Medvin
by Yendor
Copyright© 2021 by Yendor
Horror Story: The survivor of a tragedy in Sweden is found and cared for. (This was a character background story for the Vaesen RPG which is Nordic horror)
Tags: Horror Supernatural Vignettes
The hiss of skis over packed snow was the only sound. The group, all wrapped snuggly in furs pushed forward along the trail without discussion, dragging two lightly loaded sleds behind them. The trail snaked around the curve of the mountain, surrounded by dense fir trees.
Finally, the trail opened onto a small plateau. Half-hidden log fences could be seen marking out snow-covered fields.
A wide swathe of a turbulent mixture of snow, ice, small boulders and broken trees cut straight through the area. On the plateau and the slope above, the path cut by the avalanche stood out starkly compared to the smooth, untouched snow on either side.
“Skit! It went straight through the Hurtig farm,” said the leading man. “There’s not a building left standing.”
“Look,” said one of the women as she pointed to the side.
A lone figure stood amongst the destruction, skis and a rifle strapped to his back.
The group slid on their skis down to the figure, calling as they came but they were ignored.
“It’s one of their boys, Medvin I think,” said the woman.
“Hey lad, are you hurt?” the man called but he was ignored.
Skis were removed and replaced with snow-shoes. The group made their way to the youth. A streak of blood across his forehead highlighted the grief-stricken, staring eyes. The first growth on his face signalling his approaching manhood. The furs emphasised the solid build common to the Hurtig family.
“It came with the dawn, when the sun first touched the mountain,” he muttered as he stared at where his home had once stood. “It rode on the front wave of the slide like a dolphin playing in the bow-wave of a ship. Then it steered the slide down to the farmhouse and it screamed its joy as they died.”
The group looked at each other and shifted uneasily. “The boy’s not making sense. He’s in shock.”
Despite their doubts, they looked up at the side of the mountain. The wide swathe the avalanche had cleared through the trees could be seen to curve as it rode the shape of the slope, then it straightened and drove straight down and through the farm.
They guided Medvin to the sled and sat him there, wrapped him in blankets and tried to get him to eat some hot stew from a pot that had been wrapped in furs to keep it warm.
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