Wind howled through the jagged mountain tops, screeching as it blew billowing clouds of snow and ice in every direction. Killua was shaking in his boots and ice cycles were forming in his hair. The only thing keeping him going was the rope tying himself and Gon together. He walked in the other boy's footprints, arms crossed tightly across his chest and tail wrapped around his waist for warmth. Gon was a dark figure before him, and even though they were only 3 feet apart he could barely make out his form.

They had been traveling through the mountains for three days now, and the Valkyrie and the hybrid had walked into a blizzard; or rather, the blizzard had walked into them. The sky had been baby blue and peaceful as ever, it had even been a couple degrees warmer than usual. Killua had been building the 38th snowman of their trip with Gon when suddenly a blizzard just existed.

They had been stumbling around and looking for shelter for the past four hours. Unfortunately, they were traversing a particularly large mountain, and there had been no shelter in sight the last time they had been able to see more than 3 feet in front of them (which had been before the blizzard had started). Gon was leading the way, as he was bulkier and more suited for forcing his way through a blizzard. Killua was fairly certain that had he been in front he would have blown away.

The two of them had incredible endurance and cold resistance, however being out in a blizzard was not something any humanoid could survive for too long.

"KILLUA?" Gon yelled over the incessant noise of the snow storm.

"I'M HERE, COLD BUT HERE," the silver haired boy responded.

"ME TOO!"

Killua couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Gon to make him laugh in a situation such as this. He had been checking on the Valkyrie every five minutes since they had started their blizzard hike, and it was the only thing keeping Killua from losing his mind.

This really wasn't a situation to take lightly.

The two of them hadn't even considered the possibility of a snow storm, especially not with the sky so clear. Unfortunately, they had forgotten to look down. Now they knew that storms in this mountain range came from below rather than above, due to the icy underbelly that lay below the first layer of clouds.

Killua was starting to get concerned.

It's so damn cold, I haven't been able to feel my feet or hands for the past hour and a half, and I'm sure Gon is doing far worse, being in front. What if we don't find shelter? We don't have a torch or anything, we already tried that and failed. There was nothing around at all, and it's highly likely that we have been walking in circles. I'm starting to think that-

"KILLUA! STOP IT! I CAN FEEL YOUR NEGATIVITY FROM ALL THE WAY OVER HERE!"

The boy in question was jolted from his thoughts with a start.

Gon did that a lot lately, as they had gotten to know each other better he would be able to read Killua's thoughts sometimes. Killua had no fucking idea how that was even possible. But he had to admit, it helped. A lot. The Valkyrie tended to get in his head, and he didn't know how he'd been living all these years without Gon to keep him grounded.

"DON'T WORRY! WE'LL FIND SHELTER REAL SOON!" Gon reassured him.

Killua smiled to himself, but the expression didn't last long. The dire situation was nothing to overlook. "HOW DO YOU KNOW? WE'VE BEEN TRAVELING FOR 4 HOURS!"

"CAUSE THERE'S LIGHT UP AHEAD!"

Killua's head snapped up so fast he was surprised his neck didn't break. "WHAT?! REALLY?! WHERE?!" He hunted the distance with his Valkyrie eyes, but found nothing.

"UP AHEAD ABOUT 100 METERS! I CAN SEE THE GLOWING OF LIGHTS! THERE IS A LARGE ROCK WALL THAT CREATES A SORT OF WIND BREAK! THE BLIZZARD IS CALMER UP AHEAD, AND I CAN JUST BARELY MAKE OUT SOME SORT OF CIVILIZATION!"

Killua was in shock. Awe. He was… he was… what?!

"HOW THE ACTUAL FUCK CAN YOU SEE THAT?!"

"I JUST CAN!"

"WHAT THE HELL! VALKYRIES ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE BEST SENSES OF ANY CREATURE!"

"SURE DOESN'T SEEM THAT WAY!~~~~~"

Killua's jaw dropped and he burst out laughing. He could faintly see the tell tale movement of Gon's shoulders shaking with giggles. The two boys continued walking, and once they were about 20 meters out (as Gon announced) they heard it.

A blood curdling roar that shook Killua's rib cage.

Gon looked over his shoulder through the onslaught of winter mess, and Killua could picture his expression: wide eyes with that wild look, fear set in with determination.

They shared a silent exchange, and took off running through the snow.

The two boys cleared the final 20 meters, and about half way through Killua started to see the lights Gon had been talking about. All the way their ears were assaulted with deafening roars, the sounds of destruction, and screams. The ground shook every now and then, and the snow whooshed this way and that from a foreign force rather than the wind.

They cleared the wind break, and sure enough the blizzard had been reduced to a heavy snow rather than a deadly snow-hurricane. The sight before them sent Killua into assassin mode.

There was a large wooden wall in shambles that had been guarding some sort of town. Just inside the destruction that was the wall an enormous, sickly gray monster was whipping around in a figure eight like pattern, drawing up screams at every turn. Killua felt Gon stiffen as they saw a splatter of blood through the snow and destruction.

They shared another look. This must be the monster Ophelia had been talking about.

The two of them dropped their packs and sprinted to action.

They leapt over the destroyed wall and split up: each of them taking a flank of the beast. There was no longer blizzard weather, but there was still heavy snow, and Killua could not make out what the monster was. It moved in such a way that it blended in with the snow. All that the Valkyrie could tell was that it was large, long, and scaly.

Letting the screams of terror lead them forward, the pair of battle hardened young men closed in on the creature's head area. After a month of running around the forest chasing and competing, Gon and Killua had gained a skill that only the most experienced of warrior duos attained: the ability to sense each other's location.

Once he and Gon were in position, Killua and the horned boy leapt into action, launching themselves through the air to where they estimated the head of the creature was.

Killua extended his claws and whipped out his tail for balance. He flew through the air, and latched onto the creature, not unlike the way he had latched onto the cliff. His iron-hard claws pierced right through the monster's scaly defense, and a green colored blood splattered Killua's pale features and clothing. We missed the head, it's a little further up.

The monster roared in pain, and Killua folded his ears as far back as they could go, closing out as much of the ear shattering noise as possible. He then scrambled up the creature's neck, sensing Gon doing the same on the other side. The creature flailed and roared, trying and failing to reach its enormous head around to where the tiny assailants were piercing its skin and drawing out so much blood.

In flawless synchronicity, the Valkyrie and the hybrid flung themselves off the neck and towards the head - but the creature leapt away at the last second, bursting off towards the gate in retreat. Gon and Killua were thrown backwards by the force of its leap, and tumbled through the air and towards the ground. Killua instinctively landed in a roll, and was back on his feet within seconds, just in time to see an icey-gray tail disappearing past the windbreak and into the blizzard.

Still panting from that sudden spurt of physical exertion - and more than a little disoriented - Killua allowed himself to relax and shut off assassin mode.

"Owwww," Killua turned in the direction of Gon's whine. The other boy was not as graceful as the Valkyrie, and had landed painfully on his side , some 10 meters away from Killua, likely having bounced about like a skipping stone. The silver haired boy winced at the mental image, hating the thought of his friend being slung about like a rag doll.

He made his way over to Gon, stepping over shards of wood and puddles of bloody snow. He reached his friend and held his hand out. The horned boy smiled up at him from where he had been sitting and rubbing his back, and took Killua's hand happily.

Killua pulled the other boy to his feet, and they grinned at each other, exchanging a complicated handshake that ended with their hands clasped between them.

"That was awesome!" Gon exclaimed.

"Yeah, no kidding! We were in perfect sync! All that time chasing you around the forest really paid off!"

Snow swirled around them, and from the debris and slowly clearing dust clouds several figures emerged. Gon and Killua turned to face them, both on guard for their surroundings were still veiled by a thick snowfall.

A group of around seven female forms emerged tentatively from the snow, and Killua prepared for a fight as they came to a stop close enough to see the whites of their eyes. They were-

Cat-girls?

Yup. Cat girls. Ranging from 17 years of age to 34, each of the women in the group had cat ears and tails. Their eyes were big and reflective, and they were dressed in an array of thick, fur lined clothes. Their hair was particularly thick, and they held themselves with a certain grace.

"Th-they drove off the creature!" One feline-woman exclaimed.

After a few seconds of silence, the women burst into varying reactions:

"We're saved!"

"Thank the Goddess!"

"Our prayers have been answered!"

"Champions from outside the gates!"

Killua and Gon shared a quizzical glance.

One woman approached the two of them, coming close enough for them to fully make her out through the snow. "Excuse our rudeness, dear saviors! My name is Opal, and we are forever in your debt!"

With that, Opal sank to her knees and bowed down to the two boys. Her honey blond hair brushed the snow, and her black ears were pushed forward in respect. The rest of the women came out of the shadows and followed Opal's example. They sported a variety of different skin tones, hair colors, and fur shades - yet all of them bowed down in respect and gratitude.

Killua swished his tail behind him in acknowledgement.

They curled their tails around their feet in response.

Killua flicked an ear, and they stood.

Gon's brain overheated, and he started to steam.

"Body language," Killua explained so that only Gon could hear. "It is a certain language that any humanoid with a tail - or pivotable ears if applicable - can speak. It's etiquette."

Gon nodded discreetly in response.

"You have driven away the creature, how can we ever repay you?" Opal said.

Killua glanced around, still unable to get a read on the location. "Some shelter would be nice, we've been traveling through this blizzard for 4 hours now."

A series of gasps fluttered between the women.

"My, my! Of course! Follow us! And make haste! We wouldn't want you getting sick!"

Opal and the other women turned tail and walked in the other direction. Killua looked at Gon and Gon looked at Killua. "Should we trust them?" they asked each other with a look. Then a sharp, frigid wind blew through, and they immediately hurried to follow the strange group of feline-humanoids.

Making good pace, Opal and the group of women led Gon and Killua deeper into what the Valkyrie hypothesized to be some sort of town. He could feel from under his feet that the roads were paved, and faint lights from street lanterns were scattered about.

He felt uneasy about this situation so far. From what he could tell, he and Gon had saved these women from the monster and now they were indebted. Based on the position of their tails (lowered and neatly swishing back and forth near the ground as they walked) they meant no harm, and did not want a fight.

I'm glad they have tails, it is customary for any tailed humanoid to communicate with the proper etiquette, so I will always have a good read on them. We stumbled across this random town - which isn't on any maps - in the middle of a treacherous mountain range. They are Neko-Girls, a species of humanoid with cat-like features. They are a relatively common species, however their homeland is unknown. Just the fact that we have stumbled across a town of them is strange enough on its own. And now we are forced into a position to trust them. It is so fucking cold I can't hardly think straight, I can't feel my feet or hands and my tail is growing ice cycles. We can't stay out here for much longer, so we have no choice but to follow them. Still, it isn't wise to just trust people.

Gon brushed up against his shoulder to get his attention, and Killua met his gaze. The tan boy smiled encouragingly. "It's all part of the adventure, Killua! Meeting new people and discovering new places," he whispered.

Killua blinked at him, there he goes again, pulling out of my head. The Valkyrie's mouth tilted up at the corners. "So, what, we just follow them?"

"Yup!" The silver haired boy shook his head, this went against everything he had ever been taught… but he didn't hate it. There was something freeing about just going with the flow and going wherever the wind took them (literally rather than metaphorically in this case).

"If it's for the adventure, then so be it," Killua said, faking annoyance. In reality, he was just as excited as ever about this adventure, though that excitement was bridled quite a bit by the cold. The Valkyrie looked back ahead of him, and followed the Neko-Girls in silence, wondering what lay ahead of him and his best friend.

AN: uh oh, starting our first official "section" (part? story arc? whatever) I'll label each section in the chapter names when they start up