Title: Into the Woods
Author: sandoziscariot
Summary: As the crew of Serenity return Tracey Smith's body to his family on St. Albans, Simon disappears into the forest in pursuit of his missing sister. Alone in the dark, cold woods, Simon makes contact with something that definitely does not answer to the name "River"...
Rating: PG
Words: 1,219
Characters: Simon, River
Written for: 100moods
Prompt: 016: Cold
Spoilers/Timeline: Takes place immediately after "The Message".
Disclaimer: Firefly and its characters are the property of Joss Whedon.
Simon's shoes sunk to the ankles in crunchy snow as he trudged forward, deeper into the alien woods.
"River…?"
Following the tracks of his sister's combat boots, Simon pushed his hands into his pockets and shivered. Big white flakes wafted in the chilled breeze and stuck to his hair and coat. His breath was hot and foggy. Looking ahead at the stately pines draped in snow, Simon was enchanted by the dreamy, storybook quality of the woods. It was only a passing thought, however; he had to find River.
Serenity had arrived on St. Albans to deliver Tracey Smith's body to his family. The rest of the crew was attending the funeral. Simon had urged River to stay in her room during the proceedings, and he could have sworn that he locked the door—but as he held Kaylee's hand he happened to glance over his shoulder and see an unmistakable scarlet coat disappear into the wintry forest behind them.
"River!"
The sky was purplish. It occurred to Simon that he would not make it back to the funeral before the sky was completely black, and he would be unable to retrace his path. More importantly, he would lose sight of his sister's footsteps.
"River, where are you?"
Simon's breathing grew heavier. He cursed his own thick-headedness. Why had he gone after River alone? He had asked Kaylee to keep quiet as he slipped away from the crowd to fetch his wayward sister, knowing that Captain Reynolds was plenty shaken up about Tracey's death and would be less than kind when it came to another one of River's flights of fancy.
She can't have gone far, Simon told himself. This was not enough to shake the unpleasant memories of the last time he and River had been lost in a forest. Fortunately there were no hill people present to bind their arms and drag them along, but Simon reminded himself that this was subject to change.
A gust of wind unsettled a nearby branch; Simon was startled by the sound of snowy lumps hitting the ground. He shuddered. Simon's world was full of fluorescent lights and white walls and the smell of antiseptic. The wilderness was unwelcome to him.
"River!"
His voice was louder and stronger than before. He waited for a response, but received none.
"This isn't a game! River!"
The blood began to pound in his veins. His feet—along with every other part of his body—were freezing. He had a sudden mental image of River curled up under a tree, her hair white with snow, frost forming on her dead, bluish lips. His fear mounted. He increased his pace.
"River Tam! Come here, now!"
Simon came to an abrupt halt. His eyes cast downward, he swallowed a lump in his throat. River's trail had vanished; he was staring at a long track of undisturbed snow. He opened his mouth to call out her name yet again, but his voice was trapped in his throat. For a few moments everything was still. No wind, no birds, just the sound of Simon's labored breathing.
And a loud crunch.
Simon flinched. He whirled around in the direction of the noise. Nothing.
He took a cautious step forward. "Is that you? River?"
The sky was truly getting dark now. Squinting, Simon hoped to see a familiar silhouette in the woods. Instead he heard the noise again; it was a low shuffling sound, like footsteps. Simon realized almost too late that they were not human feet he was hearing—it was an animal.
"Kào!" Simon swore as she saw the small but fast shape racing towards him. He was fortunate that the heavy snow slowed the beast down; had the sky been brighter, Simon would have fully recognized the hairy animal as a razorback boar. As it was, he only recognized that the boar was a threat to his health. He staggered out of the boar's path, bumping against a tree and scraping his cheek on a branch.
The boar stopped, snorted, and kicked its hind feet in the snow. Simon had no idea how he'd antagonized the animal, but he reasoned that running away would only provoke it into following him. He backed away slowly, his hands in the air. His heart beat furiously in his chest, as if it were a bird trying to escape its cage.
Simon cried out as the boar charged again. He turned around to run, but he stumbled in the snow and fell, landing on his knees. Any second now, he thought, he would feel the razorback's tusks pierce his skin.
The blow never came. Instead, Simon's ears were assaulted by the loud, jarring crack of a large tree branch breaking. This was quickly followed by the dying squeal of the boar itself—Simon's head spun around and he saw the animal pinned beneath the fallen branch, its spine broken.
Simon could only stare in blank astonishment, his mouth agape. Being a practical, scientific-minded young man, Simon was not the type to believe in miracles, but it was no less impossible to believe that he had been rescued by a freak accident. He rose on shaky legs.
Simon was further startled by laughter just over his head. Craning his neck, he gazed up and saw River perched atop a thick, crooked tree branch. Her multicolored scarf, tied in several loops around her neck, billowed in the breeze like a flag.
"Hi, Simon!" she said cheerfully.
The elder Tam cried out his sister's name. His eyes shifting from River's face to the dead boar near his feet, Simon saw that the fateful branch had been broken from a spot just below her dangling feet. A disturbing thought entered his mind, but he dismissed it.
"What are you doing up there?" Simon asked.
Not losing her smile, River descended from the gnarled tree with the grace of a wood nymph. Her long skirt whipped around her legs as she released herself into her brother's arms.
"I wanted to climb a tree," she said.
Under normal circumstances, Simon would have scolded River for wandering off or risking her life; however, with the adrenaline still coursing through his veins, Simon did not have the heart to do it.
"I'm—so glad you're safe," was all he managed to say.
"You're shaking," River said.
Simon stiffened; looking down he saw that, indeed, his arms and upper body were trembling. He blushed. "Well, I…yes."
"Silly Simon." River took his cold hands, which were wet and red from his collapse in the snow, and rubbed them with her own. Her mittens were warm and soft. Holding his hands close to her face, River puffed up her cheeks and blew hot breaths on his fingers.
"I can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I?" River asked, mimicking his voice with a teasing grin. "Come on!"
Simon was surprised to feel River tugging at his sleeve, leading him back in the direction in which they had come. He did not ask how she knew the correct path in the black night, but within several steps he was able to make out the distant lights of the funeral party. Holding River's hand tightly, Simon let her lead the way.