Empire's Journey

Part five: The bear at vultures pass

The group had been travelling for four days now, they had slept in open fields, travellers' cabins, and even a ruined Castle. The scenery had been beautiful, the once flat meadows had begun to turn into gracefully rising and falling hills. The landscape unfolded like a beautiful tapestry every morning when the sun rose, the warm glow casting long shadows as the group rose for the day ahead. As of the fourth day the group had reached the beginning of the Vultures Pass, with it the eastern mountain range.

The mountains, a display of enchantment, stretched skyward in a breathtaking display. Some wore crowns of pristine snow atop their peaks, reaching for the heavens. As if nature itself had sculpted a masterpiece, grand ravines sliced through the rugged landscape, unveiling cascading waterfalls that descended into the abyss. The surreal beauty of these towering sentinels created a landscape that seemed to exist in the realm of both reality and the captivating allure of folklore. The climb was steep, yet with each step the group came closer to the peak.

"How much further?" asked Lena, gasping for breath, "I'm not much of a hiker."

"It's not far," said Maya, who seemed unbothered by the endeavour.

"We can't all be mountain goats like you," said Lena.

"Come on, we're almost there!" said Eira, trying to cheer on Lena.

The group pressed on despite Lena's whining. As they made it to the peak, Eira watched in awe as the landscape flattened out revealing a grand plateau which stretched on for as far as the eye could see. A paved road twisted and turned around large rocks, carving a path in the landscape. Small shrubs grew in the otherwise rocky soil. Patches of snow were visible in the distance, high on the peaks. A hawk called out, its cry echoing through the deep cut valleys. The terrain around them was simply spectacular, the mountains seemed to exude an authority which none could challenge.

"Stop, don't move!" ordered Maya, holding an arm out to block the other two from moving forward.

"What? Why?" said Lena, catching her breath.

"It's a bear, look," said Maya, pointing with her mace, a glint of light reflecting off the menacingly sharp tip.

Sure enough, about twenty paces away stood a bear. It stared at them, not moving. The quiet of the moment was palpable, you could cut it with a knife. The bear had dark brown fur, its eyes an even darker shade of brown. It stared deep into Eira's eyes, not advancing or retreating. Eira could sense that the bear knew who she was, although that should have been logically impossible. Yet, despite this apparent logical fallacy her inner gut felt it was true. The bear moved off the path several paces and sat down, maintaining eye contact with Eira. Eira moved forward, assuring the others it was safe. The bear did not move, nor make a sound, it was as still as a statue. The group moved forward slowly, Eira not for a moment breaking eye contact with the bear. The bear watched as the group walked further away, eventually disappearing out of sight.

"What a magnificent creature," said Eira, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"It bit strange it just stared at us, well mostly at you Eira," puzzled Lena.

"It could have something to do with the fortune, perhaps its Khaganryshu trying to tell you something," said Maya.

"Maybe it's telling you it can't BEAR the thought of you being the next master!" jested Lena.

Eira shot her a look of disapproval before laughing at the joke much to the amusement of her own inner comedian.

"Still, you can't deny the majesty of it. Such an occurrence is rare, if its ever happened before."

"So where is the vulture's pass? It should really be called bear's pass. I don't see any vultures," commented Lena, changing the topic.

"Well, down there is the vultures pass, I prefer this route," said Maya, "We're walking the bears track right now, I didn't expect to run into a bear like that, they usually don't come here this time of year."