~ A Hiking Trip ~

LYKOS

The frigid, high-altitude breeze sweeps over Lykos, sending his fur rustling in waves as he pads through the snow. His large paw pads keep him from sinking too deeply into the snow, marching up the rugged and steep terrain of the mountain. Casting a glance off to his left, he gets an appreciated view of the snowed-out forests and white-capped mountains that surround him. The skies are a silvery white blanket of snowfall clouds, casting a light fog over the mountain peaks. It's a beautiful sight, the vast expanse of the wilderness… he could get used to this freedom.

A shuffle of the warm, light weight on his back and a pat on his shoulder has him craning his neck to look over.

"Come on, Lykos. We're getting close to the top," Saphira says.

Lykos rolls his eyes and gently bucks his waist. The Hespired squeaks in surprise, clutching his fur and giving him a glare.

"Be nice!"

He emits a soft rumble of amusement and resumes moving them on their way. This morning, the pair have set out on a bit of a hiking trip, taking a route that has brought them high into the mountains. It has been several days since the hostile encounter with his kind and since then, he and Saphira have been spending a lot of time together, hunting and exploring. She's taken up a bit of an outfit adjustment, donning a hooded, silver cloak that drops to her mid-thigh. Hunters may be toughened to the wilds, but it seems not even they are above staying warm against the frigid, icy environment.

Whenever he thinks about it, it's still such a disbelief to Lykos at how much their friendship has grown in such a short time. They've become very trusting and even a little dependent upon each other. She's told him much of her past and despite the challenges on his part, he managed to reveal some history about himself as well. Much of it was still broken and missing many pieces, but they were still able to see just how much they have in common. They both lost their homes, they're both outcasts, and they've both lost people they care about. It was astonishing for Lykos to realize he had met someone who is so different, yet, also so alike to him.

They've also realized that they are quite the hunting duet. In just several days, they perfected their cooperation skills so much so that they can kill enough for them to share and more. Three successful hunts; two deer the first hunt, several turkeys the second hunt, and a young moose on the third. It's been more than enough for Lykos to eat and for Saphira to fill the bellies of her sisters with some to store for later.

It was almost like the two were meant to be friends.

Increasing his pace, Lykos lopes up the mountainside until they finally make it to one of the highest peaks; a wide, snow-covered ledge that gives them an incredible view for miles around, with only the fog to obscure their vision. He feels so free up here, almost as if he can soar like a gryphon. The wind whistling over his fur feels amazing and he revels in the icy air.

"Wow, it's much colder up here," Saphira remarks with a soft chatter of her teeth.

Lykos glances back at her and she frowns at him.

"What? I can handle cold, but that doesn't mean I like it," she says. She swings a leg over to slide off his back, dropping into the snow beside him.

"It's beautiful up here."

Lykos huffs in agreement, sitting back on his haunches. He wonders if one day, they'll ever strike out to explore the world beyond what they know. It's a fleeting dream, as he knows Saphira is bound to the Hunters of Artemis. She wouldn't leave her sisters behind.

"It's been so long since I've appreciated the wilderness like this," Saphira murmurs, gazing out over the landscape. She gently nudges him with her elbow. "So, what do you think? We try that mountain next time?"

She points to a particularly high peak in the north that seems even taller than the one that they're on. Lykos frowns and replies with a low, muttering groan.

"You're so lazy!" she exclaims at his response. As a retort, he bumps her shoulder with his muzzle, nearly toppling her off balance. She adds to her statement; "And rude."

Lykos shifts to lay down in the snow beside her as she kneels and removes a map from her backpack. She traces her finger along the paper, as if searching for where they could possibly head next. Where they are is a region near what modern mortals call the Hudson Bay, Ontario. No civilization around for hundreds of miles in any direction, just forest and mountains.

"If we leave super early in the morning, we can maybe go see the bay," Saphira suggests, pointing at the splotch of blue on the map. Lykos just stares at the map in confusion. He's very familiar with modern language, both English and Greek… but for understanding it. Reading modern language is… a different story. Saphira seems to realize his confusion and giggles, rolling up the map.

"Right. Sorry, I forgot you can't do that," she says. She earns a twinkle in her eyes as she looks at him. "I can try to teach you if you'd like."

What in Hades kind of good will reading do him if he can't speak the damn words?

She seems to guess what he's thinking.

"Oh, stop being so negative. You can learn even if you can't speak it out loud."

He doubts that, but just to humor her, he gives a half-shrug, half-nod gesture. Saphira straightens her posture on her knees, taking one last glance out at the landscape.

"Alright. Let's start heading down. Maybe we'll find an elk on the way," she says.

Lykos nods in agreement and is about to heed her suggestion, but the moment he stands up, his ears pick up the faintest noise from the snow beneath him. It's a tiny vibrating rumble, but it's just noticeable enough for him to freeze in place and stare down at the ground. He has a sinking suspicion that this ledge they're on isn't as stable as it first seemed. Saphira notices his widened eyes and freezes as well.

"What is it?" she asks, her voice hushed and urgent. He gives a subtle nod of his head towards the ground, hoping she understands. She does.

"Oh." She takes a deep breath and, very slowly, begins to rise to her feet. "Okay. No sudden moves. We'll just retrace our steps to get off this ledge, alright?"

Lykos dips his head once, but he's not comforted by their plan. It's not a sheer drop beneath them, but a sharply curved slope. Either way would not be a fun trip down the mountain. He can hear and feel the snow shifting, like the icy ledge might crack and collapse at any second. He and Saphira continue to try to move cautiously, carefully following their tracks to get off the precarious perch.

Then the ground beneath Saphira's feet gives out.

"Aah!" she cries, reaching out to claw for anything to stop herself from falling. Lykos, without a second of hesitation, dives with his jaws open to snap shut on the hood of her cloak. Saphira grunts as her drop is suddenly halted, her breathing deep and her eyes wide. She looks up at him, craning her neck to see her savior.

"Thanks, Ly- AAH!"

Her thanks is cut short as the snow caves beneath Lykos as well, and the pair find themselves falling down a couple dozen meters to slam onto the snowy slope, but they don't stop there! Lykos' world becomes a spinning, sickening whirlpool as he tumbles head over tail until he finally manages to orient himself enough to stay semi-upright, but he's still sliding down the slope at a speed that is definitely higher than what anyone should ever want to be when falling down a mountain.

"Lykos!"

The hunter's frightened cry has him struggling to look around and maintain his balance in his descent, with the wind howling past his ears. He spots her sliding just as fast only a few meters behind him, scraping over the snow like a bullet with her hands scrabbling at the snow in a vain effort to slow the fall.

"Lykos!" she screams again, and points past him. "The drop!"

Lykos snaps his head back down the slope at her warning and feels his blood turn to ice either from the freezing snow and icy wind rushing over him, over from the sheer terror at seeing the seemingly sudden and very sharp drop of a cliff that they are both hurtling towards. He pivots himself with a great deal of effort to face directly towards the approaching drop and with all his strength, attempts to dig his front paws into the snow while leaning back on his haunches. Saphira jams her bow deep into the snow to slow her own fall, but neither of them seem like they'll be able to stop themselves in time!

With his ears flattened back by the force of the wind, Lykos clenches his teeth together, baring them in a terrified snarl as the adrenaline and terror courses through his veins. They're falling way too fast!

Two hundred meters to the drop!

One hundred-fifty!

One hundred!

Fifty!

Lykos squeezes his eyes shut in dreaded anticipation and braces himself for the drop off the cliff and whatever may await them below it.

Suddenly, the wind stops howling. He no longer feels himself tearing through the snow. Reopening his eyes, he heaves the most massive sigh of relief of his life.

He's come to a stop just in front the drop and, leaning forward to peer over the edge, he can see what would have been an even farther fall than the one they had taken off the ledge. Another slope that makes the one they just slid down seem like a minor step would also have awaited them, with even more hazards like the icy pines and jagged rocks that dot the mountainside all the way to the bottom.

Saphira is right beside him, having thankfully also come to a stop before she could go over. Her dark, volcanic eyes are wide with the residue of terror and new gleam of relief. She turns her widened gaze towards him for a moment as they share the moment of a near-death experience, before she flops onto her back with deep, heaving breaths.

"That was… way too close," she rasps.

Lykos huffs in agreement and carefully backs away from the cliff's edge… just in case this one decides to collapse as well.

Then he hears it.

A rumbling groan that starts off soft like a whisper, but soon grows into a thunderous boom above them. Lykos and Saphira snap upright and whirl around to gaze back up the mountain.

The universe must be actively trying to kill them, because the giant wave of white that is thundering towards them seems almost too much of a coincidence after they just revel in their survival.

"Move!" Saphira shrieks, scrambling to her feet. Lykos does as well, but they both freeze when they realize that they have nowhere to run, trapped between the incoming avalanche and the cliff. The terror is renewed within him as his eyes dart about, searching for any place they could take shelter in, but there is no such thing to be seen. They have no cover and no place to go!

Except for…

Lykos' snaps around to the cliff and quickly peering over once again. It's a treacherously high fall, with many hazards that could shatter and tear them apart, but they have no choice.

With an urgent bark, Lykos snatches Saphira's attention and he flicks his tail at the cliff. She raises her eyes to him as if he might be insane, which, given his plan, is a possibility, but there's no time to argue about this. The thundering avalanche is nearly upon them, mere seconds from overcoming and drowning them in ice and snow, if the force doesn't crush them first. Hesitating no longer, Lykos lunges at the hunter and snatches her cloak in his teeth. Then, ignoring her frightened cry of protest, turns and pitches them both over the cliff just as the roaring, waves of snow envelop them in a frigid, churning ocean of white.

"AAAAH!" Saphira screams in a shrill tone as they're jostled and thrashed by the immense, immeasurable power of the avalanche. Lykos twists them around, with her cloak still in his teeth, so that he can take the brunt of the impact of their plummet. The icy slope races up to slam into his back, nearly taking the air out of his lungs and forcing his jaws to part and loose his grip on Saphira's cloak.

"Lykos-" her cry is cut short as a wall of whirling white comes between them.

Lykos' heart pounds his blood through his ears until he can't tell the difference between his own hammering beat and the thunderous bellow of the avalanche. Losing sight of Saphira nearly throws him into a panic, barely keeping his mind on a thread of focus and he forces his way to break through to the surface with a horrified cry of his own. He's at the head of the avalanche, but he still can't catch a glimpse of his friend. What if she's still underneath, being crushed to death or suffocating in the frigid waves of ice?!

He releases a desperate howling cry for her that has no way of being heard over the wrath and power of this force of nature. He fights against the avalanche, twisting and turning and doing anything he can to try to find Saphira.

Where is she, where is she?!

No, no, no!

Suddenly, he feels a sharp, violent yank on his scruff. Lykos thrashes about and his heart soars when he sees Saphira, clinging to his fur with all her might and a hardened, but terrified expression.

"Stay close!" she screams in his ear, but he can still barely hear her voice. He manages to position himself with his body around hers in an attempt to shield and hopefully prevent her from being torn away from him again. She manages to haul herself closer and get an arm around his neck to secure herself, but that doesn't matter because her eyes widen and she screams.

"Look out!"

Lykos only has enough time to see yet another, fast-approaching cliff ahead of him, but in those few precious seconds, he's ready for it. Turning his body around again, he faces the cliff head on, and mustering as much power in his legs as he can, propels himself forward just as they're pushed over it.

He's flying, soaring over the tops of the pine trees for just a few, stomach-churning seconds before he and Saphira dive back down to the slope with the avalanche right on their tails. Lykos manages to land and keep himself upright, with Saphira nearly tumbling away if not for her iron-like grasp on his scruff. Digging in his forelegs, he's able to slow himself down just enough to crane his head back to push her body onto his back. She hooks her legs around his flanks and drives her nails into his fur.

"Tree!" she cries, but he's already seen it. With another mighty push of his legs, he finds himself himself half-running, half-sliding down the mountain at the speed of a fired bullet. The wind screams like a banshee in his ears. His fur feels like its being torn from his skin from the velocity, and his paw-pads feel like they're being scraped over shards of ice! Yet, none of this distracts him from his new-found, laser-like focus, weaving and dodging around trees and boulders that zip past them as nothing more than blurs, only to be swallowed by the ravenous, all-consuming avalanche behind them.

Lykos and Saphira work as one, with her leaning and using her own added body weight to pull him out of the path of obstacles. He bucks his torso up to aid in her leap over a low-leaning pine that was just high enough for him to duck and slide beneath before she comes back down to land on his back. When he loses his footing for a brief second, she slides off and pulls him out of the way of a boulder, then swings herself back on him while he regains his balance. There's no more call-outs or protest between them, only instinct and absolute trust in each other that takes over.

They're very nearly at the bottom of the slope of the mountain, but the avalanche is still right behind them. If they make it free from this, it'll be extremely close. Summoning all his strength and energy, Lykos drives it all towards his legs, commanding them to push forward even faster. As if the roaring, hurtling wave of snow wasn't enough, the thickening pines now begin to be flung and flattened, nearly crushing them. The forest is doing little to break the avalanche's rampage and only adds to the danger by the sharp, wooden debris being flung at them.

Lykos can see the break in the woods ahead, the trees ceasing to give way to the open plains at the bottom of the mountain. They're so close!

With a snarl, he pushes himself even harder, dodging and weaving through the trees and falling splinters of wood. They're off the slope and back on even ground. If they just stay ahead for a few seconds longer, the avalanche will lose its momentum.

One hundred meters.

Seventy-five!

Fifty!

Finally!

Lykos bursts from the trees, hurtling out onto the open plain, his paws pounding over the frozen ground as the avalanche finally loses its steam upon breaking the tree line. The exhilaration he feels upon realizing that they made it is almost overwhelming, glancing over his shoulder to see the avalanche already being reduced to just a residue cloud of white that is already starting to settle. Saphira lets out a gasp of relief and joy and she throws her arms up and her head back.

"Yes!" she cries out to the sky.

Lykos' legs finally give out and they both tumble over the icy ground, but it does nothing to dampen either of their invigorated spirits. Sliding on his belly to a halt, Lykos heaves his flanks alongside the panting hunter as they struggle to catch their breath. They stare at the chaos they had left behind in their wake before glancing at each other with victory and happiness. Saphira throws her arms around his neck with a laugh.

"I can't believe we made it," she rasps into his fur.

Lykos rumbles in agreement, pulling away to sprawl himself out on the snow. His legs and paws burn despite the cold, feeling as if he had just ran a thousand miles. Saphira lays back beside him, her chest still rapidly rising and falling with her shaken breaths. They have a moment of silence, simply basking in their triumph of surviving the avalanche. After a few minutes, she leans up to gaze at him once more, and he frowns at her in confusion of her smile.

"So… I'm guessing no more hiking up snowy mountains?" Saphira asks with a soft giggle. Lykos rolls his eyes and plops himself back down.

As if she even had to ask.