“Hey! Get back here!” Father yells. The dogs bark like crazy as everyone tries to round them up to chase after me.
My feet sink deeper into the never-ending snow. Their voices grow quieter, now just a black speck in this desert of white.
“I’m sorry, Ilya.” I wipe a tear before it freezes.
My escape didn’t go as planned. I wasn’t able to grab the supplies I needed off the sled before I fled, and now all I’m left with is what I’m wearing: a coat, a pair of gloves, and a small bag of beef jerky.
My hands are already cold, and my face, too. I try to refrain from crying since the tears will freeze, which will just make me colder.
“Jesus. There really had to be a snowstorm today of all days.” I say, wiping the snot from my stiff face. “I’m not sure I’ll make it to shelter in this weather.”
Each step is harder and harder, as the snow grows deeper. My fingers sting with each step I take, so I tuck them into my armpits, hoping it will help.
A gust of wind blows my hood down, the only thing protecting my face, and I struggle to lift it back up. My vision goes blurry for a few seconds, and I have to stop to regain my balance.
It’s now been hours since my escape, and it’s grown pitch dark outside. My hands, nose, feet, and face have gone completely numb. There’s no sign of light in any direction. Not even starlight.
My legs ache from walking nonstop all day. Each step I take, it feels like I’m being stabbed. My pant legs are soaked to the bone, and if it weren’t for the small amount of insulation they give, I would’ve taken them off.
“Eugh.” Suddenly, my knees buckle. I try to stand, but my legs refuse. The snow soaks through to my knees, which sends a shiver down my spine. I push against the ground again, but my legs won’t budge.
“Shit.” I try to push up one last time before fully collapsing. The cold seeps through my clothing. At least I got what I wanted. I’m free now. Mom and Dad can’t control everything I do now. I asked for this.
My eyelids grow heavy. With each gust of wind, I feel millions of needles pricking my skin. And then I don’t. I close my eyes, and everything goes numb.
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I’m moving. Someone or something is dragging me through the snow, but I’m in too much pain to open my eyes. If it eats me, then I’ll just have to go with it. Is this what death is like?
“Hey! She is not food!” A man yells. A dog whimpers, and I feel whatever pressure that was on my ankle release.
The man walks over and checks my pulse. Am I alive? I don’t even know.
“Thank god,” He mutters, and then he picks me up. Everything goes quiet again.
I wake to an agonizing pain and shoot up. When I open my eyes, the room is dimly lit and pleasantly warm. A young man sits across the room, sleeping in a chair. That looks uncomfortable. The walls are made entirely of what looks like rosewood, but probably isn’t because of how expensive it is, and most of the furniture is, too.
His hair is shoulder-length and black, and his skin is light brown. He’s wrapped in a small purple blanket decorated with flower embroidery. He’s beautiful.
I chuck the layer of blankets that was covering me to the side and swing my feet over the edge of the bed. As my feet hit the floor, a sharp pain shoots through my right ankle, and I collapse to the floor.
“Agh!” The man shoots up from his chair and kneels beside me.
“Miss! Are you okay?” He asks. “I’m gonna pick you up and put you back on the bed, okay?” He says, reaching his arms out. I nod, hesitant.
He slips his arms under my body and lifts me like a feather, then gently places me on top of the bed.
“Who are you and where am I?” I ask as he slips the blankets back over me.
“My name is Rav, and we are in a small village just south of the capital.” He says as he walks over to a stove. He grabs two bowls and dishes some sort of soup into them.
“You need lots of rest. But first, a meal.” He sets the bowls down on the wooden bedside table, drags a chair to the right side of the bed, sits down, and picks one of the bowls up.
“Do you need me to help, or can you do it yourself?” He asks.
“How do I know that it isn't poisoned?” The pain in my leg gets worse, and I wince as I try to move it. He smiles softly.
“Guess you’ll just have to trust.” He looks at my legs as I wince again and sets the bowl back down. “Let me get you some painkillers.” I close my eyes for just a second, and when I open them again, he’s sitting back down with a glass of water and two red pills.
“And- agh- how do I know those aren’t poisonous?” I ask.
“Why would I have saved you?” He asks.
“Cuz you’re some psychotic killer who likes to watch people slowly die after thinking they can trust you?” He smirks.
“Does this mean you trust me?” He asks pitifully.
“Just a bit.” I swipe the pills and glass and struggle to sit up. He watches me carefully as I gulp down the pills and take the glass back.
“So, do you need my help?” He asks. Before I get the chance to respond, he butts in with something else. “Think logically.”
“I can do it.” He hands me the bowl, and I scoop a bit of its contents into my mouth. Beef stew. “It’s delicious!” I say, scarfing the rest of the bowl down.
“Looks like you need a refill.” He fills the bowl again and starts to eat his. “So, what were you doing out there?” He asks, blowing on a spoonful of stew.
“I, er, I ran away from my family.” He looks at me, confused.
“How come?”
“My parents were, eh, not the nicest.”
“Didn’t you have siblings?”
“I had a brother, but they care about him, so I’m not worried. Plus, he’s older, so I’m sure he can take care of himself.” Rav takes another sip of his stew.
“How did you make it all the way out here?” He asks, gulping down the rest of his stew.
“We were taking a sled back from a trip, and we stopped for a break. I slipped away while no one was looking.” I say, placing my half-full bowl beside me.
“You done with that?” He asks. I nod, and he finishes the rest of it.
“Thank you.” I focus on the wall in front of me.
“What for?” He gets up from his chair and places our bowls in the sink. I turn to him, amazed by his obliviousness.
“Saving me? Feeding me? Using precious resources on me?”
“Don’t worry about it. You should get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”
“First of all, what are we doing? Second of all, where will you sleep?” I ask, not seeing another bed in the small two-roomed house.
“I’m taking you to the capital since there will be more resources for healing you there, and I’ll be sleeping on the floor.”
“Eh, but-”
He interrupts. “You’re severely injured. I’m not taking the bed.” I sigh.
“Fine . . . thank you again.” I lie down and sink into the warm mattress.
“Goodnight,” He says and turns the lamps off.
“Night.”
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“Wake up,” Rav says softly. I peel my eyes open to see a handsome man staring down at me. His hair is in a ponytail, but a few strands fall in front of his face.
“Geez. I forgot I was in a house with a stranger,” I mumble, adrenaline leaving my body.
I slowly sit up, but before I can put my feet on the ground, Rav stops me.
“Wait! Your ankle!” I blush, embarrassed to have forgotten that.
“Oh, yeah,” I say shyly.
“I’ll finish packing quickly and then load everything up. Tell me if you need anything,” He says, loading a few pairs of gloves into his navy blue backpack. It all looks so expensive for just some villager.
“You must have some good shops to be able to have access to those supplies. Unless you travel to the capital to get them.”
“Oh, eh,” He pauses, almost as if he were making something up. “I, er, yes. A very fine shop just a while away,” he says awkwardly. I almost don’t believe it, but I highly doubt he is a thief. However, now that I think about it, I don’t currently have any of the things I left the sled with.
“Do you know where my things are?” I ask. He finishes zipping up his overfilled backpack and looks up at me.
“Yes, I just took them down from in front of the fire. They were completely soaked, so I hung them up to dry.” He points to a chair, and sure enough, my coat, boots, and gloves are sitting on a chair. “Speaking of them, when I’m done loading everything up, I’ll step outside so you can get changed.” He slips his arms through each strap before continuing. “I picked some of the smallest clothing I had, but it still might be too big,” he says, grabbing the rest of his bags.
“Oh, thank you,” I say. I could’ve just worn my clothing.
“I’ll head out now. Get changed quick, and call for me when you’re done,” he says, handing me my things.
He opens the door, and a gust of freezing air sends a shiver down my spine. I reach for the pants and inspect them. What am I even looking for? I take my clothing off and slip on his pants first, then his shirt, and socks. I struggle to pull on my boots since the socks are so big. I tie my boots, put on an extra sweater, and then my coat. My zipper gets stuck again as I try to zip it.
“When I find a job, I really need to get a new coat.” He’s probably not done yet, so maybe I could make it outside by myself.
I stare at the floor for a good few minutes before deciding not to be stupid and instead do as he said.
“RAV!” A few seconds pass before he knocks on the door.
“I’m comin' in,” he says.
Another gust of wind blows my blonde hair in my face. He walks to the bed, offering me a piece of beef jerky.
“Eat this. There’s more on the sled,” he says. I take the piece from him and stuff it in my mouth, not caring that I probably look like a slob.
“Thanks,” I say through a mouthful of food.
“I’m gonna pick you up now,” he warns. He slides his arms under my legs and on my back, and once again lifts me like a feather. “Put your hood up. It’ll be cold.”
I do what he says and turn my face toward his chest to shield myself from the wind. It’s a short walk from the house to the sled.
“This is Sherbet. I’ve had her since I was ten, seven years, and she’s my best friend,” He says, placing me towards the back of the sled. “These other two are Dude and Sandy.” He points to two other huskies standing on either side of Sherbet.
Sherbet is a white and grey husky, whose fur is thick and filled with snow. Dude and Sandy are about the same. Sherbet barks as Rav walks back to the house and locks it up.
“Calm down, girl,” Rav says as he climbs in. “Here. It’ll be pretty cold today.” He hands me a dark blue knitted blanket.
“Thanks. And I know how the weather works here. I’ve lived in Alaska my whole life.” I wrap the blanket around myself and pull my hood down further. The wind picks up, and snow starts to fall.
“We should make it there in about three hours. Tell me if you need anything, but try and get some rest.” I nod, though he can’t see, and we take off. “Hyah!”56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycMYiAgIIY
and then Add to home screen.