Deash12
Coffee Enthusiast
When he opened them again, there was silence.
He heaved a heavy sigh, but it emitted a thick cloud of condensation that billowed up and around his face.
He blinked again.
It was cold, extremely cold, and he was sat on a horse. He looked up and to his right.
“There, Dayter! Do you hear it? Aha!”
Dayter swiveled his head and his field of view was filled with a steep hillock that was laden with snow. On either side there were two large mountains, their ridges ran down and met near the hillock, creating a distinct “v” shape. That’s when he heard it. The faint crunching of paws as it packed down snow and a bellow so deep it seemed to shake the very mountains. He looked to the man who had now dismounted and was adjusting some straps on his horse. He procured an axe, then looked at Dayter.
“Well? Come on!” His voice was deep with a thick accent that was typical of a northerner.
Dayter threw himself off the horse and landed in the snow. He reached for the long blade secured on his horse’s saddle packs, drew it, and looked towards the hillock. Dayter shifted his stance, locking his feet in the snow.
Silence.
“Here sh’ comes!”
Bursting over the peak of the hillock, came barreling a behemoth of a bear. Its fur was strikingly white, save for the long marks over its body where fur no longer grows. Scars.
Dayter slapped his horse’s rear-end, “Yaw!” the horse reared off in the opposite direction and ran.
“Are you ready, Dayter?!” The man let out a hearty laugh and braced himself.
Dayter raised a hand to his neck, unclasped his black cloak, let it fall to the ground, and did the same.
The beast closed in, it lunged at Dayter, and Hell itself broke lose.
Dayter dove to his left, the bear launching itself over his head and past the other man. It caught itself on the ground, rearing its body as it stood on two feet and emitted a terrible howl. Its jowls shook and sprayed saliva into the air. As the cloud of snow that was kicked up settled, Dayter shifted himself into a standing position, raised his blade with both hands, tucking it close to his shoulder. The point scanned the air, attempting to orient itself just as its wielder was doing. Another roar was heard, this one considerably more human. Dayter whipped around and saw the man lunging to his side as the bear swiped for him.
“William!”
The man let out another shout of exertion as the tip of his axe connected with the bear’s fore leg. William stumbled backwards and tossed his axe between his hands, snarling in a similar vein to the bear.
“Come on, you fucker!”
Dayter darted off in the direction of the conflict.
As he reached the action, the bear turned itself and swung its paw in the direction of Dayter. Dayter pirouetted, ducked, and swung beneath the bear’s outreached leg. The tip of his blade pierced the skin and blood spurted out, turning the snow a crimson red. As the beast let out a cry of anger, Dayter and William moved together, side by side, their weapons raised.
“Bloody good shit!”
Dayter just grunted.
The bear stood upright once more, its breathing slowed as it looked at the two.
Silence.
The beast’s holler pierced the silence, and the two men moved back into the fray. Dayter bolted to the left, William to the right. The bear swung itself to the right, to the left, and reached out to swing its claws at William. William ducked, Dayter swung at its back. It staggered, turned, and reached for Dayter. But Dayter lept back, and William lodged his axe into the bear’s side.
A whimper from the bear turned into a shout from a man. William was not able to retract his axe from the bear and with a distinct thud accompanied by the sound of tearing cloth and flesh, William was sent backwards as the bear’s paw connected with his chest. Dayter stood and watched, his blade poised.
Another roar, this one from Dayter. He sprinted towards the beast, and so the beast turned and matched his roar and pace. As the two collided, Dayter slid beneath the bear’s paws and thrusted his blade up into its chest. The blade lodged itself there and Dayter was not able to keep his hold on it. It fell from the bear as it too slid across the snow. Dayter instinctively reached for his seax and braced himself. The bear scrambled to stand back on all four paws, turned, and set off for Dayter again. Dayter’s back was to the hillock and he stood on uneven ground, his head shooting off to both sides as he assessed the situation. Dayter let out a shout as man and animal collided once more. Dayter lept to his side, but a second too late as the bear’s claws connected with his shoulder, sending him spiralling off and thudding into the snow. Dayter, now lying in the snow, attempted to move backwards, a hand on his shoulder as he scrambled to gain footing. The bear reared again, and started off for his prey. It lurched for the man on the ground. Dayter raised his arms, closed his eyes, and could only try and roll away.
A crash. Bodies connected. A shout.
When Dayter looked up, William was over the bear, plunging his seax into its neck. The bear writhed and kicked William off, its muscles spasmed and swung in every direction, rolling on the ground as it spit blood. Eventually, it ceased. Letting out lengthy, wheezing breaths. William rolled to his feet, clutching his chest. Dayter stood and limped over to him. The two locked eyes. William nodded, and Dayter turned his head towards the blade a few feet away.
The constant sound of the bear’s wheezing filled the air. Dayter bent to pick up his weapon, walked to the bear, and looked into its eyes. The bear returned the gaze, still wheezing. The man kneeled over the bear and placed a shaking head on its head. The bear looked away, closed its eyes, and accepted his death. Dayter stood, clasped his blade in two hands, and raised it above his head.
And when he brought the blade down,
There was silence.
Then he woke. Clutching at his shoulder.
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