Yu Yu Hakusho is not mine.
I'm back from Mexico :) Yes Mexico. I was about 45 minutes from Cancun (which, by the way, means Snake Nest in the Mayan language). It was fun down there. I got to climb up an ancient Mayan temple, I freaked out when on top because I'm afraid of height and got to climb back down on my butt XP I beat my fear... for now. Lol
Anyways back to the traditional things I do here.
Thanks you for reviewing RAW19 and miyako14 for reviewing. You guys are the best :D
On with the tale!
Chapter 3
The looming snowy mountains lay before the group; they had finally reached the end of the plains, which both pleased and displeased them. The mountain range was so vast that the group knew not how long it spread throughout the land, thus they were stuck traveling over them since traveling around seemed out of the question.
"Can someone tell me how it's snowing on the mountain at the end of spring?" Yusuke asked.
"It's the cursed mountain of Diath," Touya told them.
Era looked at him curiously, as if registering something, "Diath?"
Touya nodded, but quickly caught Era's expression, "You know the word?"
Era nodded, "My words."
"Eh? This 'ere mountain has an ancient name?" Jin asked. In all his years in the Makai he had never known that the name of the mountain come from the ancient language of the demons. He had always figured it was a name of someone who had died trying to cross it.
"What does it mean?" Hiei asked since he too had thought much like Jin for decades.
Era frowned, "It another word for Death."
"The cursed mountain of Death huh," Yusuke looked up at the mountains, "Alright then."
Touya started to explain, "Millennia's ago, from what I've heard around seven centuries after Van-Gareth fell for the first time, Era's people were barely alive. Many demons had been tainted by Van-Gareth and had become evil, much like him, and were slaughtering the race of the girl who had made him fall."
"Being that the water demons were pacifists they tried to flee to villages that ice demons had created. After all ice demons only came to be after a group of water demons decided they no longer wanted to be pacifist and left to the colder regions where their water skills became ice skills. So the ice demons would take them in with no obligation. However as one group of water demons tried to do this they were forced up these mountains."
Yusuke raised a brow, "Forced?"
Touya nodded, "They were being chased by a group of crazed demon lords. As the water demons tried to escape their only path led up the mountains, however the demon lords followed and slaughtered them mercilessly. The storms that occur year round on the mountains now are said to be the tears of the fallen demons, but because it is cold up there it snows instead of rains."
Upon hearing the end of the tale Era looked completely crestfallen. Kuwabara looked up at the mountain, "Well that's a depressing story."
"Not always is history pleasant, especially back in those days," Kurama said before looking up at the mountains. "Well there's no need to delay the inevitable any longer."
The group knew that they had to climb the mountains, but they seemed wearier of it now then they ever had before. It seemed as if the mountain were now trying to tell them to go back. Something was going to occur while they were on the mountain, but they knew not what.
The trek up the mountain had been relatively easy for the first two hours or so since there was a clear path leading them. Once they got into the mountain chain however snow lined the path in a soft, thin, blanket, which mad the path slightly slippery.
When the group found a cave they decided to take a break. No one was cold as of yet since the temperature wasn't that bad and they had been walking for two hours so they were warm.
They all sat around and chatted about different things and had a light snack. Era gave Zeek some food, which thrilled him to no end.
"Era, do you know anything about what we can expect in Eralaeas's forest," Yusuke asked.
Era shook her head, "I never been there an' what it was is not what it is now."
"Right, sorry," Yusuke said with a nervous laugh. He had forgotten that Era had never been there and had nearly forgotten that the terrain around the shrine had long changed.
"Why 'aven't you been 'ere?" Jin asked.
Era sighed, "I was to go, but Van-Gareth come."
"'at's always a problem," Jin said as his ears drooped.
Era nodded, "Is okay though."
After they were rested they got their things together and continued their trek up the mountain. They had a long way to go and they had yet to enter the storm that raged on the upper parts of the mountain.
After an hour's walk the group did enter the snowy zone of the mountain; it was coming down finely. By this time everyone, with the exception of Era and Touya, had a blanket wrapped around them (both Era and Touya could bare the cold weather with little problem).
Soon enough the group found themselves walking in two feet of snow as it continued to come down even heavier than before. The falling snow did not bother the group too much since they could still see, but the two feet of snow beneath them was a problem.
Every few minutes it seemed that the storm got stronger and vision became less and less. Most of the group clung to their coats and blankets in an effort to keep warm.
"It's freezing!" Yusuke yelled before his teeth went back to their chattering fit.
"You've just realized this?" Hiei asked bitterly.
Within five minutes of Hiei's comment the snow began coming down in bigger, more blinding, bits. Era, who was leading the group, tried to shield her eyes, but she found it very difficult. She could feel Zeek's small body pressed up against her neck as he tried to keep himself warm.
In the mass of snow Era stumbled, but caught herself relatively quickly. Touya yelled over the storm to her, "You alright?" Era nodded and Touya only saw it because he was almost right next to her at that point.
It was getting increasingly harder to see, even Touya found it hard to see Era when she was only a foot in front of him.
"Era!" Yusuke hollered, but to her it seemed just a bit louder than a whisper. She turned around, allowing the group to come closer together. "We have to get out of this storm!" He yelled so that he could be heard.
"I know," Era said slightly louder than her normal voice is.
"Touya, do you know these mountains?!" Kurama yelled.
"No!" Touya yelled in reply, "I only know of them!"
"Well..." Kuwabara broke off as he choked as a mass of snow flew relentlessly into his mouth.
Hiei moved forward, "We can't stay here! We'll be buried!" The group nodded, but most could not see the simple motion through the fast falling snow.
The group continued their grueling trek through the snow as they looked for shelter. "It's freezing!" Yusuke yelled again.
"No kidding!" Hiei yelled.
There was a rumbling sound and snow fell off the ledge above Era. Touya grabbed her and fell backwards, narrowly saving her from the mini avalanche. Zeek had fallen from his hiding place when Touya had hit the ground with Era on him and now the wyrmling lay in the snow next to the ice master.
Era sat up and looked around for her little friend, the blizzard making her sight minimal. "Zeek!" she cried, "Zeek!"
Touya looked around for the small creature and spotted him almost completely buried in the snow. He picked the creature up, earning a bite on the area between his thumb and index finger. With a small cringe he handed the wyrmling to Era, who took him and hugged it close.
With a gentle squeeze to her shoulder Touya told her to get to her feet. The others waited patiently as Era and Touya got up and brushed themselves off. Zeek went back to his hiding place when Era put him on her shoulder. Touya put the bleeding part of his hand in his mouth for a moment before letting it fall to his side.
Jin looked to his comrade and his ears drooped. It was not because of the cold, it was because he saw how his friend was even through the thick snow.
"How are we supposed to get around now?!" Yusuke yelled.
"We'll have to go over it!" Kurama replied, "It's relatively flat anyway!" Kurama went ahead of the group and climbed over the mound of snow, "It's stable enough!"
Era and Touya were the last to climb up since Era was making sure Zeek was alright. But it was then that chaos hit the group unexpectedly. A figure came out of nowhere and knocked Era completely off balance.
Touya's reflexes were too slow to catch her.
Can you say "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
Hehehehe ::cough;; I'm so mean XD What's going to happen to Era?!
Find out in the next chapter, which I need review to put up.
