Spirit of Winter 15: Whispers

>You wring your pale bony hands.
>It’s been… Months, since you’ve last eaten.
>It has come to a point where you had to do something about it.  You couldn’t just waste away as you wandered the wilds.
>You’ve made the decision to stop by the river and do some fishing and then move up the river along with the schools of salmon that are migrating inland, to the waters of their birth.
>Hunting has become difficult.  The animals seem to know you’re coming before you’re even remotely close to them.
>Even if you got close to them, they always bolted before you could level your rifle.

>The water sucks away what little color you had left in your feet.
>It doesn't really bother you though.  Not like you had much life left in you.
>This past winter was brtual.  Far beyond anything you have ever experienced, even back home.
>Everything has been so cold since you left your little shack.
>It was for the best that you left.
>Images of your creations flash before your eyes as you plod through the river with several salmon strung together.


>The first of you creations was tiny.  A little faerie that would dance for you and sit on your shoulder as you went about your day.
>It was actually nice to have some sort of company.  It could not speak, but at least it made you smile.
>The morning after, you woke up to find that a second faerie was dancing with the other.  You smiled even more.
>Before long several dozen faeries were buzzing about your camp gathering ice.  Yet they did not make more of themselves, they made something different.
>Something bigger.
>They had small heads and no faces to speak of, save for a mouth that they would use to grind rocks with.
>They would help you with chores, and were genuinely helpful.  The things weren’t much of a problem and they would simply do as you told them to do.
>At night the golems would double themselves like the faeries.
>Soon enough you had several dozen golems lumbering through the camp bringing stones and even dead game for you.
>It had gotten to where they had made a giant that stood fifteen feet high and who could rip trees from the ground.  They even made a wolf like golem with an elongated head and jagged teeth that was more suited to hunting.
>But it was not the giant who worried you, nor the golems or the faeries.  It was the things that looked like human that worried you.
>After a few dozen golems had been made; your little faeries made something new for you.
>Daemons you called them.
>They were   sculptures that stood a little smaller than you.  They brought you food, water from the river and anything you requested of them.
>While the Daemons tended to you, the golems slowly started to gather stones and dig pits where they would lay the stones in.
>You remember the day.  The day when you destroyed your creations and the runes you had wrought into the stone.

>You remember you had asked one to come over to you for something or another.
>It bowed before you.
>Your memory brought you to a story about a good friend of yours who had with an experience with a beast who could talk.
>He told you how he had realized that humans have a sort of “cadence” when they speak; a sort of rhythm.
>You now know what he meant.
>Your little servant came before you and knelled at your feet.
>It spoke.
>” Yeeeessss myyyyy kiiiing”
>After that point you remember the sound of broken glass and the shaking of the ground beneath your feet.
>Ever since then you have been walking without end.  With no destination in mind.
>You just want to get away.  If you can just get away, everything will be alright.

----------

>But you’re too hungry right now.  You’ve noticed your fine motor skills as well as your vision are deteriorating. Thinking deeply is also getting harder; maybe your brain is starting to swell from lack of nutrients and water.
> A  hungry man is an angry man.  Or at least a very unhappy man. This meal will be the best thing that's happened to you in these two years.

 >With half your power gone, you can’t expect to be fully undying.  The state that you’re in is a curse if anything else; it’s just a half-baked immortality that is torturing you without death.
>Maybe you shouldn’t be so careless.  You may be a husk, but you’re still alive to an extent.
>That would probably be best.
>And it all starts with a meal.

>Fishing is as easy as it was before.  Save for the few times you almost passed out from exerting yourself too much.
>The salmon are in full spawn now; which means there are shit load in the river trying to make it up the nearby waterfall.
> You thaw out another salmon and string it up with the others.
>You’ll probably stay here tonight and tomorrow night to regain your strength.  You’re going to have to pace yourself with this meal at risk of vomiting it all up.
>Fillet, Fire and skewers.  You’re good to go now.
>The fish smells absolutely heavenly and it’ll probably taste even better.
>Wonder if you should eat the eggs and the brain too.
>Bears seem to love eating the stuff and will leave whole fish carcasses to rot in the sun after they’ve eaten the brain and the egg sack.
>Probably wouldn’t hurt, after all the fish is fresh and you’d avoid the carnal sin of being wasteful.
>It would be for the best if you did.
>Leaving the skewered fillets over the rive you slide away from the fire to get up and go get the fish entrails you left at the edge of the river.
>It’s at that moment you feel a chill go down your spine.
>From across the river you hear a sound that had sent chills down your spine before you came to Equestria.

>The rustling of the undergrowth mixed with the grunting and growling makes you freeze up.
>From the other side of the river you see two incredibly large bears lumber down the bank of the river into the water.
>’Stand up.’
>Your knees crack as you put weight on them to stand.
>The pair of bears instantly notice you as you stand.  As if the fire wasn’t enough of a giveaway.
>The larger one makes his way over to you with the other following close behind.
>”And what is this we have?”
>He laughs
>’Do not speak’
>”Mészáros, what do you think it is?”
>” I would not know Harapás”
>The one called Harapás is now standing face to face with you.
>”It makes fire Mészáros, if it makes fire then it can talk.”
>”I think so Harapás.”
> Harapás is still staring you down.  While the one called Mészáros has circled behind you and is prodding at your lunch.
>”Can it speak?”
>You stay silent.
>”Well whether it can or not, it should know that this fish does not belong it.”
>You hear Mészáros munching on your fish from behind you.
> Harapás chuckles loudly.
>”But we know that it did not know what was wrong to do.”
>’ Step back, get close to the fire’
>You slowly inch back as Harapás looks up and down at you.
>”But it should know that even though it did not know what is wrong to do, that it has no excuse for doing what is wrong.”
>’Stand still’
>”Now we must punish it.  For it is law that we punish it.”
>’Burn this mongrels hide’
>You stick your left leg into the fire and kick the red hot embers into Harapás’ face; burning his nose and eyes.
>”SZUKA!!”
>He reflexively reaches for his face and falls to the ground.
>’Eat him.’
>You reach down and pry his claws away from his face.
>You take the fur on the top of his and bring his face up to your own.
>Opening your mouth you hear your enemy gasp.  Gray wisps begin to flood from his nose mouth and eyes and flow into your own.
>You can hear Harapás scream, like nothing you have ever heard before in your life.
>Seconds go by before the screaming stops.
>His body makes a hollow sound as it hits the ground.
>You fall back onto the ground.
> The bears eyes are completely gone, along with his tounge.
>His fur has turned grey and his skin is sagging.
>Your hands have regained their color and you belt now feels tight.  Yet you feel the blood drain from your face as you look upon your enemy’s corpse.
>What have you done!?
>You look over to his companion who has fallen back like you.
>His fur is standing on end as he gapes at the sight of his dead companion.
Wh-
>”DEMON!!”
>His shouts are just as blood curdling as his companions.
>”DEMON!!”
>The bear stands back up and crashes down the bank and into the river.
W- w- w-
>You stand holding your hand out toward him.
Please… It- It wasn’t me…
>You make it as far as the water’s edge before you collapse.
>The salmon is the calm water immediately dart away at you presence, creating ripples and foam.
>’Would you look what has happened’
>…
>’So you do not know?’
>I can take a guess.
>’And that guess would likely be correct’
>…
>’Just look.’
>You lean over at the settling water and look at your reflection.
>What stares back causes you to jump.
>’LOOK!!’
>Frozen in where you are you gaze down at the thing in the water.
>Your eyes have lost their color save for the blackness of your pupils.  Your skin is the same color as marble and your hair has gone completely gray.
>’Give a smile.’
>You twist and distort your face into what only someone who has never smiled, would call a smile.
>Your teeth have become sharp and serrated with mist coming from the back of your throat.
>No.  This is not who you are.
>’Are you sure?’
>I am.
>’Maybe not who you are.  But what you have become.
>NO!!
>You stand up and bolt into the river.
>The water freezes instantly trapping you where you stand.
GET AWAY!!
>The ice breaks apart at your command and let’s you go on into the wild.
>Up the opposite bank and through the wood you run.
>Over hill, and carrock you fly.
>Just get away.  You need to get away.

-----------

>Your legs are finally giving out.
>After all those miles, you’re not sure you could take another step.
>You’ve gone past the mountains and forests of the south and have now found yourself in and flat endless tundra.  There's nothing before you but the horizion and the eternally frozen ground.
>Your knees begin to cramp causing you to stumble and nearly fall on your face
>No…  You need to keep going.  Just… A little… Bit… More.
>Your legs finally give way when you slip into a gully.
> Your skull and neck crack as well as a few ribs which causes slush to seep from your mouth.

>’Wake up you worthless wretch.’
>…
>’This is no way for you, nor I to behave.’
>…
>’You’re going to let a few broken bones put you into this state.’
>Your eyes begin to drift open.
>’Get up.’
>You feel colder than you have ever felt in your entire life.
>The ground around you is all white.  You wonder how long it has been snowing and how long you have been unconscious.  Or dead.
>Your entire body feels stiff.  Stiff to where you can’t even move.
>After a few seconds you try to move again and are met with a cracking sound.
>You probably can’t move because your entire body has frozen solid save for your eyes.
>You lay there for hours listening to the wind.  Maybe it is for the best that you stay this way.
>You won’t hurt anyone you don’t have to breathe, eat or think.  All you really have to do is blink to keep your eyes from freezing shut.
>…
>’Just look at the snow.’
>…
>’Beautiful is it not?’
>It is…
>You look on at how each snowflake falls with such grace.  It did not behave like rain.  Rain would soak and would sodden the ground.  The summers rains and spring shower seemed so vulgar in comparison.
>’Get up.’
>You struggle and groan against your frozen body.  The sound of breaking ice signals your progress.
>Eventually you are able to stand causing snow to fall from your back and onto the ground.
>The tundra is completely covered with snow.  From horizon to horizon, there is nothing but pure virgin snow.
>This world is yours.  It is your land of winter.
>You stare off into the horizon for a few hours.
>Then you see it.
>It makes your heart skip a beat.  If it’s still beating at all.
>In the sea of white, you see a little speck of color.
>It’s so tiny that you otherwise would not have seen it.
>You don’t know why but you begin to walk to it.  It pains you to do so but you can’t help yourself.
>It take you a thousand step to reach what you have been gazing at all the way to it.
>It’s a flow.   A tiny little purple flower.
>The sight of it is enough to make you drop to your knees and weep.  Which is what you do.
>This tiny little sliver of lavender in this sea of white snow.  Has you weeping on your hands and knees.
>You raise your hand to touch it for a small second.  Just once and maybe everything will get better.
>You feel its soft petals at the tip of your finger before you stop.  Your jaw gapes open.
>You can see her, you can actually see her.
>You can see her deep violet eyes; you can feel her breath, her warm embrace.
>You can see her with white flowers in her hair in a field of golden grass.
>You vision bends and for a moment you are blind and you can only hear the voices of Celestia and Twilight.
>”Twilight Sparkle!  I forbid you to see the human any longer!”
>”P- Princess…
>”He will serve his purpose until I am done with him and he will be disposed of and you will never see him again.”
>...
>"You have done well my faithful student.  He is none the wiser
>Your vision is returned to you.  And as seen as it is you wish you were never given the curse of sight.  She’s looking over a tome in deep though.  You stare at her for several minutes before you hear the door open.
>W-what?
>From the door a strange unicorn stallion comes in and walks over to her.  He's wearing red armor, like the Summer Guard.
>No…
>She looks up from her book and smiles at him, with a light blush coming across her face.
>No!
>The stallion wraps his hooves around her waist and kisses her neck.  She reach behind her and locks him in a kiss.
>NO!!  GET YOUR HOOVES OFF OF HER!!
>Everything is white again.  Save for the gray sky above you.
>Your breaths are quick and heavy.   Tears are streaming down your face and onto the ground.
>’Now you know the truth.’
>You gasp for air.  It feels as if your your chest has been caved in, crushing your lungs and heart.
>’Do you know what must be done?’
>Your tears can no longer roll down your cheek, they've all frozen on your face.
>What?
>’They all must die.  Every last one of them must lay dead at your feet.’