The Jaded Leopard

Chapter Nine

Whooo, almost at 10 chapters! :D I honestly never believed I'd get this far in writing The Jaded Leopard, so the support really helps, guys ^.^

Drama's coming for you soon, but you'll just have to wait and see :D

Enjoy!

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"Be careful here- even the slightest echo could set off an avalanche."

Roksana tread carefully, walking perilously on a ledge jutting out from the steep mountain wall. "Gee, thanks for the warning." She snapped at Nickolai. As if she wasn't being careful already.

They'd been traveling with Nickolai for a little more than a week, and even Roksana had to admit that they were making faster progress than before they'd employed the mountaineer though she was certainly not going to tell him that. She had even gotten used to waking up at Nicolai's unholy hours of the morning, but the long day of traveling and the lack of over eight hours of sleep at night were certainly taking its toll on her. Bags were beginning to form under her eyes, and even the mighty Kuzma seemed tired at the end of each day.

Roksana glanced at her companions, traveling perilously along the ledge-Nickolai leading, and Kuzma following. This journey may very well be the end of us, she thought suddenly. Kuzma looked up at her.

It seems so. But we can't stop moving. If the hunter finds us and kills us... Kuzma glanced at the sky. Gods help us all.

Roksana was annoyed at Kuzma's ability to literally read her thoughts, but now wasn't the time to argue with him once more about it. You've hardly told me anything about this hunter, Roksana growled slightly to Kuzma, gripping the rock wall, Other than that he wants us dead, never misses, and is hunting us down.

Kuzma sighed. It's a long and complicated story, one that I will tell you... later.

Roksana groaned loudly.

Nickolai glared at her as he stepped off the ledge onto safer ground. The mountain quivered slightly as Roksana's groan echoed eerily through the mountains. "I said be careful!" He hissed softly as Roksana and Kuzma followed him off the ledge. "These mountains are dangerous. Years and years worth of snow has settled carefully at the top of the mountain, and even the smallest disturbance can set off the whole place and cause an avalanche." He gritted his teeth and Roksana glared at him, clearly annoyed from hearing his numerous lectures.

"We get it, we get it," Roksana grunted, climbing up an outcrop of rock onto the slight hill where Nickolai was standing. "Don't do anything to wake up the sleeping mountain, blah-blah-dee-blah-blah." Rosana said mockingly, a sour look upon her face. "You've been going on about it the past hour." She moaned, sitting down to rearrange her boots. Her braid hung limply along her back, dotted with white as snow began to fall, snowflakes dancing in the wind slowly.

Nickolai whirled around to face her, eyes blazing."The only reason I have to go on about it is because you don't listen!" He sighed loudly, turning away from her to look down the mountainside. "Sometimes I even wonder if you take this journey seriously." He muttered to himself.

Unfortunately, Roksana was not hard of hearing.

"Excuse me? I'm not taking this journey seriously?" She stood up angrily, braid swinging along her back as she stomped over angrily to Nickolai. Her eyes blazed with fury, and her mittened fists were clenched. Kuzma watched on warily, flicking his gaze between the arguing teens and the rapidly approaching clouds from the north, large, dark, ominous things. He growled softly. A storm was brewing, and he didn't like the looks of it.