Private A Case of Serendipity

[Neina Raethi]

A - C A S E - O F - S E R E N D I P I T Y​

Tag: Vynter

There hadn’t been a single moment Effie regretted leaving the world she knew behind. In fact, the whole experience was surprisingly pleasant. Up until now.

Effie uttered a silent curse at the captain of the cargo ship that had unceremoniously dumped her on this frozen wasteland. Tracking the sun across the sky, the wolf could only assume that she’d been on this planet for hours, but she didn’t need the sun to tell her that. She could feel it in her boots where the snow had melted and seeped into the material, she could see it in the hairs on her arm that stood on end. Effie shuddered violently as a stiff breeze whipped through the trees, stinging her bare skin where snowflakes had fallen and melted into puddles.

Her boots crunched on, compacting the snow and leaving behind perfect impressions of her footsteps. Normally, Effie would have cared. Normally, the wolf would have cared. But today, neither did. The cold had leaked into their bones, it was making their teeth chatter. The barren ice-planet had nothing to eat on it. Not for the wolf or Effie. She had half considered shifting, just to have the comfort and warmth of a fur coat covering her entire body.. But the wolf quickly shut that idea down. It was a strange occurrence, the beast wanting to remain within, but Effie couldn’t blame it.

The slender woman wrapped her arms around her waist, and drew herself inward as much as possible. There was no direction to the path she carved through the ice. Her feet simply trudged, kicking up slush and dirt as they went. If there was no wildlife on this planet, then there would definitely be no sentient life, but walking in an attempt to find some was better than collapsing in the snow and freezing to death.

Wasn’t it?​

​

 

[Vynter]

W A N D E R​

Tag: Effie​

The winds felt like Home.

Amidst the bleak of night, a pact was made. It began with a thunderous boom - one which rattled the doors of the silent homestead. At this hour, only a single light yet lingered within the residence - but upon his arrival, illumination began to spread. The boom was his fist, chilled against the black of night. He reared back and slammed it upon the door. In his view, it was a knock. A simple announcement of his presence. However, to those within the home? The thunderous boom was something to be afraid of. When the door queaked open, the barrel of a blaster rifle was presented first. Behind it? An aging man.

Vynter's eyes narrowed slightly.

Slowly. He reached for his belt and procured - not a weapon - but simply a purse. It was stuffed to the brim with coin, and the man gave it a purposeful shake. The chime of the coins reached the farmer's ears, enough that he momentarily lowered the barrel. "I need a horse." came the accented voice of the stranger. Straightaway, the farmer looked upon the towering man - not with fear - but with a smile. A lantern was procured and he led the way to the barn. Braving the snow with slow, calculated steps.

Together, they stepped before the various steeds. Awoken by the light of the lantern, the farmer set about introducing them all by name, age, and purpose. Vynter cared little for their identity, for the voyage he had to take was not too perilous or too lengthy. He did ask one question of the man: "Do they know the way home?" The inquiry was an odd one for certain, but the farmer assured him that they did know the way. Satisfied, Vynter selected a white horse who had been bred for labor. This one would be resilient against the steepness of the mountain.

A fair price was paid, and soon Vynter set off into the night. His destination? The Home away from Home that he had built for himself. An unfortunate calamity had seen him temporarily marooned upon the wintry world - yet, finally, he had the means to escape. With saddlebags now laiden with parts laborously procured over weeks, it was time to return. Thus, Vynter rode against the wind with torch in hand. His eagerness bid him not to stop for anything. Yet, when his gaze saw movement ahead, he urged the beast to slow.

By now he was well away from any settlement. Too far to be walking, safely, in the midst of the slush. And yet, before him was a soul trudging through shin-deep snow. They had no torch in hand. And, as he drew near, he saw only a thin cloak about their form. No furs. No actual defense against the biting cold. By his estimation, if they were to turn around now and head for the farm? They'd be dead halfway. His beast came to a halt beside the trudging form as a plume of steam - a sigh - erupted from his mouth.

"This cold will kill you." he observed. "Where are you headed?"

Was it his business? Certainly not. But the embers of honor left within could not stand to see a needless death.​

 

[Neina Raethi]

L O S T​

Tag: Vynter

With each painful footstep, trudging on grew harder. Having little else left to do, Effie passively wondered whether this would be the end. If it was, she had been a fool. A naive, stupid foolish fool. At the time it had been such a sensible idea, but now she was going to die cold, starving and alone on a planet she didn’t even know the name of. She breathed a heavy sigh, the breath escaping her lips in frigid tendrils of frozen air.

Tears would have been appropriate, but she had neither the energy nor the dedication to the cause to allow them to fall and freeze on her cheeks. She was cold enough already.

A sudden crunch dead ahead, followed by another, caused the wolf to stir her instinct. An exhausted chocolate brown gaze lifted up from the endless blanket of white on the ground, to the source of the noise that had caused her beast to rouse. In the midst of the snow, Effie could make out the outline of a beast. A cow, perhaps? But no, as it grew closer she could see its legs were far too slender. It was only when they stood a few feet apart that Effie could make out the shape of a horse. It danced uneasily in the snow, as though it had begun to feel the chill creeping into its hooves, but the wolf didn’t pay much attention to it. It was more interested in what was sitting on top of it.

Intent on simply walking past, Effie rose a foot to begin her journey once more, when the sound of a voice called out over the howling wind. Stopping dead in her tracks, Effie had to crane her neck to catch a glimpse of the rider. A flurry of snowflakes made it hard to make out his features, even if she squinted her eyes at him. No matter, the sound of his grumbling baritone voice told her all she needed to know.

“Yes…” Her thick accent did its best to respond to his remark on the weather cautiously, through her chattering teeth. “I wasn’t headed anywhere. I didn’t know there was anywhere to head too on this planet.” Even if she had been going somewhere, she wouldn’t have told a complete stranger where that was. That went against everything the human and the wolf side of her was taught growing up. She took a few paces back. And then a few more. “Why do you want to know?” Her head tilted curiously.​

 

[Vynter]

W A R M​

Tag: Effie​

It was as he thought.

As his piercing gaze settled upon the young woman, the truth of her predicament was made plain. Vynter had assumed that she would have fallen victim to the cold - given how poorly she was dressed - and her accented voice confirmed. The initial response was a plume of steam erupting from his lips: a muted sigh. Then, as the woman continued, it became evident that she had no way of knowing how prepared to be. She did not know that there was anywhere to head to on this planet. Meaning, this world was not her home.

She would certainly fall victim to the jaws of death.

"Dressed as you are, you will die." he began. "I will take you from this cold."

The rider was not asking permission, as he had no way of knowing how long the woman had been exposed to the elements. Her toes could have been frostbitten. She could very well have been on death's door. Time was of the essence - and thankfully his vessel was not too far from their current location. In one, fluid motion, Vynter swooped his arm down and cupped the woman upwards. She'd settle before him on the saddle, legs both hanging outward, before he gripped the reins about her. This allowed his cloak to, somewhat, block the ravenous wind. And his body temperature would so at least something against her present chill.

"YA!" came his exclamation. His heels dug into the beast and away they went. It was clear the man was urgent in his quest to remove the frozen woman from the snow; and thus, she would see his ship draw ever closer by the second. When at last they arrived, Vynter wasted no time in unseating himself. He waved at the slumbering vessel, prompting it to hiss and reveal its entry ramp. Then, he turned his attention to the woman. He plucked her down once more, and carried her up the ramp. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the life support systems would feel like a paradise to the woman's skin. Warmth at last.

It was then Vynter allowed her feet to touch the metal floor. "You'll need to change." he remarked, before temporarily returning to the snow. He returned promptly, bag in hand and horse headed back to its owner. The parts were then deposited on the captain's chair whilst the ramp and doors closed behind him. Vynter walked past the woman and immediately dove into a set of large drawers. A blanket was procured, as was one of his own tunics. The size desparity would see it fit her like a dress. "There is a refresher through that door. Get dry. Change."

"Then, tell me where you wish to go."​

 

[Neina Raethi]

W A R M T H​

Tag: Vynter

Effie did not like the way he looked at her, and neither did the wolf.

His face looked as though it was thinking, far too hard for someone who had so many layers on. She gulped. Being unaware in this form was different to being unaware in the body of the wolf. With the wolf, they had claws, and teeth. Sharp ones. As a human? They were no more dangerous than the snow that flitted wildly at the winds behest. Effie had focused herself so hard on his face that when he finally spoke, it startled her, but she had more reason than that to be surprised. Her frozen muscles did nothing to her panicked request to move as his hand reached out and curled around the front of her dress.

There wasn’t any fight left in her by the time he had settled her infront of him. There hadn’t been an ounce of it left when he had first grabbed her… but with the warmth radiating from his body, and the cloak that had settled over her damp clothing, why even bother? At this point, Effie didn’t care what happened. At least she was warm. She squealed and tightened her grip on his forearms, entirely unprepared for the way the horse lurched forward at his command. Her eyes had almost closed by the time the horse drew to a stop, in front of a snow covered metal ship.

More focused on how long this strange kindness from the stranger would continue, Effie was all too happy to let him pluck her from the horse. When they crossed the threshold, into the belly of the ship, Effie was pleased she had. Despite the wet clothes clinging to her skin, the ship was warm. Compared to outside, it was like a fiery furnace in the pit of a volcano. So hot it almost stung. The man spoke again, directing Effie’s gaze toward him. “Into wh-...” She began to ask, before he produced a thick looking blanket and a tunic. Bewildered as ever, Effie stood stock still, apart from reaching out to grab the clothes that were passed to her.

What in the god's name was a refresher? Clutching the bundle that piled up to her chin, Effie tilted her head at him. Putting on an expression that made her look like a curious pup. His question was far more interesting than disappearing into a room that sounded more like a torture chamber than somewhere that Effie wanted to be. So she changed where she stood, entirely unaware that the rest of the galaxy had a particular set of rules when it came to bare flesh. “I do not know where it is I wish to go.” The sound of her wet dress hitting the floor was followed by a desperate shriek of surprise from the young wolf.

It had been damned cold, and with the frozen water still clinging to her skin… it still was. She shook them off as best she could, while fumbling to find the right gap in the tunic to stick her head through.

The minute the scratchy wool fell over her body was the moment she truly began to appreciate the warmth of the ship. With the blanket readily slung over her shoulders too, Effie was sure she would be warm in no time. “I ran, and I do not intend to go back, but I know no other place.” She spoke freely, for someone who had been abruptly slung on the back of a stranger's horse and shoved into his ship. Fortunately for Vynter, the young wolf had given up on the idea of surviving on her own in the snow. Somewhere on the ride from where he had found her to the ship, Effie had decided it didn’t matter whether he was a slaver, or a crazed murderer or a demon man. He was helpful, and he’d saved her from a frigid death. That was enough.

Her gaze trailed from her new clothes, to the man who stood in front of her. His eyes were by far harsher in their stare than hers, but she still managed to look at him in an inexplicable way. Like some great beast attempting to size up its prey. Breaking the silence, her sweet voice finally tired out. “Do you see my trouble?” She asked as she stepped free of the damp clothes that were crumpled at her feet, only to kick them to the side where they were out of sight.​