Hello all. again,

I promised a Conclusion to my Christmas and wintertime tale but there is still one more part to go after this one. My Muses wanted something more with this tale, especially to allow us to learn more about the family lif of the magnificent snow leopards. They are actually still out there and we must hope and pray that they will remain there for ever more.

Poor Alexander. He sure has much to worry about. Winter is dangerous, especially in the merciless mountains of the Hindu Kush. He cannot know that Hephaestion has found some new, most unusual friends.

All the best wishes, Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

/ Northern Light

New Friends At The Hindu Kush, Part Two.

A Mother's Love

Chiona loved her children more than anything. Little Levka and Stegna were her whole world. She had taught them everything she knew and she always hunted to get them the very best of prey to feed them. They had now grown into two very strong, fierce and beautiful snow leopard cubs. Soon, they would be able to go out hunting on their own. They had been eagerly asking and pestering her for it for some time now.

Chiona wanted her beloved cubs to be safe and protected. She wanted to postpone their first hunt out on their own as long as possible. She had told them about all the dangerous things in life. They knew about the cold and snow. It was their friend, hiding them from dangers and enemies, but it could also be dangerous. They needed their warm and cozy cave to shield and protect them when the cold became too much even for their warm and thick white and spotted furs. Chiona had collected lots of warming dry grass and together with her own shedded winter furs had made all this into a fine bed for her and her beloved cubs. They rested and slept there in calm and security during cold and stormy days and also after their hunting and playing out in the snowbound wilderness.

The snowy mountains were their realm. No one could threaten them, no one but the Two Legged Ones. Those were very dangerous, indeed. They had all kinds of weapons, sharper than a snow leopard's claws, fangs, teeth and talons.

They could even kill from afar. Chiona's beloved soul mate, the mighty Chionos, had been killed by a sharp and insidious fang that came flying from far away. There he was, proudly prancing around, the very strongest and most fierce of the snow leopard males. Then, all of a sudden he was caught in one of his mighty leaps, falling to the ground with his life blood spurting from his side and his mouth, forming a crimson puddle all around him. Chiona and her cubs had sat at his side for a very long time, howling and mourning. They hoped that all their howling and wailing would wake him up from his strange and deep sleep - but sadly he did not wake up at all. He did not even breathe. He just lay there still and stiff, soon becoming as cold as the white snow drifts around him.

Then the Two Legged Ones were there. They came near, carrying very long and sharp claws that strangely did not look as they actually belonged to them. They called out loud and shook those sharp claws. Chiona reluctantly took her beloved cubs and ran away from them.

They never saw Chionos again.

Auburn Haired One

Then, one day the whole mountain range was filled with Two Legged Ones. They seemed even more fierce and dangerous than the ones who took Chionos away from his family. There were so many of them. They marched along, bringing an abundance of these dangerous fangs with them. Strangely they were together with Four Legged Ones. Those proud creatures had been tamed to do their bidding. They even carried some of them on their backs.

Chiona took her cubs away from these Two Legged Ones, fervently warning them of the Danger. She told them to run away from these newcomers, never to let them come close.

Levka and Stegna were big and growing cubs. They wanted their freedom. Chiona allowed it, but she stayed to guard them, safely hidden behind a snow bedecked boulder.

There she saw the Auburn Maned One. He was strange and very beautiful for a Two Legged One. He did not seem dangerous and he had no long fangs and claws on him. No, he was quite helpless and hapless as he fell from his Four Legged Friend and rolled down the mountain slope. Chiona thought that he might have broken his neck, but he recollected himself and sat down on a snow clad stone, calmly inspecting his injuries. There was something seriously wrong with his right foot. He rubbed it and moaned and groaned from pain.

Now her beloved cubs came close to this Auburn Maned One. They even befriended him and crept up into his lap, purring and meowing like weak kittens. Chiona got quite furious at her offspring. Had they not learned anything at all? She had to teach them, and HIM a serious lesson. She gave up a very loud roar and leaped at them. Levka and Stegna looked up at their doting Mother. The Auburn Maned One looked up at her, too, with great amazement.

Chiona looked into the most beautiful blue eyes that she had ever seen. They had the colour of summer skies, but now they were darkened by pain and agony. She also saw love and concern for all living creatures, now especially her beloved cubs. This was a very special Two Legged One. The fierce snow leopard Mother instantly changed her opinions about him.

Chiona simply could not harm this Auburn Maned One.

A Mother's Care

Hephaestion sat gently patting the little ones. They were so very cute and caring, they made him feel much better, even in this dreadful situation. He found the situation somewhat familiar. There was this time in Illyria when three very cute kittens had befriended him. They had turned out to be no kittens at all. No, they were the fearsome lynx. Their doting Mother was even more fearsome. Hephaestion just found the time to let these thoughts come before his Inner Eye. Then he heard a most hideous roar and the Mother of the kittens appeared.

She was even more fearsome than the doting lynx Mother - and twice the size of her.

/ "Oh, no. Not again!," he thought before passing out. /

He woke up in a warm and cozy cave, resting on a bed of straws and fur. At first he thought that he was back in Illyria. He expected Alexander to be at his side. Then there was a warm tongue gently licking all over him. He looked up and found the Mother snow leopard was taking good and gentle care of him. The kittens were cuddling up around his feet and they purred with great satisfaction. It was very warm and comfortable. If he had not had this horrible pain in his right foot and felt so very sore and bruised all over he would have been quite comfortable.

Hephaestion longed for Alexander. He also longed for the care of Amanda and doctor Philip. He badly needed them all.

Now the Mother snow leopard proudly presented a heap of raw meat before him. It looked like the sad remains of a very big, white rabbit. Hephaestion swallowed in anguish but he also felt famished. He wished that he could make a fire and cook it properly.

"Many thanks, my new friends. I am sorry that I cannot eat it the way you do, "he kindly told them, gently patting their furry heads.

Then he passed out from the pain once more.

Search For A Friend

Castor was feeling very sad and forlorn. His Dear Master was gone. He had been thrown down that dreadful slope. Castor felt very clumsy and guilty. It was his mission to take good care of his Dear Master when he was out in all these strange and dangerous places he had to visit with his Golden One and Bucephalus. He had failed in this, failed most miserably.

Castor often wished that they were back in Macedonia, prancing around on its green meadows, drinking its pure and refreshing waters, always being well fed, safe and secure. Now he wished it even more. He especially wished that his Dear Master were there with him, also that his Golden One and Bucephalus could be together with them.

Sadly, this was not so. He was surrounded by snow and cold and he looked down into the steep and fearsome slope that had taken his Dear Master. Castor wanted to go down there to search for him, even if it was one of the most dangerous places that he had ever seen. He put one of his mighty hoofs over the edge, but he quickly pulled it back.

Castor was a prudent horse. He knew when a mission was impossible.

Now Alexander was at his side. He embraced the auburn maned war stallion and gave him comfort.

"Dear Castor. It is not your fault that Hephaestion has fallen down this steep slope. It is this cursed winter clime and inhospitable realm!, "Alexander told him in a reassuring manner. "You are a very brave horse that you want to go down there after him, but you cannot. I will climb down there and bring him back to us!"

Alexander went down the steep slope. Cleitus and the faithful Guards followed him. There was one more brave and willing rescuer amongst them. No one saw the tiny golden haired woman with her leather satchel filled with Healing herbs, potions and poultices. Amanda was safely hidden under Cleitus' thick bear fur cloak. She held on to his broad back, totally relying on his strength and ability to save her very dear Hephaestion.

They climbed down the steep slope, carefully looking for traces of their sadly missing friend. The cold was bitter and merciless. He would not make it if they did not find him soon. They saw where he had fallen down the slope. They also saw that he had been sitting on a big boulder. There were strange footprints all around in the snow. They looked like those of a very big cat, with some smaller paw marks forming circles around the boulder. Alexander gave up a desperate sigh and slammed his hand into his brow.

"Oh no! He has met with some new "kittens" and befriended them. By the looks of their footprints they seem to be even larger than the lynx he met with in Illyria."

Alexander saw some other, more ominous marks. There were signs that a body had been dragged along in the snow. The marks led into a cave higher up the mountains slope.

The giant cat must have taken Hephaestion with her. Would he still be alive?

The brave rescuers walked with great care and prudence towards the cave. What would they find in it?

TBC