Twist

WIP

There was a biting wind, one that had snowflakes crystallizing on his brow and it turned his very blood into liquid ice. Even the soft and warm fur he had strapped to his legs was not enough to keep the chill at bay. Twist clenched his jaw and forced himself to walk, despite the blisters, despite the bloody peeling flesh of his feet as with every step the glacier took a piece of him. No change appeared on his face, nothing to indicate, the pain, the fear, nothing but a firm press of his lips that bespoke of his dogged determination.

There, in the center of the glacier was what he had journeyed for. Tipping his sedge hat back with a paw, he stared at the pulsing light that emanated from an ivory flower. One single, precious flower that had made the agony tearing through his body worth it. It was like a lighthouse to him, one that gave him hope, that guided him across the treacherous ice. Approaching the flower, he plucked it from the ice and held it gently on the pad of his front foot. The flower curled in on itself, creating a circle, until it finally became a ring. It was warm, comforting, and Twist’s expression finally changed to that of a smile. Yet no one was there to see it.

With his loot safe under his hat, he continued his journey back to the warmer climes of the Sunbeam Ruins. There, amidst the crumbling ruins of a long forgotten temple were a group of dragons. Amongst them was a hatchling, beset with heavy breathing and blood flecking its lips. Not a word was said, only grateful and astonished gazes followed Stoic as he tipped back his hat and retrieved the flower. He bestowed the glowing flower upon the hatchling and after one final rattling gasp, the hatchling breathed easy. Cheers and applause heralded Stoic’s success, yet instead of reveling in it, he turned his back on them, feet aching, like they had for years and years, as he sought his next quarry. Ahead, was the world to see.

By Moosesushi