Icebound

Chapter 10

It only took Anyu a split second to react. She felt the fear running through her blood, consuming her, letting it eliminate everything from her mind except pure instinct. She welcomed it. Her grip was tight on her spear as she lifted it into position, poised to throw, her muscles coiled and ready to spring. It was in these moments that she knew, deep in her soul, that she was an animal, that Shesh was her brother in blood, mind, and spirit.

She crept towards the newly formed opening in the snowdrift. She couldn't see anything from inside the enclosure, although she could hear muffled sounds of a struggle and voices. Carefully, she peeked her head outside, trying to get a better angle. When she looked to the left she saw them. A large, meaty arm was wrapped around Kano's neck, keeping him suspended in the air as he kicked uselessly. The body that the arm belonged to had its back to Anyu, preventing her from observing its face. But its bulk alone was terrifying enough. It was clearly in the shape of a man, albeit a grossly overgrown one. He was easily ten feet tall, and his limbs more closely resembled tree trunks in shape and size than arms and legs. He wore a long, hooded cloak of pure white fur. Anyu was bewildered that there was an animal whose skin was big enough to cover this giant.

Anyu assumed that it was aware of her presence, but it was either distracted by Kano or simply didn't care. She caught Kano's eye briefly. She couldn't tell if the desperate look in his eyes was a plea for help or a plea for her to run.

"Nanuk," Kano gasped out. "It's been a while."

"I should have your head for this," The giant growled. "It would make a pretty trophy."

Kano struggled to speak with the man's vice like grip around his neck. "Now, now," He coughed. "She wouldn't be very happy with you if I were to die, now would she?"

Anyu couldn't see the giant's face, but it was clear from the way Kano thrashed out in pain and clawed at the giant's hand that he didn't appreciate the comment.

"Still so disrespectful," He grumbled. He appeared thwarted, but then a happier thought seemed to dawn on him. "She wouldn't mind if I taught you some respect." He seemed to be convincing himself of his words as he spoke. "For example, if I just tore out your nose..." He smiled and raised his left hand towards Kano's face, Kano's eyes growing wide as he increased his futile struggles.

The giant suddenly grunted, letting Kano drop into the snow. He looked down at the spear piercing through his chest. Blood began to drip from the wound. Slowly, he turned around. Anyu stood twenty feet back, her arm still outstretched in front of her, in the position she had thrown her spear.

The man's face was that of a hardened warrior, covered with various scars and marks of battles long past. His snowy beard was cut short, not grown out in the normal manner for warmth, and his eyes, brown as frozen dirt, seemed to cut right through her. Anyu numbly realized what creature could be big enough to clothe this monster: from the man's hood, a pair of empty eyes stared out of a polar bear's dead face.

He reached down and grabbed the hilt of Anyu's spear with both hands. Without even flinching, he pulled it out of his body with a flourish and a disturbing squelching sound. The only evidence of the wound's existence was the bright blood spattered on his cloak, standing out starkly against the polar bear's fur.

"Isn't this interesting?" He said, flinging the spear out into the darkness. He took a giant step forward as Anyu took one step back. "You've brought some fresh meat."

His lips curled up into a wide grin. As Anyu watched, his teeth elongated, sharpening into knifelike fangs and the grin transformed into a hungry, salivating snarl. The polar bear skin swallowed him whole, human melding with beast, until where once a giant man had been now stood the most ferocious polar bear Anyu had ever seen. 

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Hi! I hope you guys liked the chapter. I know I had a lot of fun writing it. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you thought!