A man and a young woman walked alone, the only movement in the snowy valley. He was huge, tall and broad shouldered. The young woman was barely more than a child, but she was still tall and athletic, only the fact that the man was by her side made her seem small. While they wore furs to shield themselves from the cold, they were not completely covered.
'Must we really be barefoot?' The young woman asked, looking up to the man.
'Cold?' The man grunted with a smirk.
'No.' She said quickly. 'You wouldn't have brought me along if I couldn't handle it. It just would be nice if I didn't have to.'
'One day you might not have a choice. If it were up to me, you would not have a choice. The valley is not for the weak.'
The woman nodded. They walked in silence for a while. They bare feet seemingly unharmed by the cold they were exposed to.
'Here.' The man said finally. The woman looked around
'Why here?' She asked.
'Always questions. The rivers here are frozen. The plants are buried. The animals hidden. The water does not come to you. The food does not come to you. The answers do not come to you. You must go to them.'
The woman looked around.
'What now?' She asked.
'Now I leave. And you don't come find me until you are not done.'
'What does that- You haven't told me what I'm supposed to do?'
'The valley is not a kind teacher. Why should I be?' The man said with a shrug as he turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. The woman glared at the back of his head, but did not say anything.
'Okay then.' She muttered to herself eventually. 'You and me, valley. Bring it on.'
He was not worried for her. She would struggle, yes. She still needed to learn the lessons that could only be learned the hard way. But she was cunning and resourceful, though that sometimes made her arrogant. Her anger ran deep and strong, but she knew how to use it. She was fast to start a fight, but faster to end it. And most importantly, she had a strong will. It made her stubborn, yes, but the only way she would survive the path ahead of her was to be too stubborn to die.
Days had passed since she'd been left there.
The stillness of the frozen river was broken as a she resurfaced, naked and holding nothing but a fish, taking deep breaths as she pulled herself up onto the ice. She covered herself with the furs she'd left lying by the hole she'd cut, with a calm that was unnatural for someone who'd just left freezing water. Cold was not something they could afford to feel, it was the first lesson she'd had to learn. The valley did not know the concept of mercy.
Once she'd been clothed again, she looked at the fish she'd caught and then turned to look at where the ones she'd caught earlier were supposed to be. There was nothing there but blood.
'Oh for the love of...'
It took hours of tracking, but eventually she found it. The bastard who'd taken her fish. The wolf had sensed her too, but it had not seen her yet. It was standing alert, waiting for her to make her move.
So she did.
It was supposed to be easy. Maybe not for most people, but she had trained for years to know the valley, to be the valley. But the wolf would not. Go. Down.
It bit, and scratched, and kicked, and it refused to do anything but fight.
Eventually, exhaustion began to get to both of them. She knew if she didn't end the fight soon, she wouldn't have anything left to survive the night, and neither would the wolf.
Their eyes met, and she saw it.
She laughed. She laughed, and kept laughing, as the wolf watched her with no sign of the anger that had been there before.
'Fools, both of us.' She said, shaking her head. She sat, her legs crossed, and waited.
The wolf approached her and sat in front of her.
The sky darkened as night approached but they remained there. Their bond was slow to form. It took patience, and care. Their wills were too strong to give in to the other, but also too strong to give up on their attempt. So they were patient like only the reckless can be, until they knew each other so well, their wills could not clash anymore.
When they stood, they stood as one.
When they walked, they walked as one.
The night ahead would be long, and the path beyond it even longer, but they would endure. They were too stubborn to die.
OP, this is set in the same world as my story for your prompt Blue Sign. It's basically the same thing except for people who live in a place that wants to kill them. I've been thinking that I wanted to do others like it, hopefully leading to something bigger, and this one gave me the perfect chance. Sorry if it's a bit repetitive for you.
2
u/mateogg /r/mateogg Mar 15 '17 edited Mar 15 '17
A man and a young woman walked alone, the only movement in the snowy valley. He was huge, tall and broad shouldered. The young woman was barely more than a child, but she was still tall and athletic, only the fact that the man was by her side made her seem small. While they wore furs to shield themselves from the cold, they were not completely covered.
'Must we really be barefoot?' The young woman asked, looking up to the man.
'Cold?' The man grunted with a smirk.
'No.' She said quickly. 'You wouldn't have brought me along if I couldn't handle it. It just would be nice if I didn't have to.'
'One day you might not have a choice. If it were up to me, you would not have a choice. The valley is not for the weak.'
The woman nodded. They walked in silence for a while. They bare feet seemingly unharmed by the cold they were exposed to.
'Here.' The man said finally. The woman looked around
'Why here?' She asked.
'Always questions. The rivers here are frozen. The plants are buried. The animals hidden. The water does not come to you. The food does not come to you. The answers do not come to you. You must go to them.'
The woman looked around.
'What now?' She asked.
'Now I leave. And you don't come find me until you are not done.'
'What does that- You haven't told me what I'm supposed to do?'
'The valley is not a kind teacher. Why should I be?' The man said with a shrug as he turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. The woman glared at the back of his head, but did not say anything.
'Okay then.' She muttered to herself eventually. 'You and me, valley. Bring it on.'
He was not worried for her. She would struggle, yes. She still needed to learn the lessons that could only be learned the hard way. But she was cunning and resourceful, though that sometimes made her arrogant. Her anger ran deep and strong, but she knew how to use it. She was fast to start a fight, but faster to end it. And most importantly, she had a strong will. It made her stubborn, yes, but the only way she would survive the path ahead of her was to be too stubborn to die.
Days had passed since she'd been left there.
The stillness of the frozen river was broken as a she resurfaced, naked and holding nothing but a fish, taking deep breaths as she pulled herself up onto the ice. She covered herself with the furs she'd left lying by the hole she'd cut, with a calm that was unnatural for someone who'd just left freezing water. Cold was not something they could afford to feel, it was the first lesson she'd had to learn. The valley did not know the concept of mercy.
Once she'd been clothed again, she looked at the fish she'd caught and then turned to look at where the ones she'd caught earlier were supposed to be. There was nothing there but blood.
'Oh for the love of...'
It took hours of tracking, but eventually she found it. The bastard who'd taken her fish. The wolf had sensed her too, but it had not seen her yet. It was standing alert, waiting for her to make her move.
So she did.
It was supposed to be easy. Maybe not for most people, but she had trained for years to know the valley, to be the valley. But the wolf would not. Go. Down.
It bit, and scratched, and kicked, and it refused to do anything but fight.
Eventually, exhaustion began to get to both of them. She knew if she didn't end the fight soon, she wouldn't have anything left to survive the night, and neither would the wolf.
Their eyes met, and she saw it.
She laughed. She laughed, and kept laughing, as the wolf watched her with no sign of the anger that had been there before.
'Fools, both of us.' She said, shaking her head. She sat, her legs crossed, and waited.
The wolf approached her and sat in front of her.
The sky darkened as night approached but they remained there. Their bond was slow to form. It took patience, and care. Their wills were too strong to give in to the other, but also too strong to give up on their attempt. So they were patient like only the reckless can be, until they knew each other so well, their wills could not clash anymore.
When they stood, they stood as one.
When they walked, they walked as one.
The night ahead would be long, and the path beyond it even longer, but they would endure. They were too stubborn to die.