“The northern continents have always been considered to be the harshest of all the lands throughout Krottorus with its year round freezing temperature and unique creatures, making it home to only a select few willing to brave these lands and call it home”
Wandering aimlessly atop the frozen lake with nothing in sight but a white haze in every direction obstructing my view. With no shelter or resources for a fire. I have no other choice but to push through the unforgiving blizzard that had fallen upon me as if being tested by the gods as they watch from their skies looking down on my suffering.
As my body slowly starts to lose its colouring over time, becoming a worrying shade of blue as the coldness takes root, becoming the sole thought on my mind.
Each step becoming more draining than the last, a constant fight against the brisk winds stealing the breath away from my chest, making the feat of a single step enough to make anybody struggle.
Owning nothing but my clothes and my blade on my back and the dozen or so fish that I intend to sell for a small amount of coin.
With each passing step the snow crunched under my boots, submerging my feet and lower legs forcing them forward with each step, fighting the constant resistance pushing against me, as if the blizzard was determined to keep me trapped in its vortex, refusing to release me from its grasp. As if testing my strength and my resolve.
Doing my best to push through the pain, covering my face as best as I can, my thick white scarf and my long, grey, furred robe dragging through the snow with each passing step were my only sources of warmth; the only way I had a chance to make it through.
Snowflakes catch on my beard, turning it from a dark black to a frost white as the flakes become trapped, entangling and forming clumps of snow, weighing me down further, freezing the bottom half of my face, my teeth chattering together from the cold.
With each passing second, my body gets colder and colder; with each passing hour, my body would start to develop pneumonia.
My feet and hands were already turning a vibrant blue, developing the early stages of frostbite. I could still move them but it took a vast amount of energy that I didn’t have to spare.
I must have been walking for hours but there is still no sign of civilization, or even the blizzard showing any sign of letting up its unrelenting bombardment.
Distant noises could be heard, though difficult to figure out from which direction as the snow muffled them; with each direction looking exactly the same, I’m becoming slightly more concerned as the distant noises become closer, closing in from what seems like every direction all at once.
It was hard to make out amongst the roaring of the blizzard, but as the distance between me and those noises gradually shortened inch by inch, one thing became glaringly obvious - it wasn’t another human. Growling continuously piercing through the air between us.
The hairs on my arms standing up on their points as the sounds send a chill down my spine causing my whole body to fill with an unnerving angst. A dark silhouette forming amongst the blizzard as the unknown creature draws nearer.
The animal’s outline emerged through the blanket of snowflakes raining down on us both. Slowly reaching for my dagger, I removed it from my belt, grasping it tightly in my right hand, preparing for a fight. My eyes widened at the sight of a single hyokla baring its fangs at me, teeth snarling as saliva ran from its mouth in desperate hunger, on the hunt for its prey. Unfortunately that was me.
I wiggled my feet in the snow to allow some extra room to pivot my feet, knowing that it would be impossible to fight with the snow confining my movement.
My eyes are fixed solely on the hyokla that stands before me. Stalking me. Observing my movements just as I observe it.
Prowling in circles as I follow it with my eyes all of a sudden one becomes two circling me in opposite directions and two become three.
It wasn’t just one hyokla, it was a pack of them. Each sported a large mane and thick, spotted coats, their light footwork allowing them to walk on top of the snow with ease, each prowling rings around me as I do my best to recover my mobility.
Gritting my teeth at the unsavoury situation I appear to be in, unable to escape and left with no alternative but to stand my ground and face them.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
My breathing was already strained from exhaustion. With every inch of my body already tightening from the cold, I was only just able to bring my fingers together to grip my dagger's handle as I lowered my hood and brought my blade up towards my chest holding a defensive stance, ready for the fight.
Their footsteps are muffled but not completely silent; there's a subtle crunch when they get ready to attack as they push off the ground with their hind legs for an extra burst of speed to close the distance.
One rushes behind,widening its jaw as it lunges towards me, latching onto my arm as I raise to guard, its fangs sink in, piercing my flesh, drawing blood from my arm.
Building up a muster of energy as the adrenaline kicks in, I lift up the beast and toss it over my head, smashing it into the snow behind me. Unfortunately, the snow cushions the blow as the other two observe from a distance.The hyoklas soon back to its feet as if it wasn’t even phased by being flung through the air.
As I stand observing it shaking off the snow stuck to its fur and recovering it’s lost mobility, blood drains from my arm, dripping down and mixing in with the snow at my feet turning it crimson red.
“Dammit,” I groan in frustration, holding my wounded arm, agony pulsing in time to my heartbeat as the beast looks on, my blood dripping from its mouth.
Not getting a chance to recover though as another one rushes at me from the side going straight for my neck,as if the beast is acting purely instinct I manage to duck just in time narrowly managing to avoid what would've been a lethal strike. Quickly reacting to the beast grabbing my blade swinging it upwards in a desperate attempt to cause any damage that may slow it down .
As the edge of my dagger pierces the beast's flesh as if it were slicing a block of cheese.Its body flew above me, ragdolling as it landed through the snow.
The hyokla’s never giving myself a chance to worry about the kill I'd just performed. My direction immediately turns to the two that are left prowling from a distance concealing themselves in the blizzard, each waiting for an opportunity for them to strike me when I'm least expecting it.
Caught off guard, when they both charged me simultaneously, emerging from the sheet of snowflakes that kept them shrouded. They hastily close the distance from opposite directions unsure of how to counter them, all I can do is act on instinct and trust my gut, as they swiftly approach.
My heart pounds faster and faster with each passing moment as the hunt prolongs, but the longer the more the cold affects me.
My grip loosens around my blade’s handle, and I just barely muster the force to keep it in my hand; I falter as the Hyokla make their move.
A mad dash from the hyokla facing me head on straight down the line, with no variation in its movement, as I raise my hand to swing my dagger and strike it in its side as it launches itself towards me in one mighty burst of speed.
“Dammit!” I scream aloud as a new pain emerged in my shoulder. My hand release its grip , dropping my dagger in the snow, as I turn my head to see the cause my eyes widen.
The other Hyokla is attached to my shoulder, its fangs firmly planted in my skin refuse to budge no matter how many times I strike it with my injured hand. The third Hyokla right in front of me, so close I can smell it’s breathe in my face, making me physically recoil at the distasteful scent; mustering all my strength, I grab the Hyokla’s mane from over my shoulder flinging it forward, using every bit of remaining strength left in my body; an unsettling cracking could be heard.
A crashing wave as the bodies slammed together in front of my eyes, a cracking of bones could be heard as the two mongrels collided with one another keeping a hold of the mane refusing to let go… not yet… no matter how much a fight the mongrel insists on putting up.
Frantically reaching for my belt with my injured hand running my hand along the numerous items attached until finely I reach what I'm looking for, a small metal knife with a pointed tip and a small groove along the ridge of the blade, plunging it into its throat.
As the life drained from the Hyokla it’s resistant drained with it, becoming unable to fight back as the blood flowed down the groove of my knife, making it quick and somewhat painless as the light its eye quickly faded, leaving only the husk of the animal that would soon be buried in the blizzard.
Removing my knife from the corpse, getting ready to throw it at the remaining Hyokla as it realises it’s lost, it disappears back into the blizzard.
Grasping my chest at my accelerated heart rate, doing it’s best to keep me conscious as hard as it is, looking down to see a large patch of crimson red snow where my blood had been soaked into, removing my scarf and tying it around my hand quickly absorbing the blood.
I’ve gotta keep moving, I thought to myself, reaching for my dagger wiping it clean of any lingering snow in my time of desperation trying to convince myself to push through the agonising pain, desperate to get out of this dastardly blizzard and back to some sort of land.
As the conditions worsened now, not only having to worry about frostbite and pneumonia also having to worry about potential blood loss from my hand and my shoulder.
Struggling to muster any strength after that fight with the Hyokla’s, dragging my feet through the snow, my vision became more and more blurred with each passing minute, the landscape losing its colour to only be replaced with black spots in my view.
Wincing as pain in my head gets worse the more blood drains from my hand leaving a vibrant red spotted trail behind, my steps smaller and smaller dragging along along the frozen lake leaving only a trail in my wake, struggling to keep my eyes open, in the distance two shadowy figures could be seen, nothing distinct to notice about them, no clothing or faces just a dark outline of two children but yet I still felt some level of familiarity staring at their figures.
“PLEASE HELP!...” I begged multiple times in a desperate attempt to gain their attention, waving my injured hand in the air, I could feel my consciousness fading into the darkness.