Calhoun meets Dexter

Chapter 22: Calhoun meets Dexter

[Snowblood mountains]

Calhoun sat slumped under the canopy of a massive pine, its snow-dusted branches swaying gently in the icy wind. Before him stretched a vast, desolate landscape—a boundless expanse of white that seemed to stretch into eternity.

His breath fogged the frigid air as he stared blankly at the jagged peaks rising in the distance. Exhaustion weighed heavily on his limbs, but his mind remained restless.

He finally entered the actual ranges of snowblood mountains. But what now? He didn't know where to go from here on.

The wolf would appear in the night, throw some food at him as if he is a beggar, and leave without any care. He has been roaming here for more than a week now.

He could still sense a strange stir inside him, and a strange resonance with this place. There was a soothing peace he felt in this place. But that wasn't enough to find the answers he longed for.

His eyes were about to close in exhaustion when he caught the snow eagles burst from the cliffs above.

He squinted, following their flight path, and realized other animals were scattering as well. Hares darted across the snow, while mountain goats scrambled to higher ground.

The prince pushed himself to his feet, his senses sharpening. The animals' flight could mean only one thing—danger was near. His dark eyes scanned the horizon, searching for any sign of a predator.

But the landscape remained empty, eerily still. A knot of unease coiled in his stomach. In a place like this, the greatest threat wasn't a creature—it was nature itself.

An avalanche.

The realization hit him like a physical blow. He listened intently, straining to hear the distant rumble of shifting snow.

Calhoun's heart pounded in his chest as he gauged the landscape. If an avalanche came crashing down these slopes, there would be nowhere to hide.

Instinct kicked in, and he sprinted toward the higher ground, his boots sinking into the thick snow with every step. But the distance was vast—far too great to cover in time.

No matter how fast he ran, he knew the crushing wall of snow would devour him before he could reach safety.

The beast prince dared to look back as he ran. Sure enough, the snow was chasing him. The calm and peaceful scenery now looked like a raging death trap.

The tree he had rested under just minutes ago was no match for the onslaught.

He watched in horror as the towering pine was ripped from the ground, its trunk splintering as enormous slabs of snow smashed through it with brute force.

He pushed his legs harder, each muscle burning with the effort. The deafening roar of the avalanche filled his ears, drowning out every thought.

He could feel the vibrations beneath his feet, the tremors intensifying as the massive wave of snow drew closer.

Calhoun's mind raced as he searched for any chance of survival. The resonance inside him surged, growing stronger with every passing second. It felt almost alive, as though something deep within him was awakening in response to the chaos around him.

Desperation clawed at his chest, awakening something primal - something ancient within him.

His black eyes turned golden, glowing with an otherworldly brilliance as the avalanche loomed just behind him, its icy breath almost grazing his heels.

A surge of strange energy coursed through his veins, igniting his muscles with a power he'd never felt before. His limbs trembled—not from fear, but from an overwhelming urge to leap, to defy gravity itself.

But before he could act on this newfound strength, a deafening roar shattered the chaos of the night. The sound was so powerful, so majestic, that it seemed to silence even the avalanche for a fleeting moment.

Calhoun barely had time to turn his head before a massive shadow darkened the moonlit snow. The next instant, sharp claws wrapped around his torso, and he was wrenched from the ground.

He gasped as the freezing air whipped against his face, the landscape below shrinking rapidly. His mind reeled in disbelief as he looked up—and there it was. A griffin.

The creature was a sight to behold, its powerful wings beating against the blizzard winds with ease. Its golden feathers shimmered faintly in the moonlight, and its leonine body exuded raw strength. The griffin's eyes, sharp and piercing, glanced down at him briefly.

The prince caught a figure sitting over the griffin. Griffins were very rare, and only obeyed their masters. No one except the royal family of Mythiopia owned griffins.

As the griffin carried him higher, Calhoun could see the destruction below. Trees were uprooted, rocks shattered, and the once-peaceful valley was now a chaotic sea of ice and snow.

The avalanche settled as quickly as it came. Once tranquil again, the griffin slowly flew down to safe place and carefully released Calhoun.

Calhoun rolled on the snow before getting up to his feet. The griffin too landed smoothly.

A man dressed in mythiopian robes got down. His pale skin almost reflected the moonlight. His sharp pointed ears were unmissable as his silver hair gently swayed with the wind.

Calhoun recognized the elf prince. Dexter, the only elf who could use a mythiopian griffin.

"Prince Dexter."

"Prince Calhoun" Dexter responded, his tone measured but laced with curiosity. "I must say, out of all the things I expected to encounter in these mountains, finding you here was... unlikely."

Dexter's boots crunched softly against the snow as he walked closer, his movements fluid and poised.

"I can say the same too Prince Dexter"

"Lord Dexter" Dexter corrected. Calhoun understood his implication. He was not here as the elf prince, but as king Lawrence's most trusted man.

Dexter studied him for a moment longer, his silver eyes gleaming with something unreadable. Then he gestured toward the griffin, which was calmly folding its wings.

"You're lucky I was patrolling this range tonight," Dexter remarked. "Had I arrived even a moment later, we'd be speaking under a pile of snow."

"Lucky," Calhoun muttered, his tone almost bitter. He wasn't sure he believed in luck.

Dexter's lips twitched into a faint smirk. "Is that how you show gratitude?"

Calhoun looked away, fixing his gaze on the horizon. "I didn't ask for your help."

The elf prince let out a soft chuckle. "No, you didn't. But it seems you needed it."

There was a pause, the tension between them palpable. Calhoun's mind raced with questions. What was Dexter doing here? Why was he patrolling these mountains?

Dexter broke the silence first. "I assume you're not here for a casual stroll, are you, Prince Calhoun?"

Calhoun's black eyes flicked back to him, narrowing slightly. "I could ask you the same thing."

Dexter nodded. "Right. What you are doing here is none of my business. But seems like you have something I am searching for, prince Calhoun"

Calhoun frowned hearing this. He didn't even have a single penny on him. What does he have? Except for this warm fur coat, which he doubted the elf prince would ever need.

"I don't understand lord Dexter."

Dexter observed him. He had previously never really had any outstanding impression of Calhoun. Mainly because Calhoun never tried to stand out in a crowd. But right now, he was quite mysterious.

"May I know how you arrived this deep into the ranges, your highness?" Dexter questioned. It wasn't easy for him to come here.

He had to cross the most horrible illusion forest and come here. Someone with no power cannot survive in there. So how did he come here?