My eyes snapped open and I glanced at the ground below, noticing cracks begin to spread. Never a damn break!
I went on my hands and knees and a sudden boost of adrenaline kicked in. I pushed off the ground and began to sprint, not looking back as the loud noise trailed behind me.
How long is this damn thing? I ran until I slipped, falling to the ground. I quickly flipped over and watched as the ground behind me shattered piece by piece, coming straight for me.
The mountains have magic and a mind of its own.
Fury burst inside me and I screamed. "ENOUGH!" I declared and a wave of power blasted from my body. The collapsing ground slowed, coming to a stop a mere inch from my feet. I rose up and darted away as fast as I could. I wouldn't give the mountain another opportunity to kill me.
I ran and ran until my legs begged me to stop and my lungs gasped for air. I went from a sprint to a more manageable jog, but ended up dragging my heavy feet as I tried to figure out where I was.
I had run without direction and now I was completely lost. How are they gonna find me now? I began to slow my steps, but time continued to tick and the flame within keeping me warm began to fade. I was almost out of fuel and I didn't know what to do.
I plodded along in the middle of the storm until I fell to my knees, collapsing straight into the pile of snow. I slowly turned to lay on my back and opened my eyes with difficulty and stared up at the sky.
This is it? All the fighting and trying to survive being murdered, only to die in the snow? How pathetic.
I bit my lip, but I could barely feel it. I lifted my hand slowly, noticing how purple it was. I slid my hand inside my jacket and retrieved the little box. I opened it and sighed, in awe of the tiny blue crystal.
I used my other hand to take the pocket watch from my neck. The invisible magic had worn off and I took comfort in staring at it. I took the blue crystal out, letting the little box fall onto my stomach then tumble down into the snow at my side.
Slowly, I placed the stone into its rightful socket and stared in amazement as a blue flame flew up to surround me. My vision was blurry so I couldn't tell what it was, but I smiled at its sad eyes.
"I'm sorry that I won't get to see what you are. But, Uru will find you. Keep her company and find the others for me, please?"
It lowered what I assumed was its head and returned into to the watch. I gripped it with my hand, allowing it to rest on my chest.
The winds had calmed down in its ferocious intensity, but the snow came down heavier than before. It was like this was my burial and I'd be resting beneath layers of snow. I lifted the watch one last time with my left hand which still had a little bit of feeling left.
I smiled at the pink and blue crystals in their proper places and sighed.
I'm sorry, Uru. I don't think I can stay awake much longer. I'm sorry Yoshi, Haru, Malachi, Itsuki, Quil...and Aki. I'm sorry you have to find me this way. That is if you're able to find my body at all. Storm Yuna...I failed you. I wasn't strong enough to complete the job you gave me. I'm sorry. From the bottom of my freezing heart, I'm sorry.
I tried...I really did…
My consciousness slowly faded and I imagined all the things I wished I had accomplished. Fun vacations with the guys, bonding time with Hakua, mother and daughter moments, and time to enjoy being a Kitsune, something I had longed for my entire life.
Guess I'll always be a caged bird, craving to be free.
AKIHIRO
Faster.
I sprinted through the raging blizzard, squinting my eyes in an attempt to spot Crimson or anyone else in this thick storm. Please, be alive Crim.
"WOOOOFFFFFF!"
I slid to a stop and my ears twitched, straining to hear the howl I'd just heard. It would have been impossible with my human hearing, but having switched back into my half-Kitsune form, I could center my senses on the far-off sound.
"WOOOOFF!"
I turned to my left and began to sprint. I'd known Urufu long enough to identify her various howls and this one told me that she was frightened. Crimson, hold on!
I caught the outline of a wolf and skidded to a stop when the form of Urufu appeared as she bolted to meet me partway.
"Urufu! Where's Crim?" I asked desperately.
"Wooof," she whimpered and slammed her paw into the snowy ground over and over again. Shit!
"She's alive?"
"Woof!"
"Let's find her," I declared and Urufu howled before darting to my right. I followed her as we raced through the heavy snowfall. Ten minutes passed and we entered an area where the blizzard had calmed.
Uru ran off in one direction then whimpered as she tried to skid to a stop. I pushed off the ground, initiating a spell to get me to Uru in two seconds. I hooked my arm around her and cursed when we both began falling.
"WIND!" I called out and a whirlpool of air caught me. I sighed and looked over to see the remains of two people. I squinted my eyes, but they looked to be shifters and the lingering scent in the air didn't match Crimson’s unique scent thankfully.
"A cliff. Dammit," I grumbled, looking back up and instructing the wind to lift us up. After we reached the edge, I carried Urufu a few feet away before setting her back onto the ground.
"Woof! Woof!" She began sniffing the ground and started running straight.
Crimson was here? I began following her, calling out Crimson's name. Another five minutes passed and I knew we were running out of time.
"CRIM! CRIMSON!" I called out frantically and Uru raced forward before she skidded again. I began running, fearful she'd fall off another cliff, but then I tripped over something and face planted into the snow.
"Ow!" I groaned and went on my hands and knees. The snow was at least up to my elbows in this section, but was still fluffy which told me it hadn't been long since it came down.
"What tripped..." I began before my eyes caught a twinkle.
"Blue?"
"WOOF!' Urufu was back, but my eyes couldn't pull away from the little blue sparkle.
I reached out to the silver item that had a blue crystal attached to it, reminding me of Storm's pocket watch when all the crystals had been in their designated places. As soon as I lifted it up, I saw the pink crystal and my eyes grew wide.
"CRIM!" I cried and began sifting through the snow as Urufu used her paws to dig carefully. When I saw her, I pulled Crimson out of the snow and into my lap.
Her lips were blue and her body variations of blues and purples. I quickly checked her pulse at her neck and listened while Uru whimpered beside us. I can't lose you, Crimson. C'mon my love, don't do this to me. Don't leave me!
I found a pulse, but it was extremely weak. "Urufu! Find the cave!" I commanded.
Urufu immediately began to sniff the air while I lifted Crimson up.
"Kuroku," I commanded and a cloak appeared above me, draping over Crim's body. It wouldn't do much, but any added warmth would help.
Urufu howled and began running; I raced after her. She knew how urgent this moment was and neither of us could afford to lose the person we loved.
My memory triggered as we turned to our right and I saw the cave entrance. We rushed and I reached the end of the little cave. Urufu tugged at the cloak and laid it on the floor. I used my wind magic to straighten it out, warming up the wind with a little bit of fire magic before I lowered Crim to the ground.
I checked again for a pulse and it was incredibly weak. I need to warm her up. I tried to take her jacket off, but it wouldn't budge. I bit my lip and realized she must have put some type of spell on it.
I raised my hands above her. "Magic that binds my love’s clothes to her body, hear my plea. She will die without my help. Keep concealed whatever is hidden, but let me save my love from the shackles of death and release your hold," I commanded.