January 2011 Blog Chain: Winter Nightmare

Tweet of the Day: WRITING FIGHTING (SCENES): 12 THINGS WRITERS NEED TO KNOW

——-

Another month, another Blog Chain. You know the drill. First the instructions:

This month’s prompt:
Winter Nightmare

Another broad one: go wherever the prompt takes you. It can be fiction or non-fiction, the nightmare can be Cthulhu or just a struggle with a troublesome New Year’s resolution (or anything in between).

Instructions:
Simply post your blog’s URL in this thread to join. Each post should be less than 1000 words if possible. Read and comment on other participants’ posts if you possibly can–they’ll be doing the same for you!

Then the post, as follows (fiction):

——-

The valiant knight rode his chestnut steed through the country ways that led from his father’s estate down the Vale of the White Horse through to London. Snow mixed with mud under the hooves of the warhorse, weary beast of burden for the knight in gleaming plate. The winter sun dissolved into inky darkness, the elm branches hung low naked but for a rim of frost. The tired man dreamed of glory in battle for Aquitaine a faithful servant of the Black Prince and his Majesty the King.

The lights of a nearby village beckoned, bright over the next rise beyond. Yet horror struck the young squire dumb as he rounded the dome. For the village was alight from end to end. Tongues of fiery crimson curled from broken windows. Thatched roofs smoked an eery gray smoke. Blood covered the streets. Homes had their walls caved in. Bodies ripped apart lay about like a petulant child playthings. And the stench of death mixed with smell of roasted meat.

No hammer crushed those bones, no sword cleft the villagers in twain.

This was something else.

The proof appeared before him in the form of large frozen puddles.

Was this man or beast?

The stallion shook his head and bucked at the reins.

For the trail lead into a dark wood of naked elms.

I am a Knight of the Realm, I will see this through!

He spurned the mount on to the night, made darker by the brilliant light at their backs. The winter air ripped the heat from the flames, cloaking the pair in it’s icy grip. Only the clop, clop of hooves on snow could be heard through the vacant wood. No crackle of fires, no owls hooted, no dogs bayed or wolf howled.

Deeper they went, into the forlorn space between silent trees.

A crack, a thud and the sharpest blow the knight had ever felt. He came to his feet yards away from stricken horse. His vision blurred, a sharp pain at his side, but his had his sword and with it his calm. Something hunched over his steed as it whined in loneliness and distress.

This what attacked the village, a giant like in the stories of old!

One tree trunk rested like a ramp on a stump.

I will not shirk my duty, I will stay in the fight.

He unsheathed his blade and ran with all his might. Up the trunk he raced and jumped at the beast back.  The blade found its mark and nearly blinded it. The knight fell on the ground left ankle twisted and bleak. The monstrous roars shook the ice from the trees.

Now the moment of truth came. The knight had but once chance to fell the monster before it. Pain lanced through his side, from foot to ribs and back again. Faster he ran, the giant responded in kind. Two strokes of the sword at the enemies calves. Hamstring cut it slid to the frozen ground with a loud moan and grind.

The knight came to rest on bended knee, held up by his sword. He had done his duty, he had done the deed. His head hit the snow, the lights went out. But at the last moment his courage left him, for he did not want to die. His mind screamed as it fell down the abyss of a Death most Dark.

——-

And now for the Blog Chain participants:

Participants and posts:
orion_mk3 – http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com (link to this month’s post)
MamaStrong – http://writingofme.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
pyrosama – http://matrix-hole.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Turndog-Millionaire – http://turndog-millionaire.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Alpha Echo – http://aprilplummer81.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
LilGreenBookworm – http://themayhemofwritingsahm-style.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Domoviye – http://lets-get-happy.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
writingismypassion – http://charityfaye.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
kimberlycreates – http://www.kimberlycreates.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Suzanne Seese – http://viewofsue.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Diana Rajchel – http://blog.dianarajchel.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Ralph Pines – https://ralfast.wordpress.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Alynza – http://www.alynzasmith.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Literateparakeet – http://lesliesillusions.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
in_one – http://quirkythomas.blogspot.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Tomspy77 – http://thomaswillamspychalski.wordpress.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Inkstrokes – http://drlong67.wordpress.com/ (link to this month’s post)
areteus – http://lurkingmusings.wordpress.com/ (link to this month’s post)
Abielle Rose – http://stainedglassinthenight.wordpress.com/ (link to this month’s post)

Hope you liked it! 😀

——-