"We're roughly two kilometers from nearest the village," Val said examining the map in her hands.
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It would be impossible for someone to tell that it was mid June on Mt. Nevado. The group trudged through the knee deep fresh snow. There were no other signs of life anywhere. A harsh wind blew through the frosty atmosphere, which made Cora shiver.
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Several snowflakes had landed in her hair, making it damp, which only made her colder. "What's our strategy?" Cora asked loud enough to be heard over the howling wind.
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"I brought bones. Tibicenas are like big dogs, so they should like bones right?" Zyler asked.
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"In my experience they eat the flesh and leave the bones behind," Ray corrected.
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Cora didn't know how Ray had convinced her to let him come with them, but if she was honest with herself, she was glad he came.
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"Hey Cora, who is your friend and why does he know so much about Tibicenas?" Val asked.
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"My name is Ray Castillo and I had one as a pet once. It had a tendency to bite people that owed me money," Ray responded.
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"I have so many questions about this guy," Zyler said anxiously.
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"I'm surprised you came, Val," Cora said trying to change the subject.
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"Well, things aren't great at home right now. Adriana hasn't acknowledged me since the Sorting,"
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"I'm sorry," Cora said, blaming herself for some reason.
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"Don't be, I had been planning on standing up to her for a long time," Val reassured her.
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Zyler winced in pain as a vine with huge thorns grabbed onto his ankle causing blood to come rushing out. Cora quickly severed the vine forcing it to release its grasp.
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"What was that?" Zyler asked.
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"That was a Death Vine. It's carnivorous plant that only grows on Mt. Nevado. It's insides can be used to make potions, medicines and other things," Val explained.
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Cora was distracted by a tracks left in the snow. There were four sets of paw prints bigger than her hands. The Tibicenas were larger that she had previously thought. There were also two sets of human footprints. One of them looked like they had been there for a long time and the other looked more recent like they had been made only a few minutes ago.
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The group continued long the frozen path.
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Snow had gotten into Cora's boots making them very uncomfortable. She hated the cold. She pulled her coat closer to her chest.
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Ray removed his cape and draped it around her shoulders. "Don't worry we're almost there," he whispered into her ear.
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Cora saw a flash of red in one of the trees but it quickly disappeared. Cora gripped her sword tightly. No one was going to catch her off guard again.
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Cora looked straight ahead. They were approaching the village. The only thing that was separating them was a bridge made completely out of ice. It stretched across and icy canyon. One wrong move and you would fall to your death.
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The party was startled by the sound of growls from behind them. There was an entire pack of Tibicenas ready to attack.
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"Hey! Are you hungry?" Zyler called out offering them a bone. They refused to take their eyes off Ray.
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One of the Tibicenas pounced at Ray. Cora kicked it sending it flying into a snow bank. She was going to try her hardest not to kill them, the shadow clearly had some sort of control over them, but she couldn't let any harm come to her friends.
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The pack closed in on them. The group was forced to step onto ice bridge. Cora couldn't help but look down into the icy ravine she had no idea how they were going to make it out of this alive.
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The wolves weren't going to give up so easily. They charged towards Ray. One of them managed to rip of Val's bag and dropped it off the edge.
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The bridge wasn't strong enough to handle this much weight and it began to crack.
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"Zyler, do have any of the shock devices you had at the Sorting?" Val asked.
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Zyler rummaged through his pockets. "I only have three."
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There were eight wolves on the bridge they'd have to improvise.
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Cora quickly grabbed a device from Zyler's pocket and threw it at the largest one knocking it unconscious.
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Cora jumped in front of Ray. "Get out of here I'll hold them off!"
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"I can't let you die for me," he said, his voice sounding broken.
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"I can handle them. Everyone, get to the village!" Cora wasn't sure if she could handle them but she had to try.
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Zyler threw the other two devices in her direction and she caught them effortlessly in her left hand. The rest of the group ran across the bridge leaving Cora alone against the pack. The pack charged towards her. Cora stood her ground. She wasn't going down without a fight.
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The first one jumped in an attempt to bite Cora's face. She placed a device on its chest. There was only one device left and five Tibicenas. One clawed at her chest while another bit her leg. She tried her hardest to fight back but the pack piled on top of her.
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In the distance she could see a figure in a bright red hood walking towards her. It was much shorter than the shadow. The figure whistled loudly gaining the attention of the Tibicenas. They turned to the figure and began to attack.
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Once they got close, the cloaked stranger started saying something Cora couldn't understand which seemed to slightly calm them down then injected something into their necks.
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After the stranger injected all of the Tibicenas it carefully removed the shock devices and bandaged any injuries they had received.
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Cora's wounds throbbed with pain and it only got worse and she stood up. The Tibicenas followed closely after the stranger. They no longer seemed vicious.
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The figure spoke. "They will no longer hurt you, I suggest that you go home Cora you're way out of your league. You have no idea what you're up against."
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Cora recognized that voice. She couldn't control her impulses. She had to know if her suspicions were correct. She pulled off the strangers hood.
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"Scarlet?"
ns 15.158.61.37da2
