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Avin

He watched Enydd dive into the stream before following. He’d not been swimming for more than a few seconds before he began to collide with huge pieces of ice. One crashed against his shoulder, and he dodged away from another coming at his head. Through a blur, he thought he saw a shape swimming in the stream, spewing the ice into the dim water.

He scrambled out, barely noticing the pain in his shoulder and scanned the stream bank for signs of Enydd. She was crawling out a few yards down, soaked and startled, but unhurt.

The whole stream froze solid quicker than was possible, and suddenly the shape of a man heaved out of the solidifying water and rolled on the ground, either in agony or drowning. Avin stepped toward him, then paused, startle. He had the figure of a man, but he looked like something from the Legends of Sran Ekkel.

He shook himself and started toward the man at a run. It didn’t matter what he looked like, he needed Avin’s help. Enydd came up behind and looked over Avin’s shoulder.  “What happened?” she asked.

“He iced the stream over.” The words didn’t sound possible, even to him, but that’s what it had looked like, and no stream could have frozen that fast naturally.

The man looked to be drowning, but wasn’t even wet. The same brownish ice that had choked the stream came out of his mouth and the tips of his fingers. Avin frowned and looked back at Enydd. The bugs were close, now. The stream had been their only other chance, and for whatever reason this man had choked the stream. Already the bugs were marching across its hard surface, just like they did over the rest of the rock.

They had reached the doorway and were gnawing at the door, but that was the only  way  if he wanted to get Enydd and this man to safety. He looked Enydd up and down. She was lithe and used to the forest: she would be a fast runner. In her large, expressive eyes Avin could see that she could be brave, but would it be enough? Would she be able to handle what any other girl would shrink at, and might beat even a strong man? He couldn’t wait to ask.

“The doorway’s our only chance, and this man needs help.” Enydd was looking at him, fear lurking at the corners of her eyes, but ready to do anything he asked.”I need you to run as fast as you can to that wall, climb up it and get into that door.” They’ve probably barricaded it.

He looked around the room, almost desperately. There was no other way out, and the most deadly bugs were still coming, as surely as a summer storm.

Enydd was nodding, every muscle ready to run, but he would need help with this man. He thought over the few people he knew, and asked, “Do you know Lorcan?”

She nodded, but a look like fear or distrust flashed across her face. There was no avoiding it. “Get him, and tell him where I am. Now run, and don’t look back.”

Enydd was off like an arrow, running through the bugs though they scrambled, bit, and crawled. His heart beat with every pounding step she took through the nightmarish creatures.

I hope she’s fast enough.

He turned back to the man. He was breathing easier now, but seemed to be in some sort of trance or recovery stage. Unless this is what he’s normally like. Avin pushed the thought away. Unless he was immune to the gigantic winged monsters that were crawling and flying from the shadows at the far end of the cave, he would be just as dead as Avin if he stayed here.  Avin untied the sash he wore and wrapped it around a stone. Then he threw it as far as he could into the swarming mass, just to the left of the wall and doorway. A few of the bugs were crushed or scattered. Some rushed forward to see it, and others started back from Enydd to devour this bit of human-flavored cloth.

Avin looked once more for Enydd. She had reached the wall and was climbing quickly, almost covered in the biting, crawling insects. Avin winced for her, and set his teeth for himself. Then he heaved the stranger onto his shoulders. The man was muscular and heavy, and for a moment Avin wondered if he would be able to carry him, but the time for thinking was over. Now he had to act. He started forward at a run into the swarm of angry insects ahead of him.

As they surrounded him, biting, crawling, scratching, rasping, he heard, or thoguht he heard, Enydd pounding on the door, screaming something above the roar of insect wings and angry bug-voices.

 

@inkhorn have fun, and change anything!

@jared-williams I hope this isn’t too out of character. I think I altered something from your original post. If it’s okay (and not wildly uncharacteristic) I would love it if Avin could “save” Abirami–I don’t think Abirami needs saving, but I’d love it anyway. If not, he’s your character, and you always have the last say. XD