Challenge 36: Quick Fic Amnesty
Title: Icy Depths
Prompt: This is for her, nightmare, forces of nature
Current/Past: Current
Word Count: 456
Rating: K+
Original/Fandom: Original
Pairings (if any) none
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con etc): none
Summary: It isn't the ice Natalya fears.
Light reflected off of the smooth surface of the frozen pond, and even from her distance from it, Natalya could tell that it was as smooth as glass and as reflective as a mirror. And that was the entire problem. She could never be entirely successful at hiding from her reflection, but it had gotten easier without her own mirror, but when she did catch sight of it, the thing was still there, and she had a feeling deep in the deep of stomach that it was getting worse. Stepping out onto the pond would confirm one way or the other, and she would be surrounded by it.
“Why are you being so stubborn, Nata?” her older brother asked. “You love skating. Come out with us. Mother won’t get mad at you or anything.”
“I just don’t want to,” she snapped. “Leave me alone, Dima.”
He frowned. “What’s wrong with you? Come out with us. You know you’ll regret it if you don’t.”
“No,” she said again, and a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and picked her, and then she was rushing towards the pond. Struggling, she yelled, “Put me down, Vasili!” but her oldest brother simply laughed at her plight, and Dmitri laughed with him yelling something about how they were doing this for her. As his steps brought them closer to the pond, she struggled harder against him, but his arms were made of steel. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as the icy pond gleamed up at her, its sparkle decidedly menacing.
Vasili stepped onto the ice and then flung her across it, and slid around the ice and dizzying circles before twirling to a stop. As her motion slowed, she cracked her eyes open and glanced down at the brilliant ice, and a monster stared up at her from over her shoulder. It was like some phantom creature from a nightmare, all dark fur and horns and menacing eyes and terror held her in place as she stared at it. It had become worse since the last time she had seen it, and no matter how much she wanted to, she could not tear her eyes away from it.
Distantly, she was aware of a cracking sound, but all Natalya could focus on was the beast looking at her. It wasn’t until she saw the cracks running through her own reflection and into the thing that she was aware of the danger she was in, and by then, she was too late as the ice shattered beneath her, and she plunged into the water. As water rushed up around her, she was less afraid of nature’s icy grip than she was of any potential monsters hiding under the surface.
Prompt: This is for her, nightmare, forces of nature
Current/Past: Current
Word Count: 456
Rating: K+
Original/Fandom: Original
Pairings (if any) none
Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con etc): none
Summary: It isn't the ice Natalya fears.
Light reflected off of the smooth surface of the frozen pond, and even from her distance from it, Natalya could tell that it was as smooth as glass and as reflective as a mirror. And that was the entire problem. She could never be entirely successful at hiding from her reflection, but it had gotten easier without her own mirror, but when she did catch sight of it, the thing was still there, and she had a feeling deep in the deep of stomach that it was getting worse. Stepping out onto the pond would confirm one way or the other, and she would be surrounded by it.
“Why are you being so stubborn, Nata?” her older brother asked. “You love skating. Come out with us. Mother won’t get mad at you or anything.”
“I just don’t want to,” she snapped. “Leave me alone, Dima.”
He frowned. “What’s wrong with you? Come out with us. You know you’ll regret it if you don’t.”
“No,” she said again, and a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and picked her, and then she was rushing towards the pond. Struggling, she yelled, “Put me down, Vasili!” but her oldest brother simply laughed at her plight, and Dmitri laughed with him yelling something about how they were doing this for her. As his steps brought them closer to the pond, she struggled harder against him, but his arms were made of steel. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as the icy pond gleamed up at her, its sparkle decidedly menacing.
Vasili stepped onto the ice and then flung her across it, and slid around the ice and dizzying circles before twirling to a stop. As her motion slowed, she cracked her eyes open and glanced down at the brilliant ice, and a monster stared up at her from over her shoulder. It was like some phantom creature from a nightmare, all dark fur and horns and menacing eyes and terror held her in place as she stared at it. It had become worse since the last time she had seen it, and no matter how much she wanted to, she could not tear her eyes away from it.
Distantly, she was aware of a cracking sound, but all Natalya could focus on was the beast looking at her. It wasn’t until she saw the cracks running through her own reflection and into the thing that she was aware of the danger she was in, and by then, she was too late as the ice shattered beneath her, and she plunged into the water. As water rushed up around her, she was less afraid of nature’s icy grip than she was of any potential monsters hiding under the surface.