30 Days R2/S2 - Day 7 Frigid
This a Flashfic based on a prompt from 
aldersprig and
kc_obrien's 30 Days of Flash Fiction: Round 2 Meme
My 30 Days of Flashfic: Round 2 Index Page
Day 7 - Prompt: Frigid
Hmm. I think the combination of frigid making me think of winter and
aldersprig's recent call for abduction story ideas made me remember this earlier idea of mine. Certainly the start of an idea, but I'm not sure where if anywhere it leads...
* * *
Osita trudged through new fallen snow. Watching the ground just ahead of him as he took each step. His mind growing as numb as his feet. On step after another, and then another. Walking long past wanting to stop. Wanting to rest for even a moment.
I shouldn't have kicked him.
Yelping as the slack on the rope around his neck was tugged, nearly dropping him to his knees. Simple fear all that drove his legs faster.
I really shouldn't have kicked him.
So intent Osita was on not slowly, not daring let the rope grow tight again, he didn't notice the slack growing until he walked right into the chip toothed killer. Falling back onto his bound arms. The man grinned and kicked him as he tried to stand. Grunting down at him in his own tongue, with only a few words Osita could catch.
"You kill ... with face? Funny boy."
Another kick laid him out on the snow again before the rival tribesmen set a quick camp. Spreading a hide out in the clearing they had reached before starting a fire in a stone ring that already held ashes. Osita waited until Chip Tooth was well away before rolling onto his knees, standing unsteadily a minute before walking closer to the fire.
Another of the tribesmen, with a scarred cheek, looked at him before speaking something he couldn't understand. Finally the man just pushed him to his knees beside the fire before laying a blanket over his shoulder.
He was finally starting to feel warm again when Chip Tooth returned, looking at him a heartbeat before grunting and speaking to the others too fast for him to understand. Excitement showed on their faces as chip tooth spoke. Everyone turning to watch the other side of the clearing.
After what felt something between a minute and an hour to his still numb mind, Osita saw movement among the trees. Another minute and a party of gray men stood opposite them. One heading out to spread a blanket of their own near the tribes-men's hide.
Scarred Cheek and Chip Tooth carried out packs, emptying out goods onto the hide. Many of which he could recognize as stolen from his own village. Scarred Cheek and one of the gray men then looked over the goods on each other's blankets.
Watching Osita felt a chill come over him as the gray man in the clearing pointed to some of the items on the hide blanket, then picked up a knife made of the same blue gray metal as he'd seen Chip Tooth and some of the other tribesmen carrying. The man set the knife on the ground and Scarred Cheek moved some of the goods next to it. The two took turns adding to the pointing to something, then adding goods to the piles, sometimes pointing to more they wanted before they would add something the other had pointed too.
Osita could only stare, wishing his own tribe had been the one to meet the gray men and trade for that horribly sharp metal. He had seen Chip Tooth cut clear through Arik's knife and keep on fighting with a dagger as good as newly made.
Scarred Cheek saw something and pointed to it. The gray man looking at what was left on the hide started to remove some of the metal items from his own pile getting many words and waved arms from Scarred Cheek who pointed at the other thing and the blades that were going to be taken and stalked back to the fire calling out something to the others.
Scarred Cheek grabbed one of the shoulder packs they had carried the goods in and then Osita's rope, giving it a tug but thankfully not dragging him no matter how excited everyone looked.
Back at the blankets Scarred Cheek pointed to the pile of goods he'd put out to trade, pantomimed putting them in the pack and the pack on Osita's back, then pointed to the gray men's blanket again. Now he could see the last item was more than the knives or spear points that had been placed into the pile already. Axe heads. Two axe heads of the same blue gray metal.
Looking up Osita's eyes went wide. The village had heard rumors of strange people. These gray men, up close he could see a rough hide, what looked like they might be scales. They looked almost as much like lizards as like true men. The gray man called back to his own people in words even stranger than those of Scarred Cheek and Chip Tooth's tribe. Finally he took one axe head and put it among the other things he was offering. The pointed at the second and gestured at the rest of what the tribesmen had brought.
Osita found himself standing by the rest of the trade goods as Scarred Cheek started piling the gray mens good onto the hide blanket. A short time later the tribesmen were leaving and the gray man, the lizard man, was gazing down at him. Others came forward and began packing up the goods they had gained. After staring at him for a few minutes the strange man turned him and cut the rope tied around his wrists. After helping him get the pack on the lizard man grabbed the up the rope that was tied to his neck and lead him along with the rest.
Don't know where we're going. But at least Chip Tooth is gone.
* * * * *
The days so far:
1) the story starts with the words "It's going down." (LJ link)
2) write a scene that takes place in a train station (LJ link)
3) the story must involve a goblet and a set of three [somethings] (LJ link)
4) prompt: one for the road (LJ link)
5) write a story using an imaginary color (LJ link)
6) write the pitch for a new Final Fantasy styled RPG (LJ link)
7) prompt: frigid (LJ link)
8) write a scene in the middle of a novel called "The Long, Dirty Afterwards." (LJ link)
9) prompt: mourning dead gods (LJ link)
10) write a story set in three different time periods (LJ link)
11) Write a movie trailer style trailer for a story, existing or not-yet-written (LJ link)
12) prompt: sweet iced tea (LJ link)
13) re-write a story that everyone knows
14) write a vanilla story dealing with kinky subject matter (LJ link)
15) prompt: ascension (LJ link)
16) write a scene that takes place at the end of a long road trip (LJ link)
17) write an uncomfortable story (LJ link)
18) prompt: a step too far
19) write a story in which something goes BOOM
20) Write the end of the story "The Purple Bag."
21) Roll a d20 twice (Random.Org). Combine the themes of the two previous stories for those numbers
22) prompt: knight in shining armor
23) write a scene that takes place in a place that is war-torn
24) prompt: founding fathers
25) write a story set in a library
26) prompt: elemental
27) write a story using only one period. Bonus: write the story using only one /ending punctuation at all.
28) write a story set in a laundromat
29) (from Lilifluff) Randomly pick a number between 1 and 28 (Random.Org) . Re-write that prompt as a Spaghetti Western or Melodrama
30) the story ends with the words "coming up."
(This is a crossposting |
replies at the original post on dreamwidth | Comment at dreamwidth | You can comment on DW posts even if you don't have an account there Using OpenID!)
aldersprig and
kc_obrien's 30 Days of Flash Fiction: Round 2 Meme
My 30 Days of Flashfic: Round 2 Index Page
Day 7 - Prompt: Frigid
Hmm. I think the combination of frigid making me think of winter and
aldersprig's recent call for abduction story ideas made me remember this earlier idea of mine. Certainly the start of an idea, but I'm not sure where if anywhere it leads...
* * *
Osita trudged through new fallen snow. Watching the ground just ahead of him as he took each step. His mind growing as numb as his feet. On step after another, and then another. Walking long past wanting to stop. Wanting to rest for even a moment.
I shouldn't have kicked him.
Yelping as the slack on the rope around his neck was tugged, nearly dropping him to his knees. Simple fear all that drove his legs faster.
I really shouldn't have kicked him.
So intent Osita was on not slowly, not daring let the rope grow tight again, he didn't notice the slack growing until he walked right into the chip toothed killer. Falling back onto his bound arms. The man grinned and kicked him as he tried to stand. Grunting down at him in his own tongue, with only a few words Osita could catch.
"You kill ... with face? Funny boy."
Another kick laid him out on the snow again before the rival tribesmen set a quick camp. Spreading a hide out in the clearing they had reached before starting a fire in a stone ring that already held ashes. Osita waited until Chip Tooth was well away before rolling onto his knees, standing unsteadily a minute before walking closer to the fire.
Another of the tribesmen, with a scarred cheek, looked at him before speaking something he couldn't understand. Finally the man just pushed him to his knees beside the fire before laying a blanket over his shoulder.
He was finally starting to feel warm again when Chip Tooth returned, looking at him a heartbeat before grunting and speaking to the others too fast for him to understand. Excitement showed on their faces as chip tooth spoke. Everyone turning to watch the other side of the clearing.
After what felt something between a minute and an hour to his still numb mind, Osita saw movement among the trees. Another minute and a party of gray men stood opposite them. One heading out to spread a blanket of their own near the tribes-men's hide.
Scarred Cheek and Chip Tooth carried out packs, emptying out goods onto the hide. Many of which he could recognize as stolen from his own village. Scarred Cheek and one of the gray men then looked over the goods on each other's blankets.
Watching Osita felt a chill come over him as the gray man in the clearing pointed to some of the items on the hide blanket, then picked up a knife made of the same blue gray metal as he'd seen Chip Tooth and some of the other tribesmen carrying. The man set the knife on the ground and Scarred Cheek moved some of the goods next to it. The two took turns adding to the pointing to something, then adding goods to the piles, sometimes pointing to more they wanted before they would add something the other had pointed too.
Osita could only stare, wishing his own tribe had been the one to meet the gray men and trade for that horribly sharp metal. He had seen Chip Tooth cut clear through Arik's knife and keep on fighting with a dagger as good as newly made.
Scarred Cheek saw something and pointed to it. The gray man looking at what was left on the hide started to remove some of the metal items from his own pile getting many words and waved arms from Scarred Cheek who pointed at the other thing and the blades that were going to be taken and stalked back to the fire calling out something to the others.
Scarred Cheek grabbed one of the shoulder packs they had carried the goods in and then Osita's rope, giving it a tug but thankfully not dragging him no matter how excited everyone looked.
Back at the blankets Scarred Cheek pointed to the pile of goods he'd put out to trade, pantomimed putting them in the pack and the pack on Osita's back, then pointed to the gray men's blanket again. Now he could see the last item was more than the knives or spear points that had been placed into the pile already. Axe heads. Two axe heads of the same blue gray metal.
Looking up Osita's eyes went wide. The village had heard rumors of strange people. These gray men, up close he could see a rough hide, what looked like they might be scales. They looked almost as much like lizards as like true men. The gray man called back to his own people in words even stranger than those of Scarred Cheek and Chip Tooth's tribe. Finally he took one axe head and put it among the other things he was offering. The pointed at the second and gestured at the rest of what the tribesmen had brought.
Osita found himself standing by the rest of the trade goods as Scarred Cheek started piling the gray mens good onto the hide blanket. A short time later the tribesmen were leaving and the gray man, the lizard man, was gazing down at him. Others came forward and began packing up the goods they had gained. After staring at him for a few minutes the strange man turned him and cut the rope tied around his wrists. After helping him get the pack on the lizard man grabbed the up the rope that was tied to his neck and lead him along with the rest.
Don't know where we're going. But at least Chip Tooth is gone.
* * * * *
The days so far:
1) the story starts with the words "It's going down." (LJ link)
2) write a scene that takes place in a train station (LJ link)
3) the story must involve a goblet and a set of three [somethings] (LJ link)
4) prompt: one for the road (LJ link)
5) write a story using an imaginary color (LJ link)
6) write the pitch for a new Final Fantasy styled RPG (LJ link)
7) prompt: frigid (LJ link)
8) write a scene in the middle of a novel called "The Long, Dirty Afterwards." (LJ link)
9) prompt: mourning dead gods (LJ link)
10) write a story set in three different time periods (LJ link)
11) Write a movie trailer style trailer for a story, existing or not-yet-written (LJ link)
12) prompt: sweet iced tea (LJ link)
13) re-write a story that everyone knows
14) write a vanilla story dealing with kinky subject matter (LJ link)
15) prompt: ascension (LJ link)
16) write a scene that takes place at the end of a long road trip (LJ link)
17) write an uncomfortable story (LJ link)
18) prompt: a step too far
19) write a story in which something goes BOOM
20) Write the end of the story "The Purple Bag."
21) Roll a d20 twice (Random.Org). Combine the themes of the two previous stories for those numbers
22) prompt: knight in shining armor
23) write a scene that takes place in a place that is war-torn
24) prompt: founding fathers
25) write a story set in a library
26) prompt: elemental
27) write a story using only one period. Bonus: write the story using only one /ending punctuation at all.
28) write a story set in a laundromat
29) (from Lilifluff) Randomly pick a number between 1 and 28 (Random.Org) . Re-write that prompt as a Spaghetti Western or Melodrama
30) the story ends with the words "coming up."
(This is a crossposting |
replies at the original post on dreamwidth | Comment at dreamwidth | You can comment on DW posts even if you don't have an account there Using OpenID!)