The feeling of biting cold being replaced with a terrifying numbness
>She tried to rub her scaled hands together to regain some warmth
>But try as she might she was never able to claw back that feeling in her hands
>She looked down at her phone watching with widened eyes as the battery indicator flashed red
>That was her only lifeline
>And now that too was going to die off
>And if she didn't make this next call connect she would as well
>Even if she did would anyone make it out here in time?
>She considered in a desperate though if she could make a small fire in the back seat
>The cold starting to addle her mind
>every though seemed to flow like cold molasses 
>Her jaw chattering interrupting her thoughts again and again 
>The more she tried to think of a solution the more frustrated she became
>Every minuet becoming angrier and angrier
>After a few moments stewing in her own frustration she let out a shout 
>Pounding on the steering wheel
>Her body no longer felt cold strangely 
>The numbing cold that had been creeping through her was now being replaced by a spreading uncomfortable warmth

>As the uncomfortable warmth started to spread from her hands and feet She began to loosen her jacket
>Her mind no longer focusing on the ever dropping temperature inside the car
>Her mind now completely focused on how strangely warm it was getting in here now
>Ignoring how with every pant a cloud of vapor dispersed into the car around her. 
>With increasing frustration she began to shed more and more of her clothing
>The implications of anyone finding her like this was not even a possibility in her mind anymore
>The only thought that forced her way into her mind was her drive to cool down
>Her jacket and then her shoes were quickly shed. 
>Throwing them into the back seat
>Every moment that went by she began to feel warmer and warmer. 
>Like she was now baking under a heat lamp. 
>She began to pant
>Every gasping breath creating another cloud in front of her as she wiggled out of her pants 
>Shedding her shirt not too long afterwards
>Her green scales on her arms contrasting against her smoother brighter yellow scales on her chest and belly
>Only a black sports bra and matching compression shorts were left on her
>Yet the heat never subsided. 
>She lay back in her chair
>The energy leaving her body 
>She suddenly felt a powerful urge to sleep
>Her body ached like she had just run a marathon
>Her arms and legs ached
>And she only barely registered the bright white lights of a vehicle pulling up behind her in the snow

>As you drove on through the snow
>You flicked the small stalk next tot he wheel 
>The turn signal blinking in a steady beat as you began to turn off the highway and pull onto an off ramp
>But something caught your eye 
>A twin set of tracks dug into the side of the ramp
>Normally you would have supposed it was a pair of snowmobiles that had gone and taken a joyride in the deeper snow that always piled up in drifts near here
>But an unknown force drove you to investigate further

>You pulled the truck over to the side of the road and threw it into park
>Pressing the hazard lights and opening up the door 
>The frigid wind almost drove the breath from your lungs as you pulled your heavy jacket up closer around your face
>Stepping quickly around the front of your car and looking down into the slight embankment
>You saw a car half buried in the snow
>Its hazards still on
>You almost turned around and went back to your truck
>But a quick flash of motion caught your eye
>There was no way anyone would still be in there right?
>But as you scanned the area around the sides of the car you saw no tracks leading back up the small hill
>A pang of concern washed over you
>Figuring you may as well give the car a look over
>Worst case scenario in your mind was that you'd be a little colder than normal when you climbed back in the cab
>But as you trudged down the hill you tried to peer in through the windows to no avail
>The glass covered in a few inches of snow and ice
>But there was a faint shape inside
>You decided to swipe your hand over the driver's window
>Your gloved hand pushing away the snow
>What you saw made a cold lump form in your gut
>There in the driver's seat sat a green skinned anthro
>You saw a few of them in the inner city but had never seen one this far out that wasn't a more feral type
>Like the Native Americans of old they most kept to themselves
>But as you took in the scene you realized why this one hadn't attempted to escape their car
>This wasn't a deer or even a wolf
>But some kind of lizard
>Her green scales covering most of her body
>Then another realization hit you
>She was almost naked
>All but her underwear strewn across the car
>You pulled on the door
>Wanting to check to see if she was just sleeping or if she was okay 
>But when the door pulled open you watched as a dusting of cold snow fell across her arm
>She didn't react
>You leaned in and jostled her body
>She was unresponsive.

>Every instinct that had been hammered into you during your high school years was suddenly in the forefront of your mind
>That stupid lifeguard class you had taken for an extra P.E. credit was suddenly very much worth it. 
>You reached into the vehicle and put your ear against her chest
>At the very least she was still breathing
>If she was breathing you knew she had a heartbeat 
>So with that established you reached across her bare midsection and pressed the seat belt release
>With a metallic click you felt the tension on the belt release
>The strap pulling itself back into its ratcheting case 
>You were over come for a moment by a period of bashfulness
>She was almost naked!
>What if she woke up while you were carrying her
>When if she though you had stripped her naked
>With a shake of your head you pushed those thoughts out of your mind
>Pushing your arms up and under her knees and behind her back
>But you were surprised has when you pulled her up and out
>A large muscular tail followed her out of the vehicle. 
>You were by no means a weak man
>But her full weight hit you as you took your first step up the hill
>She was a much bigger girl than you had taken her for
>But you knew each second she spent in the cold was a second that brought her ever closer to permanent damage
>So you trudged on
>One step after the other
>Trying to keep a good pace up the hill and not slip
>Dropping her in the snow was most certainly a thing that could not happen
>But with each step you were closer to your goal
>Her tail drug in the snow between your legs. 
>But as the seconds went on and the winter storm buffeted you you began to pant
>Your muscles began to burn as the strain got to you
>The difficulty of moving in the snow in thick clothes
>Added to the wight of the lizard girl that you held gingerly in your arms
>Each step brought a new wave of strain to your body
>But slowly your headlights came back into view

>Each step you took became a challenge
>Between the wind trying to blow you off balance and the odd weight you held in your arms 
>But you pressed on
>eventually reaching the passenger door to your truck
>shifting her in your arms you reached out with a gloved hand
>Wrapping your fingers solidly around the handle and you yanked hard
>The door opening with a metallic creek 
>This old bird may not be the shiniest thing in the parking lot at work
>But damn if she wasn't reliable
>And its heater was a fucking beast.
>You pushed open the door all the way and set the girl down gently on the bench seat
>Folding her tail between her legs as naturally as you could assume 
>But with with a heavy sigh you shut the door behind her
>Jogging to the front of the truck and throwing open the door
>Throwing your own freezing body inside and slamming the door shut behind you
>Your hand lept to the heater control as you instinctively cranked the heater up as high as it would go
>Cranking the fan up only a short few seconds later.


>As you heard the heater fan in your truck ramp up you looked over at the lizard girl for the first time since you saw her in her car. 
>Her green scales betrayed just how cold she probably was
>The iridescent scales not losing their color regardless of just how cold she probably was
>As you eyes roamed over her form you came down from the adrenaline high that had fueled you back up the hill
>Just how laid bare she was
>Save for the compression shorts and sports bras she was completely nude
>You blushed slightly as the vehicle became just slightly warmer inside your jacket
>You could practically hear your own pulse in your ears
>But you had to push past your bashfulness 
>You had to make sure she was going to be okay
>While you were no herpetologist you knew reptiles didn't react very well to extreme cold, Save for a few frog species you had learned about in passing. 
>You put both hands back on the steering wheel and looked back down the hill to where her clothes were
>Splayed about inside her car
>You could be a selfish bastard and let her wake up with nothing on
>But you were going to have to go back for them either way
>So you looked over at the handle to the driver's door and braced yourself for the burst of cold you were about to experience. 
>But as you were about to pull on the handle you heard the shuffle of scale against the cloth seat
>Your head whipped over as you caught the last of her motion
>Her tail curling up and resting against the seat as she slumped over to her side
>Her head landing in your lap
>You bit your bottom lip as you fought the urge to simply enjoy the slightly perverted moment
>But if a big lizard girl woke up in a stranger's truck half naked
>She might be tempted to put those reptilian teeth to good use

>You held both hands up in the air still in a slight shock as to what had just happened to you
>Her auburn hair was played across her face
>So despite your better judgement you brought a gentle hand down
>Brushing it back out of her face 
>As you looked over her unconscious form
>You couldn't help but linger for a few seconds 
>For an anthro...
>she was actually pretty cute
>When you had imagined reptile anthros many years ago you had imagined rough faced sharp fanged beasts 
>But her's was smoother
>Like a gecko or anole. 
>You shook your head as you focused again on what you had to do to avoid her beating the living shit out of you
>So ever so gently you hooked a hand under her head 
>Gently lifting it as you slid out from under it
>Letting it rest on the cushioned seat as you opened the cab door
>The frigid wind blasting you as you stepped outside
>You looked down to your still tires as small drifts of snow began to build up around them
>But with one last thought you had a thought
>You could handle the cold
>And she had just nearly frozen to death
>So quickly you stripped out of your Carhartt jacket
>Draping it over her body as you closed the cab door
>Either ignoring or not noticing her shifting as you closed the door and headed back down the hill

>She felt a chilling numbness wash over her whole body
>Much different than the overwhelming heat that she had felt before
>Was she dead?
>Was this a dream?
>She felt a soft weight cover her as her body greedily absorbed the life giving warmth 
>She pulled her legs up close to her chest 
>Curling up into a ball
>Her mind wasn't cloudy anymore
>She remembered where she was last
>Stuck in a snowbank with nobody coming to save her
>She let out a small wimper as the weight of that situation hit her like a brick wall
>She didn't want to die yet.
>She had so much she needed to do. 
>She muttered to herself
>"I don't want to die."
>"Please save me."
>Too terrified to open her eyes, and see her salvation

>You trudged through the snow
>The wind seemed to cut right down to your bones
>But you had a job to do damnit
>You you pushed on down the hill
>Your eyes squinted to shield them from the billowing gusts
>The car you had found her in only just poking out of the growing drifts of snow
>But you eventually reached it
>Trying to open the door caused a few inches of snow to fall in through the door
>And onto your head
"Fuck this winter shit..."
>Muttering angrily to yourself wasn't going to get you back in your nice warm truck anytime soon
>So you delved into her car
>Pulling garments from all over the car
>Her pants from the foot well, and her shirt and sweater from the passenger seat. 
>As the wind picked up again you abandoned her shoes and socks
>Figuring she would be happy with not being half naked
>You slammed shut the door with your foot as you began to trudge back up the hill
>Each footfall and a very selfish part of you wanted to just throw down her crap and retreat to your truck
>But mamma didn't raise to bitch 
>So you kept going
>Almost slipping and falling right on your ass as you sprinted around the truck towards the driver's door
>As you pulled open he door you saw she had moved again
>And she was crying?
>She was curled up into a ball and just begging an unseen figure
>She didn't even notice you as you sat down in the seat next to her
>You looked around in an awkward panic
>you had never been very good at comforting people
>You hadn't ever really been put in a position like this
>So you reached an unsure hand down to her head
>Petting her gently
"Hey... Its okay."
>She flinched hard when you touched her
>Recoiling away from your touch
>"I didn't get to tell them I loved them."
>She said between sobs
>Your eyes widened at that 
>You retreated back to yourself 
>Pulling your hand back away from her

>You sat there in silence for a good few seconds as she laid next to you still scared out of her mind 
>thoughts raced through your mind as you tried to figure out just what you were going to do
>What could you do?
>Get up and out of the truck and sit in the freezing cold?
>As you eliminated options you turned back to look down at her
>She needed to know someone was here for her
>To know she was safe with you
>So you did the only thing you could think to do
>Your bashful nature be damned 
>You hooked two arms under her
>Hauling her shivering form up to you
>You pulled her up into a hug
>Your arm wrapped around her while the other held the back of her head
"Shhh. Its okay... You're safe. I got you"
>While you fully expected her to recoil away from you again
>She grabbed two big handfuls of your shirt and gripped you tight
>You could feel her tears soaking through your shirt as you patted her back 
>Her sobs slowly subsided 
>Replaced by a still silence intermittently interrupted by strong gust

>She felt something pull her up
>Its strong arms pulling her into an embrace
>Any other time she would have backhanded someone that did that to her without her permission
>But right now she needed this
>She wanted to feel safe
>It didn't matter to her who held her
>All that mattered right now is that she was at least out of danger
>She felt his warm body and absentmindedly pulled herself in closer
>She eventually squeaked out a small reply
>the first coherent words in a long time to her
>"Thank you..."
>She continued to hold onto her savior for dear life 
>Still terrified to open her eyes lest when she open them the illusion of safety would be blown away
>So she stayed there
>Eventually pulling her tail up and resting it on the lap of that warm body she clung to
>His soft hands gliding over her scaled back
>She tried again and again to sum up the courage to open up her eyes 
>But every time she fell back into the blind comfort of a warm body and a soft coat