• Control • Matthias Helvar x Reader

4

I hugged my cloak tighter to my form, covering my nose from the snow. I thanked the Saints for Sirius thick coat and feathered hooves that allowed him to brave the permafrost with ease, finding myself slightly jealous of his tolerance for the cold.
It had been a couple hours since we'd crossed into the Fjerdan border, and the sun was setting. I would've thought the scene was beautiful—the sky lit in orange and purple hues, golden rays of the setting sun highlighting the snow covered terrain—had it not been for the dire circumstances I was putting myself in.
Just a little longer, I thought. Find shelter and rest for a short while, and find the nearest town.
And that, we did. I urged Sirius through a thicker part of the woods, where the snow wasn't so thick and the lighting scarce by way of the numerous trees. By the time the sun had set, I found myself sitting at the base of a tree in the twilight. I munched on some of the dried meat I had purchased in Chernast, and offered Sirius an apple which he graciously accepted.
I sighed, laying back on my bedroll and stared up into the sky. Watching as the northern lights danced across the stars, I smiled to myself, recollecting moments like this from my childhood. Before Aleksander created the Fold, before the world became so complicated. When we were children, and our only worries were what big adventure we'd embark on the next day. Pulling my cloak over myself as a blanket, I let those memories lull me into a peaceful slumber.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Snap.
     I woke with a start, at the sound of a twig snapping. Sirius stomped his hooves nervously, tossing his mane. Feeling my heart pumping in my ears, I slowly stood up, and listened. A faint whistling in the air.
     The whistling grew increasingly louder until I brought my hands together and quickly snapped them away, summoning the shadows to send the flying trap ricocheting into a nearby tree, causing Sirius to sprint out into the woods. I looked at the engraving on the metal, and felt my heart drop.
The Wolf of the Drüskelle.
     A man came running behind me, and I spun, using the shadows to send him flying into a tree. Two others rushed me from either side, and I held both arms out to the sides, the shadows taking hold of them. Raising one, I sent him crashing into the other.
      One grabbed me from behind, attempting to choke me to sleep. I grunted as I attempted to shake myself free, and brought my hands together and pulled them apart in fists, sending shadows into his body and tearing him out from the inside.
      Three more charged at me. Saints, how many are there?! I busied myself with fending off their attacks one by one. I sent the Cut into one of them, splitting him and the tree behind him in half. That seemed to anger the other two, who only fought harder.
     Suddenly I felt a heavy force to my back that sent me crashing into the snow, and I yelped as my cheek split at contact with a rock. I struggled to move and realized, one arm was completely bound to my side.
     I pulled my free hand to my bound one, and managed to send the shadows and slam one of the men into a boulder, the deafening cracking sound of his skull echoing. That was until a heavy boot stomped onto my arm, and I cried out in pain. The man laughed, as the one who crushed my arm hovered over me and bound it to my side.

"Nowhere to run now, drusje," said a familiar voice.