In the quiet town of Eldergrove, there was a legend about a mysterious chowling named Ashe. Hidden within her sleek, dark fur was the power to breathe ice, a gift she had kept secret for years. Although other chows could breath ice she was expected to have fire breath as her family all possessed this power. Ashamed of the potential ridicule she kept it hidden stating her abilities havent awoken yet. She felt like a true monster. She didn’t know another monster lay beneath their beloved village…
It was a cold winter day, Ashe was exploring the outer parts of the town until she stumbled on what seemed to be a stone pillar of some sort. Interested by this pillar she examined it closer as she is certain this pillar wasn’t there yesterday Before she could process anything the runes started to glow a mysterious blue light, as bright as the moon. Taking steps back Ashe was afraid she might’ve triggered it or angered it is what she felt.
Her attention snapped away as she heard screams coming from the other direction towards the lake. She didn’t have to move far to see an enormous beast emerging from the frozen lake. Ashe heard old tales about creatures being larger than mountains but she thought it was an old tale to scare the young into doing chores or following rules, never did she think she’d see a beast in real life. The stories didn’t do it justice as its grand figure casted a shadow over the town as if night had fallen early. Its cold heartless eyes looking like it was going to tear through anyone who threatened it. The icey breath it exhaled dropped the climate to what felt like a blizzard.
Ashe stood frozen in place, her eyes locked onto the beast that now towered over the village, its icy breath cutting through the air like a blade. Some chowlings screamed and ran in all directions, but the beast's presence seemed to paralyze them, trapping them in the nightmare of its gaze. Some chowlings with the gift of fire breath tried to melt the monster, however the piercing cold winds it exerted would freeze and turn their attacks into mist.
The stories hadn’t prepared her for this. Ashe’s heart raced as she watched the monster advance, its glowing eyes burning with fury, its breath chilling the very air. She could feel the power of its malice vibrating in the earth beneath her paws. But then, something strange stirred deep within her—a familiar, cold power. Her power.
She had hidden it for so long, afraid of her own gift. Growing up in a family of fire-breathing chowlings, she had always felt like a disappointment. Her ice-breathing ability was a secret, one she had kept buried out of shame. But now, as she stood facing this monster, the fear and shame started to boil into a need to save others over her own secret.
Without thinking, Ashe took a deep breath. She didn’t know if it would work, but if fire wasn’t going to melt the beast, maybe she could freeze the beast. She exhaled a blast of freezing wind from her mouth, engulfing the nearest trees in an instant. The air around her seemed to have sharpened under her control.
The beast turned its head slowly toward her, its menacing eyes narrowing as if to challenge her. But Ashe wasn’t afraid anymore. The power was hers to command, and she wasn’t going to let this creature destroy the only home she had left.
She inhaled again, this time focusing her energy, pulling the ice from deep within her, channeling it like a surge of power that came from the very heart of winter itself. She exhaled a torrent of icy wind, sharper and colder than anything the monster could unleash. The air around her froze with ice as the stream shot forward, colliding with the beast’s massive form.
The creature roared in surprise and pain as its body began to freeze, its limbs started to freeze in the bitter cold. It staggered backward, its claws scraping the icy ground, trying desperately to free itself from the frost that kept the beast stuck in place. Others started to notice the effect of the icey powers, and those who were gifted with such powers started to join in and help Ashe defeat the beast. They unleashed wave after wave of cold, each breath more powerful than the last, until the beast was trapped in, what they thought was, an impenetrable shell of ice. For a moment, everything was still. The town was quiet. The monster, once so terrifying, was now nothing more than a massive, frozen statue, its monstrous form completely encased in ice.
Ashe and a few other chowlings stood panting, their bodies trembling from the exertion, but her heart swelled with a sense of purpose. The power she had always hid was no longer a source of shame—it was a weapon that had saved her village.
The townsfolk slowly emerged from their hiding places, staring in awe at the frozen beast. No one spoke at first, unsure of how to react to the chowling who had saved them. But slowly, the chows began to approach, their faces filled with gratitude. Ashe looked down at the frozen creature, then turned her gaze toward her family as their eyes were filled with joy as they were proud of their daughter.
She felt like she was no longer a monster. She was a hero. And for the first time in her life, Ashe felt like she truly belonged.
Number of words: 935 (+187ft)
Creativity bonus: used my chowling with ice breath to freeze Brinicle +15
Total additional FT: 202
