My breath is heavy and I can't help but wheeze. My asthma acts up at times when I really wish it didn't. Well… I guess having a staring count with a bear wasn't very helpful.
Who would even believe me? I bet if I told my newly appointed boss about this one she would call me crazy and fire me twice just because.
My brain runs laps around my legs as I see the last turn Skye informed me of. Then I close my eyes, and I feel as if my foot slipped.
Since I'm still running forward I assume that was either my asthma, anxiety, or overthinking. Overthinking some more to find the answer almost takes my attention but images stop hard in my tracks.
Then I dive as far as I can to my left, smashing into a pile of snow, and scattering pieces of a now broken shield. My eyes scatter throughout the room and I can't help but find my gaze stuck on the sparkling sapphires of the throne.
The room is so breathtaking that I forget why I ended up here. But then just as quickly as my mind wanders, I see Skye trip on the ground.
The bear swipes its paw at him, clipping his lower leg. My hands shoot up to cover my mouth and an almost inaudible gasp escapes it.
"Wait!" I shriek just as the bear swipes again. Thankfully this time it misses and by mere inches as Skye dives in the opposite direction of me.
My eyes are so widened they sting from the falling snow. My mind races as my friend continues to scramble backwards, dodging swipe after swipe until he's finally pinned against an icy sapphire throne.
"Did I really choose someone who can't even save a single man?" A woman's voice reverberates across the walls of the throne room.
I blink and notice everything seems to be moving in slow motion. It's as if the snow in the area has slowed down time itself. My eyes are locked upon a box Skye has knocked over and seem to not move.
"Who's there? Can you help him?!" I shout but no response is heard. Then I find myself crawling towards the spilt container.
I notice what looks like a sword on the ground and I stop dead in my tracks, staring at it. My mind is torn between picking it up and potentially hurting myself or watching my only friend die.
The voice sounds again but this time it's a soft sigh instead of words. Then a snowflake falls upon my eye and I blink. The sword is no longer there, but in its place is an arm length stick.
Then time seems to return to normal and I know my time to move is now, whether I like it or not. I lunge my arm towards the stick, gripping it tightly, and then bring it down upon the bear with a loud crack.
I stumble backwards due to shock and just before the bear swings at Skye it twists its body. I hear Skye shout my name just as a giant snowy paw swipes the space above my head.
My mind and heart seem to freeze in terror but my body has a completely different idea. My feet kick up snow in the bear's face as I scramble backwards. This seems to just make the bear even more mad though.
*GRRRAA*
The bear growls and raises its paw once more. But when it sees the stick I'm gripping with my shivering hand, it almost seems to hesitate. Then the beast bears its fangs and stands up on both of its feet, hovering above me with a menacing glare.
My eyes widen as it raises both of its paws. The bear seems to be getting angrier by the second, as it gauges the threat of my weapon. But that doesn't stop the bear from bringing its claws out and taking the opportunity of my lowered defense.
"Is this how it ends?" My entire being screams in protest, yet I also feel like power is growing from deep within me. The room seems to go quiet, and I open my eyes.
The scene plays out before me like a slow motion movie, Skye's voice echoes across the walls of the room as he dives in between me and the pouncing bear's claws.
-SKYE POV-
My heart hammers in my chest as I squeeze my eyes shut as tightly as I possibly could. The blood roaring in my ears is louder than all the noise both from the bear, and my chattering mind.
Then on a whim I open them to see Luna hit Icicle with something, causing a loud crack to clear my ears of any excess noise. My eyes blink slowly due to the dizziness within my aching body.
Snow is falling around me, covering the area in a thicker blanket now. The bear turns and towers over Luna. Just as my mind snaps attention back to the present.
No thinking happens, I just move.
My body seems to regain power, and my feet move with lightning speed. Jumping between the towering bear and my only friend Luna. My body roared in protest but soon my entire being is aligned with this action.
"I AM NOT LOSING ANYONE ELSE!" My soul seems to shout as I turn to face Luna. Something heavy smashes upon my back. There's no pain, but my ears pop and my body goes numb.
"It's cold…" I whisper to myself as my consciousness fades into rest. Then my eyes shoot open at the sound of a woman's voice.
"Very admirable. Hmm, maybe I should have chosen you instead?" A tone of freezing ice sends shivers down my spine.
I look up and notice the source of the voice is not Luna. The first thing I notice is the sparkling sapphire tiara upon her head. The rest of her outfit seems to be a cloak made of pure ice, yet it's just as sparkly.
"You look… cold…" I blurt out calmly as the woman shouts something angrily. I blink rapidly as the terrain around me shifts once more. This time the area is different.
A forest of giant white trees tower above me and I notice another figure, this time sitting upon a throne of pure white clouds. The area around the figure resembles the woman's cloak from before, except made up of lightning this time.
"Wow. It's not every day someone appears within my soul realm. You must be a special one." This time a man's voice sounds, and the figure turns. I just stare up at him without speaking. I'm too tired to think and I can actively feel my mind fading.
"Snow? Erianna must have found you first… wait… THIS CAN'T MEAN… THANE the KING of both SPEED and LIGHTNING was too SLOW!" The man's voice booms like thunder within every other word as my mind drifts off once more.
"Shhh-" I try to shout at Thane to shut up but my consciousness slips away again. Then as I come to once more a man is shaking my arm.
I look upwards to see a man with a white suit and rainbow tie crouching over my body. I find just enough strength in my body to shift my gaze up towards him and he speaks.
"Don't worry Skye, the story you will walk is not ending here."
"Please…" I croak with a hoarse voice. "Help Luna." I look downward to see blood on the ground on the snowy cave floor.
"Luna… has a tough path to walk, you must help her as best you can before your time comes." The voice sounds familiar… It's calm and steady, soothing my aching body.
Then as I blink away the pain I notice another voice, this time a higher pitch than before.
"Oh my days!" A woman's voice shouts. Then I see a beautiful woman with flowing dirty blonde hair. She swipes a tuft of her bangs to the side and inspects Luna. Then she turns her face to me and grimaces.
"Plenus Sana!"
Glowing hands spread across my body and my pain begins to ease, being replaced with a feeling of relief. Then within the depths of my being I know I'm safe to relax.
Taking one last glance at Luna who now sleeps on a bed of pure healing light, I let my mind go.