Searching For Purpose-Blitzstone (COMPLETED)

Silent in the Trees

I may regret using this title later. The actual song is much more figurative, while the chapter title is very literal. I'm not really sure I like comparing the actual song Trees to this story, if that makes any sense.

Hearth's POV

I knew events had run downhill as soon as I felt the earth vibrate beneath my feet. If the giants' footsteps were so impactful I could feel it, that was not a good sign.

My grip on Blitz's legs slackened as my fingers turned to noodles, but his fists just clutched the front of my jacket tighter.

Move, Hearth.

Do something.

But I was frozen with shock, the air in my lungs turning icy cold.

Then Blitz kicked me in the side. Hard. That woke me up. My legs jolted to life like somebody had put jumper cables on them. I sprinted towards the woods.

What good would running do now, though? I had left my set of footprints, and I didn't have any runes that would cover them up. I just had to hope frost giants had really bad eyesight.

I dropped Blitz from my back, muscles aching. I had never gotten very strong. From lack of food, exercise, and sunlight, my body was not very fit.

I peered around one side of a wide pine tree, pressing against the rough bark. My fingers shook as I attempted to maintain a steady grip.

Another quake jolted through my body, giving me double-vision. As soon as the shaking stopped I was able to spot a thirty foot tall monstrosity from my spot in the trees.

The giant was covered in shards of ice, like armor. His skin was cobalt blue, dark as a stormy and snowy ocean. His hair stood straight upon his head, the shape of icicles. His eyes were pure black and beady. A flat nose took up the middle of his face, lips swollen from the cold. His fingernails? No frost giant would need any other weapon, with dagger-like claws like those.

One of giant was enough. I couldn't imagine there being more than one.

Yet I felt the earthquake again as another giant rose, and then another. Each time one opened its mouth, I felt the earth beneath me rumble and ringing in my ears. I glanced over at Blitzen, who was grimacing and covering his ears.

One of the giants aimed a deadly claw in our direction. I ducked behind the safety of the tree, heart hammering.

They would find us. We had to get out of here.

Can you climb? I signed, pointing up the tree behind us, which had many branches, thankfully.

Blitz bit his lip, meeting me with a worried gaze, although he nodded confidently. "I have no trouble with climbing," he said.

I began climbing the tree, which I noticed was really two trees fused together by the freak of nature. Blitz followed suit, easily surpassing me. My hands were shaking so bad I just managed to keep my grip. The blood was pounding through my head so hard that it seemed to be as if the bark was rearranging itself as I climbed from branch to branch.

It took me longer than Blitz to climb the tree, as the branches seemed to be moving just out of my grip. The lack of sunlight was beginning to catch up with me.

Blitz and I sat on the same thick branch of the pine tree. I could feel my pulse pumping through my hands at a steady beat, like a drum.

I felt it on the backside of my legs, too....

I rested a palm over my chest and tried to steady my breathing. I glanced over at Blitz, who was touching the trunk of the tree gingerly.

The pulse did not terminate. It continued, even stronger. I could feel it through my entire body.

Blitz mimicked my thoughts: "This is not a normal tree."

This is not even a tree, I thought to myself, realization dawning over me. My heart skipped a few beats, but the pulse continued to vibrate through my body.

That's when the tree started to move.

I felt the tremor as the tree uprooted itself, the trunks that had been fused together slowly splitting apart. I watched below us as legs formed, taking their first steps. The quaking was beginning to give me a migraine.

Blitz was clutching to a branch, or should I say, arm, for dear life.

That is, until he fell.

Yeah, it's a short chapter, but I wanted to get something published. (: