Igniting Sparks

Chapter 49.

Edited by KitWulf                                        30-5-2021

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The view was breathtaking. Azura plowed her way through thick snowbanks that the wind had created much like a desert. Sometimes it would almost reach her stomach while at other places it only covered her paws. Lucas had the advantage here with his bigger size for sure.

Because of the chasm they had been following for such a long time, they had no idea what their surroundings had looked like, but now that they were on top she had difficulty grasping what lay ahead of them. The mountains were almost touching the clouds, rough and jagged with sheer cliffs, drops, and flat areas altogether. She could only compare it to pictures she had seen of the rough Himalayas where it was almost impossible to go to as a human. This area was the same. It was so secluded she wondered if there had ever been any humans to see its splendor.

With the sun slowly setting, the sky slowly started to change its colors from a deep blue to a bright orange with beautiful pinks streaked across it. It was one of the rarer colored sunsets and with all the snow and ice around, the ground seemed to reflect and adopt the same shimmering color almost making it come to life. The wind was still howling and blowing around them at full speed. Sometimes it caused tiny snow whirlwinds and no matter how treacherous they could be, Azura couldn't help but see the beauty in them. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, she turned to Lucas and gave him a lick across the side of his face before she nuzzled him and let out a satisfying purr. He returned the gesture and let his head gently rest on top of hers as he stared at the mountains ahead of him.

Azura had no idea how long they had been sitting there side by side, tails entwined. The sun had set completely and a bright moon had risen in the sky. The light it emitted was enough for them to still see their surroundings with ease. A loud yowl caught their attention and Lucas and Azura both looked in the direction the sound had come from. The wind had died down by now and the yowl had pierced the silent night sky, almost tearing it apart. Before them, two snow leopards emerged, their blue eyes reflecting the stars and light in them. Even though they were standing three big leaps away, Azura couldn't help but stare at their eyes and wondered if hers had the same effect. It could explain why Lucas had been staring at her quite often with a look on his face she could only describe as surprise mixed with amazement and a hint of confusion in them.

When the scents of Killian and Zahair hit her nose Azura slowly got up followed by Lucas and made their way over. The two males nodded their heads almost simultaneously as a greeting and indicated them to follow. It was a much easier path now and they could follow the trails that had been made in the snow by the other werecats. The closer they got to their destination, the more tracks were visible and they eventually joined one large frozen road. All these paths coming back to one reminded her of a complex artery system and the road they were on now was the aorta. Right now they were the only ones on it though and the silence fell heavy between them.

Zahair walked to the side and let himself fall behind instead of walking beside Killian. She had noticed the small flicks of their tails together and sometimes had to stare twice as the two men had sought gentle physical contact together just like Lucas and herself were doing at times. Now with Zahair behind them and Killian upfront, she felt her nerves building up. They were being guided as if they were prisoners.

Had she made a mistake by coming here? Azura started to doubt herself as Zahair had taken the position at the back. Lucas had warned her not to trust Killian that easily and yet now she had to admit that was exactly what she had done. From the first moment he had shown up she had started to trust him even though she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself. The Phoenix had never spoken up about him either while it had voiced its opinion about people it had not liked before. Bethany came to mind first but also the man in the bar and even Ben. The Phoenix had always been wary of Ben but with Killian, it had never responded like that. It was probably why she had trusted him so easily. She was forgetting her own judgment and was relying solely on the Phoenix's judgment. Who was to say she could trust the Phoenix's call? As if it knew she was thinking about it the Phoenix spoke up.