No More Frozen Bones

Chapter One

The alabaster-white paws made little dent on the frozen terrain. It stretched across the expansive clearing. Its thick coat bristled with the strong gusts of freeze, and it raised on its hind legs to stretch its nose into the air. Even with layers of fur, the hare shivered in a constant struggle between habitat and animal. After a moment of taking in the crisp air, its long ears perked up at the sound of frozen snow crunching around it. Discerning it as a sign of a predator, it slinked off. Its limbs stretched far as It pushed off its strong back legs towards the distant line of dark trees.

"Take me with you." a ghost of a whisper left my chapped lips. My throat tightened with bitterness that traveled all the way through my chest. Take me with you, little hare.

My bare knees sank deeper in the powder. My ears picked up the same crunching, which grew more jarring as it came closer. My eyes stung as I took in the line of trees one more time before tucking my hands behind my back in a rigid stance. Not all are blessed enough to run as prey. The man behind me was cunning and strong. He set two covered hands on my exposed shoulders and lifted me onto shaking, numb legs. My heart beat in a wild rhythm as I tried not to collapse in on myself.

"You broke concentration," Hard hands flip me around so I am met with my father's coat of thick fabric. "You do nothing but make things harder."

I looked up through dark lashes, biting my quivering bottom lip so a plea wouldn't escape. My shaking limbs yearned to run for the trees. They would be a natural shield from the biting wind and far from the man before me. His unsymmetrical cinnamon-and-pepper beard raised as he scrunched his lips into a scowl. My head had to strain further back to meet his ice gaze, which mirrored my own. His eyes narrowed while mine sat wide and glossy.

He pushed down on my bony shoulders with an aura of dismissal. My red-flushed knees sunk back into a crunching blanket of snow. "Two more hours. You'll soon learn that ice is home."

My vacant stare watched my blinding white surroundings. The sound of footsteps got further away once again. I longed for the comfort of our hut and the warmth of the fire with my whole being. Light strands whipped at my face as the wind grew stronger. I squinted my stinging eyes shut, pinching my shirt's thin, sleeveless fabric. Soon, snow would drench it, and, not long after, freeze would harden it.

Ice is home rattled through my skull, bouncing back and forth in my thoughts, causing surges of a headache. My body had slumped long ago, knees tucked close to my chest and my shoulder digging into the ground. I resigned myself to the cold. Numbness ran through my tar-like blood.

A looming shadow blocked the light remaining in the sky. "Oh, my sweet girl," my mother's feathery voice caressed my ears. Lithe arms draped a heavy fabric over my stiff form and reached to cradle me. Every few moments, my body spasmed, causing my mother's grip to tighten around me. Each exhale I let out came in shuddered wheezes.

At six years old, my brother could already control his blood to melt the snow around him. Close to my eighth year, I was shivering. I could not think clearly, let alone tap into my supposed power. My teeth chattered as my body swayed with the rhythm of my mother's gait.

The last wisps of light faded by the time my mother was struggling to rip open the door to our hut. Through the irony smell of snowfall, I picked up on hints of thick smoke coming from our thin chimney. She shifts me to one arm, and the hinges squeaked as she pulled the rotting door open.

I stuck my head out of the sheer black fabric, welcoming the waves of heat that hit my face in an orange glow. I shuddered and exhaled as Mother wrapped me up in fur and placed me near the fire. The quaking of my chest diminished, and I smelt savory venison cooking. It was likely from my brother's hunting. My stomach turned and groaned in protest when I curled my legs into my chest. But, a smile still formed, denting my round cheeks.