Chapter Nine:

Winter is Coming

Life is pain.

Okay, maybe that's a little extreme. I successfully stole away from Himal Point without being tracked, but my journey since gradually turned sour. It was almost winter, but the sun still seemed blindingly bright to me. My winter clothes I decided to wear instead of packing also made me uncomfortably hot with all the trekking through the mountain terrain.

Seriously, I spent most of my time drenched in sweat and I swear these clothes didn't chafe this much before. Especially in certain, hmm, areas. Okay, I won't beat around the bush. My nipples felt worn ragged. They got all puffy and irritated.

Side note, apparently having pale skin and black blood meant the irritated flesh turn a dark grey. My nails turned dark as well. It makes sense I suppose, places where there's more blood would turn dark with black blood right? Let's just leave it at that and not specify the rest. I wonder how my lips look. Strike that, that bastard Nolan said something about my eyes, right? I really wish I had a mirror.

As if all that wasn't enough, walking over all this rough terrain with a heavy pack started taking its toll. I didn't feel tired so much as my joints began aching all over, though mostly in my hips and shoulders. Countless times I'd almost fall over when a flash of pain struck my hip. Kind of reminds me of growing pains.

If someone were to look at an abbreviated version of my life, they might note that roughly a week ago I almost died from grievous injuries brought on by a massive bat-dragon and almost died after being healed by drowning in the blood that was still pooled up in my lungs, but look. That was then and this is now.

Live in the moment. Seize the day. Find new things to complain about. It's not like a lot else was going on. My fears appeared to be unfounded, no monsters roaming the mountain passes. Shoot, I only heard a wolf howl once over the last few days.

Sure, I could talk about how beautiful the snow peaked mountains are. That crisp early winter air. How the trees have turned golden and lost their leaves. I wish. No snow, I'm sweating to death, and the majority of trees here are evergreens. Look, I've lived all my life right in the armpit of this mountain range and so far it looks like more of the same, just in every direction now.

Fine, I admit I'd enjoy everything a lot more if I didn't ache all over. People in pain have an excuse to be grumpy, at least a little.

Nothing for it but to keep my northward march. I ended up sleeping for most of the day and walking when it was darker and cooler. My (apparently) demonic eyes could see well enough under the moonlit sky. Seriously, screw that Nolan guy. Just because I have good night vision and black blood doesn't make me a demon. Or demon tainted for that matter. And I have cool tattoos, so you can go get bent Nolan.

A few painful days later it came. White clouds blotted out the sun and fine flakes fell. Just a few at first, but by the next day a barrage of fat snowflakes assaulted me. The temperature plummeted, and my once sweat soaked body shook from the cold.

This is weird right? Sure I'm heading north, but the weather changed with the snap of a finger. In no time, I found myself trudging through a thick layer of snow. I must admit, I really liked the crunch of it compacting under my feet, though sleeping in this weather without shelter seems a bit... lethal to say the least. And the snow, is it falling horizontally?

Wind buffeted me with a flurry of snow. Damn it all, I should have just tried to sneak through the border crossing instead of trying to navigate my way through a mountain range so late in the year. I feel like my life's just a series of really poor decisions recently.

Suddenly, I catch a glimpse of a figure in the snow. Or was it my imagination?

“Hello? Is someone out there?”

No response. The wind and snow grow even more oppressive, and then...

It stops.

A curtain of swirling snow surrounds a placid field, at its center is a figure. It's humanoid, but definitely not human. It may have long, pointed ears, but this is no elf either. Bone white skin stretches across its frame, as if its bones and muscle grew too fast for its flesh to keep up. Sharp, elongated claws tip its fingers. I'm reminded of a wolf by how it walks. Only toes reaching the ground, as if ready to spring to action at a moment's notice. As it turns to me, I'm met with ice cold eyes. I gaze is drawn lower to a row of jagged teeth too massive to be covered by its own lips.

It lunges forward to close the distance as my gloved hands fumble for my enchanted dagger. Throwing myself to the side it sails pass and topples over. Clearly not a very strategic thinker. The snowstorm seems to move with the monster. If the monster is creating it, maybe it uses the storm to weaken its prey before coming in for the kill.

We both rise to our feet, and I manage to unsheathe the knife. I can't run away this time, and I can't let it run away either. Not for it to just stalk me while the snowstorm drains me. If it's an ambush predator like I think, I need to bait it into attacking me while I'm still capable of winning. If I even can.

I keep my weapon hidden. Pretending to flee might be enough, but I don't fancy turning my back to this thing.

Crunching of snow brings me out of my thoughts as the creature slowly circles towards my flank. I can hear it.

Ignoring all my instincts, I turn and bolt away. Slowly. Take the bait. I'm just a scared little rabbit running, so be a good wolf and pounce. The storm barrier moves further away from me as fast paced foot falls in the snow let me know my stupid plan is working.

Wait for it. Closer.

I activate the magic on my bracelet, turning invisible as I spin. The monsters face contorts in confusion, then in pain as my dagger sinks between its ribs. I fuel power into the dagger and flesh begins to rot around the wound. Not fast enough. I focus on funneling as much power into the blade, when I hear the cracking of bone. My bones.

Savagely biting my shoulder, it breaks bone and rips flesh free. Black liquid pours out. Oh right, that's my blood was about all I could think before my mind caught up to the immense pain of having my shoulder ripped into.

We fall to the ground and a guttural scream left my mouth as it continued to gnaw on my flesh.

Why won't it die? Or is it just insistent on taking me down with it?

It gives one last jerk and then goes slack on top of me, teeth still embedded deep in my shoulder. I feel my consciousness fading as a flow of blood runs from a wound in the monster's head.

What?

Copacetic_Emu

It's been a while, hasn't it? I had some major changes at work that was taking up my time, but I am hoping to get back into the swing of things. Are we really doing another fade to black in this chapter? How unoriginal. I'm trying to get better at writing action scenes as more will happen when Nate isn't as pathetic as he currently is. I tried to be better about describing the monster this time as well, I hope it came out naturally.