cold | astrid

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

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They come for me, discomforting

They make me feel like I'm one step away

January 3, 2026
ASTRID ALVA ABRAHAMSSON

Ana turned, she heard it again--that sound. The sound of the ringing of a bell. It was so clear despite the island's noises and the forest that they were slowly making their way through. The first time she'd visited this place had been on New Year's Eve when the Ministry had essentially called an 'all hands on deck' situation. Still, despite her unease at the magic here and this constant presence, she seemed to feel she'd come back and this time with better company than Sarah. When they landed on the beach, they had walked for a little while before seeing a vast dark forest in front of them. Since that didn't look particularly inviting, they decided to walk East until a new forest appeared, but it didn't appear to be nearly as ominous as the last one. She stopped, wand at the ready as it had been the second her boots had touched the blood-red sand, and she heard the bell again, looking around for where it might have come from. She was frustrated. Such a small noise was driving her insane.

Fortunately, when she turned, she ended up facing her friend, as she had been searching for the bell sound Astrid had been calling her name. "What?" She asked, wondering if she may have found something perhaps. It had been a bit of irony that had these two witches become friends back at Durmstrang. Ana had it in her mind at the time to make as many non-pureblood friends to fully spite her mother. In the end, however, they actually became good friends, and even after she'd moved to England after graduating, they had kept in touch. And with both their career choices, it naturally made sense to visit this new magical phenomena that was this island. "You find something?"

[ASTRID ALVA ABRAHAMSSON]

As they landed on the beach, a sense of unease crawled over Astrid. She sniffed, wrapping her arms around herself. She wanted to come to this island since she'd hear about it just a few days ago, but was a bit terrified of coming alone. After all, she couldn't trust what the mist would do. But the opportunity to explore the different creatures on the island... well, that was simply an opportunity she couldn't pass up. She would be one of the first to investigate these creatures, to add them to the bestiary and possibly even name them. How could she resist?

Fauna research was just a front for the real reason Astrid wanted to come to the island. Of course, it was also a strong desire of hers. But when she'd tried to research this island, she found a footnote about how sometimes wishes could be granted. The desperate desire to be accepted by her family sprung up from within her, and Astrid knew that no matter how hard she tried, how dangerous this place could be, she would have to at least attempt to have her wish granted. So when Cas suggested that she and Ana venture to the island for reconnaissance, Astrid was eager to accept. She wouldn't admit how irresistible the call of the island was.

Astrid hadn't imagined that the unease that crept over her would be so strong as she took in the forest that loomed ahead of them. Ana had started off without Astrid, who had become too distracted in her own musings. "Ana!" said Astrid, picking up the pace to try and catch up with her. Ana looked confused, but not at her. She wandered in a different direction, completely throwing Astrid for a loop. "Ana, where are you going?" asked Astrid as she trotted up to her friend. Their friendship was a strange one, though uncommonly strong. The pair had walked east until they faced a more inviting forest, though the chill of the unknown lingered. Astrid tightened her grip on her wand. "Ana, I don't trust this place," she murmured, despite having been so eager to explore in the first place. Ana spun around to face her, and asked if she'd found anything. "Well not yet, with having to track you here, there and anywhere," Astrid added. "I was just saying... well, do you suppose this is a trap? asked Astrid as she looked up at the trees that swayed in a non-existent breeze.

"Come on then," said Astrid, surging forward into the forest, her wand held aloft. She stepped into the forest, the light from her wand casting a wide path ahead of them. A shiver ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the temperature. She glanced to her left, and thought she spotted a dozen yellow eyes glaring at them. A blink of the eye later, they were gone. Frowning, Astrid continued forward. "This place is so bizarre," she said, more to herself than anything.

anastasia marie karkaroff

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

template by punki of adoxography

Faces from my past return

Another lesson yet to learn

January 3, 2026
ASTRID ALVA ABRAHAMSSON

There were a few reasons for their visit and why Ana had returned despite the heavy, sinking feeling in her stomach at the thought. It wasn't like her to be nervous about anything or even feel this kind of anxiety over something she had to do. She'd never been allowed to feel it before, so she just never did. Her actions were always calculated, thought out--eliminating the need to ever feel nervous. Then, there was that blasted bell, the one she kept hearing, and she couldn't figure out where it was coming from and why. Ever since she'd searched that shipwreck with Sarah, it had been persistently in her thoughts to the point of she'd finally taken a potion to sleep. However, Ouroboros had wanted more information, and as part of Interpol, she had every reason to be here on the island as much as Astrid did for her line of work. As far as she knew, Cas had wanted her to accompany the non-Law Enforcement members due to their training, though Ana knew that Astrid was perfectly capable of handling herself.

Ana didn't hear Astrid asking where she was going over the bell's sound again. It seemed louder when it was back to back with the previous ring, like how a bell sounded when telling you the time. She resisted the urge to put her hands over her ears as a third ring bounced around her skull and kept her face as stoic as possible. She was beginning to feel a headache pulse in her temples, and in the back of her head, she needed to stop tensing her shoulders. She took a breath to calm herself. "Sorry, just thinking. Cas thinks there's something here, and better than we find it first." She reassured her old friend, while she may not have always agreed with her brother, she knew he was even more calculated than she was and would hardly send her on a fool's errand without expecting an argument in return. This was certainly not that. She tried to not seem so distracted, but this island left her feeling rather unbalanced, which was very unlike her.

She thought about Astrid's question. It was a reasonable one. "Well, nothing is out of the question, but I don't see from who." They kept walking toward the forest. All the plant-life and everything she had seen so far had been so different, unlike anything she had ever seen herself though she also figured she wasn't trained in this field. So maybe it was? Having Astrid here might be helpful on that front. Once they entered the forest, Ana also cast light with her own wand and followed closely behind, and to Astrid's side, she'd never explored this side of the island but was mentally trying to keep track of which direction they were going. She heard her friend speak and managed a slight chuckle. "What gave it away first? The trees or the red sand?"

[ASTRID ALVA ABRAHAMSSON]

Astrid followed Ana to an almost blind extent, keeping her eyes on her as she wandered. At first, Astrid thought that Ana had a specific destination in mind. Perhaps she had. But she looked distracted, her head turning sharply at random points. As if she couldn't hear Astrid calling her name. Astrid pursed her lips and nodded, agreeing that Casimir was right in sending them here to investigate. "There certainly is something here... I just feel like we're always being watched or something," she added, her voice quiet as she peered around the gloom. There was something peculiar about this island, but Astrid couldn't deny that she needed to investigate. If only to stem her own curiosity, under the guise of cataloguing the various fauna of the place.

"Not who. What," said Astrid. After everything she had been through, Astrid believed nothing was impossible. There was a heaviness to the air, as if the island itself was waiting for them to venture further in then snap them up. A slight tone of impatience, and an eerie silence fell over the pair as they broke through the tree line. Goosebumps erupted down Astrid's back but she kept her face stoic, only stating that the place was bizarre. She couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at Ana's sarcastic response. "They should rename you Captain Obvious, Ana. Or perhaps me," she murmured, keeping her gaze ahead of them.

The pair didn't encounter anything peculiar for a short while, though Astrid kept her eyes and ears peeled. She was unendingly glad that Cas had insisted Ana join her on this trip. She wouldn't want to face this place alone. A sense of unease crept up Astrid's spine. She paused. "Are we being very noisy?" asked Astrid, sweeping the light of her wand left and right but still there was no sign of any of the creatures that might dwell in the forest. "I suppose they may be scared," she went on, murmuring to herself as she wandered off to the west. "Though I don't suppose it's quite a bad sign, if they're not outright attacking us. Nor are they territorial. Strangely, I thought they would be more aggressive," she went on. Astrid stood abruptly, and realised she had wandered out of sight of her friend. "Ana? Ana, can you hear me?" called Astrid in what she hoped was a carrying voice. She didn't want to disturb the creatures of the forest, but she had gotten somewhat turned around in her meandering. There was a rustle and a crack of branches to her left and Astrid swung around.

anastasia marie karkaroff

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

template by punki of adoxography

Faces from my past return

Another lesson yet to learn

January 3, 2026
ASTRID ALVA ABRAHAMSSON

There was an eerie calmness to the island. The type of calm that one experienced for a short moment before something happened, so all of Ana's anxiety and instincts were waiting for that something to occur. It didn't seem that the intermittent ringing in her ears didn't seem to follow any timely pattern and was distracting her more than she liked. How was she supposed to react quickly if she was focused on a single sound instead of the strange and new sounds around her? "There's something about this place...it just puts me on edge." Ana had avoided talking about how she really felt about being here on the island to anyone, saying that out loud felt...weak. She needed to maintain her usual demeanor and appearance at the Ministry. She couldn't let them see her frazzled. However, she'd been friends with Astrid since she was about twelve, and even if she had tried to deny it, her friend would have probably known better.

Entering the forest only added to Ana's uneasiness. It wasn't as eerie as the other forest she had walked past, but their visibility changed once inside. It was still so quiet, and Ana could only hear the small twigs break and the soft crunching of leaves under their boots as they slowly made their way. Ana shot her friend a look, nothing unusual as she tended to replace verbal responses with glares most days, but she looked forward quickly when she heard that slight ring again. Where was that coming from? They kept quiet for a short while as they proceeded forward, wands out for anything that might appear, and Ana became acutely aware of her heartbeat in her ears. This uneasiness, this nervousness was a foreign feeling. Ana might not have been a trained magizoologist, but she found it strange that not even a creature such as squirrel was here. Something was not right. "Not very...." She mumbled in response. Even if they were, she expected to hear something scurry away at a minimum.

Ana slowly looked around at her surroundings, and as she stepped on a larger twig, she looked down at the noise, stopping for a moment. Crouching down, she picked up the two broken pieces. It looked like any twig she might have seen back in England or anywhere in the world. But, somehow, it felt...foreign in her hands, like it wasn't real. Dropping it back down, she stood and looked around, she didn't seen Astrid anywhere, and her heart sank a moment. Quickly, she looked around searched for her but then was distracted by the noise again, but she heard it twice in quick succession. Grimacing, she closed her eyes tight in frustration and shook her head. When the ringing cleared, she heard a faint voice and turned to her right, where she saw a faint light. Ana took a breath to compose herself and walked in that direction, but with her wand out if it was something else, but when she got close enough, she found her friend. "Merlin Astrid, what did I tell you about wandering off?"

[ASTRID ALVA ABRAHAMSSON]

It felt as if the entire island was holding its breath, biding its time before releasing untold terrors upon the pair. Astrid had done her due diligence before making this trip. The island had seemingly appeared from nowhere, simply popping into existence as if it had existed before the dawn of time. Being here now, Astrid had no doubt that the island had existed for centuries before human thought and memory had even a modicum of form. There was an ancientness to the very mist that formed around them, the trees swaying and aching with primordial knowledge.

Was the island biding its time? Astrid had come here under the guise of investigation. To learn more about the beasts that called this strange, unknowable place home. Astrid wandered away from her friend, wrapped up completely in the curious nature of the hidden species. A moment later, Ana was by her side again, chiding Astrid for wandering off. "Sorry," she murmured, sweeping her wand light around. Her brow furrowed as she drifted into deep though. How could she entice these creatures to show themselves?

There was a rustle in the trees to Ana's left, and Astrid's gaze snapped to it. "Ana, get behind me," said Astrid in a low voice. While Ana was a gifted duelist, and a master of magic, Astrid had the feeling they wouldn't encounter her typical sort of prey on this island. A soft beating of wings and finally, finally, Astrid's sight landed on something worth all this nonsense.

It was a bird, or something close to it. Astrid supposed it was a cross between a crow and a pterodactyl, with a massive beak and dark, piercing eyes. Astrid lowered her wand slightly, hoping that her companion would do the same. She didn't break the eye contact between herself and the strange bird, terrified of what may happen if it was spooked into action. "Ana, wand down," she directed in a low voice. The bird-like creature clicked its beak, a whisper of giggling children surrounding them for just a moment. Astrid barely breathed as the sound of fluttering wings sounded from the east, and three more of the creatures settled beside the first, all staring intently at the pair of witches. Astrid could only hope that Ana wouldn't make any sudden movements, but she herself was itching to get closer to the birds, to study them. She took a step forward and the birds shifted, their beaks opening and closing in a choir of youthful laughter. Astrid cringed, and stopped. She glanced at Ana, silently wondering how they should proceed. Freeze the birds? Would others come to attack?
anastasia marie karkaroff

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

faces from my past return

another lesson yet to learn

January 3, 2026
ASTRID ALVA ABRAHAMSSON

Ana breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was to lose her friend on this forsaken place. Nothing in her training or her past would have ever been enough to prepare her for this kind of experience. None of the dueling and speed drills, maybe some investigative skills, but she didn’t have a background or a mind for things such as new trees or creatures as Astrid did. The quiet was simply just eerie, and so far, that had been the most discomforting part, that and the sound she kept intermittently hearing. Anna had never felt so unclear, so unbalanced and unfocused. This was how people ended up killed, and she heard that fact in her head, unfortunately, in her brother’s voice. Astrid muttered her small apology and could only just shake her head as she stuck close by.

However, soon, there was a rustling noise, and she almost shot Astrid a look as she insisted that Ana hide behind her. Had she forgotten who the highly trained duelist was here? But she didn’t have time to question it as her head whipped around to look for the source of the rustling but also that damn noise again. Ana’s breath caught in her throat. She had no idea what she was staring at in front of her, and when she got over the momentary shock, she remembered to breathe. Astrid directed her to lower her wand, but Ana had been momentarily distracted by that noise once more, but after a brief pause, she followed suit. Even Ana knew enough about some magical creatures to know that some responded very violently to disrespect. It wasn’t worth the risk with whatever this thing was. ”What in Merlin’s name is that.” She asked in a strong whisper.

There was the slight sound of children, and Ana tried to look around and see where possibly that noise might have come from. Children in this place? More creatures appeared, apparently of the same species, and Ana found herself wanting to move backward but knowing her luck, she’d find the single hole to step inside in this whole forest. Astrid looked back at her. They both seemed unsure of what to do at this point. ”I think….” Ana whispered in the lowest tone she felt she could get away with. ”We should back away slowly….” Ana was operating under the assumption that all creatures her were dangerous, nothing about this island felt ‘nice’.

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[ASTRID ALVA ABRAHAMSSON]

Astrid felt no flicker of fear as she met the beady eyes of the bird like creature that landed before her. Ana expressed her distrust of the creatures in a loud whisper, but Astrid said nothing after directing her friend to put her wand down. The birds gazed bored a hole into Astrid, unable to break the eye contact. A few more of the creatures joined the first, clicking their beaks in a chorus of youthful laughter. Astrid wanted to exclaim her shock, but stuffed down all those emotions as she appraised the beasts, mentally cataloguing them. The first one tilted its head at her, opening it's beak wide and emitting a shout of children's laughter. Black feathered wings spread from its body, and the creature took flight, the echo of the last laugh ringing in Astrid's ears. The others followed, the cacophony of giggles enough to drive anyone mad.

With the childish voices ringing in her ears, Astrid felt her mind reeling. Thinking of and remembering her childhood, how joyous her laughter had been before her mother and father had smothered it. Simply for being magical. She hadn't really been reminded of that sort of joy for a long time... not until yesterday. The soreness between her legs remained. "Ana," said Astrid abruptly. "Have you ever been with someone not... not entirely human?" asked Astrid tentatively, glancing over at her friend.

Taking a deep breath, Astrid lifted her wand. "I think that's enough for one day. Cas will have to deal," she murmured, turning to face Ana fully. She glanced up at the sky, trying to take a mental note of the alignment of the stars to direct them out of here. Her mind was still fuzzy, forgetting that she had magic to do just that. "Come on," said Astrid, picking through the forest back the way they had come.

Astrid's forward movement ground to a halt. A thick, white mist floated just above the ground. Something about it was intensely ominous, and made the hairs on the back of her arm stand up. Distrust crept through her, the little voice she trusted so well urging her to turn away. But Astrid was transfixed by the milky white non-substance, especially as a tendril formed and reached out for her. She thought longingly of her family, of the laughter that had echoed through the corridors of their home in her youth. Of them loving and accepting her again. As if under a spell, Astrid reached out a hand, palm up, and the mist embraced it.

Astrid felt nothing at all, as her sanity and existence ripped from her like a paper from a notebook.

anastasia marie karkaroff

[anastasia marie karkaroff]

faces from my past return

another lesson yet to learn

January 3, 2026
ASTRID ALVA ABRAHAMSSON

It wasn’t that Ana was scared. She was more deeply uncomfortable. She felt like she was losing her mind lately, and that was incredibly offputting. The more she tried to distance herself from her mother’s growing decline into insanity, the more she felt she was doomed to follow the same path. Astrid seemed more comfortable, but that was perhaps her years of experience with magical creatures big and small. It had never been a subject that Ana had enjoyed, nor had she hated it either, but it had never been in the forefront of her mind by any means. She wasn’t afraid to admit she might have leaned on Astrid for help in that subject during their school days despite Ana being a year ahead. The unlikely friends had different strengths, and Ana learned that one couldn’t do anything and focus on their strengths. Whenever the creatures opened their beaks, Ana heard the sound of laughter. It was confusing. They almost looked like some sort of bird, but she had never seen anything like it. Maybe Astrid had, but she was neither confirming nor denying it at the moment if that were the case.

They were both taking their time with their movements, but then Ana couldn’t help but glance at her friend to her side with her head following slowly despite hearing the noise again. For once, her words had caught her attention more than that infernal noise she kept hearing. ”What?” What in the world was she talking about and now of all times? ‘Not entirely human’ had many definitions in the Wizarding world. One could say even a metamorphmagus wasn’t entirely human or even a werewolf. She wasn’t sure where this conversation was going. ”What do you mean?” She asked for clarification. Still, they both seemed to get back on the same wavelength once again. ”Maybe my brother should grace the island with his presence instead.” She remarked, her brother had sent them here, but she would make her opinion known that he, perhaps, should get his boots dirty for once.

They headed back through the trees and the strange forest, her sense of direction felt muddled here, and she tried her best to focus until suddenly she heard Astrid stop. The sound of their boots stepping on leaves and twigs stopped, and then there was just silence. Not even the sound of children’s laughter, which meant at least those creatures were not nearby either. A chill went entirely up Ana’s spine, and she felt the goosebumps form down her arms, and when she had opened her eyes again, she felt her heart skip a beat at a familiar sight. That fog. The fog that had enshrouded her and Sarah on New Year’s Eve and then disappeared without a trace. For perhaps the first time in a very long time, Ana seemed to be frozen in her spot, she wanted to warn her friend to run, but her voice had caught in her throat. And then it happened. It seemed to encircle her just as Ana herself had experienced. ”Astrid—“ And she jumped a few steps forward, but as the fog cleared, she froze again.

Astrid was gone. In her place was something with strange-looking skin and lots of feathers. Where the hell had Astrid gone? The fog had cleared, and Ana looked around again. It was just them, the trees and silence. She crouched down, inspecting this creature but not actually touching it. Had Astrid been transfigured? Was this some sort of Polyjuice potion effect? Ana cursed herself for not reacting faster—though was there anything she could have done in this case? She let out a frustrated sigh—Ana knew she had to get her back to their boat. She needed to get her help and let Cas know what had happened. Still, this creature was about as big as she was. Where Ana was physically smaller, she typically made up for in presence, but it wouldn’t help her here. She stood and pointed her wand at it and levitated it, and hoped they wouldn’t run into any creatures on their way back. She would feel better once they were out of the forest, past the bloody red sand and on something that wasn’t this forsaken island. It took some time, levitating a body or creature—whatever and trying not to run into any tree trunks or other things in the way. Once Ana had gotten out of the forest, it had been easier and faster to find the red beach and feel a sense of relief as she walked behind the floating body up the ramp.

Ana just wanted to go home, get off this island and pray that her brother or the Ministry didn’t send her back again—maybe it was a futile wish.

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