//------------------------------// // Cold December Night // Story: The Soldier and the Siren // by JesterintheNight //------------------------------// The Soldier and the Siren Chapter 1: Cold December Night December in Canterlot was always bitterly cold, numbingly so, if unprepared for it. However, most civilians in this small city normally were. They would bundle up in winter coats, wool gloves, fuzzy hats, and warm boots. But even with some of these things the piercingly cold wind would pretty much cut right through even the best gear with a small gust. That night however wasn’t a small gust, as the wind would pull the snow from the very air and bring it down hard at an angle. It was causing it to stick to clothing, cars, and even the sides of buildings. With the windows of apartments, houses, and businesses essentially blocked out, all eyes were kept from seeing the blizzard that was starting to form outside. Or from seeing the lonely soul who leaned against a dumpster. That dumpster offered some protection from the snowy wind, but it did nothing to provide any warmth. The poor soul had been shaking long before the snow and  winds arrival. They rubbed their bare bluish white hands together in a weak attempt to stave off the cold only to resort to breathing hot air on them. Unfortunately, the cold air would immediately turn the warm air into an icy vapor. This caused them to close their hands tightly as if trying to grab warmth from nothing. In a desperate attempt to get warm, they shoved their hands into their ratty dark-purple sweaters’ front pocket in one quick motion. So quick in fact that when their hands came together a faint tearing could be heard. “R-R-Reals-sies?” They mumbled through chattering teeth, only for their words to be swallowed up by the howling wind so not a single soul would notice them. They pulled their legs up to their chest, exposing all the small rips and tears in the fabric of their dark blue jeans.  As the unforgiving cold seeped into those holes, they sighed in defeat before laying their hood covered head on their knees. “H-Help…” They mumbled into their knees, though they knew that no one would hear them in that tempest. No one was foolish enough to be caught in this freezing weather. Well, all except for them since they were outside curled up against some frozen rusted metal in the middle of a damn blizzard! They closed their eyes for a moment feeling a strange warmth growing in them, even though they knew that was impossible given the weather. “…N-No…” They said, pulling their head off of their knees. They needed to stay awake, they knew they needed to fight the urge to close their eyes. Because if they didn’t, they might not ever wake up again. No matter how tempting the idea of sleeping was, they needed to keep moving. But with the raging storm around them, walking around wasn’t an option… A distraction, that’s what they needed. Pulling their frozen blue hands from their pocket they reached for a plastic bag hidden under the dumpster beside them. They felt around the stony floor, til their fingertips brushed against the plastic material. Careful to not rip the bag they pulled it out from their hiding spot, though they couldn’t really see in the dark they rummaged around in the bag. “W-Where is-s it?..” They whispered through tightly clenched jaws. After moving a small empty water bottle aside in the bag, they found what they were searching for. They pulled out an unopened bag of beef jerky, which made no sense to the person why it would be called beef jerky when the meat was really turkey. Shrugging briefly at the thought, they grasped the sealed end and began pulling lightly with their shaking hands, but their weak hold slipped off of its edges. “C-Come on… p-please..” Pleaded the person, getting a slightly more solid hold on the bag as they tried once again. With frozen hands, trembling fingers, and a tired body the simple task of opening a bag of meat seemed like trying to open a steel safe with a hammer. Eventually the bag gave way to the person's strength but in the process split the bag in half sending the pieces of dried bird flying. Which was ironic that a slightly flightless bird was flying through the air. The pieces sunk into the white powder on the ground. Sighing once again feeling like they couldn’t catch a break, they threw the pieces of bag away which caught the wind and flew away into the air… “W-Where did they g-go?..” The person questioned while pulling their sleeves down a bit to make some makeshift gloves. And with that, the search for the dried meat began as they felt around the snow. Although, without any idea where the bird pieces went, low light, and frost bitten fingers it was going to take awhile… “Here we g-go!” They cheered a bit finding the first piece and leaving behind a hole in the snow as they picked it up and shoved it into their pocket. Continuing the hunt, they found another, then another, and another. Their pocket was slowly but surely filling with meat. When they finally sat back against the dumpster deciding that the pieces that they had were enough, a sound reached their cold ears. GRRRR… Their eyes snapped to a shadow in the storm around them, focusing hard on the object in front of them. Another one joined the first shadow, then a third, a fourth, and fifth. Suddenly a faint thud could be heard above them. Slowly tearing their eyes from the pack of shadows in front of them they looked up at the edge of the dumpster. A furry head was poking out, half covered in powder. Its crazed eyes stared down at the lonely soul, teeth bared showing it meant business. Quickly pushing away from the metal dumpster they tried to get to their feet only to be tripped by something. Upon looking down they realized that the shadows were a pack of dogs and that one of them had gotten ahold of their jeans. “L-Let go!” The soul screamed in a high pitched voice, but the feral animal didn’t let go. Instead it began to whip its head side to side trying to tear the fabric of the figures jean. “S-Stop!” They pleaded but instead the dog ripped a piece of their pants off revealing a slightly dirty bluish white calf. Taking this small opportunity of freedom, the person took off in a quick dash. Or at least as quickly as they could due to the snow that was building up. Although this was a blessing and curse as the dogs also struggled to chase after them. So, they could at least keep a small lead from the pack of six dogs as they trudged through the heavy snow. “Get away!” They screamed at the dogs, though they didn’t care as they kept up the chase. Even with tired muscles the person began to feel a surge of heat coursing through their veins as adrenaline started to give them a boost. Fight or flight, that’s what adrenaline was useful for but fighting a pack of dogs wasn’t a great choice for them. They knew it was a losing fight without help or their magic, though they weren’t sure if singing would work on animals. But a small glimmer of hope appeared as they saw the edge of the alleyway through the snow filled wind come into view. It held less snow since it narrowed out at the end to the sidewalk ahead, feeling confident they picked up the pace a bit hoping that maybe someone would be walking the streets. Maybe a cop, heck they’d even take some little old lady if it meant that the animals behind her might run off seeing another person. But what jumped in front of the entrance ahead caused what little hope that was filling them to sink like a rock in water. Another dog was now blocking the exit and the pack of dogs behind them was closing in. They were trapped! Trying to come to a complete stop in the mid-calf deep snow in sneakers with no grip led to their feet slipping out from underneath them. Feeling the cold ground below them coming quickly, they braced themselves. POP “AAAAAH!” The person screamed as their elbow collided with the frozen stone, with only a thin fabric to protect them from the fall it tore effortlessly. Forming a hole to reveal the person’s now slightly bloody elbow the stone had cut into. The once white powder was now dyed a crimson red, though it didn’t grow any darker in color, since the person quickly lifted their arm up to try covering the wound with their unhurt arm. For a moment, they forgot about the pack of dogs that were quickly closing in, but that was short lived as barking could be heard all around them. The person tried to prop themselves up on their elbows, but found their hurt arm couldn’t move. In fact, they couldn’t feel that arm at all, so rolling onto their good side they looked up to see one of the dogs lunging at them. “AH!” They screamed out as the dog bit into their hood ripping it backwards, it revealed the face of a young girl maybe in her mid-teens. Her raspberry colored eyes closed tightly as she felt the dog pull the hood back hard enough to choke her. Her good hand reached quickly for the collar of her hoodie pulling it down a bit to give herself some air. “Hel- OW!” She tried to scream for help once again only to be silenced as another dog bit into her long artic blue with persian blue striped ponytail. She could feel her scalp screaming in agony as the roots of her hair strained to keep the animal from making her go bald. Releasing her collar, she lashed out for something. Grabbing a handful of snow she threw it backwards blindly. Thankfully it flew into the animal's eyes that held her, forcing it to release her hair for a moment as it jumped back in surprise from her weak attack. But the other dog on her hood held on as it dragged her down the opposite direction of the exit. Kicking wildly, she couldn’t get a grip on anything as all there was was snow. She grasped at the snow throwing it backwards at the dog only to find that this one was undeterred by the harmless powder. As it dragged the helpless girl another dog lunged for her good arm biting into the sleeve. Her once closed eyes widened in panic as the animal thrashed around keeping her only good hand from fighting back. Fear was now consuming her heart as she couldn’t free herself from the animal’s teeth. And without something solid to even hold onto she was powerless to stop the seven feral beasts around her. Another dog bit into her jeans but this time she wasn’t so lucky. This time it hadn’t sunk its teeth just into cloth but into her flesh as well. The only good thing about all of this was that she couldn’t feel the pain surging through her leg thanks to the cold and adrenaline pumping through her blood. Closing her eyes tightly she took a deep breath. She knew it was pointless, and that no one was coming to save her. She couldn’t accept that this was the end, she didn’t want to die. She wanted to live, she wanted to just be happy again. So, gathering the rest of her strength and her courage. She released all the air in her lungs at once, screaming into the night sky. “HELP!” … …Somewhere outside a corner store… … “Damn cold…” A young man cursed into the snowy wind, though no one could hear him in the howling air. He sighed heavily causing a small cloud of vapor to flow from his mouth. It quickly faded into the wind and from his view. He had hoped to beat the storm on his way home from work, but halfway there he realized his small pack of smokes was empty. Deciding to drop by the corner store that was on the way home for what he hoped would be a minute or two turned into an hour. As the owner was an elderly fellow and acquaintance of the young man, he had asked for help since his employee had called in for the night. Figuring it would be a simple job the young man agreed to help. It also didn’t hurt that the old man offered to give him a pack of smokes for free as payment. “How can I turn down free smokes?..” He questioned to no one while reaching into his jacket pocket he pulled out the pack. Reading the name on the front ‘Mustang’ it had a horse under the name, it was standing on its back legs. Which the man could only assume it was rearing up to cry out, shrugging he slammed the pack on his free hand twice. Only twice, he carefully pinched the small tab to open it. A twist later he took the plastic covering off and stuffed the trash into his opposite pocket to throw away later. Lifting the top off and taking one out in a swift motion like someone who had done it millions of times, which might have been the case. Setting the butt of the cigarette between his lips he flicked the lid shut, shoving the newish pack into his empty pocket. He then took out a black scratched up zippo from his dark green pants pocket, using his thumb he flicked the lid open. A second flick caused a small spark that lit up his light brilliant gamboge skin tone (Imagine Cheese Sandwich’s color tone) up before he faded into darkness. “Come on.” He said in annoyance, he knew it had fluid. He filled it just last night, taking a breath he flicked it again. Sure, enough the spark ignited the wick, a small flame came to life in his hands. Bringing the flame close to his face so the light could dance in his pale dull gamboge yellow eyes (Lyra's eyes), he watched the flame for a moment before bringing it to the cigarette. Taking a small breath inward, the cigarette tip glowed as it lit up. He closed the zippo with a flick of the wrist, slipping it back into his pocket. He grasped his smoke with two fingers, taking a deeper breath so he could feel the warm smoke flowing down his throat. It wasn’t a warm cup of coffee by no means but it would do for now till he got home. Holding the smoke in his lungs for a moment to enjoy the small burn it gave. Exhaling out his nose, the smoke didn’t stay even a second as it blew away with the wind. Letting the butt of the cigarette settle between his lips he shoved his hands in his jacket pocket, and took the first step into the blizzard. Leaving the safety of the small awning above the store entrance he was immediately pounded on his shaggy red rose hair by the white flurry above. He began to regret not bringing his hat and scarf from home, but the storm wasn’t even on the news this morning. Didn’t even start til 2 hours ago, it kind of caught everyone in Canterlot off guard as not even the plows were ready for the storm. His truck could have made the trip to and from work but he didn’t notice the storm when he got up this morning. Trekking through the now calf high snow he kept his pale gamboge eyes straight ahead, narrowing them as he tried to ignore the snow smacking him in the face. Though the pins and needles pain was somewhat hard to ignore, more so when his nose and ears were beginning to grow numb. Taking another deep puff of his smoke he didn’t let it settle in his lungs like before this time exhaling it quickly from his nose to warm it up. As he reached an alleyway he paused for a moment seeing a pair of prints, though they were quickly disappearing thanks to the storm. Kneeling down he pulled one hand out of his warm pocket, his fingertips grew cold quickly as he traced the steps in the snow. His eyes followed the tracks as they went into the alley, til he noticed something else. “Drag marks?...” He whispered, his eyebrow raised in curiosity. A cat perhaps? Some food? He had no idea what could have been dragged, though it was the way of life. Survival of the fittest, he knew that lesson well. Though as he was about to stand and carry on his way something reached his ears. “HELP!” A female voice shrieked. The wind swallowed the voice up quickly, but he still heard it, and he knew someone was in trouble. Taking his smoke from his lips he flicked it away into the strong wind which blew it out of sight. Walking down the alleyway quickly, his eyes scanning the ground for any clues as to what happened. As he got a few feet in he paused as something, a small amount of the color red dyed the once white snow. Kneeling down he brushed his right hand over the red snow, it wasn’t warm but he knew it was blood. It pulled away deeper into the alley… “Blood…cold… small amounts, none life threatening.” He whispered to himself, almost like a trained doctor would in a triage ward. His tone was unsurprised, calm, too calm for someone in this type of situation. Standing up once again, he followed the drag marks toward the other end of the alley till he froze. “More blood…” His trained voice said, still very calm and collected. He followed the blood, it was much darker, and in larger quantities. Kneeling down his fingers grazed the darker blood, pausing as he touched it. It was still warm, pulling his hand away he looked at his fingertips. The once light brilliant gamboge of his skin tone was now red with blood, he carefully pressed his thumb against. Rubbing his fingers together… “This damage… slightly more dangerous.” He said, his tone still remaining the same. His eyes moved from the blood to the multiple paw prints in the snow now, they were surrounding the drag marks. Tracing one of the drag marks with his eyes, he noticed it was different. Whoever this was, was fighting the dogs off. “And 7 of them no less…” It was easy to tell that these were a pack of feral dogs. Nothing but dogs and cats roamed the streets of Canterlot. And he highly doubted a pack of wolves wandered into the small city, plus the prints were far too small to be anything bigger than a normal dog. And was impossible to be a pack of cats, they wouldn’t go after a person… “But dogs?...” He questioned, even feral dogs weren’t known to go after a person without reason. But there was only one way to discover the truth, and that was to find the source. He stood up and followed the drag marks, which led down a smaller alley on the side. Following the tracks and drag marks he was about 20 feet away from the entrance till he saw something covered in snow. He knelt down picking up the item, looking it over his nose picked up a faint scent. He carefully brushed the object off, as he did he could see a faintly brown thing. Bringing it close to his nose, he gave it a few sniffs. It was meat, he could instantly tell. Licking the meat once, turkey, beef jerky. “I see…” He whispered, he was piecing the puzzle together. Tossing the meat aside he continued to follow the path toward the inner alley way, he couldn’t see much more blood. Which meant whoever they grabbed, was just in the way of what they really wanted. And it also meant the person was most likely alive… “Maybe…” He said approaching the corner of the alley, as he reached it he peeked around the corner. Sure enough, 6 dogs were surrounding something. Their tails wagging in happiness, even the cold weather wasn’t bringing down these animals which meant they had what they wanted. But where was the seventh? Looking around a bit more carefully he noticed a few feet past the pack he saw it, a much larger dog. It was jerking its head side to side, making tearing sounds that reached the man’s ears. Thankfully, it wasn’t a sound of tearing flesh. It was fabric, which means there was something more on the person they took down. “H-H…” A weak voice said, causing the man to slightly tense up. The person was still alive. Although, probably not for much longer if she stayed out in the cold with those injuries. But what did he gain for going out of his way to help this girl? He’d have to bring her to the hospital which would be a hassle, since he’d need to carry her home. Put her in his truck, get blood on the seats then drive in the weather… “Not worth it…” He said coldly, shoving his hands in his pocket; walking away from the alley. His eyes turned towards the path she took, the drag marks by now were filled with snow, the footprints gone, and the blood covered. By tomorrow nothing would remain besides a body, but… it wasn’t his problem. Taking a few steps away he reached into his coat pocket, grasping his pack of smokes. Pulling it out he opened the lid bringing the pack to his lips, grasping it carefully he pulled one of the cigarettes out. Closing it quickly so the snow wouldn’t ruin it, it took its place once again in his jacket pocket. Getting his lighter out he flicked the lid open, bringing it close to his face he was about to flick it. Till a small gust of frozen wind blew by him, it made him shiver for a moment. “Are you really going to walk away Pale?” A voice said, he paused for a moment. His eyes locked on the zippo a few inches from his face, biting down hard on the butt of the cigarette. His teeth cut deep into the cotton, effectively ruining his chance to smoke…. … ….. “Am… I going to die?...” The girl wondered, she couldn’t feel anything. No fear, no anger, nothing. She had lost all sensation. The cold that once plagued her; the pain that surged through her arm and leg a few minutes ago was gone. She couldn’t move a single part of her body, half opened eyes locked on the sky above. ‘It’s… kinda pretty…’ She thought, though it was dark above her she could still see the snow floating down to the earth below. She couldn’t even feel the snow gliding onto her body, though she knew it was hitting her. After all, before the numbness entered her dying body the dogs had managed to tear half her hoodie up. Along with the shirt underneath, exposing her malnourished stomach. Though at least they didn’t destroy the fabric covering her slightly revealing ribs, and chest area. Her jeans around her injured leg had been torn as well, they ripped it right below the knee. Even taking one of her sneakers, a sleeve, the whole hood torn to shreds. She knew that one of the dogs was still attacking her clothing, since her head would move once in awhile from it attacking her jean pockets for something. Though she didn’t have any idea what they were after, she was too tired to even think about. Too tired to keep fighting, fighting the dogs, fighting the cold, fighting life in general… ‘I… think I’ll sleep…’ She thought, as her eyes slowly started to close. Accepting that this was the end, a sharp pull at her hip caused her to freeze her eyes. The dog that once was attacking her hip flew right past her field of view, she tried to see where it went. But her body refused the command to move that her tired brain was giving. Something new entered her field of vision, a pair of pale lifeless yellowish gamboge eyes. They were looking down at her, shaggy red rose hair and brilliant gamboge skin. The person above her looked away for a moment as she could see he was removing something, it was his jacket. He shrugged his shoulders knocking the jacket off, in a swift motion he covered her with it. ‘It’s warm…’ She notice, she could feel the heat that once was his moving into her own body. It started to spread through her bare stomach, moving through her like a rock dropping into a body of water. She had to admit that it was welcoming, like a soothing ripple. Though she did wonder why this person was giving his warmth to her, had he heard her cries? She could see his lips moving, but no sound reached her ears. Had she gone deaf? Wouldn’t be so bad, then she wouldn’t have to hear her horrible voice anymore. Wouldn’t have to hear people talking about her, or the growls of those mean dogs that attacked her. Though she did wish she could hear her savior's voice… As she struggled to try and hear him she saw his head snapped upwards, his arms spread open a bit as if bracing for something. Before she could figure out what, a brown blur flew by her at the man. Which he seemed to catch with little issue, before throwing it behind him. He then stood up fully turning his whole body in the direction of what he threw, he then stepped out of her field of view. ‘No… please don’t g...’ She tried to think but her brain was beyond tired, and the warmth that now reached her whole body was so welcoming. It was so enticing to just sleep. So deciding it was better to slip into a warm sleep she gently closed her eyes. Exhaling calmly, she began drifting off into a deep sleep. Although for a moment that light feeling came back, and it was lifting her into a pair of arms…