The Royal Flame

The division

Soft pounding of weight on snow makes me shift in my own skin. The pounds that I can feel coursing through my ears have a short interval. Meaning that whatever is moving, is moving fast. My inner nerves tell me I do not have a second to spare to see what is coming towards me with such a speed as there is no chance it will be a friendly soul.

With quick spurts, snow is kicked up into the air as I frantically move towards the mountain wall that separates me from immediate and future danger. A quick scan with my eyes over the wall I spot a small inclined pathway that moves along the wall. But as I reach the foot of the complete vertical wall I am hit with the fact that the pathway is no more than a small ledge, whereby only one foot at a time can be placed.

With no other choice left, I throw the loose pelts off my shoulders, freeing myself from the obstruction it can become. Searching with my hands along the stone wall to find any well enough grounded piece of rock to entangle my fingers around. I place my first step of the steep climb. Keeping myself on the small ledge, I quickly shuffle my right foot further to the front slightly going up. With a new good grip for my hands, I pull my left foot behind my right foot as I continue upwards. My face pressed against the wall, cold seeps through my skin. Fresh breath released from my lips forms small white clouds in front of my eyes, clouding my vision. After a view steps, right when I put my right foot to the front again, my right foot falls. Where I expected to be support there suddenly was not. Looking down over my arm, I find myself partially dangling my right foot kicks around next to the wall in search for any hold. While I do manage to find a small point of a rock to rest my toes on for support. I am also able to see the creature that came after me. Up against the wall, having climbed up to quite some height, I can clearly see the creature slowing down as it almost reaches the wall.

Expecting a horse, a more obvious to this landscape creature reduces it speed as it nears the wall. Pacing around at the foot of the wall below me it searches for any easy way up. A wolf with gorgeous grey fur trots around before halting as it lifts its head locking eyes with me. Baring its teeth, a low growl is released from its throat. A similar growl to what I heard earlier from the direction of the village. Were they overrun by wolves? If so, I have no more regrets running away except for the fact that I am dangling here above an enormous creature bearing its teeth, ready to tear me apart.

The more than average sized wolf bows through its legs, finding enough power it launches itself up against the wall. Quickly removing my left foot up in the air, it barely misses before it falls back down on its back in the thick blanket of snow. Placing my left foot closer to my right, just at the end of the ledge, my right foot reaches the start of another small ledge. As my left toes now support me, I give another look down. The wolf still jumps against the wall giving all its effort to get a hold of me, however I have created enough distance between us. In its attempts, small rocks fly down as its paws scrape along the wall, but it quickly recovers from every fall down.

Another ear deafening growl fills the air, before the grey creature is tumbled to the side by complete darkness. The darkness moves around, it shortly looks up at me revealing emerald colored eyes before it leaps further forward towards the grey wolf. Not waiting for the outcome, I continue my slow climb up.

Reaching the final ridge with my hand, I search for any hold that cannot be found. Grasping around the soft snow, despair grows over me. Regaining a stable pattern of breaths, I throw my right leg over the ridge as well. Holding on with my left foot and hand on the rocks of the wall, for support and reassurance that if I slide off I might still have the little unrealistic chance of rescuing myself from death by falling down. With a shaky breath, as the snow seeps through my clothes, I push off. Rolling myself over the ridge on my back, landing with my back on snow, my face towards the star filled sky. My chest raises up and down, as the air is filled with growls and sounds of wrestling movements down the wall. Meanwhile the snow under me further drenching my clothes.

After a couple of seconds that I have given myself to regain my sanity, I lift myself up. Even though curious, not looking back over the ridge to the situation down there I prepare myself to move on. Knowing darn well from any movie that curiosity for hell spoken sounds will only get me killed. I move towards the steep snow path that has formed before my eyes between the two mountain tops.

The snow burns through my skin as the hill becomes steep enough that I have to use my hands for support as my legs sink till my knees deep into the snow. Unable to take big steps, I am slowed down. However, the thought of my own home, which is never a solid place but determined by the presence of Nick, those are the thoughts that keep me going. Something to look forwards to, returning to a normal world.

“I did not go through all that to freeze to death out here.” I whisper to myself as I place another step forwards. This time I do not sink completely up till my knees into the snow. But just as I lift my other leg up, placing all my weight on my one foot, the ground underneath me starts to move. Falling forwards my face is planted into the snow even though I tried to stop my fall with my hands, they instead sink into the layer of snow. The cold rumbling snow further burns into my face, red faced I find grip and stand up only to witness the destruction I have created. Snow around me is starting to move around, quickly I lift my knees up after each other. Trying to run forward up the hill through the thick layers of snow, as an avalanche is created behind me.

Losing my strength, my hops slow down. The snow has gotten quickly calmer again as I moved up. Turning around the snow layer looks thinner as its top layers quickly disappear over the ridge. Seeing how one of my created problems might have solved a wild animal concern of mine. Pushing my numb hands in my pockets I continue my wiggle up to the end of what I hope to be the division between this cold dangerous situation and hopefully a warm land with a fire and a good meal.