Frigid Heat

[Ardvark]

It was cold. So cold I couldn't sleep – so cold I wanted to sleep even more. More than anything, that last thought terrified me into wakefulness; I shivered uncontrollably as I wrestled my eyes open, the task so dauntingly herculean that I feared if I gave up, I'd never try again. Arms flopped lethargically against my face, frustration at my own powerlessness doing far more to rouse me than the infantile batting.

Of course, fighting for my life doesn't really amount to much if my body can barely move. I've already found the time to recap my brief existence. Twice.

Now that I've calmed down a bit, I'm not sure I'm actually shivering from the cold – Feels more like a mix of fear and proper decorum in an icy hellscape. Or hypothermia...

My ears twitch as droning static gives way to something more chaotic: words. Two men are standing on a mound of ice, and they seemed to be arguing about something.

"…."

I can't understand them.

"…."

I wonder if they're lost?

"…."

I'm lost.

"…."

Is ice cold? I think it should be cold. Being cold is upsetting; no wonder they're unhappy.

"…."

Now that I think about it, that stick the… angrier one is waving around – it looks a lot like a weapon. This must be a dangerous place if people walk around with swords in hand. I should probably find somewhere safer to recover; perhaps a tree?

"…."

Now that I think about it, he's pointing at me a lot more than he's pointing anywhere else.

"…."

Oh.

"…."

We've made eye contact now. We both know, that we know.

"…."

Maybe they're arguing about helping me? I don't see why else he'd be so upset. I'd be upset too, if someone got me lost and then gave away my stuff.

Denial is fun and all but they're getting closer, and I'm not sure I'm capable of moving yet. Maybe if I stand my ground they'll think I'm creepy and go away?

"…."

Considering how small I feel, I expected these guys to be a lot bigger. Turns out wandering around in the snow pointing at people isn't part of a balanced diet; then again, I can see the makings of a pot belly lurking beneath Angry's loose black robe, which kind of looks out of place considering how handsome his face is. He's got that "elegant, jade like beauty" on top of a bandit's body. Must be coming to terms with a bad case of twink death. Would explain a lot.

The other guy is just... boring. Like the end result of a dictator demanding everyone look the same: no accessories, average build, perfectly generic face, even has the same black robe. Kind of a weird thing for them both to be wearing out in the snow, but who am I to judge? Could just be another snake cult. I like snakes, always know where you stand with 'em; quiet things, no sweat glands... unlike these guys. Bet they've been lost for a while.

Anyway! I should probably say something instead of standing here mutely like an RPG protagonist; I'm way too young to already be picking up bad habits! Trouble is, I'm not sure how? I can see their tongues moving, but I'm doing that with my mouth closed and it's not making any noise at all.

When I put it that way, lip movements are obviously part of the package. No wonder I'm not getting any sound out.

Let's try it:

" "


Well now the other one is laughing. Guess I have to move air as well; in retrospect that was pretty obvious. I'd feel more embarrassed if I hadn't popped into existence like, five minutes ago. As it is, this is the kind of cute memory we can look back on fondly. I bet that was the perfect ice breaker (heh).

Laughter is for happy people, right? So shouldn't he look happier?

"* * * *"

Looks like he wants me to do something? I'm desperately clinging to my perception of the calm(er) one as the polite one, but it's not working. Oi, doesn't this make me look bad by proxy?!

"…."

Does that sadistic glee have anything to do with the weapon being pointed in my face? I'm starting to think I was really off base with this one. I've been feeling "off" this whole time, actually. I'm still cold but the snow doesn't really bother me, and I'm actually kind of happy these guys came over here. It's surreal, like I never actually woke up.

A quick tug of my tail assures me this is real.

Was I that lonely already? This does not bode well for my future independence. I don't even LIKE these random weirdos and I'm still glad to see them!

!!

The angry guy got Bland Face to lower his sword!

… and now the angry guy is lifting his sword instead. From this close, I can tell he's not very good at using it, and I've never seen a sword before. Maybe if he spent more time practicing the blade he wouldn't be out here in the snow with a post-death potbelly? Maybe if I look sad he'll put it down again? Don't even have to try very hard, I genuinely can't take the back and forth with these guys; which one is the good one? Don't tell me they're both bad!

He almost seems to hesitate for a moment, then swings it down with a sneer. My eyes spasm. The world lights up, slows down. Things finally make sense.

I was hungry.