Birds and Stones

Pairings: Geralt of Rivia x Fem!reader

Words: 3.1k~

Warnings: A monster fight (rather non-descriptive), a little blood, hypothermia, worried Geralt

Author's Notes: Sorry this one is a bit off my usual and if it is weird. I recently powered through The Witcher on Netflix and had a thought. Writer's block is still rough, but getting better!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of The Witcher characters nor am I a participant in any of the official writings for the books/games/shows. This is not an official work, and I don't claim any rights to the Witcher universe. This is pure fanfiction.

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"Geralt—"

It wasn't his name that cut through him like a jagged blade when the kikimora's talon hit his chest, it was the scream that came with it. It was the sound of her voice shifting from complete confidence in him to utter terror. The look in her eyes as she fell from the remains of the collapsing bridge, his hand wrenched from hers, the hope in them dying into realization. He couldn't save her. This was his realization. Harrowing pain ripped through him when her body plunged into the river and her heartbeat, once a constant reminder of her presence, became indistinguishable from the rapids and ice carrying her body downstream. The kikimora took hold of him as her body vanished beneath the water, and a sound he hadn't heard himself make in years tore from his throat: desperation.

Flung by the creature, his body collided on the other side of the fallen bridge, cushioned by the thick layer of snow. His head snapped back as the beast lunged for him, its blood staining the ground from its severed arm. Geralt's hands tightened around the sword's hilt as pain twisted out of his chest and sank into his limbs, turning his vision red and black. His mind didn't register the fight, only a vague sense of movement as he swung his sword, a burn in his lungs, his muscles moving of their own habits and years of experience. His sense of time dulled as each second pulled out a year's worth of life from him. He hadn't heard her gasp for air. The red and black slipped out of his mind when his blade sheathed through the kikimora's throat, retrieved only to cut off its head. Then he ran.

The rapids sent white mist up into the air when he found his way to the base of the cliffside, the sound of rushing water invading his ears to the point it was difficult to hear anything else. He scanned down the bank, but for as far as his eyes could reach, he saw nothing. No body, no footsteps, no indication she had pulled herself from the icy water. His breath came in short as he tried to focus, eyes becoming wild as he started downstream, his steps becoming quicker with each second passing that he couldn't see a trace of her.

Focus.

The body goes into shock when it hits the water, forcing you to gasp for breath. If she wasn't careful, she could inhale water or fall into a spell of rapid breathing, losing control. She would need to control her breathing in under a minute.After 10 minutes of immersion she would lose the ability to fully use her limbs. However, body heat would be lost faster the more she moved. She would need to flow with the current and glide herself to shore using as little movement as possible. How long had it taken him to kill the monster? How many minutes was that?In under an hour, her body would become too weak and cold, forcing her unconscious and—

His jaw clenched. It wouldn't take that long. Still, though he knew in his mind without a doubt, he would find her, he couldn't settle the cold hands clenching around his lungs. The fear gripped at his chest like nothing else and drove his feet to move faster, his eyes to strain a little farther. It was a fear known only for those who were his.