Snowing Inside the Heart - Survivor00 & Notte

[Survivor00]

â??Snowing Inside the Heartâ?
By Survivor00 & Notte

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Coldâ?¦

Soâ?¦coldâ?¦

Alyx Whittaker had never seen a beach, never felt a summer breeze, never witnessed a world that was not covered in snow and ice for most of the year; those things were part of the Old World, from stories passed down from generations gone. But as she trudged ankle-deep through the freezing snow, the hungry wind devouring her body heat, all she could feel was warmth. Somewhere in her confused and sluggish brain, she knew that she was suffering from hypothermia, but no matter how hard she shivered, how tight she pulled the ragged coat to her body; she couldnâ??t stop her body from sending the precious, fading warmth in her core to her extremities.

Alyx had been walking through the frozen forest for days, sometimes in circles, away from the settlement that she had grown up in. A violent Illness had ravaged the village, spreading rapidly between the packed huts and weakened bodies. Many died quickly, before any care could be given to them. They had no medicine to treat it, and she had taken a desperate bid to reach the next village and barter for any medicine they had, anything that might aid them. She had understood that the odds of her making it there were slim, even strongly against her, but she knew that if she didnâ??t try, they would all die anyway. Already, the damage might have been irreversible.

Alyx pushed onward, the numbness in her body spreading through her ever faster. She leaned against a tree, her frosted breath whisking away in the wind. Her strength was ebbing rapidly, her famished stomach growling for a proper meal, but she didnâ??t dare open the pack that she was to offer. She brushed the heavy flecks of snow from her face, peering into the whiteout. She didnâ??t even know where she wasâ?¦she had never made this journey before, she could have been miles away from where she wanted to be, without hope of saving anyone, including herself.

Alyx had stopped shivering, her movements becoming disoriented. She took a few steps from the tree, seeing a small clearing in the trees up ahead. Her legs, numb from cold and exhaustion, buckled beneath her, and she fell into the snow. She wanted to get up but she couldnâ??t command herself to rise, her strength completely exhausted. The pack was so heavyâ?¦ â??Motherâ?¦helpâ?¦â? She whimpered, calling out to the only person she could think of.

As if in answer to her plea, the heavy veil of snow lightened for just a moment, revealing a clearing in the distance, the faint shapes of snow-covered huts emerging from the storm. She was so closeâ?¦ She reached down deep inside her, grasping for any energy her body had left, willing her frozen body to her feet. â??Just oneâ?¦stepâ?¦at a timeâ?¦â? She whispered to herself, struggling towards the village as the veil closed in again, surrounding her. But she knew it was thereâ?¦

Step after agonizing step, she made her way to the center of the village, throwing herself against the door of a house, sliding down to the ground, weakly knocking against it. â??Helpâ?¦pleaseâ?¦openâ?¦upâ?¦â? Her voice, frail and tired, swept away in the wind. Her eyelids felt heavy, closing on her despite her protests, and she slipped into unconsciousness.​

 

[Notte]

Toni Cole has just finished making the fire, in which a medium size pot hung over heating up a thick and creamy porridge, when a knock sounded at her door. She knew that it couldn't possibly be someone from her village, they were all tucked away safely in their own homes while waiting out the coming storm.

Opening her door to a tiny sliver, she peeked out making sure that it wasn't some crazed wild animal seeking shelter. She gasped in surprise when she found an unrecognizable woman unconscious at her doorstep. Pulling the door completely open, she took hold of the womans underarms and slowly dragged the woman into the warmth of her house. When she was far enough inside, she set her down and ran to close the door before the cold could seep in and steal all of the remaining heat.

Going back to the woman, she began the slow drag towards the fire and hoped above all else that the woman wasn't dead and that she hadn't hurt her while trying to save her. She took the pack off the woman and set it on the floor then began to hurriedly disrobe the womans winter soddened clothing. Grabbing all of the blankets in her small hut, she placed them over the woman before she disrobed herself.

Getting under the covers, she laid down next to the woman and held her in her arms, trying to massaged her arms and legs with her own to get circulation and heat into the womans frostbitten body. "Oh please.. please be alive.." She whispered as she gave the woman her body heat. Fire burned her cheeks as she tried to warm the woman up, she'd never been this close to anyone before, and she'd never seen another naked body - save her own. "Dear God... please don't let me be hugging a dead person. Let her be ok."

 

[Survivor00]

Alyx drifted between the folds of reality and dream, not sure if she had lived or died. She was cold, freezing cold, but yetâ?¦she could feel warmth. The void around her had suddenly brightened into a most spectacular light, and she felt herself being drawn towards it. It was such glorious brightness...and she could hear a beautiful voice ringing out around her. She smiled softly; it was all going to be okayâ?¦ The brightness around her seemed to flicker a little, fading and drawing away from her. She reached out for it, feeling pain shoot through her limbs. It was agonizing, every nerve singing out in pain, shooting into her chest. This wasnâ??t right! What had happened to the warmth? The light? She felt like she was sinking away, and she couldnâ??t claw herself out of itâ?¦

Alyx gasped and cried out as she regained consciousness, her body shivering frantically as her frostbitten limbs stung with pain. She was vaguely aware of her nakedness, or the feeling of another body against hers, the sounds of that beautiful voice still in her ears. She slowly opened her eyes, looking into the face of another woman. Surprised and startled, she pulled back, gasping sharply at the lances of pain that stabbed through her body. She stopped moving, just shivering violently in the strange womanâ??s arms. Her skin had regained some color, the faint blue hue gone from her lips.

â??Wh-whereâ?¦a-am I?â? She whispered, her voice still faint and tiny as she lay there, looking around the small shelter that she had been brought into.

 

[Notte]

Toni sighed with such relief when she noticed the womans skin starting to take color again. Her held on tighter, rubbing her body like a cat against the womans, trying to create heat from the friction. It seemed so wicked to her, a little bit dirty, but she wouldn't stop if she wanted the woman to live. "Come on, come on. That's right, just let the heat sink into you. Come on, come back to life." She kept on uttering nonsense, just muttering over and over again, trying to will the woman back to life.

She made a faint shriek of surprise as the woman cried out, showing that she was still alive. "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Thank you!" She was so relieved that she hugged the woman tightly. Then pulled away quickly, hoping that she didn't hurt her. She rested her body over the womans and looked down into her face, so that she would know she wasn't just talking to some stranger. "Your in the village of Oriken. We're just at the base of the Hiitan mountains. My name is Toni Cole, whats yours?"

 

[Survivor00]

Alyx gasped as the woman hugged her tighter than her body wanted to allow, feeling stabs of pain all over her arms and back, but she was alive. The womanâ??s excited words assured her that, and she trembled weakly. â??Thâ?¦thank you.â? She said softly to her, somewhat overwhelmed by it all. She was still cold and confused. The Hiitan Mountainsâ?¦Orikenâ?¦she had made it. But had she gotten here in time? She had taken much longer than she had expected. The storm had been suddenâ?¦

â??My name?â? She asked, the question taking a second or so longer to pass through her mind. â??Alyx.â? She said softly, â??My name is Alyxâ?¦Alyx Whittakerâ?¦â? She looked up at the naked form that rested over her, a light blush dusting her cheeks. This was rather awkward, but Toni was warm, and her heat-starved body allowed the taboo contact so it could warm itself. â??My bag!â? She gasped, fearing the supplies she had brought to trade for medicine. â??Did you find a bag?â?