International Scandal 2012: The End of the World (1b/?)
anonymous
August 14 2011, 18:49:24 UTC
His thoughts were interrupted by the cry of a small child. Russia looked up, alarmed: what would a little child be doing in the woods at this late hour? "Hello?" he called out into the dark, cupping gloved hands around his mouth.
"Help me!" screamed the child.
Russia ran towards the voice as fast as snowshoes would allow. "I am coming!" he called. There were still wolves in this forest, but they were shy of humans; perhaps the child was just lost? He ducked under tree branches and picked his way through a bush. "Shout, child, so I can hear you!" he commanded.
"She's coming, she's -- help me, please, mister, help!" the child sobbed, her voice quite close now.
Russia ducked around one tree and found the child, a little girl in pigtails, struggling through snow to her waist. "I am here!" he cried, crouching and sweeping her up into his arms; she sobbed into his shoulder, shivering despite her thick mittens and fur-lined coat. "Shh, shh," he comforted. "You are all right now. Shh."
She was one of his, and so his voice comforted her easily. She lifted her head, her breathing still rapid. "Rossiya Motherland?" she asked, staring.
"Mm, yes - and now I must get you home." Russia propped her up against his chest so she was balanced against his shoulder. "Why are you out in the woods so late?"
"It was a d-dare," she whispered in his ear, her shivers coming back. "It was really stupid! Th-there's an abandoned house in the w-woods and my brothers said it was--"
She was interrupted by a horrible, inhuman scream, a terrifying cackle on its heels. All the hair on the back of Russia's neck stood up. "Come back, come back!" cried a leathery voice, a screech like nails on a chalkboard in the words. "Your motherland cannot hide you now!"
"Baba Yaga," Russia said.
"She's real!" the girl sobbed, wrapping her arms tightly around Russia's neck. "H-help!"
Russia turned and tore off through the woods, hugging the child to his chest, shoes kicking up the snow behind him.
*
Lithuania woke up because something was wrapped around his upper thigh.
He froze, staring at his bedroom ceiling. It was not an arm. It was thin and wiry and cool against his skin, constricting only slightly. Something lightly tickled the hem of his boxer shorts.
"Lietuva - that is ssstill your name, yes? You've ssstopped offering me the coals after you ssleep."
It's a stress dream, Lithuania thought. It's just a stress dream. I'll just close my eyes and--
"Are you lisstening?" the thing - snake - hissed, and that light flicker moved an inch higher on his thigh; Lithuania shrieked and threw off the covers.
A man with long, black hair, colorful robes of green, gold and red, with emerald slit-pupil eyes looked back, resting on Lithuania's legs. "Is that any way to greet the Ssnake King?" the man hissed, grinning and showing fangs.
"You're - you're just a ... I've gone mad?" Lithuania asked, staring.
"Mn, how quickly your people forgot me!" the Snake King grumbled, sitting up. "But I am generouss. Your new godss--"
"God," Lithuania corrected absently.
The pagan god sneered. "They seem to want your human typesss wiped out. Just today I heard once again the pounding of great monsterss from the deep while in my den. Have you ever seen a goblin uprising? It'sss not pretty."
"I - what? Again?"
"Get up, nation, get up!" the Snake King said irritably, raising his hands in sharp motions to encourage him. "Warn those heretic friendsss of yours. And perhaps, if I feel generousss, the trees will help you!"
Lithuania blinked, and a garter snake was unwinding itself from his thigh. It slithered until it fell off the bed, and disappeared through a small crack in the floorboards.
"Thank you?" he said aloud, but he regretted no longer having a wood furnace with which to thank him properly.
"Help me!" screamed the child.
Russia ran towards the voice as fast as snowshoes would allow. "I am coming!" he called. There were still wolves in this forest, but they were shy of humans; perhaps the child was just lost? He ducked under tree branches and picked his way through a bush. "Shout, child, so I can hear you!" he commanded.
"She's coming, she's -- help me, please, mister, help!" the child sobbed, her voice quite close now.
Russia ducked around one tree and found the child, a little girl in pigtails, struggling through snow to her waist. "I am here!" he cried, crouching and sweeping her up into his arms; she sobbed into his shoulder, shivering despite her thick mittens and fur-lined coat. "Shh, shh," he comforted. "You are all right now. Shh."
She was one of his, and so his voice comforted her easily. She lifted her head, her breathing still rapid. "Rossiya Motherland?" she asked, staring.
"Mm, yes - and now I must get you home." Russia propped her up against his chest so she was balanced against his shoulder. "Why are you out in the woods so late?"
"It was a d-dare," she whispered in his ear, her shivers coming back. "It was really stupid! Th-there's an abandoned house in the w-woods and my brothers said it was--"
She was interrupted by a horrible, inhuman scream, a terrifying cackle on its heels. All the hair on the back of Russia's neck stood up. "Come back, come back!" cried a leathery voice, a screech like nails on a chalkboard in the words. "Your motherland cannot hide you now!"
"Baba Yaga," Russia said.
"She's real!" the girl sobbed, wrapping her arms tightly around Russia's neck. "H-help!"
Russia turned and tore off through the woods, hugging the child to his chest, shoes kicking up the snow behind him.
*
Lithuania woke up because something was wrapped around his upper thigh.
He froze, staring at his bedroom ceiling. It was not an arm. It was thin and wiry and cool against his skin, constricting only slightly. Something lightly tickled the hem of his boxer shorts.
"Lietuva - that is ssstill your name, yes? You've ssstopped offering me the coals after you ssleep."
It's a stress dream, Lithuania thought. It's just a stress dream. I'll just close my eyes and--
"Are you lisstening?" the thing - snake - hissed, and that light flicker moved an inch higher on his thigh; Lithuania shrieked and threw off the covers.
A man with long, black hair, colorful robes of green, gold and red, with emerald slit-pupil eyes looked back, resting on Lithuania's legs. "Is that any way to greet the Ssnake King?" the man hissed, grinning and showing fangs.
"You're - you're just a ... I've gone mad?" Lithuania asked, staring.
"Mn, how quickly your people forgot me!" the Snake King grumbled, sitting up. "But I am generouss. Your new godss--"
"God," Lithuania corrected absently.
The pagan god sneered. "They seem to want your human typesss wiped out. Just today I heard once again the pounding of great monsterss from the deep while in my den. Have you ever seen a goblin uprising? It'sss not pretty."
"I - what? Again?"
"Get up, nation, get up!" the Snake King said irritably, raising his hands in sharp motions to encourage him. "Warn those heretic friendsss of yours. And perhaps, if I feel generousss, the trees will help you!"
Lithuania blinked, and a garter snake was unwinding itself from his thigh. It slithered until it fell off the bed, and disappeared through a small crack in the floorboards.
"Thank you?" he said aloud, but he regretted no longer having a wood furnace with which to thank him properly.
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