and here we are back again like ten minutes later with another oneshot
this one was a rarepare request I think? I can't remember lol
It was written around the same time as circuitry, maybe a bit more recently
WARNING! This oneshot contains mentions of frostbite and other cold-related injuries, as well as being stuck in small spaces! If these topics make you uncomfortable or cause you panic, I'd advise not to read this oneshot, but it's your personal decision.
WC: 1.6k
Freezing alive was not a good feeling.
It felt like the ice and snow around Etho was creeping into his bones and freezing every vein and nerve. His stomach felt like it was icing over and his lungs felt coated with ice. His breathing was raspy and ragged, and nearly nonexistent.
He was quite literally a sitting duck.
What are the chances of someone finding me in this kind of situation? No one's going to be out here...I might as well just wait.
Etho had been chasing a fox out of his ice farm when the snow underneath him had given way and he'd fallen into a chasm in the ground that had been hidden under snow and ice. His leg was lodged deep into the ice below him, and the rest of his body was wedged in between the two icy walls, slowly crushing him as he slid further and further down. At first he had panicked, and that had made him slide further down until there was no chance of him getting out on his own.
He'd been stuck in the chasm for at least an hour and a half, and it was freezing. He felt like he was shivering right from his core. He was numb, but at the same time he still felt immense pain. He definitely had frostbite, which was sending awful needling pain through his fingers and toes. He looked stiffly at the chasm's opening, his hope sinking as he noticed the sky fading from bright blue to a light orange-yellow-indigo. Night is coming, he thought, dread seeping through him. If I've only barely managed to survive the day, I might as well just give up hope once night falls.
Ren POV
Ren flew on his elytra through the crisp arctic night air. It was snowing lightly, and he kept having to flick cold snowflakes off his ears. Etho's impressive ice farm came into view, and Ren smiled at the sight of it. It warmed his heart to see something Etho had worked so hard on functioning flawlessly. The icicles loomed imposingly as he landed in the center of the ice farm, shivering as the temperature plummeted. Boy, Etho must be really accustomed to the cold to be able to work out here.
He looked around for the ninja, his tail gently flicking back and forth across the snow. His eyes narrowed in confusion when he couldn't spot Etho anywhere. "Etho?" he called, his voice echoing strangely across the ice crystals. He took off his sunglasses, putting them in his pocket. No response came to him.
But then he heard something.
He pricked his ears up, freezing completely. He stood on his toes to try and hear the sound better. It was so faint, but there; the sound of quiet, raspy breathing. His heart plummeted; that was not a good sound. He ran towards the sound, listening intently as it got louder and louder.
He inhaled sharply as he nearly slipped into a deep gash in the ground. His heart pounding with dread, he looked down the hole. Oh no...
Etho was down there, looking paler than ever. His hair and eyelashes were encrusted with frost and he was shivering violently, his blue-grey and red eyes staring at the wall blankly. "E-Etho!" Ren cried, his voice echoing down the chasm. Etho's head snapped upwards, his eyes widening at the sight of the dog-eared hermit. "R-Re-Ren-en," he stuttered, a small smile cracking on his face. "H-hi-i." Ren desperately tried to reach down for Etho, but the ninja was too far down. "Etho! Etho, don't worry, I'm going to get you out of there," Ren promised, his voice thick with panic. Etho nodded numbly, his eyes glazed over with pain.
Ren scrambled away from the chasm, racing towards the ice farm. He flung open a chest, ignoring the cold snow that sent shivers down his spine as he touched it. Etho is in a lot more pain than I am. I have to get him out. He hunted through the frozen items in the chest, relieved when he felt the leather of a lead. He pulled out the lead, shaking it out of its stiff, coiled position. He raced back to the chasm, careful as to not shuffle snow down onto Etho. He laid down on his stomach, ignoring the freezing pain of the snow, and lowered the lead until it brushed against the ice right beside Etho's arm. "Etho," Ren said, and Etho's eyes fluttered open again. He's drifting in and out of consciousness, Ren realized with a jolt of fear. I have to get him out now. "Etho, I need you to grab the lead and hold on," he said urgently, his fear swelling.
Etho slowly reached up a hand, grabbing hold of the lead. But his fingers wouldn't move well enough to grasp the lead tight enough for him to be pulled up. "I c-ca-can't," Etho said shakily, his words slightly slurred. "M-my hands a-are too c-co-cold." Ren tensed up, desperately trying to think of something else. He gasped as he thought of something.
"Could you get both your arms through the loop and then lean forwards?" Ren asked. It was a stretch, but it might work. Etho blinked slowly, reacting sluggishly. "Y-ye-yeah," he slurred, slowly reaching his arms up to put them through the loop of the lead. The ninja leaned forwards until his head and shoulders were through the loop, letting his body weight drop onto the lead. Ren began to pull him up, his muscles straining. He struggled to get a grip on the slippery snow, so he dug his boots deeper into the frost until he hit the hard ground. Digging his heels into the frozen dirt, he was finally able to pull as hard as he could.
Bit by bit, the frozen hermit was pulled of the chasm, until he finally was pulled over the edge. Ren collapsed on the ground, panting. He looked up at Etho and gasped, running over to him. The ninja was barely breathing, and his heartbeat sounded weak and slow. I need to get him warmed up fast. The dog-eared hermit scooped up his friend and took out a rocket, flying quickly to his base.
Don't worry, Etho. You aren't going to die on my watch.
===
Etho POV
Etho felt like he was burning.
His feet and hands felt like he'd stuck them into a fire, and he was unbelievably warm. He opened his eyes with a sharp gasp of pain, his vision blurred. He blinked several times as someone cried, "Etho! You're awake! Are you okay?" He groaned and squinted, trying to get his vision to clear. Once the fog had cleared from his eyes, he recognized the person standing over him, and his heart did a strange fluttery-jumpy thing. "R-Ren," he said slowly. "I feel like I'm b-burning. Am I burning?"
Ren laughed a little, but Etho could tell it was a nervous laugh."No, you're not burning," Ren reassured him. "You were just very cold an hour ago, and now that you're warming up, it feels like you're burning." Etho thought that through, and then nodded. "It's still not very pleasant," he said, lifting his head a bit to try and see his surroundings.
He was in a room with sandstone walls, in a green bed. His one hand was in a bucket of hot water. There was a fire roaring in a brick fireplace on the opposite wall to Etho as well. Ren was sitting beside him, on another bed. The dog-eared hermit really wasn't helping Etho's pounding heart. But Etho was glad to have him there nonetheless.
"W-what happened?" Etho asked as Ren helped him sit up. He leaned against the wall heavily, still numb. "Well," Ren began, worry glinting in his sky-blue eyes, "I got you out of that crevasse, and you went unconscious. So I carried you here to my base and made a little room for you where you would be warm. There aren't many places in my base that are...securely insulated." Etho nodded. "Thank you for helping me out," he said, smiling under his mask. "If you hadn't come when you had, I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now." Ren smiled at him. "No problem. I'm always here to help. I'm glad I got there when I did."
His eyes glazed over with fear, as if he were imagining what could've happened to Etho. The ninja has been avoiding having those thoughts himself, and reached up a numb hand to rest it on Ren's cheek. "Ren," he said softly. "I'm here now. Because of you." Ren smiled, his ears and tail pricking up. His tail began wagging, and Etho laughed. He reached his hand up higher to scratch around Ren's dog ears, chuckling as Ren's tail wagged faster. "Now there's the Rendog that I know and love," he teased, not processing what he was saying. He froze, and Ren looked down at him with a sly smile. "I love you too, bro," the diggity dog said, and Etho felt warm all the way through. His frozen heart thawed instantly, and he rested his head on Ren's chest. The dog-eared hermit curled around Etho, making a strange rumble-purring noise.
He felt his exhaustion hit him like a brick wall, and he relaxed in Ren's arms. Ren gave him a kiss on the head and Etho felt more protected and comfortable than he ever had in his life. The shadows of sleep submerged him, and he slipped into a deep sleep.
ending is rushed but I don't want to fix it, it's 2am
remember to drink your water and that'll be all from me!