Herobrine X Reader - Love's Wither Rose (COMPLETE)

3 - Cold Shoulder

"So," I started, stumbling on the ice of a frozen lake. "You never said how you found me."

Herobrine looked over his shoulder at me, tugging his cloak tighter around him. "You never asked."

"I'm asking now."

"I just so happened to come across your base while I was out exploring."

"That's it?" I caught up to him on the snowy bank. "That's how you found me?"

"I'm no expert, but it seems to me like you're disappointed," he said.

Well, yeah, I thought. "Remind me why we're out here - it feels like my legs are about to freeze off."

He sighed irritatedly. "I told you, we're out here because -" He stopped abruptly, staring out at something in the snowy gales.

"Because...?" I prompted.

He didn't answer. He continued to stare forward at something I couldn't see. The wind picked up from sharp gusts to relentless, blinding howls of ice. I braced myself against the lashing wind and placed a firm grip on his shoulder. He snapped out of his little trance and looked back at me, struggling to shield his eyes from the cold stabs.

"We need to find shelter!" I shouted over the wind.

Herobrine glanced again at whatever was hiding in the distance. He took a deep breath, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and guided me through the blizzard.

We made slow progress, frequently having to stop and crouch down during particularly violent bursts of roaring torrents. Eventually, vague dark shapes came into view and we hastened our pace as much as we could against the storm. We drew closer. I could make out buildings.

A village!

Herobrine dragged me to the nearest hut. I couldn't help but notice gaps in the walls and roof. There was no door, either; what was left of it lay flat on the wooden floor, blown clean off its hinges. I almost lost my footing on a splintered plank in the threshold.

I practically collapsed into a far corner, body shivering somewhere between adrenaline and feeling the icy bite of the wind soak into my skin like water on fabric. My hands buried themselves under my arms while I tucked my knees in close to my chin. My head spun slighly as I looked over to where Herobrine stood at the doorway, peeking outside at the storm. It occurred to me in that moment that he only had a shirt under his cloak.

"Aren't you cold?" I said through chattering teeth.

"I'll warm up easily enough." Herobrine turned to face me, most likely seeing how simultaneously flushed and blue my face must have been. He picked up a lose plank, putting it into a furnace in the middle of the room. "Still, we better make a fire."

"I think I've got something to light it with in my bag."

Sure enough, I found a shard of flint. I always kept a bow and some arrows in here, too - just in case. It'll do.

I struggled to keep my hand from shaking as I passed the flint and an arrow to Herobrine. He took them, nodding once in what was either acknowledgement or thanks. Sparks flew on to the wood in the furnace, landing but not quite catching; it took several attempts before any flames appeared. Once he managed to coax the kindle into a decent fire, Herobrine checked outside again before sitting down in the adjacent corner - it was a small hut, so we were roughly within arm's reach. I certainly felt warmer now with the fire, but I still shivered.

"What happened here?" I muttered, glancing at the fallen remnants of the door. "This is a village, so where is everyone?"

"Either long gone or long dead," Herobrine replied, not looking up from the fire. "I couldn't see any zombies or corpses, so I assume it's the former."

"But why would they leave? I've never known villagers to just up and leave their homes."

"A raid, most likely." It hadn't escaped my attention that he didn't look at me.

"You said there weren't any bodies."

"I don't know what the ravagers eat, do you?"

I shuddered.

"Anyway," I said, eager to change the subject. "Why are we out here in the middle of a snow storm?"

"I told you just before the storm hit, didn't I?"

"No, you got distracted after because."

"Right." His pale eyes met mine for the first time since I caught him at my house. "Long story short, I'm trying to find a stronghold - to find one, I need Eyes of Ender, which I have at my base."

"Why'd you need to find a stronghold?"

"I'm putting that on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know."

"Can I at least know why I'm here?"

"You're here because you decided to come with me," Herobrine said shortly. He stared at the howling gales outside. "That storm doesn't look like it's gonna ease up anytime soon; you should rest."

"So should you," I countered.

Herobrine shook his head, and the faintest trace of a smirk lined his features. "I'm used to this sort of traveling - I can go for a while longer before I need to rest."

I sighed, curling up smaller in my little corner. I didn't lay down, instead I remained sitting upright as I closed my eyes (a tactic I often used to stop myself getting too comfortable when I needed a power nap while in a cave). I let the weariness in my muscles will the rest of my body into a light sleep.

When I awoke, I immediately noticed that I was alone in the squalid hut. Where was Herobrine? A sharp jab of paranoia struck my gut, and I immediately searched through the contents of my bag.

Everything was still there.

Gripping the hilt of my sword, I cautiously crept towards the doorway. I first glanced left and right and left again before I stepped outside. The blizzard had passed, and the blue sky brought some warm salvation from the snow around my shins. I waddled around awkwardly in the snow, keeping an eye out for anyone - or anything.

A pile of snow slipped from the roof of a hut behind me, causing me to (ungraciously) twist around. My mind went blank as I swung my sword round - more out of instinct than anything else. I felt the jolt of the blade colliding with something somewhat solid.

Herobrine jumped back, hissing and cursing as he covered his bleeding shoulder with his hand.