The Anima [completed]

19.

19.

The mountain only became colder the higher we travelled. My muscles ached, fatigued from the build up of lactic acid. Even my bones felt more fragile than before, each step on the hard ground vibrating up my leg. The Leafy had pushed us off trail; we had been only an hour off the swap before we were forced to stray to stay alive. It took us an hour to find where we were, following the blood trails back down the mountain. And by the time we were finally reaching the tops of the slopes, the sky was darkening, clouds turning pink and orange as the sun set over the mountain.

I had imagined that the sight of the swamp would bring a surge of relief and satisfaction like none I had ever felt before. However, it was not the sight that signalled our arrival at our destination; it was the smell. The scent of salt, sulphur and hot mud burnt the insides of my nostrils and launched a gag from my throat.

"What is that?" I chocked out, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"The sweet smell of home." Lucius joked, also visibly disturbed by the scent wafting from the trees around us.

Alvar didn't speak, scanning the trees for signs of movement while Beast observed from above. Our pace slowed and the smiles dropped from our mouths. Over the ridge, the swamp appeared. Green mud covered a wide strip of land, small crab holes occasionally opening for oxygen, like a ginormous green swimming pool. Little patches of grass scattered over the surface like stepping stones and fog coated the air above it. The only way over the swap was by the stepping stones, leading to the tree line on the opposite side.

"Can't we just go around?" I asked, scrunching my nose through the wretched smell.

"No," Alvar said, scratching his neck as he surveyed the surrounds. "It stretches far to wide, we would never make it to the safe house before dark. I will go first to make sure they are all solid."

Alvar adjusted the bag over his shoulder, shooting me a small smile as he began over the surface, jumping between the grass patches. Neither Lucius nor I protested his actions, knowing that he was both well suited to the task and capable of finding any traps or holes our eyes would miss. He bonded over the swamp easily, his agile body never stopping completely before he bounded to the next stepping stone. It took him five minutes to finally land on the other side, dropping the bag at his feet before he signalled us over, a tiny spec in the distance.

I wondered momentarily why Beast couldn't just fly me over, but I knew the trees were dense and he could not fly close too the ground. My breast heaved in a sigh, blowing the hair from my face and the anxiety from my mind. I hefted my skirt up and took my first step on the swamp. The mud sunk between my toes, uncomfortably warm. Before I could sink into its depths, I skipped over to the first grass patch I saw and tried my hardest to mimic Alvar's actions. But I was no trained solider, and my circuits at home never involved long jumping. On several occasions I fell onto my hands and knees, mud covering my once beautiful dress, before I finally made it over to the other side.

Falling into Alvar's arms when I reached the other side, I laughed at myself, my heart still beating heavily while adrenaline pumped through my blood. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me to my feet beside him. Looking up, I found his eyes locked onto mine, an emotion brewing behind them that I could not catch. I didn't know if he was angry, confused, in some kind of pain, but the way he looked at me was certainly not filled with undeniable love.

He pulled away from me and cleared his throat. We both resorted to staring at Lucius, who slowly made his way over perhaps even clumsier than I had. I laughed lightly and Alvar chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. For the next five minutes we had our own personal comedy show, complete with the sound effects that Alvar made each time he fell over into the mud. By the time he made it to the other side, we were crouched over in laughter, trying to hide our gasps of amusement from Lucius' glaring eyes.