Title: Survive
Show: Arrow (CW and DC Comics)
Summary: Post 3x09. Everyone falls, it is how you get back up that matters. Oliver-centric but another character will be revealed in later chapters.
Chapter 1: Bad Blood*
A brutally cold wind rushed into the small lodge that was built into the side of the mountain. The small fire went out with a whisper and the small room became frigid. A young man, no older than 17, removed the cooking hares from the fire grate convinced they were hot enough. He needed something warm in his stomach before he headed out. There'd been movement on the mountain, one too many sets footprints in the snow. This time of year in the mountains was dangerous, so there could only be one reason for them to gather here.
Blood debt. A duel.
It would take him at least 6 hours to climb the mountain. He'd been low on food and lacking strength; his last trip out of the mountains was 4 weeks ago. The townspeople would be worried for him, though none of them would risk venturing into the depths of the Himalayas for him.
He grabbed his bag, filled with his last piece of bread and some of the hare from the fire, and some other supplies. He strapped his pack to his back, did a quick weapons check, and opened the door to the unforgiving air. It was just afternoon. If he was lucky he'd be able to at least see them leave the mountain. That's all he needed, a glimpse; a moment. He'd be able to recognize him by the way he held himself, the way he walked. It was not something he'd easily forget.
The path to the mountain was an easy one. This precipice in particular was a peculiar one. It stood like a massive tower amongst the flat terrain. The frozen landscape was surprisingly calm as he reached the mountain and a mist was beginning to settle over the mountain peaks. A couple of pebbles trickled down the side of the mountain.
Someone was climbing.
"Guess I'd better hurry. Wouldn't want to miss the show." He inhaled, the cold air bringing pain to his lungs, and began to climb.
He was about two-thirds up the mountain when he heard the clash of steel. Great, this will be over soon, he thought as he heard a contained scream. There was a small ledge that stuck out a little more than a meter from the mountain. He could wait there until they descended from the top and follow from there. When he reached it he could still hear the swords echoing off the mountains. Whoever was up there wasn't half bad; he was used to hearing blood curdling screams before he even had a chance to scale the mountain. It was difficult to get the jump on them from the ground. The mountain's wall provided a good vantage point. He perched himself against the mountain wall.
Silence. Must be over, he thought.
He looked up only to throw himself against the mountain as a body flew past him and hit the side of the mountain about 10 meters below him. He heard one more clang from the sword he assumed killed the man who just fell to his death. He waited a moment, to ensure he wouldn't be seen, before he looked down to a small ledge below.
The man was splayed out, his right hand and foot hanging over the ledge. He had a fairly large cut on the inside of his right forearm and was pierced straight through the right side of his chest. Unfortunately for him, the fall was likely the first thing to kill him. The wound to his lung was more likely to leave him choking on his own blood for a coupe minutes than to cause instant death. So the fall definitely had to do it. That's what he thought until he heard a strangled cough. He looked back over the ledge only to see blood gurgling from the poor guy's mouth.
Shit, he's still alive.
The boy slung his bag back over his head and began to descend down to the dying man. However stupid that guy was for challenging The League of Assassins he didn't deserve to die like this, bleeding out on a slab of rock. He touched down on the lower ledge just 3-4 meters away from the man. His breathing was horrid, more hacking than breathing really. He'd just suffocate him, the man looked a bit too large for him to break his neck and he didn't want to cause any unnecessary pain. As he approached and the man's face came into view, he froze.
"Oliver?"
To be Continued…
*Bad Blood by Bastille
Thanks for reading! R&R. I actually have a story outline and am done with finals so I plan to finish this before the new year. Thanks, again. Also, did a quick edit but there may be tons of mistakes :)
Next Chapter should be up Friday.