Hunger (Frozen/Disney Dark Fantasy AU)

[ ] A Black Raven

1. Charisma 99 = +10
2. Magic 16 = +2
3. Endurance 11 = +1

Satiety: 61.3/100

Sanity: 80/100

Consitution: 100/100

You were in the land of dreams now, the last place you could truly feel warmth, where you could feel normal. The freedom from the unending gnawing sensation in the land of the waking was indescribable. Here, you could finally relax.

And then you felt a cold breeze dance across your skin, turning it to gooseflesh. You open your eyes and suck in a sharp breath of biting cold. The chill sends a shock through your system, bring your mind straight into wakefulness. You jerk up from the ground, head spinning as you take in the sights of the snowy forest around.

You're barefoot, dressed in your light nightgown and still a bit drowsy.


You'd always felt warmer the more skin you exposed, oddly enough. You had a feeling it was because it let you Feed better with more open skin.

You are in your dreams, you know this. And your dreams have always been lucid for as long as you can remember. And it was far from rare for you to be in something like this snowy forest.

But this was different.

This time you could feel.

Your dreams, while lucid, were always diluted affairs. Sight, sound, basically feeling, and perhaps a watered down version of the others. Sometimes scent could show up for particularly strong memories, but that was rare.

But now you could feel it all, as raw and real as if you were really in the White Woods. You could feel the cold breeze caressing your hair, the the smell of the fog floating about the air, and the crunch of wet snow beneath your feet.

What is this? You wondered

"Craa!"

A a deep creaking sound bursts through the ambient silence and tore you from your thoughts. You whirl around and find yourself staring directly at A Black Raven. It sits on a snowy branch on the other side of the clearing, only a few yards from you.

It tilts its head as its black eyes stare directly into your own. "Craa!"

"Well...that's odd." You mutter to yourself as you stare at the strange bird.

It cries out once more before flapping its wings and taking off, flying deeper into the forest. Spurred on by a gut feeling and the obvious signs around you, you chase after the bird.

You run through the forest after the small and darting form of the Raven. It's black body flitting through the trees with an unnatural grace and fluidity, diving behind one tree only to reappear from behind another. It almost seems to a specter in the woods, dancing about the trees to lead you on.

You only hope that you don't regret what waits for you at the end.

Finally, after a long trek through the woods, you arrive in another clearing, one far larger than the last. The clouds loom low and heavy overhead, blocking out most of the light, but leaving just enough to see in the gloom. All around, stumps and large rocks, covered in a thick layer of snow, dot the field. A layer of mist hugs the ground, hovering just over the thick blanket of snow. You've already lost the Raven in the darkness.

Your crunch the snow loudly underfoot as you walk forward. Far from being discomforted by it, walking through the thick snow feels much like Anna's described walking through wet grass in the summer. The cold is a cool comfort to you, the snow damp and wet, but with a satisfying level of resistance. Your head swivels back and forth, scanning the area for any sign of the Raven, or at the very least another sign of what to do.

"Craa!"

Your head snaps to lock onto the sound calling out from the darkness. You take a few tentative steps towards it, but you stop after what you hear next.

"CRAA!"

Suddenly, the air becomes filled with dozens, possibly even hundreds of calls. The flapping of dark wings fills the skies, and the area becomes swamped in darkness. Stunned by the sudden cacophony, you stumble back, before tripping over one of the stumps. The soft snow cushions your fall, but the impact still dazes you.

The cacophony continues, switching tones and pitch. Slowly, the sound morphs in your ears into something that almost resembles the sound of laughter. The ravens sound like men, women, and children, all laughing at you.

"Stop it," You mutter with eyes clenched tight, the weight of the sound bearing down on you, ringing in your ears and shaking your bones.

And like that, it stops.

It just...ends. And in its wake is a crushing silence far louder than the laughter had ever been.

When you open your eyes again, you behold a whole flock of ravens perched in the trees before you. Everywhere you look, you see their black silhouettes in the snowy forest. Each and every one of them have their beady little black eyes trained on you.

You swallow involuntarily, a chill of fear crawling down your spine.

"This is just a dream," You mutter to yourself, "This is all just my dream, I'm in control."

And again, like a distant rumble of thunder, they spoke, they laughed. Starting softly but rising in volume, they mock you with their taunting sounds.

But just as soon as it started, it stops.

One Raven amongst the flock raises its arms high in the air, silencing them all. You look at it, the raven that stands out amongst the crowd. It's larger than the others, nearly twice the size it looks like. It has a glossy black coat like it was sculpted from obsidian with a deep violet tinge at the ends and brilliant emerald eyes that have a faint glow about them. As it lowers its wings slowly, it's command seen and heard, you can't help but look into those eyes, eyes that hold a frightening intelligence swimming in their verdant depths.

It looks down at you imperiously, taking a precise measure of your every being with its eyes. The black pits in the center of the emerald rings dart across your body before finally, they rest on your own sapphire pair. You can feel it looking into you as if gazing into your very soul. At this point, you had little doubt it was.

There was something more about this bird, about this dream, and you were certain this bird was more than a simple bird.

If this is a dream...it can't hurt to interact with it, right? You reasoned, And if it isn't…

You swallowed, not really wanting to think about the deeper meaning of all this, but unable to truly deny it. Well, I suppose it'd be rude to ignore them

"S-so," You begin with a shaky voice, trying to project confidence you sorely lacked, "W-who are y-you?"

It cocks its head to the side as if considering the question, before opening its beak.

"_________________"

And out comes nothing. Not silence, nor was it the normal cry you expected. It was just indecipherable sound that wasn't something you could truly call sound either. As if your mind couldn't even comprehend what your ears had heard. Your face scrunches up in confusion, perplexed by the odd not-sound.

The Raven looks at you with what you almost think is a sad look, before shaking its head in what you take a resigned acceptance. You get the impression that it had thought this would happen, but it hoped otherwise.

"So I can't understand you…" You begin, carefully putting the pieces together. As soon as the words leave your mouth, it turns a careful eye your way.

"...yet?" You had hesitantly.

Slowly, the Raven nods.

"So...what do I need to hear you?" You ask. Part of you isn't sure if this is a good idea. But the other part of you…

The other part of you, the part of you deep inside that is the realist, that acknowledges these powers, knows that these Ravens very well might be the key to learning more about them.

The Raven meets your gaze, staring at you with its vibrant and verdant orbs as if weighing its options.

Suddenly another raven in the flock lets out a shrill cry, breaking the spell. The Raven turns to the one that spoke up, as if taking note of what it was saying, before turning back to you. A few ravens in the background around The Raven begin croaking at each other quietly, a hushed whisper traveling through the whole flock.

Idly, you realize you should probably come up with a better name than The Raven.

The Raven turns its eye back to you and nods as if coming to a decision. With its decision made, it opens its beak once more and speaks.

"_____________ ______________ _________________"

Forest erupts with sound as the flock of corvids burst from the trees and take to the air. They swarm around you, like a roaring wave of darkness, swirling in every direction. It overwhelms you, consuming your every sense. And yet, through the swarm, you can see the glowing green eyes piercing through the darkness even still.

Suddenly you feel a sharp spike of pain in the palm of your left hand. In the agony, you cry out as you clutch your arm, raising the hand to your face to see what unholy thing has caused this.

To your horror, disgust, and bewilderment, you see a raven burrowing its way into your hand. It's head already bored deep inside your hand, yet not penetrating through, the rest of the bird twitches and writhes, wriggling its way deeper inside you.

You can barely hear yourself scream in both agony and terror over the unending roar of the flock around you.

And yet, somehow you can hear the words of a woman, whispering in your ear.

"And with this, child, I leave you my mark, so that I might always find you"

You're given no time or peace to process the words, you can barely even acknowledge their existence at all, having just enough cognizance to store them in your mind for later. Soon, however, the waves of pain pulsating through your entire arm become too much. Your vision slowly turns to black as the world crawls into a numb existence.

But before you close your eyes, you can hear the last remnants of her voice speak once more in your ears, "You might want to wake up darling,"

"For it seems you have visitors at your door."


You wake up, feeling a warmth near you. Your body shakes, something touching you, moving you.

"Milady~" You hear distantly.

You can barely bring your mind together before you hear the voice again.

"Milady, please we must hurry,"

At first, you thought it was the same voice as in the dream, but it's different, more urgent and less regal.

Finally, you open your eyes to the world around you. The room's still bathed in darkness, but it doesn't matter. It's you Domain, you can still sense everything in it. Including the hooded person standing by your bed, hand on your chest as they shake you awake.

"Oh, thank the gods, Milady is awake." The voice of a young woman says to you.

"Wha-?" You mumble incoherently.

"I am sorry, Milady, but we must hurry." She says.

"Why? What's happening?" You barely manage to say.

She bends down, taking a moment to look at you through her hood. You can't help but notice her bright red eyes staring out at you from the darkness. "You're destined for great things, Milady. Great things indeed."

"We could not let you wallow in such a cage when we knew what you were to become." She smiles with bright white teeth, "So now we've come to free you."

"What? No, I don't want to leave?!" You cry out in alarm.

She gives you a sad, almost empathetic, look. "Oh, you poor dear, they've trapped even your mind. You think you like it here, don't you?"

"I-I mean, it's not great, but this is where I need to be," You argue, "This is where its…safe."

"Don't you see, Milady? It's merely a cage, something they use to distance themselves from you because they fear you." She explains with wide eyes, "They look like they care now, but as time goes on, what you think is love will shrivel up and die. As they see the true destiny within you make itself known, that seed of fear will grow and grow."

"T-that's not true." You stutter.

"I'm afraid it is," She nods sadly,

Her thickly gloved hand grabs onto your own and pulls you out of bed. "This is why we must go, Milady, this is why we had to free you."

As she does, you can't help but notice the image of a black feather, almost branded onto your hand. You barely have time for the shiver of fear to go down your spine before the woman steals your attention once more.

[ ] Marked [????]

• You have an image of a black feather branded onto your hand.
• [????]
• [????]

"Now, is there anything you need to take?" She asks as you get your bearings.

"Umm, n-no, I don't b-believe so," You respond, still reeling from all that's happening. The dream, the woman, her words, all of it was too much too fast, you couldn't keep up with it all. It was all you could do to just nod along.

Stress Spike: -5 Sanity

"Good, good," She nods happily, "Then off we go!"

And without another word, her hand reaches out and pulls you, racing out of the room with you stumbling behind. You can barely keep up with her quick pace and long legs, but soon you manage to run at her side.

Her thick gloves hold your hand tight, keeping you by her side all the same. You can barely feel any heat at all coming from them, certainly not enough to tap into the heat of her body, and with her tight grip, you doubt you can muscle your way out of her grip. Not with your emaciated frame.

"I-I don't understand why I have to leave, f-father would never h-hurt me." You argue against the woman.

"Oh, you say that now," Her light and airy voice responds, "But wait until he sees the true power of the gods dance in your hands."

She glances at you with those bright red eyes, "You've already seen it, haven't you? That nugget of fear in his eyes whenever he looks at you? The way he flinches whenever he moves too fast?"

You didn't respond. Couldn't respond. Not when the truth cut so deep.

"You might not want to believe it now, but deep down you know the truth, Milady, as shameful and horrible as it is," She continues, turning back to face the long corridor we raced down. "You'll spend years up in that tower, your mind whittling away as they come to see you less and less, you'll waste all your talent and energy, either stagnating into nothingness, or channeling your time into becoming so strong and fearsome, they feel they have no choice but to kill you."

"One day, they'll finally lash out. They'll tell themselves, 'It's for the good of the kingdom' Or 'We can't take the risk'. They'll be too scared of you to leave you be, but they won't be too scared to do something about it."

"And that's why," She glances at you," We have to set you free."

You don't want to believe her, you want to think it was a deception, but…all your life you'd been good at reading people. Unnaturally good, some would say. And you know, in the darkest, most honest part of your heart, she believes everything she is saying.

In the end, you can't truly deny it.

Boom

The castles rumbles, dust and ice fall from the ceiling. A distant rumble, almost like thunder, echoes through the air. You begin to hear the far-off sounds of yelling and screaming.

"Damn," She curses, pausing in the hall, "I'd hoped we'd be able to get out of here cleanly. But it seems my compatriots have been found."

"You compatriots?" You question.

"You didn't think I'd be able to pull this off all by myself?" She cheekily smirks.

"But alas, it seems things had gotten far messier than I'd hoped. We can't just leave things be, anymore. I doubt they'll just let us go."

She sighs, "I guess we'll just have to burn it all."

Stress Spike: -5 Sanity

"Never mind that," She shakes her head, "We have to go, now. Time is of the essence, Milady."

And with that, she tugs on your hand once more, pulling you forward, and into an unknown future.

You:

[ ] Resist

• You fight and resist with all you have.
• Longer resolution of Prologue.

[ ] Comply

• You go with the woman, no tricks or deceptions.
• Faster resolution of Prologue.

[ ] Try to talk your way out

• Write in what you hope to achieve.
• [????]

Satiety: 61.3/100

Sanity: 70/100

Consitution: 100/100

A/n:
Ah, choices choices.

Oh

And, I'm going to apologize. I said it'd be out Thursday, here it is, fucking Sunday Morning.

That's late as fuck.

So I'm sorry for that.

But this motherfucking chapter didn't want to get written. Well, until I found the right mood music and such. Anyways, we're nearing the end of the prologue. And shit's finally kicking off.

Now, I'm going to be calling this vote as fast as possible because I want to get that next chap out there. Depending on how the vote goes it's either going to be a really long chap, or a rather short chap. The next couple chaps should be coming in quickly, hopefully, but we'll see what happens.

No promises.

You know, it's funny. I wasted about a day and a half looking up all this shit about Corvids and birds and Ravens and I didn't end up using any of that shit for the actual chapter. Well, except for the sound Ravens make. In hindsight, they probably act more like Crows, but I'm not going to get into that because it's complicated and long and you guys probably don't care.

However, I will say this. I'm going have a fun time writing an explanation for your now preternatural Charisma because with all your boosts your Charisma is absurdly good for a human child your age. like, impossibly good.

But at the same time, I've already made the precedent of Elsa being shit at talking to people, so at the moment I'm expressing that as you can read people with incredible skill and ease. However, that's just half of the Charisma equation. I'll probably have you learn how to talk to people through some other method, or maybe give Elsa some kind of mental breakthrough where she just gets good on her own by trying superhard.

Don't know. Yet.

And now I gots to update your stats.

Joy.

Anyways, I'll try to get the next chapter out soon-ish. See yall later, goodnight.