Marked

All around them, creatures almost invisible to the naked eye surrounded them, crouching. The only thing that gave any hint of their presence was their unblinking black eyes and occasionally flicking tails. 

But they didn't move forward. They simply watched. 

"Isbora?" Aurora tried to keep her voice as calm as she could. "Do you know anything about white creatures with black eyes?" 

The bear was unbothered by her question. "You will have to be more specific."

Aurora sat down. "I have no other information. But they are all around us." 

"Let's have a proper look." Isbora rumbled out a growl to the other bears. They all began to stand. 

Having no warning, Nulran and Brinn were thrown from their mounts and had to grab on for dear life. Brinn managed to use a bit of wind magic to keep from landing on her rear. Nurlan was not so lucky. 

Reyan, who somehow had managed to sleep through everything up until this point, cried out in indignation at the loss of his warm, furry blanket. "What is the meaning of this?!" 

"We have visitors," Aurora said quietly, unsure if the fairy could hear her. 

But the Fairy popped up from the crowd, shedding the blanket over his wings to take to the air. "Blazing bees!" he screamed. "They found us!" 

His sudden outburst fueled the fire of fear that was already burning in the human's hearts. Many drew their swords and used their bears as shields. the entire camp was close to breaking.

If not for the bears seeming unbothered, Aurora was pretty sure that a battle would already be occurring against the unknown force. 

By Reyan's statement, Aurora could guess that the creatures out there were the ones that guarded the Seed. That prospect filled her both with excitement and fear.

Excitement because that meant they were finally getting close. And fear because it meant the powerful beings were dangerous. 

"I will take you to them," Isbora anticipated the Empress's request. 

"Is that safe?" Aurora wondered if the only reason that the creatures had not attacked was that the bears were tightly huddled. 

"If they wanted to kill us, they would not have waited for us to awaken. We all would have died without ever knowing they were here. " Isbora answered blandly. 

"If you say so," the Empress felt a chill go down her spine.

The creatures were stealthy or they would not have been able to soundlessly move to surround the group. But could they really kill them all in their sleep without anyone being roused? 

"Let us go then." Aurora steeled her nerve. 

Isbora seemed in no hurry to get out of the mass of bears. She was in the center and patiently waited as the others shifted to make way for her exit.

Isbora could have pushed past them, of course, but a human might have gotten hurt in the process. So patience was both a necessity and a virtue. 

That gave time for the Empress to study the creatures. The closer she got, the more she realized that they were not invisible, just well camouflaged.

They were not completely white but had cream and grey spots that mimicked shadows. Their long tails curled and flicked as they swayed back and forth. 

Their graceful backs rested on four powerful legs that could bound across the ice with exceptional speed. Aurora guessed that they could easily outrun the mighty snowbears. 

Their black eyes had thin grey irises that stared intelligently forward. Their mouths bore sharp canines protruding from beneath two sprouts of white whiskers. 

"Leopards?" The Empress struggled for the word.

The feline creatures resembled the stable cats which chased away mice but were much, much more powerful. Were she not on the bear's back, the snowy leopard would have been eye to eye with her. 

At last, Isbora came free of the rest of her pack and closed the gap between her and the ring of white cats.

The bears were great in number, but the leopards had easily made a ring around the snowbears. How were there so many soundless beings?

If Aurora had wanted to make a run for it, then she would have had to plow through the cats. The Empress did not think that would end well. Even if she succeeded, it would separate her from the rest of her group and force her to continue running until the cats gave up the chase. 

'The best option is talking with them. If that doesn't work, at least we have the bears on our side this time to fight.' 

That was assuming the bears wanted to fight. Isbora treated the Empress like her cub, but that might have just been an illusion that would break down if cats wanted blood. 

In the space between the races of creatures, a single leopard stepped forward. A dark circle surrounded one of his eyes.

The effect made him look like he had been in a fight and was stronger for it. With long, graceful strides, he came to meet them and sat on his haunches. 

Isbora held her head high before the snowy cat. She was taller and saw no reason to lower herself to the other's level. 

Aurora, on the other hand, was much smaller than either of them. She bowed from Isbora's back, hoping to appease the cat and not anger him. 

Silence stretched between them. 'Should I speak first? Do they even speak the Ancient tongue?' Aurora ran through many scenarios in her mind as she stared into the cat's intelligent eyes. In the end, she decided to make the first move.

"Greetings." Having already bowed, Aurora dipped her head. 

"You have made it through the hurricane," the leopard's purring voice did not welcome them. 

"We did. It was not an easy feat." 

"Are all of you through?" the cat continued. The only muscle moving in his body was his flicking tail. It made him look like a talking statue. 

'He reminds me of something.' Aurora thought about the question.

Isbora answered for her.

"We lost a couple on the way." 

The leopard roared a command and three from behind him took off into the snowy tundra towards the hurricane. 

"We will find them." the leopard said as he watched the trio of his kin bound away. 

"Please don't hurt them!" the words came out before Aurora could stop them. The cat had already given his orders. Unless he sent more leopards to speak to the first, what's done was done.

"Getting hurt will depend on them." The cat's pink tongue came out in a large yawn. Was he bored? "You are tenacious to have come through the storm. I have seen few travel through safely from that side since the dawn of the South. What brings you to the Forbidden Lands?" 

The Empress shivered. 'Forbidden Lands?' This was not a term she had ever heard used. 

Aurora took a deep breath and settled her nerves. "We come in search of what you protect. We come in search of the Seed." 

The leopard roared and the others behind him joined in the protest. "Then you come in vain. Who do you think you are?! Turn back." 

Wincing at the sudden loud noise, Aurora shook her head. "I am Aurora, the leader and Empress of the human World. I cannot turn back. The world will end if I do. The magic is dead." 

"It is not dead here," the leopard became calm once more. 

"That is because of the Seed and it is why we need its help," Aurora tried to explain things as calmly as she could. "If we could just have even the smallest piece to restart the waterfall at the top of the Mystic Spires..." 

The leopard's whiskers twitched. "What do you know of the Mystic Spires?" 

"I have been there twice. I have stepped into the magical pool of water at the top of the falls twice. I have met the Maker twice. These are the marks to show what I say is true." Aurora pointed to the blue flecks peppering her eyes and pulled down her hood. The long, fiery locks of her hair fell around her shoulder and down her torso.

The leopard sniffed at the air. "You have been marked. That changes things," he answered. "Come with me. You will talk to the one I serve. He will decide your fate." 

"The one you serve?" The Empress pulled back up her hood. 

"I am Osis. I serve the Master of the South. You will all meet him. We will go at once." Osis flicked his tail towards the other leopards as he stood.

Aurora wanted to talk further, but the cat bounded out of the circle toward the South.

Whether they were guests or prisoners was a little unclear, but one thing was for sure. 

They were going to meet the one who possessed the Seed.