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blackseafoam · 2 months ago

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Racing the Cold

Whumptober 2024 l Day 1 l Prompt 01: Race Against the Clock l search party l panic attack l "If only we could hold on"

WC: 2037

Warnings: none

Summary: Bo and Rute are travelling as usual when a sudden change in the weather upsets all their plans.

A little snippet from my OCs' backstory. The setting is a fantasy planet with many sentient races. Hugely inspired by The Dark Crystal, Willow, and D&D.

The wide river valley yawned before the weary travelers as they crested the final western ridge of the Ash Tide Mountains.

“We could see the sunset from here if the clouds weren't in the way…” Bo breathed wistfully, her long hair elegantly blew around her face as she hugged a thick afghan around her chilled neck.

“They just might blow away if this wind keeps up.” Rute pondered as he looked at the sky, the clouds in fact were moving at quite a rate.

A single white speck drifted out of the gray above, dancing beautifully on the gale. Spinning and twirling and then perfectly landing on Bo’s nose. They both stared in silent horror, Bo’s eyes crossed and her mouth starting to open.

“Not a good sight Rute”

“A snowflake in in June!?” Rute gasped

“Bad snowflake!” Bo shook her head, it had already melted.

“We’ve gotta go, there should be an inn 4 miles from here.”

The two odd travelers picked up the pace. Rute hiked his leather pack straps high on his thickly furred shoulders so it wouldn’t jostle as he ran, Bo quickly tied her afghan so she could run on all fours again. Her great fists pounded the ground as quickly as her heart beat. “Jump on my back Rute, the extra weight will keep me warmer!” Rute hesitated but agreed, and deftly leapt on to her shoulder 6 feet off the ground in a single leap.

It was a good thing he did so because the trail started to get brushy. No problem for the thick fur and tall stature of a Nushuuk such as Bo.

She could still feel the trail below, but the real problem was above, snow mixed with rain pelted them as they made it to the trees. The temperature was dropping fast especially down here in the valley.

Then Bo began to slow down. Rute jumped off.

“This is bad, Bo…” Rute gritted his teeth

“We can… gasp… get there!”

Rute looked at her face, her eyes already looked tired. Bo coughed, gathered herself, then broke into an even faster lope. So fast Rute was falling behind. She glanced back

“Don’t worry about me!” Rute called. “Just follow the trail, I’ll catch up!”

Bo ran even faster now, splashing through a coating of snow and slush on the forest floor. Her hands and feet numb and stinging with every stride. The light was going away, the sleet stung her eyes, she didn’t see the tree root on the path.

Rute heard a crash, like a tree falling. A sound he knew all too well. His feet clapped on the ground, grunting with every step. “BO!”

It was getting dark, but there was no time to light a lantern. Rute came around a corner and tripped on something, falling face flat in the mud.

If Bo were watching she would have been beside herself with laughter. But she was crumbled at the base of a tree, just beginning to roll on to her side. Mud dripped from her thick fur and the tassels of her woolen garment.

Rute wiped the dirt from his eyes and picked himself up, “Bo!” He rushed to the mound of fur and limbs on the ground.

“I’m… okay.” She groaned.

“No, no, no, don’t rush but you gotta get up Bo. Just don’t do it too fast, okay? I’ll help you.”

“Hahaha..ha” She laughed “there’s brown on your face dude.” She slowly raised her enormous hand to his chin.

Stumbles, grumbles, mumbles… the first signs her body temperature was already dropping. Her cold blood was going in to survival mode.

Rute held up her feet in an effort to get more blood to her head. Things would only get worse if she passed out.

Bo started laughing again “RuuuuuTEH, duuude that tickles duuu… hahaaa!”

Rute was not in a joking mood. Living the actual worst case scenario for this trip. Should he leave Bo and get help? Stay and start a fire? He carefully weighed the options in his head, biting his lip as he still held his closest friend’s feet on his shoulder.

Dusty had one last delivery tonight before she could go home. The cart creaked over every pothole and the pony walked with heavy hooves as the mud sucked the speed from their journey. Dusty cursed herself for not bringing her slicker, “it’s always the days you say you don’t need it…” she hissed to herself as she pulled her damp woolen cloak tighter. It was officially dark and she struggled to light a lantern with her cold hands.

“We may just have to spend the night at the ol forks girl” she complained to Ravenna, her faithful white-flecked black pony, who could barely be seen outside the circle of lantern light.

Ravennas ears pricked up and her front glanced to the left, a rather violent spook for the seasoned market nag. Dusty stood immediately at attention, following the pointy ears with her purple eyes.

A shadow. A HUGE shadow.

She shouldered her crossbow and raised her lantern. “Who is that?” As her light revealed the figure a wave of horror washed over her as she didn’t understand what she was seeing. A mound of shaggy fur and giant limbs laid on the ground, and where was its face? Atop an elongated neck that reclined against the base of a tree. The face of a youthful woman with striking angular eyes, she was laughing. Another presence detected, she swung her light to the feet and there stood another furred creature but much smaller and bipedal. His tan coat was dark with the rain and his large spade-shaped ears were turned down. His snout was both feline and primate, his tail twitched with nervous energy as he held up his companions feet.

All Rute could see was a light, he had no idea who bore it. Meanwhile Bo was convinced this was the end and silently accepted her death, her tunnel vision closing in around this beautiful orange glow.

“We need help” Rute pleaded, squinting through the rain.

The light appeared to skip down and was accompanied by the familiar sound of boots slapping the mud. Human boots.

“A Lami and a Nushuuk?” The shadow sounded in disbelief. It was a woman’s voice.

“My name is Rute, we are heading to the Inn. We need help. My friend here can’t handle the cold, her physiology slows and she will go in to hibernation soon if we can’t get her warm!”

The urgency of his tone struck Dusty. “Slow down buddy, lots of long words. I’m just a carrier. I can try to take you in my cart, but the road is soft so no guarantees. Your friend looks quite… heavy.” She lowered her lantern to her side.

Rute nodded urgently, his ears bouncing, “yes yes thank you!” He took up the Nushuuk by the shoulder, hefting her incredibly well for his small frame. Dusty took the other shoulder and they heaved her into the cart, which creaked under the weight.

“If she goes completely under she’ll be that way for months, and we can’t let that happen!” Rute panted from the exertion.

“Alright bud, here’s what we do. Take the lantern and lead the way at a trot, I’ll lead the cart. Take us around the mud, got it?”

“Yes, yes, good plan. Thank you. Thank you so so kindly, you kind kind person. I’m Rute.”

“Routeh, cool, I’m Dusty.” She handed him the rusty lantern and he leaped ahead, filled with new energy.

Rute led the cart around the deepest mud, diligently checking every square inch of the road as quickly as he could. If the cart got stuck it could all be over.

The Inn, just ahead. It’s warm lights twinkled through the tree branches. Rute almost forgot what he was doing, his mind already on the next step. The road here was very well packed and Dusty trotted her cart up with ease.

Bo was completely unbothered in the back of the open wagon. Giggling and mumbling to herself. Rute and Dusty helped her off and she stumbled along as the two bipedal assistants held her up on each side. Her staggered words no longer made sense and were regularly interrupted by incoherent chuckles. The door was small for her but they squeezed her in much to the surprise of the innkeeper.

“We need the warmest spot in the house, my friend is… dying” Rute urged. This was not true but saying she was dying was simpler than explaining the hibernation physiology of an out of contact remote species from the other side of the planet.

The innkeeper led them to the roaring hearth in the corner. After having to shoo away a couple of patrons drying their boots they all set Bo against the wall with a wool blanket.

“Don’t go to sleep Bo!” Rute pulled on her scruffy neck fur. Bo’s eyes were heavier than lead, she contently smiled.

“Noaa I ssssthink eh wull acsshully.” Even with her closing lids her eyes twinkled with mischief as she knew she was being annoying.

Rute slapped her.

“Ah!”

“Stay awake Bo! If you go down everything is lost, we’ll never make it in time. Do you want to see your swampland again or not?

Bo grimaced “oww yu hitme”

Bo was touch and go for a long time, it was hard to figure out ways to keep her awake that didn’t involve cold water, which would only make matters worse.

The innkeeper came over with strong coffee and they forced her to drink it.

It was nearly morning when she finally came to her senses again. Propped wearily against the wall, her fur still damp but she was warm enough in a large wool blanket. There was a new presence, someone she did not know but also felt like she had already met. Like someone she had dreamt about. She dropper her elbows on the sturdy wooden table in front of her with a thud, a hot cup of coffee half drunk in front of her.

The stranger didn’t react at first, she was leaned way back in her chair with her feet up on the table. The way your teacher always told you to stop doing lest you fall back and crack your skull on the ground.

With a book in hand her eyes scanned the last few sentences on the page before she looked up. “I take it from the eye contact your lights are back on?”

Words… words were slowly forming in her lagging brain. Eyes? Lights? What was this human talking about? Speaking in riddles, how annoying. Bo sneered.

“I’ll take that as a no…” The purple eyes went back to their book as she flicked the page.

Bo stared in to space, slowly taking in the strange, dim surroundings.

It took another half hour before Bo had half returned to her senses. By that time Rute was back from obligatory dishwashing duty (with no coin he had to work for their food for the evening). He was writing in his journal just at her side, deftly scribbling in that foreign hand. Bo was hypnotized by the movements as her body came back out of near-hibernation.

“Honestly? I’m jealous. Rute here told me all about your biology. Being able to sleep for months at a time during the cold season? No responsibilities? Just dreams and a warm bed?”

“No… not warm.” Bo croaked and reached for her coffee, taking a long whiff before the last bitter dreg. “The cold triggers it and cold we must remain to survive the winter. We become the frozen swamp.”

“So that means… you have to lie in the mud for it to work?”

Bo nodded and took another swig from her mug, suddenly realizing it was empty. Rute deftly switched her empty for his full cup. “And it’s not that great. Usually spend weeks depressed during the transition out of sleep. That’s probably why we are such happy people, we get all our sadness out at once!” She chortled.

Rute was instantly relieved to hear her laugh, they were out of the woods.

#whumptober 2024 #no 1 #fic #art #race against the clock #if only we could hold on #my writing #my ocs #my art #eboshuuk #rute #whumptober #writing #um hello?#this was not supposed to post tyet #I had it scheduled for oct 1 but owell

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