original fic: Thaw Coming In
I know I should really be going back to one of my older fics and updating, but this one was rolling around in my head last night and I had to put it down.
The set-up: In a long post-apocalyptic world in which the world is in a near permanent winter, a wanderer comes to a place he didn't know was already home. It's original and slashy. It's PG now, but will prolly end up R-NC-17.
Thaw Coming In
Reynolds readjusted his grip on the rope, cracking the ice that had been building up on his gloves. The rope quickly slid back into the well-worn groove on the shoulder of his coat, the weight of the elk carcass that was trailing behind him making the line taut again as soon as he stepped forward. He ached all over, but stopping was not in his plans. The nearest huddle was just another hour's walk, so finding some small leeward place and shivering the coming night away didn't make sense- even if that nearest huddle was one that wouldn't welcome him easily. The meat Reynolds would offer to share would greatly improve his reception- rumor had it that that particular huddle had lacked the services of a good hunter for quite a long time. Game was important- especially when you didn't get it too often.
He lost track of time's passing as he trudged along in the dim afternoon light, the permafrost crunching rhythmically underfoot, and the huddle came into sight before he expected it to. They had expanded it in the five or six years since he had been round that way, and there was smoke coming from two separate chimneystacks. Must be they had a line on some good wood if they were burning two fires at once. Reynolds dragged the elk all the way up to the main outsi door and knocked heavily- he could hear laughter and loud conversation coming from inside.
A small panel three quarters of the way up the door slid open revealing a pair of eyes. "Shut up for the night. There's some good leewards just to the east," the dorminda said with a grunt and slid the panel closed. Reynolds knocked again. "Not wasting heat on opening the door for the likes of you-" the dorminda started to say through the open peephole-panel before she cut off as Reynolds gestured to the elk.
"Maybe you'll open up for him instead? Center's probably not even frozen yet- kilt it mid-afternoon," Reynolds offered.
"Share and share alike?" the dorminda asked, sounding much friendlier.
"I ask nothing of the huddle but what I need- warmth and a share alike portion of the gift I give it."
The little panel slid closed with a hard snap and Reynolds could hear the door latches being opened. They really had been closed up for the night. Reynolds wondered how many people there would remember him, wondered if Penally and her brother Stepalli were still ensconced there. He wondered if either of them was still holding a grudge.
"We want for trouble lately here, and we like it that way- you get me?" the dorminda pronounced as Reynolds dragged the elk carcass into the foyer so that the outsi door could be closed and latched all up for the night again. The room was barely warmer than the outsi by the time he finished getting it in.
"Yeah, my druthers is not to bring any trouble on myself nor the huddle," Reynolds answered as he waited for the last latch to be set. The dorminda wasn't someone he recognized- Old Sid must have past or maybe he was just too frail to mind the door and set the latches any longer. The latches were more than decent sized and the seals were of the newer kind- the kind that you needed to put a hard shoulder and a strong back to so as to close the door. They might have a good source of burnable wood, but they were still heat-frugal as any other huddle.
The dorminda crossed the foyer, stepping swiftly over the girth of the carcass in one stride to open the one lock on the insi door. "See you don't, Reynolds. See that you don't."
As the insi door swung open, a blast of lush warmth hit Reynolds in the face- it was almost worse than the bone-chill of outsi for a moment, but he knew that he wouldn't feel that way soon enough, he was just used to the cold. He turned back to ask the dorminda, "How do you know my name?"
"Not a body in here what don't know about you, Reynolds- 'less they just wee chits or off-rockers. You're one we keep lookout for, we do," came the reply and the dorminda gave the carcass, which way still half in the foyer, a good shove to get it out of the way before shouldering the insi door closed.
The room had been loud with music, conversation, and laughter- Reynolds noted the huddle's signature style of music with the drumming so heavy and the reed-flutes taking lead on the melody- but all that stopped as soon as he stood up from shouldering the elk- it wouldn't do to bloody up the floor when he could carry it much neater. He turned around to face the room just in time to see a man sprinting towards him, a scowl on his face and a ready fist raised. Reynolds had just a moment to notice that he looked very familiar before the blow landed and Reynolds- he was unable to deflect the punch because his hands were in use balancing the elk on his shoulders- Reynolds went down hard from the blow.
He looked up from his position on the floor, but half-under the elk to see his attacker glaring down at him. "Ow," he murmured.
"Get up," the angry man ordered and kicked at the dead elk as if to help Reynolds get free of the thing. It was a truly ridiculous thing to do- kick the meat- and that is why Reynolds was able to recognize Stepalli, despite the differences that five years had wrought on his frame (and it had, too- giving him greater muscle on his frame and possible another few inches- it was hard to tell from Reynolds' vantage point on the floor).
"Palli?" Reynolds asked, just to be certain.
"I said, get up!" Palli said harshly. Then he reached down and pulled Reynolds out from under the elk, wrenching his arm and long suffering shoulder in the process.
Reynolds was trying to get ready to duck another punch at that point, so he was utterly stunned when Stepalli pulled him close and kissed him instead.
The set-up: In a long post-apocalyptic world in which the world is in a near permanent winter, a wanderer comes to a place he didn't know was already home. It's original and slashy. It's PG now, but will prolly end up R-NC-17.
Thaw Coming In
Reynolds readjusted his grip on the rope, cracking the ice that had been building up on his gloves. The rope quickly slid back into the well-worn groove on the shoulder of his coat, the weight of the elk carcass that was trailing behind him making the line taut again as soon as he stepped forward. He ached all over, but stopping was not in his plans. The nearest huddle was just another hour's walk, so finding some small leeward place and shivering the coming night away didn't make sense- even if that nearest huddle was one that wouldn't welcome him easily. The meat Reynolds would offer to share would greatly improve his reception- rumor had it that that particular huddle had lacked the services of a good hunter for quite a long time. Game was important- especially when you didn't get it too often.
He lost track of time's passing as he trudged along in the dim afternoon light, the permafrost crunching rhythmically underfoot, and the huddle came into sight before he expected it to. They had expanded it in the five or six years since he had been round that way, and there was smoke coming from two separate chimneystacks. Must be they had a line on some good wood if they were burning two fires at once. Reynolds dragged the elk all the way up to the main outsi door and knocked heavily- he could hear laughter and loud conversation coming from inside.
A small panel three quarters of the way up the door slid open revealing a pair of eyes. "Shut up for the night. There's some good leewards just to the east," the dorminda said with a grunt and slid the panel closed. Reynolds knocked again. "Not wasting heat on opening the door for the likes of you-" the dorminda started to say through the open peephole-panel before she cut off as Reynolds gestured to the elk.
"Maybe you'll open up for him instead? Center's probably not even frozen yet- kilt it mid-afternoon," Reynolds offered.
"Share and share alike?" the dorminda asked, sounding much friendlier.
"I ask nothing of the huddle but what I need- warmth and a share alike portion of the gift I give it."
The little panel slid closed with a hard snap and Reynolds could hear the door latches being opened. They really had been closed up for the night. Reynolds wondered how many people there would remember him, wondered if Penally and her brother Stepalli were still ensconced there. He wondered if either of them was still holding a grudge.
"We want for trouble lately here, and we like it that way- you get me?" the dorminda pronounced as Reynolds dragged the elk carcass into the foyer so that the outsi door could be closed and latched all up for the night again. The room was barely warmer than the outsi by the time he finished getting it in.
"Yeah, my druthers is not to bring any trouble on myself nor the huddle," Reynolds answered as he waited for the last latch to be set. The dorminda wasn't someone he recognized- Old Sid must have past or maybe he was just too frail to mind the door and set the latches any longer. The latches were more than decent sized and the seals were of the newer kind- the kind that you needed to put a hard shoulder and a strong back to so as to close the door. They might have a good source of burnable wood, but they were still heat-frugal as any other huddle.
The dorminda crossed the foyer, stepping swiftly over the girth of the carcass in one stride to open the one lock on the insi door. "See you don't, Reynolds. See that you don't."
As the insi door swung open, a blast of lush warmth hit Reynolds in the face- it was almost worse than the bone-chill of outsi for a moment, but he knew that he wouldn't feel that way soon enough, he was just used to the cold. He turned back to ask the dorminda, "How do you know my name?"
"Not a body in here what don't know about you, Reynolds- 'less they just wee chits or off-rockers. You're one we keep lookout for, we do," came the reply and the dorminda gave the carcass, which way still half in the foyer, a good shove to get it out of the way before shouldering the insi door closed.
The room had been loud with music, conversation, and laughter- Reynolds noted the huddle's signature style of music with the drumming so heavy and the reed-flutes taking lead on the melody- but all that stopped as soon as he stood up from shouldering the elk- it wouldn't do to bloody up the floor when he could carry it much neater. He turned around to face the room just in time to see a man sprinting towards him, a scowl on his face and a ready fist raised. Reynolds had just a moment to notice that he looked very familiar before the blow landed and Reynolds- he was unable to deflect the punch because his hands were in use balancing the elk on his shoulders- Reynolds went down hard from the blow.
He looked up from his position on the floor, but half-under the elk to see his attacker glaring down at him. "Ow," he murmured.
"Get up," the angry man ordered and kicked at the dead elk as if to help Reynolds get free of the thing. It was a truly ridiculous thing to do- kick the meat- and that is why Reynolds was able to recognize Stepalli, despite the differences that five years had wrought on his frame (and it had, too- giving him greater muscle on his frame and possible another few inches- it was hard to tell from Reynolds' vantage point on the floor).
"Palli?" Reynolds asked, just to be certain.
"I said, get up!" Palli said harshly. Then he reached down and pulled Reynolds out from under the elk, wrenching his arm and long suffering shoulder in the process.
Reynolds was trying to get ready to duck another punch at that point, so he was utterly stunned when Stepalli pulled him close and kissed him instead.