Chapter II: Into the Frozen North
It was a good day, my hunt was productive, 3 hares ready to be cooked safely placed in the bag. I’d say it’s midday by the sun position, better make way back to the town.
I arrive back at the town just to receive dirty looks from its citizens, between the murmurs and whispering I can hear “meat eater”, that explains why the dogs don’t go out much or even know how to hunt, I should ask Snow to let me teach them something about it.
Arriving back at the inn I push open the door *cling-clang*.
Eyeing the counter I fail to find Snow at her usual place. “Hey Snow!” I yell, hoping to catch her attention.
Some gallops later she arrives at the main hall, this place makes almost 10% of the town, not too big to lose your way, but big enough to house 14 ponies, and she keeps 3 of the rooms for herself and the dogs. The main hall is carved on the hillside, 4 square tables are placed around, the tenants will be arriving shortly for dinner, and how she manages it is beyond me.
“Good afternoon Gilda.” She spots me.
“Hey, I got the… food.” I say while taking off the bag.
“No need to be nervous about it, it’s perfectly normal.” She levitates the bag on her way to the kitchen. Never saw a pony so comfortable with cooking meat, maybe she’s used to cooking it for the dogs, better than let then around with dangling pieces of meat around the inn. I laugh at the thought.
“How’s the thing?” I say while keeping my pace around her.
“The doctor arrived just before you, couldn’t get him to come here earlier, something about unfinished paperwork.” I nod at her.
“No need to call him ‘doctor’, I know full well how you both act when close to each other.” Her white face reddens to the color of Blaze’s coat as she quickens her trot. “Slow down, he won’t run away from you.” Friendly bickering.
“Gilda!” I swear, if any more blood pumps to her face, she’ll pass out.
“Jeez, okay, I’m done.” I shook my head in disappointment and she giggles at it.
“One day you’ll find someone and I’ll make sure to be there to embarrass you.” She places the contents of the bag into a fridge and we make our way to one of her rooms.
“Keep dreaming.” A small pause later. “So, I guess you’re taking me to see the thing.” She nods.
Arriving at the far end of the dug corridors, we reach a door with the number 11 on it. She knocks and Blaze appears between the gap.
“It’s you, come on in.” The door opens completely by Blaze’s red magical field; we get inside as the door is quickly closed.
“How’s its situation?” Snow asks as she looks into her new guest.
“I can say that ‘he’ is completely fine.”
“He?” Snow and I ask at the same time in response.
“Yes, he is a male. The first thing I thought after looking at him was why something would wear so much clothing, the clothing is very different from any fabric I’m aware, its purpose being to cover the creature furless body and as being male, the facial hair was all I need to confirm it. The claws end with stubby nails, those aren’t for hunting. An interesting fact being that he is omnivore, the variety of teeth shows it clearly.”
We stood there gawking at him after his small lecture while he recollected his breath.
“But, there is a small disturbing feature on him. While I tried to not disturb his sleep, I had to resort to magic to warm him; he has some sort of defense against magic, on reflex I had to cut off the magical link. Snow,” He turns his gaze to her. “don’t try anything, it was subtle, if I were an apprentice to magic it would’ve killed me.” He stops and massages the area near his horn.
“Of course, thank you for the warning. May I get you something for the headache?”
“No, I just feel tired, may as well head to my room. Would you please bring my food to it?” He looked tired, the first time I saw him, he went some nights without a proper sleep, one of the reasons I got hired after some negotiation with a very tired unicorn.
“Of course, this –” She is interrupted after a series of coughs that came from the bed. We three turn towards the animal that lay there.
Oh god, never felt so sick, it feels like someone turned me inside out and outside in, what happened last night?
“I think I’m gonna throw up.” Probably a hangover.
“Wait a moment…” A female voice followed by the sound of a door opening and closing, the sound made me cringe, for a sober person it would sound normal, but hangovers made every morning bad.
I start get up from my shameful fetal position from the bed… no, it’s a mattress on the floor; I sit at the end of it as I start to feel the sickness climbing my throat. The door opens and closes again.
“Here it is.” The voice echoed inside my head as a bucket is dropped into my lap.
“Thanks.” I whisper.
“You’re welc –” She’s interrupted by the barrage of sounds coming from me, just as the contents from my belly are spilled into the metal bucket.
After a minute of intense exercise, I manage to stop it. Never thought someone would survive a torrent like this, my pizza from last night is gone. Feeling that my stomach is empty, I place the bucket on the floor.
I slowly start to open my eyes, nothing, I know my eyes are open but no image formed into my brain. “Nice eyes.” A second female voice says.
“Thanks, but they’re no use if I can’t see.” I say while blinking my eyes on an attempt to clear any impurities from it.
“Let me take a look.” A third voice, a male voice, says.
“Just how many people are looking at me?” I make my frustration evident.
“Open your eyes, don’t blink, it’ll sting a bit.” He says and I comply.
A bright flash of light bursts from the blackness that surrounds my vision, I fall back into the mattress while shielding my eyes with my arms.
“Fuck!” A loud laugh followed by something heavy dropping into the floor and a gasp of surprise.
“Now you can blink.” I do it immediately while rubbing my eyes with the palms of my hands. A few seconds later my lacrimal ducts start to work and blurred shapes start to form.
“I had to heat up your eyes, your vision will slowly return in a few moments.” Is he a doctor of some kind?
“Thanks, sorry for my language, your action was… unexpected.” Having your eyes flared from the inside is unexpected, I guess he is a doctor after all, I’m just glad I’ll get my sight back.
Again I lift from the bed and look at the direction of my last dinner. Strangely enough no smell comes from it, I shake the bucket a little and its contents begin to slosh inside. I look at it; a black liquid inside like petroleum, just as there is no smell, there is no taste in my mouth from whatever I expelled. I turn to my benefactors and got surprised by the sights, the view of the three shapes looking at my direction, now I can see clearly.
I brush my eyes again, the result is immediate. A mix of emotions and questions began to brew inside me. As I was about to ask my first question, my animal instinct is the first to motion towards the new, a loud grumble stating that its owner is “hungry”.
“Would you like something to eat?” A snow white unicorn with an ice blue mane asked me. I was still stunned, so I simply nodded.
“I’ll be back in a bit.” She levitates the full bucket and opens the door of the small room.
“Thank you.” She heard my words and replied with a smile as she left the room.
The other two stared at me, all while I looked at the door.
“I don’t care; you caused me a lot of headache already, literally.” The red stallion opens the door and closes it with a slam, enough to startle the griffin and me.
“What heck are you?” The only person left, or should I say griffin, asked bluntly.
“Human?” I answer while trying to process what is happening.
She shook her head. “Name’s Gilda.” She says while extending her claw towards me.
I snap out of my trance to reply the gesture. “Nice to meet you.”
She keeps staring at me, I did something wrong?
“What’s your name slowpoke?” She asks while raising her eyebrow?
“Ops! Sorry, my name is –” The door opens and with it a delicious smell of fresh cooked food, my belly grumbles at the sweet aroma and my mouth doesn’t stops watering.
The mare is back while levitating a small bowl of soup of the most aromatic cuisine I’ve had in a while. I look back at the griffin and shook my head and then I turn to the unicorn and nod.
“I know you’re hungry, dig in.” She smiles.
I waste no time, less than a minute and the vegetable soup was warming my insides, she even bothered to bring me cutlery.
“Hey, I asked your name.” She sounded a little irritated.
I take a deep breath as I begin to search the area for a – AHA! There is my backpack, on the other side of the mattress, the one opposed to where the bucket once stood. I turn towards it and begin the search for my usual items.
First my glasses case, I pick it up and open it, the lenses are for myopia while the frame is made of green painted polycarbonate, I put on the place where it usually rests, my face. Strangely enough it distorted my sight and left me with a small headache as if it were made for someone with inferior sight, I sigh and put it back into the case and throw it into the backpack. I haven’t noticed it before, but my sight is good as new.
“My apologies, my name is –” *ding-dong-ding-dong* The sound of a loud bell interrupted me, by the sounds of it a church or something of the likes.
“Oh no,” The mare says with a tone of hopelessness. “I have to wake him now!” She bolts out of the room.
Gilda and I followed her through the stone carved halls, while looking crude it seemed to be resistant enough to support whatever weight stood upon it, we entered in a room to find the red medical stallion out cold in a bed.
“Wake up! We need you!” She is desperate, from the “we” to the sound of her voice I figured it would be something important. After a half minute of violent shaking he still stands motionless on the bed.
“I can’t do it alone…” She starts to sob. “No, I’ll do it. I have to.” Once again she runs out of the room and once again we followed her.
We run into what appears to be the main hall, a counter, some tables, some scared ponies looking at me, I hope they don’t think I’m chasing down the mare. She opens up the door to be greeted by a cold gale that blew into the room. One thing downed into me, wherever I am, there is snow.
Outside we met an unnatural blizzard, the unicorn mare stood a few meters ahead of us, her horn glowing in a red aura, concentration stamped on her face. The cause of the snowstorm appeared before her, a windigo, she releases the spell on sight of the spirit, it roars in rage and pain, then it repays in with the same coin, frost shards form on the air around it and slowly the take aim to her.
Dammit! If I knew this town was a windigo food tray I would’ve never set my paws here. Snow has fallen to the ground; I bet the mayor is the one that takes cares of this kind of problem, the male creature that stood beside me rushed into her direction, no idea of what he plans to accomplish.
Ice shards pierce the ground where Snow is and a huge cloud blocks my vision of the sight, they’re both dead, I know it. In panic I start to beat my wings as fast as I can in attempt to leave the dammed town.
A frozen wind throws me downwards, the snow softens my fall, I try again to flap my wings just to see the feather tips attached with rime, another frozen scream comes into my location, and a second windigo descends from the blizzard to face me. I stood shocked.
Closing my eyes in the hopes of ignoring the incoming pain I hear another chilly roar, but this one sounding much weaker, like a death calling. I open my eyes to see the roar of the one that frosted my wings turning towards its first companion.
Unbelievable, the human and Snow are both safe. The first assailant isn’t so good, he keeps blowing the cold air into their direction, but in doing it only manages to get weaker, and the human is standing there, motionless, while shielding Snow behind his frame.
Is he really doing it? Draining the magic from the spirit? Yes he is, the windigo starts to fade and as a last push throws itself towards him, and he shields his face in preparation for the impact. It’s dead, the spirit crashed at him and turned into ghost remains or snow, whatever. The other watched and roared in rage as it followed the steps of the fallen comrade towards the human, it met the same fate. Unbelievable.
Why did I rush to save her? I thought I could outrun the ice and grab the female from the deadly icy lances, but I was too slow, only being able to shield her with my body. At first I thought it was an illusion played by the devil, but its yells and yelps confirmed it, whatever I was doing weakened and eventually killed it, the second one charged at me just to be dispersed in a cloud of crystals.
I lift the mare from the mare from the snow and go back inside the housing; the ponies hidden inside it quickly came rushing to our direction.
“What you did to her!?” A large earth stallion shouted.
“I saved her.” This answer and the act of me handing, or hoofing, she to him calmed his mind. “Try to heat her up, she’s shivering.” That was her state since I picked her up. “There may be more outside, stay here.” He nods and starts to carry her towards the dark lit rooms.
Once again I step outside, the blizzard is over, much of the landscape is covered in snow, and the height is enough to almost bury me to the knees, making it difficult to move through it. I look for traces of living creatures that were unlucky to stand in the path of the winter spirits, a figure moves through the snow, it’s the griffin, I move to her location.
“Hey, are you fine?”
“Mostly, can’t feel my wings.” She says while trying to stretch her wings.
I point to the location from where I came. “Let’s get back into the inn.” She nods.
We slowly walk back inside, she struggles with each step, I stop mid walk to talk to her.
“Can you walk at all?”
“Yeah, I can do it.”
Stubborn. “Do you want me to carry you?”
“What!? No! I can do fine!” Really stubborn.
I walk back to her and as I pick her up she starts to trash around. “Drop me!”
“We’re both freezing, I want to get inside and you’re slowing me down. Hit me if you want when we get back.” She stopped, her weight about the same as the unicorn mare, despite the heaviness we made our way back in.
Once inside I settled her down, she just leaves towards the fireplace and I do the same. Sitting down and crossing my legs, I start to feel the adrenaline rush fading and the cold making its way as I started to shiver. Someone laid down a mantle to me, I look back to see the stallion that confronted me earlier.
“Can I get another one?” He nods in response and disappears.
“Huh, never thought they would be friendly towards anything that isn’t a pony.” Gilda whispered.
The stallion brought me a second blanket; I thank him as he leaves. I look back at Gilda there, her look cold and desolate staring into the fire.
I shook my head. “Hey Gilda, catch.” I make a ball with the fabric and throw it at her.
She looks at her offender with a different look: anger, hate or both. Before saying anything she covers herself and mumbles something. I nod in response for the thing that sounded like “thanks”.
I slowly relax to the sound of crackling fire, my limbs getting weaker and eyes getting tired. I shouldn’t have picked those two; my back won’t forgive me for this. Just as I was about to relax the sound of bells start to ring again, I throw my blanket at Gilda then I head outside.
That prick! First he… then he… now this! Argh! He heads outside before I could give a proper response, perhaps when he’s back I could –
“Did you see that thing?” A pegasus mare asks to the ponies sitting near her.
“Sure I did, I reckon it’s the one attracting those things in.” The only earth stallion answered.
“We should run it out of the town.” A male pegasus notes.
They start to plan, one minute they act friendly, the next they back-stab you, that’s the pony mind at work. After a few seconds the outside was quiet once again and the human walked back in.
The ponies quickly blocked his passage, started to throw accusations and threats, one of them looks at my direction and yells “It was her!”
“What!?” I hate those ponies.
A two way battle of words started. The human and me against them. Some heard the shouting and made their way inside, soon there were around a dozen ponies inside the building.
“Stop!” We all stop, a corridor opened and soon the town mayor and the innkeeper, Blaze and Snow, walked towards the human.
Blaze was the first to talk. “I see you took care of the problem.” The human nodded. “There is a small problem though, from what I’ve heard, you’re attracting those beasts into our city. I can’t let you stay here.” His last words sounded heavier, perhaps guilty.
“So, am I supposed to be cast out just to freeze in the snow? It’s straightly murder.”
“It’s for –”
“I’ll do it, but where should I go? Do you expect me to walk outside without anything? I’ll freeze to death!” He is angry.
“I took care of everything,” Snow spoke. “I took the liberty of bringing in your bag and a heavy snow cloak. Head south, you’ll find the Crystal Empire, it’s a 3 hour walk from here.” She looked down. “I’m sorry for doing this.” Is she crying?
He leans to eye level and looks her in the eyes, he cleans her tears as she looks into him.
“You did more than I could ask for, don’t blame yourself.” He donned the cloak, a bit short on him, but the protection will be invaluable. Strapped the bag on his back and as he was about leave he glared the mayor and nodded, the mayor nodded back, some kind of respect that I couldn’t understand.
I know full well why I have to leave and I do it. A few meters outside the town I look back at it, my stay caused enough trouble to them, I look south and make my way, slowly and steady. I hear heavy steps coming from behind, as I look back I see Gilda, fully cloaked in a heavy white.
“What are you doing?” I asked her.
“What am I doing? Tagging along until we get there, I’m sure you like to play in the snow.” Sarcasm. “I’m just here to make sure you get there in one piece.”
I nod. “We are going the right way?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Hey, you haven’t told me your name yet ‘snowman’.” That was expected.
“Sorry, my name is Igor. Nice to meet you Gilda.”
End of Chapter II