It was as sudden as a winter storm. One minute I was on the way to work, hurrying along a bustling street while rain thrummed on the hood of my sodden coat and the next I was knee deep in snow. The street had disappeared; along with all the shops, cars and wet, irritable people. A blast of icy wind nearly knocked out what little breath I had in me, while I surveyed my surroundings in what had to be the purest form of shock. Towering, coniferous trees blanketed the landscape for as far as I could see, bathing the world in an ocean of deep green. The carpet of trees was broken only by jagged mountain peaks of slate grey and blue ice. Glaciers as tall as skyscrapers clung to the side of a particularly large mountain. Judging by the height, I was about halfway up a smaller peak. Where the hell was I? I had vanished, or they had vanished. This didn't happen to people. Couldn't happen to people. It wasn't real was it? The biting cold sure felt real enough. I had to get home or else I was surely going to die. Shivering, I thrust my shaking hands into my pockets to pull out my phone. In the frenzy of trying to turn it on, it flew out of my hand and straight into the snow before my feet.
"Shit." I exclaimed louder than necessary and to no one in particular. I didn't know how reliable my phone was while dry, let alone soaked in ice. Plunging my hands into the pristine snow felt like I was burning them slowly in freezing flames. Grunting with pain, I knelt in the snow desperately scrabbling for my rectangular, pink lifeline. After a minute of chaotic searching with no result, I decided the blazing pain wasn't worth it and stood again, tucking my raw hands under my armpits in an attempt to shake off the cold that pulsed through them. Kneeling was a stupid idea because now I was drenched from the waist downwards and down my arms from the elbow. Shivers had turned into violent shakes while the restless wind roared around me. I had nothing but the clothes I was wearing and the phone I had conveniently thrown into the snow.
Move. A guttural instinct tugged me a step forward. Half dragging my feet through the snow I started to stagger toward a cluster of trees. Bewildered, I stopped. Keep moving the inner voice yelled at me. If you want to live then keep going. But my phone, I whined back at it, taking another step forwards all the same. An unsympathetic voice, my voice, snarled back leave it, it won't work anyway.
"Inner me is a bitch."I grumbled out loud. The words sounded strange in this raw wilderness where the only sound was a howling wind.
I needed to survive. This new resolution came suddenly. My mind drifted to my family, still hopefully alive and at home, unless they too were wandering through arctic forests. I wouldn't let the thought linger for long though. Insanity was too close already and I didn't need the fear for others adding to the burden that was already about to tip me over the edge. Survive first, think later.
I reached the group of trees after a battle through the snow; and was vaguely disappointed to discover only trees. If this was a book then there would be something here. A secretive scroll or knife or a hot hero waiting to take me to safety. I guess I'll have to be my own hero, I thought sarcastically, trying to pout my now blue lips, but they were too numb. I don't want one anyway; it would be embarrassing to need help.
But you need it, cynical me countered. This was madness. I grabbed a low branch with the means to climb the tree and look for civilisation but it snapped off. A weapon... sort of. Better than nothing. I tried again with another tree but my arms were shaking feverishly seemed deprived of any strength. I soon gave up tree climbing. If I couldn't find someone, maybe they could find me.
"Hello?"I called into the wild. Nothing answered. I clutched the stick tightly. The silence was unnerving. I was alone, totally alone. Laughter took hold of me with sharp talons. I started to chuckle softly at first, but before long hysterical sobs peeled through the never ending forest. It frightened me. The way the sound bounced through the trees was unnatural, unearthly, but I couldn't stop. I don't know how long I kept going but the shadows were starting to stretch towards me before I gasped for breath. My throat was hoarse and I could barely whisper. And it was cold, so, so cold. All I wanted was to curl up and sleep. The soft snow called me but lying in it was a bad idea. Was it? I didn't even know anymore.
I gazed up at the darkening sky, where faint stars were beginning to twinkle. Even full of confusion and distress, I was still blown away at the pure beauty of it. It was stunning. Hues of midnight, violet and magnolia plastered the infinite sky. A magnitude of different shades swirled and intertwined in a dance known only to them. Captivated, I watched as rhythms were woven with colour and stars appeared. The brightest three shone like fireflies made of diamond. All were polar-white and stood out like studded gems compared to the scattered silver moon dust of the other stars. In an arc over a majestic mountain, I could imagine the photo in my head. Not that I'd live long enough to take it, I could already feel my blood freezing in my veins. With that grounding thought, I leaned back against the base of a tree and sank to the ground. Let bears or wolves come for me now, I don't have the strength to run.
The wind had stopped and so had time. Crystals of ice floated through the thick air so slowly it looked like they were barely moving. So beautiful; this cold, deadly, death trap. In front of me, my breath curled like smoke. Dragon-smoke, I thought. With a delirious sigh, I puffed out a precious breath and watched it twist and split apart into tiny fractals, freezing as it ascended.
"Roar."I giggled softly to myself. So fierce. "Roar."A little louder. My voice was husky with a rough edge. Using my stick, I dragged myself to my feet. I was a dragon. "Roar!" I screamed into the impending darkness, not caring what heard. Not caring until an answering call rumbled the foundations beneath my feet.
Silence struck me then and utter terror. I needed a new pair of pants. That roar was like nothing I'd ever heard, even in documentaries and films. Greater than the greatest t-rex, it made my knees shake until I collapsed into a trembling pile of reeking fear. I gripped my stick with both hands until my knuckles were white and my palms bled, eyes darting between the ever lengthening shadows. It was coming, I was sure of it. I needed to move, get out of there, but my body would not respond to the screams in my head.
Something in the shadows moved. Something in the shadows, or was it the shadows themselves? A new wave of fear took over but for some unknown survival reason I held my stick firm and attempted to stand. I was going to die, but I was going to die fighting even though I had no chance. I whirled my head around the space surrounding me, backing my stiff body up against a tree. A tense minute passed before he appeared.
It was as if the shadows had made him right then and there. His hair was so dark it could have been forged from them. His beautiful features regarded me with a blend of curiosity and caution. Hazel eyes scanned me from head to toe; an impulsive shiver took control of my body. We locked eyes. A flash of blue ripped my stare from his. A top each hand a sapphire blue stone throbbed, another over his chest, power rippling off of them in shimmering waves. All thoughts of the earth-shaking roar were banished from my mind.
"Who are you?"He asked, still staring intently at my pale face. It shook me to the core but I moved my stare away from the blue stones and levelled my gaze to meet his.
"I...L-l-lexis. Lexis A-a-atherton."I could barely make out the words. He seemed vaguely familiar but I was sure I had never seen him before in my life.
"Where are you from, Lexis?"His voice was soft. Soft but demanding, no room for questions. I wasn't having it. Not while I was barely standing in soiled clothes; freezing to death.
"Where am I?" I asked, raising my stick and trying to ignore the vibrations running through it. I could be equally as demanding. He paused for second, still looking directly at me. It must have been a pathetic sight, a short, blue-lipped, shivering girl staring defiantly at this magnificent male. He raised a slender brow.
"I'm assuming," he spoke with agonizing slowness, "that you don't know where we are." Stepping forward, he offered a scarred hand. Darkness draped over him like a liquid shield. "I don't know why you're here, but you aren't going to last the night if you stay." He gestured in the direction of the roar. "There are worse things out there."
Any sarcastic retort I had prepared dissolved in my mouth. I didn't know if I could trust this beautiful, familiar stranger but I sure as hell wasn't going to stay out in this forest tonight. I meant to question him further but the floor started to sway with a sudden ferocity. My vision blurred. All I could offer was a feeble nod that disgusted the shit out of me before I started to fall to the snowy ground.
Strong arms caught me before I even hit the snow. He must have moved with unnatural speed, but that was the least of my worries, as with a great gust of wind we were soaring through the star flecked sky.
Wings. He has wings.