The Night Begins To Shine

Run

Meliora awoke disoriented and blinked her summer green eyes around to take in her surroundings. She had absolutely no idea where she was. Above her, her gaze landed on barren, creaky tree branches settling against eachother like a house. Calm large snowflakes fell between their dead branches and added to the covering already overtaking the underbrush of the forest floor. The sunlight was hidden behind a grey clouded sky offering no added warmth or hope of snow melting. Placing a cold palm to the snow, she pushed herself into sitting position. The ground swayed from one side to the other like a ship in a storm at sea, violently yet rhythmic at the same time. She could feel her head moving with the effort of following the earth spinning hard all around her. She blinked her dark lashes closed and held them there hoping it would wipe away the feeling of being disconnected to her body and gravity all at the same time. Time held no meaning and the tightening of her red knuckles were the only show of how long she had been unconscious. Flexing her hands uselessly and opening her eyes, she assessed her body mentally. Her basal body temperature was low which wasnt good but nothing was broken. Her bright red coat hood had slipped down so she reached a matching colored hand up to pull it back around her slender face. She knew she wasnt going to last long without finding some form of heat to cling to or risk freezing solid. Though her dress offered some warmth with its magical material, the thin almost see through material that blended into the snow made it hard to remember that. Psychologically, it only made her feel more exposed to the elements and colder. Her head finally leveled out with the world and she used her hands to push herself onto her red rose covered brown boots. Her eyes searched for anything that looked familiar. Or warm. But she was coming up with nothing but the feeling of being disoriented and lost. She wrapped her thin arms around herself, tucking her icy fingers and pressing them into her ribs to try to maintain some core body temperature. A branch snapped behind her, causing her ears to perk up and the hair on the back of her neck to stand alert. That singular, simple sound was all it took to send everything crashing back to her memory of the last day, flooding her brain like a tsunami taking over the shore and filling every orface with water. And that was when she started running.

The bitter cold blizzard ripped through the trees slinging ice down on them with force. "This is bullshit." Aglæca called over the wind in the native tongue only known to the Dyrid. Her long silver hair blowing in the wind as ice stung her yellow eyes. "This blizzard is making movement nearly impossible." The massive winged white feline she was riding seemed to nod her agreement. Aglæca pet the sabir damon's side. "I know." She soothed.

"Don't be such a baby." Leto called to her with a smirk. "Think of it like endurance training." The Leo parthuas he was riding seemed to have no problem navigating the blizzard. It shook it's massive lion's head to get the snow and ice out of it's mane and off the ram horns that curled on its head. It also flapped it's wings once. Leto laughed hard enough to shake his lean frame. "Don't you start bitching too." He said to the great beast.

"We'll make camp when the storm dies." Kronos called back to the others with a hard yellow gaze. "Two of you will go hunting. Two will gather wood and the other will set camp with me." His voice was commanding and hard like his eyes. "Unless I have a volunteer to watch over Fenris?"

"I'll watch the boy." Caruso volunteered. "You should go hunting and take a moment to relax." He scratched the thin scar on his temple as he spoke. He looked different from his fellow clansmen because his hair was shorter and his yellow eyes were kind. He didn't really want to go hunting and he knew leto would be on wood duty because it was easier. He didn't like going anywhere alone with Leto. He always managed to get him in trouble.

A twig snapped underfoot and Meliora huffed a breath out, her eyes scanning around for somewhere, anywhere to go.

"You know Mel, youre the one whos made it this way. It's entirely your fault. Theres no reward if theres no effort." Nascha reasoned calmly. Mel scrunched her nose up at her with a look of distaste causing Mel to chuckle. "I say these things out of love. You think i like being the one to break this to you?" She teased with a small smile. Mel looked over at her best friend then. Naschas golden eyes looked back at her, a slender brow raised in question. Her curled brown hair that became golden feathers at the ends in places fell around her shoulders. Her soft, feathered markings between her eyes and across her cheekbones were more prominent when she wore black like this. Mel was always somewhat envious of her beauty, her average height, and her intellect. All of which were perfectly normal for Oowls. But for Mel they were all things she lacked. With her short stature and a waist small enough to wrap hands around. The need to cover most of her body so nobody would know she was a Flumen. And her inability to focus long enough to read a book. "Yes." Mel answered with a head nod. Nascha shook her head. "You will have to trust someone eventually Mel. And when you do it will be a beautiful thing." She offered with a soft smile playing on her brown lips. Mel looked up at her again then as they walked. "I trust you dont i?" She defended. Nascha snorted. "You didnt choose to trust me. Your mother trusted my mother. Enough to care for you when she died. You were thrown into this knowing you could trust. There was no risk there for you." She reasoned. She was right, as Nascha often was. Mel reached up to her black hair and tucked it behind her ear only for her bangs on one side of her face to fall and cover her green eye once more. Sometimes Mel didnt think her friend understood why she was so reserved. It wasnt out of lack for wanting. It was out of self preservation and safety. But maybe this was something else Nascha was right about. Mel lifted an arm then and pointed towards a shop. "Lets go inside and get something warm to drink." She suggested eagerly. Winters were mild and tolerable. But she still liked the warm feeling it would give her. Hot drinks were like a warm blanket to cold blooded races like hers. Nascha nodded her agreement and followed beside her into the shop. They ordered their drinks and sat down with the hot mugs, an easy smile playing on Mels face. It was hard sometimes for them to find things to do outside of their apartment. Nascha was a book worm and a quiet intellect. Where as Mel was a reserved loner who often searched for things to fill her time. Her wild soul demanded her to be playful and enjoy outdoors. But even mild winters could be uncomfortable after a while. She missed the warm summer where they could go swimming or find something to do in the sun. Mel had only taken a sip when a man approached their table. Both women looked up at him with mild confusion. He leaned down onto their table, putting his face closer to Mels. "Hey." He introduced himself easily. Mel blinked, unsure of what to do. "Um. Hi." She replied, stealing a glance at Nascha who was looking back at her encouragingly. Maybe this was her chance to do what Nascha suggested. To trust someone.