Silver wakes up with a jolt, finding himself in a very familiar cabin. He feels the blood drain from his face and his vision goes blurry.
No no no I cant be back here I left why am I here… wait… how do I even know this place. Why does it cause me so much dread? I'm being stupid i've never been here before. Okay I'm fine I've never been here before and it's not dangerous and I'm silly for ever thinking that.
Reassured by his own thought process, Silver observes his surroundings closer. It looks pretty normal besides some areas that look… blurry? No matter how hard he tries it won't go away but he brushes it off; it's nothing to worry about. Even with his own reassurances, something still feels deeply wrong so he makes it a mission to find an exit as quick as possible. The bone-deep unsettling feeling remains even after he finds the door. Bracing himself, Silver opens the door. He hadn't even realized he closed his eyes but when he opens them, he's met with a wall of snow. He blinks rapidly and rubs his eyes to make sure he's actually seeing what's in front of him; nothing changes. He notes that there's a tunnel carved in the snow closer to the ground.
There has to be another way… there… has to…
Silver breaths out a sigh and looks around for anything else, any other door or hatch or something to get out of this wretched place. He finds nothing of the sort, just the cold air emanating from the open front door.
Okay this is fine, everythings fine. I'll just crawl through the tunnel and it'll go by so fast I won't even have time to overthink it. Okay yeah that's what will happen; thank Tyr!
Silver gets down on all fours and counts to three before crawling through the entrance. The cold permeates through his body even with his thick fur but it acts as a nice distraction from his current predicament. His paws and knees sink into the snow with every step as he continues further in but it just… never ends. It feels like the deeper he goes the longer it gets. He starts to shiver as the cold digs deeper into his body; his limbs feel numb and uncoordinated but it doesn't stop his mind from racing.
Oh Tyr oh Tyr I’m stuck I cant get out it feels like the walls are closing in and i can't do this please please someone help me. Mom, Dad, Tyr, Summer, i'll even take Brash please just help me anyone I can't do this im not strong enough I’m sorry.
His breathing starts to pick up as he’s trapped in a never ending spiral of thoughts but his body continues to move on autopilot, trudging through the snow as the walls start to feel suffocating. He starts to hyperventilate at the feeling and feels like he might pass out before finally seeing light spill in at the end of the tunnel.
Using any scrap of adrenaline from his panic he forces his stiffend body towards the exit and eventually tumbles out of the tunnel where a new scene greats him. He sees he's at the edge of the village along the treeline. Silver breaths a heavy sigh of relief at the sight of his village and begins making his way home. The way there is so deeply ingrained he doesn't have to put much thought into getting there which is a nice break to recover from his stupid meltdown earlier.
Finally making it to his house he feels his shoulders drop and his body untense; he's home. Opening the door, the air feels suffocating and tense.
That can't be right. I must be imagining things. Why does it feel so wrong, what happened? Did everyone leave? They would've told me if they all went out somewhere and mom normally doesn't go out so why is it so quiet.
He focuses his hearing to see if he just missed any noise in his musings but there's nothing. Now that he thinks about it, the village was completely empty but he wasn't really paying attention to that in the moment. Ice cold panic washes over him as he scours the house for his mom and siblings. He checks room after room but finds nothing. The only place he hasn't searched is the backyard so he rushes out the back door and staggers once he catches sight of something on the ground. Four bodies lie in the crimson tinted snow with an obscured figure standing in the shadows of the treeline.
Silver's world comes to a screeching halt as his parents and siblings' lifeless forms lie on the chilled floor of snow that permanently coats the ground.
His mind is racing but empty at the same time which makes for a dizzying experience. He feels like his vision is off kilter and he sways where he stands.
This… this can't be real. No this is not real i know its not. I-
He’s interrupted when he remembers the obscure figure standing nearby and he whips his head around to stare at them. He can't make out any details but he doesn't care enough to try and look closer; they hurt his family, he can't let this slide.
It's evil, it must go.
He branishes his… sword? It's not his normal weapon of choice but he doesn't have time to care as he charges towards the figure. It seems like it was expecting him to do that and starts to run deeper in the forest.
Oh you're not getting away that easy.
He runs after them and feels his cracks hum and burn with energy as he keeps going. The scars hurt but the adrenaline from the pain, and the thrill of the hunt the darker thoughts unhelpfully supply, help keep him going. He shakes his head and continues to dodge stray branches and roots but it feels like he's gaining on them. It only pushes Silver to go fast until the figure slows down from exhaustion and Silver pounces. They tumble around until finally Silver pins them down and gets a good look at their face and-
What… but… no… no no no… this can't be happening no i don't believe it…
Staring back at him is himself, covered in blood with black glowing cracks and a sickening grin adorning its face. Silver's grip slackens allowing it to thrash free from his grasp and it lifts him up by the collar; bringing his ear closer to its mouth.
“This is your fault. You let it all get the better of you and now you have to pay the price”
Silver can barely process the words in his shock but they still strike deep into his core. He feels his eyes gloss over but no tears fall.
“What a waste of potential” is the last thing he hears before his collar is released and he feels himself falling. All he can do is stare up at the sky and think;
I'm sorry Tyr.
He wakes up with a jolt in his bed, damp fur clings to him and his mind feels foggy with a sense of fear that almost feels feral and untamed.
It was just a bad dream; I'm fine… none of it was real. I'm okay. Thank Tyr.