The tense moment dragged on until, finally, the creature made its decision. An unusual noise cut the silence on the embankment — subtle and cautious — of claws scraping a cold stone.
It was descending.
Mogu felt the approach like a wave of shivers, a predatory presence that made his expanded senses instinctively contract.
"It's coming!" Mogu whispered, trying to control the tremor of fear in his voice.
The first sight of the creature was just a shadow on the upper edge of the embankment. Then, slowly, it revealed itself completely as it descended the steep wall with supernatural agility.
It was a feline. But not just any feline.
Its body was easily twice the size of a common tiger, covered in a striped coat that shone with metallic reflections under the sunlight. The claws stole all attention — long, silver nails that extended from its toes like natural knives, reflecting the rays with a hypnotic gleam.
The creature landed at the bottom of the ridge, its enormous paws barely making a sound on the frozen ground. Its eyes — a clear, electric blue — fixed directly on the gathered group.
The feline confronted them with a menacing gaze.
— Don't move — Mogu murmured, but he already knew it would be useless.
The feline advanced, one step after another. Each movement demonstrated fluidity and control, the silver claw deeply scoring the frozen surface with every stride.
Mogu desperately scanned the surrounding terrain, looking for anything that could serve as a weapon. His eyes found a fallen branch — thick enough to serve as a club, partially stuck under a layer of snow on the slippery ground.
He began to move toward the branch, trying not to make sudden movements that might provoke an anticipated attack. Calculating step by step, testing his balance on the treacherous terrain.
But Bura intervened:
— NO! — shouted the veteran, jumping in front of Mogu.
His hands found a loose stone on the ridge wall, wrenching it free with strength born of despair. It wasn't large, but it had sharp edges — better than nothing against that impossible threat.
— Bura, come back! — Mogu reached out a hand, trying to grab his companion, but the veteran was already running across the treacherous surface toward the feline.
The feline's muscles tensed beneath its shining coat, preparing for the confrontation as if it were just an interesting game.
Bura reached it first, brandishing the stone with all his might against the creature's flank. The impact produced a sound that made him doubt if it really had any effect against his opponent.
The feline responded: its paw moved in an arc, silver claws slicing the air. Bura managed to dodge the first blow, awkwardly rolling on the ice, but the creature was already positioning itself for the next attack.
— I'LL HELP! — Kessa screamed, abandoning her safe position against the wall.
Being the physically strongest of the group, she moved with a determination that rivaled Bura's. Her hands found a sharp rock shard, transforming it into an improvised weapon as she ran to attack the creature.
— No! Stay back! — Mogu finally reached the branch, ripping it from the ice. But it was too late to coordinate an adequate defense.
The confrontation became a chaos of desperate movements on the slippery ground.
Kessa arrived from the right side, trying to hit the feline while it was focused on Bura. Her improvised stone spear found its target, scraping against the creature's ribs and drawing a thin line of blood on the metallic coat.
This time, the roar that followed was not of amusement.
The creature turned with an impossible speed. Its hind paw shot out in a kick that caught Kessa in the chest. The sound of the impact — breaking bones — echoed through the embankment as she flew through the air, violently colliding against the ice-rocky wall.
— KESSA! — Bura tried to reach her, but the feline was already upon him.
The silver claw delivered a fatal blow in an arc. Bura managed to parry using the rock he wielded, but the violence of the impact shattered the stone into shards that wounded his face.
A second lunge came immediately. This time, there was no possible block.
The claws pierced Bura's chest with the ease of tearing paper. He fixed his gaze, astonished, on the silver nails that passed through him, before they were pulled out in a quick, cruel movement.
He fell to his knees on the ice and blood spread like a red pool contrasting with the whiteness of the snow. His eyes met Mogu's for a final instant — there was no accusation there, only a profound sadness.
— Run! — he whispered, before completely dying.
Mogu felt something break inside him. Bura wasn't just a member of the group — he was the veteran, the strong one, the one who always knew how to survive through the vigor of his muscles when everything seemed impossible.
And now he lay dead on the ice, surrounded by his own blood.
The creature turned its attention to the survivors: three young people motionless, paralyzed against the wall; Kessa, who lay inert (unconscious or lifeless) after the shock; and Mogu, who waved an ineffective piece of branch against an adversary that had proven unbeatable.
The electric blue eyes fixed specifically on him. There was something different in that look — the feline regarded him with a genuine interest. As if it had finally found what it was looking for.
The feline took a step toward Mogu, then another. Blood still dripped from its silver claws, creating small red pools on the ice between them.
With trembling hands, Mogu raised the branch, aware of its uselessness against such a powerful animal. However, a change was beginning within him: the familiar heat intensified and spread through his body in a way never felt before.
It wasn't just warmth. It was power.
The creature stopped a few meters away, tilting its head with almost... primate curiosity. As if it were waiting to see.
What does this animal want? Mogu thought.
In response, the feline creature slowly sat down in the bloody snow.