After the wolf left, the temperature returned to normal (but it was still cold) and the sky turned back to white. The river flowed like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
I looked around. Nothing but falling snow and aspen trees.
I continued walking, but with hesitation. Every step was careful, and I kept looking over my shoulder. An uneasy feeling spread in my chest, like ice. It was as if the world had forgotten the wolf was here.
Maybe it hadn't, and I was just going crazy or something.
It felt like hours, but I finally found a good place to eat and sleep.
The river's source lay deep a cave inside a huge rock wall. The cave was about a tree length wide, and a third of the width tall. It had probably been mined near to perfection by humans. Large icicles hung from the ceiling and cave's rims. Stalactites and stalagmites turned the cave into a maze. Water that dripped off them echoed throughout the cavernous silence.
On the right wall of the cave, it led to a smaller cave. Big enough for me to fully stretch out, but small enough to trap warmth.
I crawled inside, then put some of my fur around it to keep heat in better.
Finally, I laid down and ate the rabbit. I hardly remember eating it; it went down so fast. But it was good. Hunger was the best ingredient for anything.
I was so tired from walking, I just curled up and tried to sleep. Although my body was exhausted, but my eyes and mind were awake. That wolf... I didn't know what to think of him. I had heard little about wolves in general, let alone wolves made of ice.
The only noise in the cave was my own breathing, the river flowing, and water dripping from the stalactites.
I tossed and turned, hoping to get comfortable. The floor was too hard. When I found a good position, sleep started coming to me.
Then, I heard a different sound. It was like hundreds of icicles shattering, and lots of whinnying, as if horses were by the cave. The sound was small at first, but it got louder and louder.
I lifted my head and opened my blue eyes. What on Earth? This many horses shouldn't be in the woods, especially during winter.
I apprehensively walked outside my little cave. The sound was almost ear splitting.
What I saw next, was equally weird or weirder than the wolf.
A whole herd of horses, probably ten feet tall from shoulder to hoof, thundered into the cave. The weird part was that they were made from ice completely; but unlike the wolf, the ice looked sharp and untamed. They pounded through the river and by it's banks with amazing speed. They weren't slowing down at all, and they wouldn't stop for me.
I broke my daze, made a 180, and ran.
I was practically squealing like a little cub, but those ice horses were scary, and unbelievably fast.
I sprinted through the stalagmites, taking fast turns and using my tail like a rudder. I could almost feel the horse's icy breath on my tail, and their screeching cries sounded like cold wind.
I looked behind me for a second, and saw that probably twenty horses were chasing me. I willed myself to sprint faster... faster!
The light from the mouth of the cave was almost completely gone; the only light coming from a faint gleam in the river. The horses hoofs and screeches echoed through the cave, making the cave feel ghostly. It sounded like they were everywhere. Icicles fell from the roof and shattered.
One landed in front of my paws, and I leapt over it quickly, guided only by the crisp sound of shattering. I landed in a summersault, then sprang forward. My face banged into a stalagmite. A ringing sound bounced in my skull, and my teeth felt like they wanted to come out.
I shook off my dizziness, then tried running again. The ringing continued, and a stinging pain bursted on my forehead. The sound of the horses dimmed to a hollow pain.
Where was I going? There was most likely no end to the cave. Eventually I would pass out or something. There was only one way out of here; and I had to get to it.
I turned around completely, my paws flying off the ground.
Now that the horses were heading to me, I could see they had a blue glow. They all sort of merged together, like a zebra's stripes.
I took a deep breath, then charged at them.
Now that was dumb, right? Well, yeah, but I was running out of options.
I jumped onto a stalagmite and hooked my claws in, trying not to let fear overtake me. I coiled my muscles, then sprung out with claws un-sheathed.
I yowled in fear. "RRRAAAGGGHHH!!"
But it seemed like the horses didn't notice me. They just kept running.
I landed on one's back, and almost slid off. It was so cold, it felt hotter than fire. I yowled again, and hooked my claws in tight. Glowing ice dust flew off as I leapt again.
I landed on another horse, and using my momentum I pushed off again. I continued the process, getting faster and slipping every now and then.
I got to the end of them in seconds, then hopped off and landed running. My paws were so cold, I was crying. I couldn't feel the ground, but every step felt like stepping on hot needles.
Mom's words came rushing to me. "If your paws are cold, it's best to warm them with your fur, not your tongue. If they're too cold to touch, put them in cold water. It's most likely warmer than you."
I hopped in the water, taking the risk of slowing down/getting frostbite. It stung for a second, then it felt much better. What felt like ice before was heaven.
The horses had realized I had switched direction, and they had turn around as well. They were gaining on me. The light at the end of the cave called to me.
(Literally, I could almost hear "Mika! Mika!" Softly.)
If I could just get outside, maybe I could climb a tree, out of reach from the horses.
The thought pushed me forward, and I jumped out of the river. Tiny cold droplets flew, and my whole underside was wet.
The caves exit was twenty meters... fifteen...
I counted them down till I burst out of the dark cave and into the cloudy night. The wind howled, and the snow raged. With my thick, silver fur, the cold never bothered me.
I bolted to an aspen and scaled it quickly. My claws scraped deep into the tree till I was far up, on a small branch. It swayed under my weight, but the risk of it snapping wasn't my priority. The view of the Russian forest spread below me, but I didn't stop and look at it all.
The ice horses stomped out of the cave; a few wondering where I went. They neighed in anger, and stamped their sharp hoofs into the snow. I was really glad I wasn't down there.
But one smaller, smarter horse looked up high. His gaze trailed to me, and he whinnied. The rest looked up at me, then ran to the tree. They started bucking it down; chipping into it like axes.
Panic flooded me again. I should have done something, but I just looked at them in terror, holding onto the rocking tree for dear life.
I then did something I really regret now. I yowled, "MOMMMMMYYYY!!"
Unfortunately (but fortunately) she didn't come. But something else did.
About a dekameter away, a glowing spiraled blue portal came from thin air. Out popped a tiger with a green and white scarf. He had blue eyes so intense, I could see them from the tree.
From a fold in the neck if his scarf he pulled a red globe with his teeth. He sprung around in a circle, then threw in at the horses.
They had about five seconds to react. As soon as it made contact with ones flank, fire exploded.
The horses panicked. They didn't seem to know where to go, as if the fire was trapping them.
The heat made my skin heat up, and I could tell the horses wouldn't last long.
As I predicted, they started melting quickly. Their icy pelts smoothed out first, then the legs thinned to nothing. Within seconds the fire extinguished, and the horses were wailing sadly. A pang of guilt stung my chest.
The tiger loomed up at me. "You gonna come down or what?" His voice cracked a little, but it was otherwise smooth.
"Umm, I'm not sure how to get down, really."
"Did mommy not show you how?"
My walls of embarrassment shot up. "Did you-"
"Oh yes I did. Just jump down already."
I hesitantly did, jumping down it like a cat on a fence.
Now that I was next to him, I could see his features clearer. He had a cubish, annoyed look on his face, but still mature. He was a decimeter taller than me, but much longer. His tail swished back in forth uneasily. Standing proudly, his scarf thrashed in the wind.
"Stop staring. It's rude." He said.
I shook myself. "Sorry."
"Anyway," he continued in a softer tone. "Sorry about the horses. I was driving them away, but they're pretty fast. I couldn't keep up with them, so they must have chased you."
The portal closed slowly behind him, making his scarf fly less.
"W-wait, they weren't chasing me. Well, they were, but I was asleep! They woke me up, then I ran."
"You... ran up the tree?"
"Well, later I did. At first I ran into the cave."
"How'd you get out?" His voice raised to a challenging tone.
"I jumped on their backs and ran out." I made the action with my paw, then moved my toes back and forth as if they were running.
"You ran on their backs." He said doubtfully.
I made an annoyed, bored face at him.
"Then, how did you not freeze your paws? You're obviously mortal."
"Oh, so you're immortal?" I challenged.
He lifted my paw and examined my pad. "Of course not," When he touched my pad with a claw, I cringed. "I'm just a chaser."
He looked up. "You should be covered in frost. One touch from them will kill you."
I yanked my paw from him. "Sorry I'm not dead."
"No, this could be good!" This statement was probably the first un-sarcastic thing he had ever said.
"I'm Kota, the thirteenth chaser for St. Nicholas. I should have introduced myself, but-"
"Oh, now you're being polite?" I asked.
His shoulders slumped. "Would you rather I not?"
"I'm Mika. Chaser of pesky rodents."
"Ha. Well, this is pretty big. Do you know how many people and animals have died from frost touch? Hundreds. You're the only one who has survived this."
"Good for me." I hissed.
"If you have nothing else besides rodent chasing, we could really dive deeper in this. We'd have to take you to the North Pole, but it'd be worth it. We need to know how you do it."
He turned around and started walking to where the portal was.
"So... you want me to come with you? To the North Pole? Look, I don't know I did it, so I'd probably be useless."
"Well, I'm not forcing you to do anything. But you could just stay here and chase mice."
That sounded boring. Portal travel was probably more interesting. I looked at the cave one last time, and sighed.
I bounded to where Kota was. "Okay, let's go.
He grinned, then pulled a glowing silver orb from his scarf. He threw it on the rock wall, and another portal appeared.
"Planet earth, North America, Canada, North Pole." He said.
The portal became more white blue.
He looked at me. "Just jump through. Ladies first."
I growled, then jumped into the swirling vortex.