Chapter 49.
Edited by KitWulf 30-5-2021
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The view was breathtaking. Azura plowed her way through thick snowbanks that the wind had created much like a desert. Sometimes it would almost reach her stomach while at other places it only covered her paws. Lucas had the advantage here with his bigger size for sure.
Because of the chasm they had been following for such a long time, they had no idea what their surroundings had looked like, but now that they were on top she had difficulty grasping what lay ahead of them. The mountains were almost touching the clouds, rough and jagged with sheer cliffs, drops, and flat areas altogether. She could only compare it to pictures she had seen of the rough Himalayas where it was almost impossible to go to as a human. This area was the same. It was so secluded she wondered if there had ever been any humans to see its splendor.
With the sun slowly setting, the sky slowly started to change its colors from a deep blue to a bright orange with beautiful pinks streaked across it. It was one of the rarer colored sunsets and with all the snow and ice around, the ground seemed to reflect and adopt the same shimmering color almost making it come to life. The wind was still howling and blowing around them at full speed. Sometimes it caused tiny snow whirlwinds and no matter how treacherous they could be, Azura couldn't help but see the beauty in them. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, she turned to Lucas and gave him a lick across the side of his face before she nuzzled him and let out a satisfying purr. He returned the gesture and let his head gently rest on top of hers as he stared at the mountains ahead of him.
Azura had no idea how long they had been sitting there side by side, tails entwined. The sun had set completely and a bright moon had risen in the sky. The light it emitted was enough for them to still see their surroundings with ease. A loud yowl caught their attention and Lucas and Azura both looked in the direction the sound had come from. The wind had died down by now and the yowl had pierced the silent night sky, almost tearing it apart. Before them, two snow leopards emerged, their blue eyes reflecting the stars and light in them. Even though they were standing three big leaps away, Azura couldn't help but stare at their eyes and wondered if hers had the same effect. It could explain why Lucas had been staring at her quite often with a look on his face she could only describe as surprise mixed with amazement and a hint of confusion in them.
When the scents of Killian and Zahair hit her nose Azura slowly got up followed by Lucas and made their way over. The two males nodded their heads almost simultaneously as a greeting and indicated them to follow. It was a much easier path now and they could follow the trails that had been made in the snow by the other werecats. The closer they got to their destination, the more tracks were visible and they eventually joined one large frozen road. All these paths coming back to one reminded her of a complex artery system and the road they were on now was the aorta. Right now they were the only ones on it though and the silence fell heavy between them.
Zahair walked to the side and let himself fall behind instead of walking beside Killian. She had noticed the small flicks of their tails together and sometimes had to stare twice as the two men had sought gentle physical contact together just like Lucas and herself were doing at times. Now with Zahair behind them and Killian upfront, she felt her nerves building up. They were being guided as if they were prisoners.
Had she made a mistake by coming here? Azura started to doubt herself as Zahair had taken the position at the back. Lucas had warned her not to trust Killian that easily and yet now she had to admit that was exactly what she had done. From the first moment he had shown up she had started to trust him even though she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself. The Phoenix had never spoken up about him either while it had voiced its opinion about people it had not liked before. Bethany came to mind first but also the man in the bar and even Ben. The Phoenix had always been wary of Ben but with Killian, it had never responded like that. It was probably why she had trusted him so easily. She was forgetting her own judgment and was relying solely on the Phoenix's judgment. Who was to say she could trust the Phoenix's call? As if it knew she was thinking about it the Phoenix spoke up.
You can doubt what you want as long as you trust me in the end. Right now, promise you will listen to me and do what I say.
Her head snapped to the left in a short but fast jerk causing Lucas to turn his head to her in concern. He knew what it meant whenever it happened. On the other hand, she herself still hadn't figured out why sometimes the Phoenix could talk to her without her having a physical reaction, and other times her head jerks would give it away. She just hoped Zahair hadn't seen it.
'How can I still trust you after learning everything I did about you?'
Projecting the question in her mind, she hoped she could talk to the flaming entity this way.
We need each other to survive. We will die otherwise. That alone should be enough for you to trust me and vice versa.
She couldn't help but growl softly in agitation but decided not to respond anymore. She knew it was right and it knew she would comply. She had no other choice. Lucas swatted her firmly with his tail as she growled making Killian actually stop and turn around. Realizing what she had just done, Azura quickly turned her attention to Lucas and snarled at him, trying to make it look like she had been growling at him for some reason. All she wanted was for the two blue-eyed snow leopards to believe they had something like a marital spat with each other. To prove her point further she swatted her paw at Lucas without hitting him. A clear warning sign that she wasn't happy with him, or so she hoped. One thing was for sure, she would have to do some explaining when they had a private moment.
Killian examined them both for a moment and only after Azura huffed at him to continue, he turned around and headed towards a big building that was partly embedded in a mountainside. Azura stared at it wondering how on earth she had missed it. Turning her head around, she noticed they had arrived in some sort of village. Several rough-looking buildings were sticking out from a couple of cliff sides, revealing only an entryway with some windows next to it. The ground was polished and completely snowless here. You could almost call them roads and there were several leading in between other mountains, probably going to other houses and places.
As Azura looked up, she noticed the solar panels and big air vents and intakes scattered along the mountainside. This was not just a simple village, this was so much more than that. It boggled her mind how they'd been able to build everything up here, especially since the structures looked like they'd all been built a long time ago.
There was an almost eerie silence as Killian led them to the entrance of what seemed to be the main building. In her head, she compared it to what the packhouse was for the werewolves. It probably functioned as the town hall as well. She figured it would be the beating heart of the community. It didn't look very inviting though. Two big, metal grey doors like what you would expect at a big research institute were edged into the side of the rock. They seemed to be built to withstand a nuclear attack. To the side was a panel to open the doors, but Killian just looked up to the right corner where a camera was pointing down at them. They must've been watching as the doors slide open straight away. The only thing missing was a big spotlight behind them and smoke coming out of the entry to make it look like any of the movies she had watched.
Without thinking, she'd stepped closer to Lucas as she felt her nervousness rear its head. From the inside, she felt a pleasant calming heat spread and it surprised her the Phoenix tried to calm her down. With Lucas next to her who gave her a lick on the top of her head when she leaned into him, and the Phoenix supporting her, the nerves were controllable.
Zahair was still behind them as they followed Killian through the door into a very functional but sterile hallway. It truly had to have been something like a research facility before the blue-eyes took residence. There was no doubt in her mind as she stared at the never-ending white and grey. Fluorescent lights lit their way and they passed several steel doors as Killian guided them. A hospital emitted more warmth than this, Azura concluded. Eventually, they stopped before another set of double doors which opened as they approached, revealing a big spacious room.
Over fifty pairs of blue eyes moved their way. Most as human but also a couple in snow leopard form. There was a slight murmur going around as she stepped into the big hall with Lucas next to her. It probably was a strange sight, and Azura guessed that many of them hadn't ever seen the other type of snow leopards in their lives. That was until the thought of Johnathan crossed her mind.
The young man that had accompanied Lucas and a few others on a trip to finding the blue-eyed snow leopards. He'd never returned though and Azura couldn't forget the day that they had found him dead almost a year later. Killian had claimed he had spent time here and had crossed a line but hadn't said anything else. For some reason, seeing the reactions of the people who were present in the room, she believed he hadn't been telling the whole truth.
She shifted her focus away from the people and took in her surroundings, trying to distract herself. If she was right about this building being a research center, she figured this must have been the lunch or dining hall for all the staff members. It was big, spacious, grey, and dull. The middle of the room was four steps lower than the edges and she could just imagine that once this room held many tables for people to sit at and on the higher ground she could picture a big bar and counter where lunch or dinner would be served.
Zahair softly brushed past her as he joined Killian and headed to the other side of the room where one big seat was. It looked like a throne... Not in all its splendor because it had none but because of the placement. It overlooked the entire room and the people around them had left a clear path between the door where they had entered from and the throne as she would now call it. Azura had stopped in the center of the space as she watched Killian and Zahair taking their place on the left side of the throne. Zahair placed himself against the back wall and laid down, almost disappearing while Killian sat down next to the throne and curled his tail around his paws. He looked over to the man who occupied the seat and seemed to bow his head in respect.
Azura moved her gaze from Killian to the man who was sitting down, completely forgetting about the rest of the people that were present in the room. He was around the same age as her foster parents she guessed. Streaks of gray surrounded a balding area on top of his head and even from this distance, she could feel his ice-cold blue eyes gawk at her as if she were the devil herself. They weren't warm or inviting but cold and calculating. He was not the kind of person to go to to find comfort; he looked more like a ruthless leader, one that sometimes was necessary but more often, was doing more harm than good.
The Phoenix stirred inside then suddenly disappeared and Azura felt the hairs on her back rise and her tail fluffed up in response to the uneasy vibe she got from him. It took all her restraint to not try to overpower him. Now that she was aware she held a certain dominant power she was more in control of what she could do. For now, it was best to play dumb.
The man got up from his chair and motioned to one of the women standing on his right to do something. She gave him a little nod and quickly scurried to the back wall to grab something. She returned straight away and headed over to Killian first, placing a bundle of clothes and shoes next to him. She then raced towards her and Lucas and also placed down a bundle with clothes and shoes for both of them. When she was done, she backtracked straight away to where she came from and lowered her head. So this was why Killian had wanted to know their shoe and confection sizes.
"Welcome to Scire Village, Azura, and Lucas." His voice lacked enthusiasm and warmth. "My name is Marric, I'm the leader of this group of werecat shifters and have been for twenty-seven years now."
From the corner of her eye, Azura noticed Killian shifting in full public and carelessly getting dressed. She turned her attention back to Marric who had made his way to the edge of the steps but didn't come down. He was neatly clothed, not in a tight suit but still good enough you knew he was important. For his age, he seemed surprisingly fit and she guessed he, no doubt, still worked out to maintain his muscled physique. He was impressive, to say the least, even though he wasn't much taller than she was in human form.
Marric pointed at the stacks of clothing that the woman had put down for them. "In order for us to actually talk, I will ask you to shift right now. There's no need to stay in your current form and I'd like to see how you've grown up, Azura." He was demanding it more than he was asking.
Azura exchanged looks with Lucas before looking around at the rest of the villagers who apparently were all here. He wanted them to shift before the eyes of everyone? So much for privacy. There was no place to go and Killian had done it as well, although everyone knew him and all their eyes were on them. She glanced over at Killian who nodded at her and her gaze shifted over to Lucas again. He was waiting for her to make a choice. With a small huff, Azura lowered her head, ignored everyone around her, and shifted. She ended up on her hands and knees and took the bundle of clothes in her arms as she got up.
There was a time she wouldn't have done it; ashamed of being naked in front of so many people, ashamed of the scar that adorned her body, but those days were over. She didn't pay attention as soft gasps and whispers reverberated against the walls of the spacious room as she got dressed. She did notice how some people had the decency to look away as others openly stared at them. Next to her, Lucas shifted back as well. She had to hold back a small chuckle as he calmly stretched himself after being a snow leopard for so long before taking his clothes and putting them on.
The clothes were simple and reminded her of a tracksuit combined with scrubs. They were warm enough, however, even though it wasn't a perfect fit. The pants were a bit too short for her and the waist just a tad oversized. The shirt and vest were a better fit though. The sickly green and blue-ish color they had was one she would never wear herself. She hoped these clothes were not the only ones they would provide during their stay. Azura put on the socks provided and bent down to put on the running shoes. Practical but ugly. If Marric wanted to make them feel uncomfortable he had failed.
To make a point she was not someone to be messed with, Azura proudly looked around the audience. She made eye contact with some of them and a small smile curled on her lips until she met a pair of blue eyes that she'd met before. Her breath hitched for a moment, her skin crawled, teeth clenched hard, and her nostrils flared as she stared at the man who had tried to seduce her back in the bar at Pleyvale. The one Lucas had to drag her away from as she actually wanted to kill him.
He stared right back at her, a grin plastered on his face as he winked at her.
Her blood ran cold as she felt her skin heat up at the same time. The urge to run over and hurt him washed over her straight away. She hadn't forgotten how he had forced himself on her and she still felt a bit of an idiot because she hadn't reacted to it sooner.
"Azu, focus. You'll get your chance one of these days. Focus on Marric." Fingertips caressed her scalp, massaged her skin through her hair before moving down to her neck.
Azura closed her eyes automatically and felt herself relax at Lucas's touch. When he stopped she was able to breathe calmly again and did as he had told her; focus her attention back on Marric. She knew her reaction wouldn't have gone unnoticed and she could slap herself for being such a fool.
Marric had beckoned for them to come closer as he had remained on the top of the four steps. It was a mental game, this way they always had to look up at him. A way to assert dominance and power. Just the same as giving someone a powerful handshake or talking with a louder and lower voice than usual. Soon after they had walked closer he'd given a nod to the others and within moments, everyone in the hall except for a couple of people were leaving. Another clear sign of powerplay. Azura caught herself watching his display of superiority with slight amusement. He was just so overdoing it, almost as if he was scared of something. When everyone was gone he spoke up. His voice low, dark, and strong.
"You have grown up looking a lot like...your father I'm guessing." There was a hint of disappointment in Marric's voice. "But your eyes, they are undeniable your mother's. A shame that's the only thing you have inherited from her. She was a beautiful woman you know."
She knew Lucas was fuming beside her with Marric's subtle insult as he had taken her hand and tightened his grip to the point it was almost hurting. Marric's comment only raised her curiosity though. She had always assumed she had taken after her mother, as, she believed, most girls did. She was well aware of the fact she was flat as a board with just small feminine features but she was rather proud of her athletic build though.
"What did she look like?" The question that spilled over her lips surprised herself as well as it was the first thing she said to Marric. He smiled at her response though, taking the edge off the tension that hung in the room like a thick blanket.
"Your mother was beautiful. We used to be friends when we were little. Her hair was long, curly, and the most amazing shade of copper and red. Her skin was pale with freckles on her face. She was fierce, outgoing, and always longed for adventure. It didn't come as a surprise to us when she decided to leave her home as soon as Victor, the previous ruler, allowed us to go beyond our borders."
If her question had surprised her, the answer she got from Marric left her stunned. The way he spoke about her made Azura believe he cared for her mother once. She caught Killian's eye who gave her a small personal smile and that's when she knew Marric was speaking the truth.
"I never forgave Victor for allowing your mother to leave. He believed it was the solution to our dwindling numbers, to expose ourselves more to the outside world. To 'brighten our horizons' he called it." The kindness his voice held when talking about her mother had completely disappeared and his voice was laced with bitterness as he spoke about the former leader. "I took over leadership not soon after your mother left. I couldn't allow more of our kind leaving and your mother had surely caused quite a ruckus by doing so. You can't imagine how big our surprise was when she returned almost two years later, pregnant and without a partner."
Lucas had relaxed his grip on her hand now that Marric was elaborating more on Azura's mother. Azura was glad he still kept hold of it though. There was more to the story of Victor than the old man was telling them. For now, she dismissed it though. She could always inquire later and right now there was just one thing that was on her mind and she could no longer wait to ask the question that burned in her mind.
"What was her name?" Again the words left her mouth before she knew it
"You don't know?" Marric seemed truly shocked when she asked him.
Azura softly shook her head and longingly looked at the man that could answer her. "No. I have no memories at all about her."
He remained silent for a moment and for the first time, she saw his eyes soften and for that short moment, she saw the man behind the harsh and distant exterior.
"Eliora. Her name was Eliora."
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