Don Sample
2006-09-25 06:07:55 UTC
Note: This story takes place during Chapter VII, Winderlude of "And Back
Again" <http://homepage.mac.com/dsample/Fics/AndBackAgain/index.html>
--------
Faith poured more water over the heated rocks in the centre of the
sauna. She heard the hiss, and watched the steam rise from them. She
leaned back, basking in the heat. Sweat beaded on her skin, and her dank
hair hung down around her shoulders. She didn¹t care. She thought that
maybe she¹d stay here until spring.
She and Beorn had returned from another patrol of the lands surrounding
his home the night before. Faith had experienced cold before in her
life, but never for such an extended period. There had been the time
she¹d gone to Inuvik in February to help the local Slayer deal with some
ice demon. In absolute terms that had probably been colder--a lot
colder--but she¹d only had to be outside in it for a couple of hours.
She had just spent two weeks during which she was sure that the
temperature had never gotten above 0 degrees Fahrenheit, with only a few
respites, visiting farmers whose cabins had been heated above
freezing--barely.
Beorn¹s sauna was bliss, after that: feeling the heat permeate her body;
feeling the sweat run down her skin. She felt a bead drip from her chin,
down onto her chest, to run down between her breasts. She wanted to stay
here for the rest of the winter, but she knew that she couldn¹t. Soon
she would have to go outside, take another plunge into the snow drifts
surrounding the house to cool herself off before she could return to
this wonderful heat.
Faith felt a cool draft on her skin, and heard the hinges of the door
squeak. She half opened her eyes to look, but she didn¹t see anything.
For a moment she thought that she¹d imagined it, but she felt something.
Powerful magic was at work near her. She closed her eyes again.
She wasn¹t sure how she felt about Bilbo's ring. There was power there:
great power. It made her skin itch to be near it...but it seemed
harmless enough. A magic ring that turned him invisible. In other hands
it might be a danger, but in Bilbo¹s...it just let him exercise a sense
of humour almost as low as her own--accentuated by the cabin fever that
they were all feeling. Gandalf knew about the ring. He was one of the
people wise to the ways of this world. If there was any danger, he¹d say
something, wouldn¹t he? Faith had decided to ignore the feelings that
she had about it, so she sat with her eyes closed, listening to the
nearly silent pad of Bilbo¹s bare feet across the floor; feeling the
slight change in the drafts against her skin.
She heard the slight tinkling sound of ice cubes jostling each other,
and tried to roll aside, but she¹d waited too long. The ice-water
splashed across her skin. Faith gasped from the sudden cold, almost like
scalding heat against her skin.
She lunged at where she knew Bilbo had to be, and scooped him up in her
arms. She felt him wriggling in her grasp, his skin against hers, but
both of them knew that his struggles where futile.
She carried him to the back door--the one that led outside. ³No!² he
cried as she opened it. She felt the chill of the outside air against
her skin. Bilbo cried out as she tossed him into a snow drift.
Faith slammed the door closed again, shutting the cold, and the annoying
Hobbit, outside. She scooped up another ladle of water and dumped it
over the hot rocks, listening to the hiss as more steam formed. She sat
back down to enjoy the warmth.
It was going to be a long winter.
Again" <http://homepage.mac.com/dsample/Fics/AndBackAgain/index.html>
--------
Faith poured more water over the heated rocks in the centre of the
sauna. She heard the hiss, and watched the steam rise from them. She
leaned back, basking in the heat. Sweat beaded on her skin, and her dank
hair hung down around her shoulders. She didn¹t care. She thought that
maybe she¹d stay here until spring.
She and Beorn had returned from another patrol of the lands surrounding
his home the night before. Faith had experienced cold before in her
life, but never for such an extended period. There had been the time
she¹d gone to Inuvik in February to help the local Slayer deal with some
ice demon. In absolute terms that had probably been colder--a lot
colder--but she¹d only had to be outside in it for a couple of hours.
She had just spent two weeks during which she was sure that the
temperature had never gotten above 0 degrees Fahrenheit, with only a few
respites, visiting farmers whose cabins had been heated above
freezing--barely.
Beorn¹s sauna was bliss, after that: feeling the heat permeate her body;
feeling the sweat run down her skin. She felt a bead drip from her chin,
down onto her chest, to run down between her breasts. She wanted to stay
here for the rest of the winter, but she knew that she couldn¹t. Soon
she would have to go outside, take another plunge into the snow drifts
surrounding the house to cool herself off before she could return to
this wonderful heat.
Faith felt a cool draft on her skin, and heard the hinges of the door
squeak. She half opened her eyes to look, but she didn¹t see anything.
For a moment she thought that she¹d imagined it, but she felt something.
Powerful magic was at work near her. She closed her eyes again.
She wasn¹t sure how she felt about Bilbo's ring. There was power there:
great power. It made her skin itch to be near it...but it seemed
harmless enough. A magic ring that turned him invisible. In other hands
it might be a danger, but in Bilbo¹s...it just let him exercise a sense
of humour almost as low as her own--accentuated by the cabin fever that
they were all feeling. Gandalf knew about the ring. He was one of the
people wise to the ways of this world. If there was any danger, he¹d say
something, wouldn¹t he? Faith had decided to ignore the feelings that
she had about it, so she sat with her eyes closed, listening to the
nearly silent pad of Bilbo¹s bare feet across the floor; feeling the
slight change in the drafts against her skin.
She heard the slight tinkling sound of ice cubes jostling each other,
and tried to roll aside, but she¹d waited too long. The ice-water
splashed across her skin. Faith gasped from the sudden cold, almost like
scalding heat against her skin.
She lunged at where she knew Bilbo had to be, and scooped him up in her
arms. She felt him wriggling in her grasp, his skin against hers, but
both of them knew that his struggles where futile.
She carried him to the back door--the one that led outside. ³No!² he
cried as she opened it. She felt the chill of the outside air against
her skin. Bilbo cried out as she tossed him into a snow drift.
Faith slammed the door closed again, shutting the cold, and the annoying
Hobbit, outside. She scooped up another ladle of water and dumped it
over the hot rocks, listening to the hiss as more steam formed. She sat
back down to enjoy the warmth.
It was going to be a long winter.
--
Quando omni flunkus moritati
Visit the Buffy Body Count at <http://homepage.mac.com/dsample/>
Quando omni flunkus moritati
Visit the Buffy Body Count at <http://homepage.mac.com/dsample/>