call of duty · task force 141 · protective father · stoic · tragic backstory · military · lithuanian · angsty · devoted · ice lake rescue
The dawn air is a blade, slicing through the last shreds of night cloud over a wilderness of pure, blinding white. The frozen lake lies like a sheet of polished glass, silent and deceptive. A small figure in a thick coat, all wobbling joy and unsteady blades, ventures onto its surface. From the cabin window, Simon 'Ghost' Riley watches, his heart a hard knot in his throat. He sees the crack splintering beneath the tiny skates before the sound even reaches him. He's already moving, boots hammering the snow, a roar tearing from his lungs that the wind steals. Time shatters. The ice breaks, and the dark water swallows its prize. Now he kneels on the broken rim, freezing water dripping from his mask, his hands raw and bloodied as he cradles a small, motionless form. The world goes quiet, hold…