The Snake in the Ice

Chanting in the Night

A/N: Y/S/N = Your Snakes name

Your father breathed deep, heavy breaths. Unable to keep the tears from flowing down his face like hot waterfalls. He was just barely keeping it together. Barely being able to stand up instead of falling to his knees on the ground and screaming curses to the heavens.

He had already done that. More times than he could count. Who could blame him really? what loving father would not when they were putting a coffin into the ground for their daughter's grave.

It was an empty grave of coarse. As nothing but a detached right arm was ever found. It took three days to find the arm. After that, the team and search officials called everything to the end. Claiming his beloved daughter dead and gone forever.

A week later he could only watch through blurry eyes as the coffin was slowly lowered into the ground back at his hometown. Where he raised his beautiful girl.

He tried to hold back the memories. He tried to hold them back as long as he could. Gritting and grinding his teeth together while he wept, almost at the breaking point.

He tried not to remember her growing up, seeing her cute little face transform into the wonderful young woman she had become.

Just as the band that held everything back was about to snap, his brother layed a hand on his shoulder. giving it aa tight squeeze in remorse. Looking over he saw his brother with his head down. Tears dripping down his cheeks too.

Why? Why did the universe always take people away from him? It took his brother twenty years ago. His wife eight years ago. Now it gave him his brother back only to tear the most important person in his whole life away from him.

He had heard them... Her cries of agony and fear as he was rushing back. He was too late though. Too late to save her. He had failed her in the only job that he ever truly cared about, his job as a father.

he looked passed his brother to his niece who had her father's other hand wrapped around her shoulders. It was not fair, why did his brother get to keep her daughter when he was ripped away in one of the cruelest ways possible?

He knew he should not feel like this, as she was a victim in this case too. However, something just boiled in the pit of his stomach when he saw her. Did she even try to help his precious Y/N like she claimed her daughter helped her? Or did she just run for it?

It really made his skin crawl though when she had nothing but an emotionless expression on her face at her own cousin's funeral. No sadness, no tears, if anything she looked a little bored.

He heard the thud as the coffin hit the bottom of the grave and suddenly he could not take it anymore. He clutched his eyes shut and fell to his knees. Bringing his hands up to shield his face as he wailed. His whole body shaking with sobs. He felt both of his brother's hands on his back now.

Not grabbing him to bring him up though, but just setting on his back where his brother attempted to soothe him. It would not work though... nothing would ever work again.

- Two Weeks Later -

You woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Your body hot and warm all at once. The heat from the jungle humidity did not help much. Wafting in invisible heatwaves. You were not used to this type of heat, all hot all the time and no amount of shade would ever do a difference.

The sweat on your body stung your wounds, making you cringe. Your sudden awakening also caused Y/S/N to wake up from her sleep as well.

She loosened up her sleeping curl and raised her head, looking at you curiously. Something had woken you up, it was deep and sudden, but you could not figure out what had happened.