The snowstorm had been going strong for hours, a wild mess of wind and snow that just wouldn’t stop. The cold wind screamed like a furious animal, throwing icy snowflakes everywhere. You could barely see anything—just a spinning wall of white hiding everything more than a few feet away. Xavier squinted into the storm, his breath turning into thick clouds in front of him, each one a chilly reminder of how freezing it was. The temperature had dropped fast, and the air felt sharp and painful. The wind cut through their clothes like icy knives, stinging their skin. But they couldn’t stop or turn back. There was only one choice—they had to keep going.

  "Keep moving!" Xavier shouted, though his voice was hard to hear over the loud wind and the scarf wrapped tightly around his face. "We’re not done yet!"

  Lily gave a quick nod. Her cheeks were bright red from the freezing air, but her face stayed serious and determined. She didn’t complain—none of them did—but she looked tired, the weight of the cold and snow heavy on her shoulders. Behind her, Tessa tripped again, struggling to stay balanced on the slippery, frozen ground. Her hands were shaking, her breathing shallow, but she didn’t stop.

  A few steps ahead, Marcus was leading the way through the storm. His eyes stayed sharp, watching the snowy land closely. Every step he took was careful. He knew that one mistake could be dangerous—even deadly.

  The snowy mountains rose around them like silent giants, covered in white and filled with the sound of the wind. It almost felt like the mountains were alive—watching, waiting. Waiting for someone to slip. To make one wrong move so they could vanish into the cold, never to be seen again.

  Xavier couldn’t stop thinking the same thing, like a frozen thought stuck on repeat: they had to reach the top before the avalanche risk got worse... before darkness covered the mountain completely. Time was running out, and the only way forward was up. No matter how harsh the storm got, they had to keep climbing.

  But something didn’t feel right.

  Underneath the constant roar of the wind, there were strange moments when everything went still—too still. The silence didn’t bring peace; it felt heavy, like it was pressing against his ears. Between the bursts of wind, the quiet felt tense, like something was watching. It was as if the mountain itself was holding its breath… waiting. Waiting for one of them to slip. Waiting for the right moment to strike and bury them all under a crushing wave of snow and ice.

  "I don't like this," Tessa whispered, her voice almost lost in the roar of the storm.

  "I know, Tessa," Xavier said, glancing back at her. "But we don’t have a choice. We have to reach the summit, set up camp, and wait out the worst of it."

  "Wait," Marcus called out, his voice slicing through the wind like a blade. He’d stopped, eyes locked on something ahead. "I see something."

  They paused.

  Xavier's heart skipped a beat. He followed Marcus's gaze, but through the whiteout, it was hard to make out much. Then, the shape became clearer. A cluster of bodies half_buried in the snow, scattered camping equipment, and gear. But as they went closer, the scene became more haunting. His stomach turned as they reached the bodies.

  Eight frozen corpses, their faces twisted in expressions of terror, their clothes were torn.....covered in blood that had long since dried and turned to dark, brittle stains. But it was the bite marks on their necks that caught Xavier's attention. The gaping wounds, jagged and deep.

  Tessa gasped, stepping back in horror. "What... what happened to them...?"

  Marcus crouched next to one of the bodies, his gloved hand gently brushing the snow away to get a better look. His eyes narrowed, sharp and calculating. "Snow leopard," he murmured, his voice steady but carrying a dark weight, something the storm couldn’t cover. "This is the work of a snow leopard. They strike fast, go for the throat. These people didn’t stand a chance."

  Xavier’s stomach dropped as the words sank in. A snow leopard. They were rare in these parts, but their presence wasn’t something to ignore. The creature was a master predator—silent, swift, and deadly. But it wasn’t hunting for sport. No, a predator like that hunted out of necessity. And now, they were deep in its territory.

  Xavier felt a cold shiver, colder than the biting wind, slip down his spine. The storm wasn’t the only danger they had to worry about anymore.

  Lily started carefully brushing the snow off each body, studying them closely as if memorizing their features. Xavier watched her face, where he could see only a mix of horror and sorrow.

  "We need to get out of here," Tessa said, glancing around at the mountains, which loomed over them silently. "This isn't safe. We can't stay here."

  Xavier nodded, though he didn’t feel much safer moving. The storm was getting worse by the minute, and they had no choice. "We’ll bury the bodies first, then move on. We can’t leave them like this."

  Marcus glanced at Lily, and she nodded silently. "Then make it quick," Marcus said, his voice firm. "If the snow leopards are still out there, they’ll come back. We don’t have time to waste."

  Xavier nodded grimly and began digging a shallow grave in the snow next to Marcus. With quick, practiced movements, they worked side by side in silence, each shovel of snow adding weight to the grim task they had to carry out. The wind howled around them, sharp and unrelenting, but they stayed focused. Moving the frozen bodies wasn’t easy in the bitter cold, and every inch of snow they cleared seemed to pull them deeper into a nightmare they couldn’t escape.

  One by one, they buried the bodies, the snow falling over them like a cold, final blanket. Each body served as a harsh reminder that survival in these mountains wasn’t just about battling the weather—it was about facing something far more dangerous.

  Meanwhile, Tessa and Lily had turned their attention to the remains of the camp. They worked quickly, but cautiously, searching for anything that might help them continue. There wasn’t much left: shredded tents, broken equipment, and a few personal items frozen beyond recognition. Still, they gathered what they could, their hands numb from the cold, eyes jumping nervously at every crack of ice or gust of wind.

  Tessa paused, staring at the torn remnants of a sleeping bag, then looked over at Marcus and Xavier. "We need to move," she said, her voice tight with urgency. "If that snow leopard is still out there... it could come back."

  Xavier’s gaze met hers, and in that moment, they shared a silent understanding. Time wasn’t on their side anymore. Not in the least.

  "Anything useful?" Xavier called over his shoulder as he scooped the snow back into the grave.

  Lily held up a small packet with a grin, her face tired but amused. "A packet of cake," she said, shaking it slightly. "Better than nothing."

  Xavier smirked.

  Tessa nodded, her eyes scanning the wreckage. "Some climbing ropes, a few pens, a watch... but not much else."

  Marcus stood up, brushing the snow off his gloves as he scanned the horizon. "We take what we can carry, but we can't stay here. Not with that thing hunting us."

  Xavier looked around, taking in the view. The mountain was stunning, but unforgiving. And with the snow leopard out there, they couldn’t afford to be careless. "We’ll make camp here for the night," he said. "But no fires. No lights. We don’t want to attract anything."

  Tessa shot him a skeptical look. "You really think that’s enough? We’re sitting ducks out here."

  Xavier met her gaze, his jaw set firm. "We’re not sitting ducks. We just have to survive until morning. Keep your eyes open all night."

  "I think Vee’s right," Marcus chimed in, backing him up. "We have to spend the night here." He glanced up at the sky and nodded, his face grim.

  The group set up camp in eerie silence, each movement quick and automatic, as though the simple task of preparing their tents could somehow shield them from the terror lurking just outside. No one spoke the words, but they hung in the cold air like a heavy fog: this could be their last night alive. The storm continued its fury, relentless and unforgiving, and with the snow leopard stalking the area, staying here was no longer a choice—it was a trap. They were surrounded by dangers beyond their control.

  Inside the tents, the cold was suffocating. It wasn’t just chilly; it was biting, creeping through the fabric, chilling them to their very bones. But the cold wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was the claustrophobia—the suffocating awareness that the flimsy walls of the tent weren’t enough to protect them from the horrors outside. The storm, once the greatest threat, now seemed distant, almost secondary, compared to the predator that could be watching them, waiting.

  Every sound outside had them jumping—every gust of wind, the snap of brittle snow, the distant crackle of ice. They were on edge, muscles coiled tight, hearts pounding in their chests. They listened intently, hoping for any sign of the predator’s approach. The soft padding of paws in the snow. A low growl. The shifting of breath in the freezing air. Anything.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  But all that came to them was the howling wind, deafening and unrelenting, drowning out everything else.

  "You think it's out there?" Lily whispered, her voice trembling with fear.

  "I don't know," Marcus answered quietly. "But I can feel it. It’s close."

  Xavier lay in his tent, listening intently. The storm outside raged with unrelenting fury, but it wasn’t the wind that sent chills down his spine—it was the silence. A heavy, unnatural stillness that seemed to hang in the air, thick and suffocating. He knew that feeling all too well. It was the calm before the storm—the unsettling quiet that always came just before danger struck.

  The feeling of being hunted.

  Minutes stretched into hours, each one feeling like an eternity, weighed down by the suffocating silence. The cold gnawed deeper into his muscles, but Xavier’s mind was elsewhere—focused on survival. He couldn’t die here. Not like this. Not until he got answers from Mara.

  Then, the silence shattered.

  A low, guttural growl sliced through the storm, sharp and clear. The snow leopard. It was out there. And it was closing in.

  Xavier’s heart skipped a beat. His hand shot out, fumbling for the nearest weapon—an ice axe, cold and heavy in his grip. His fingers tightened around the handle, knuckles turning white, muscles tensed with fear. The predator was closer now. Too close. He could feel it, lurking just beyond the thin walls of the tent, its eyes watching, calculating.

  The growl came again, deeper this time, sending a shiver of icy dread down his spine. The sound seemed to echo through the storm, as if the mountain itself was alive, pulsing with danger. Xavier’s breath hitched in his throat, his pulse thundering in his ears. It was too close. The snow leopard wasn’t just nearby—it was hunting them. And they were its prey.

  Without thinking, Xavier sprang into action. "Grab your weapons!" he shouted, his voice barely cutting through the howling wind. His hands were numb around the ice axe, but his focus was razor-sharp. They didn’t have time to hesitate. The snow leopard wasn’t going to wait for them to be ready.

  Marcus, who had been crouched outside his tent, quickly sprang to his feet, grabbing his knife. "Stay close," he ordered, his face hard with determination. "And don’t break formation."

  Lily and Tessa didn’t need to exchange a word. They moved in perfect unison, grabbing their weapons—axes, knives, anything they could use—and fell in line beside Xavier. Their eyes, wide with fear, held the same grim determination that burned in Xavier’s chest. There was no running, no surrender. They were trapped, and the only choice left was to fight—to fight for their survival.

  The snow leopard moved through the storm like a ghost, its sleek, powerful body blending so seamlessly with the white landscape that it was nearly invisible. But Xavier could feel it—he could feel the weight of its gaze, cold and predatory. They were being stalked, hunted with unnerving precision. The predator was methodical, calculating its next move. It wasn’t rushing. It didn’t need to.

  Xavier’s breath came in short, panicked gasps, his heart thundering in his chest. Every crunch of snow beneath the predator’s paws sent waves of dread through his body. The creature was so close now, its presence suffocating, but still, it remained hidden in the storm.

  Then, the wind shifted.

  In that fleeting moment, Xavier’s eyes caught a flash—two gleaming yellow orbs, burning through the storm like twin flames in the night. The snow leopard’s eyes. He froze, every muscle locking in place as the world seemed to hold its breath. And then, a streak of white fur, sleek and deadly, moving like a shadow through the darkness.

  It was here. It was right there, just beyond their reach.

  “Now!” Xavier shouted, but it was too late.

  The snow leopard lunged with terrifying speed, its claws slashing the air in a blur of white and fury. The growl that rumbled from its throat was pure malice, and before any of them could react, it was upon them.

  Xavier swung his ice axe, the blade cutting through the frigid air with a sharp whistle, but the leopard was too quick. It darted sideways, moving with an agility that left him momentarily stunned. The predator’s massive body blurred past him, vanishing behind his back in an instant.

  Xavier felt the flick of its fur against his skin before the sharp pain exploded in his shoulder. The leopard’s claws raked across him in a single, brutal swipe, the force of it sending him reeling. Blood bloomed on his jacket, and he gritted his teeth against the searing pain, his body screaming to collapse. But he forced himself to stay upright, ice-cold terror mingling with the heat of the wound.

  Tessa screamed, her voice raw and desperate as she swung her weapon—an axe—toward the beast. But the snow leopard was a blur of speed, a shadow that vanished before the strike even landed. With one fluid motion, it swiped at her legs, its claws like knives cutting through the air.

  Tessa barely managed to dodge, but not without a cost. The claws sliced through her outer thigh, deep gouges leaving trails of crimson behind. She stumbled backward, gasping in pain, her breath ragged as she fought to stay on her feet.

  Lily, her face pale with shock, rushed to Tessa’s side, but the predator wasn’t finished. It was still circling them, its eyes gleaming with hunger, waiting for another chance to strike.

  Marcus was the next to charge, his roar splitting the air as he lunged at the snow leopard. His knife gleamed in the dim light, aimed at the creature’s exposed flank. But the snow leopard, a creature of terrifying grace, twisted midair, evading the strike with an agility that defied belief. With a ferocious growl, it countered with an explosive swipe of its massive paw. The impact was so powerful that Marcus was sent hurtling through the air, his body crashing into the snow with a sickening thud. He hit the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him, leaving him dazed and vulnerable. Blood trickled from a deep gash on his forehead, his vision swimming with each labored breath.

  Lily wasn’t far behind, her face set in a mask of steely determination. She gripped her ice-encrusted spear, her eyes never leaving the snow leopard as she threw it with precision, the sharp point aimed straight for the creature’s side. The spear sank into the beast’s flesh with a satisfying thud, but the leopard’s reaction was swift and violent. It let out a guttural snarl, fury burning in its golden eyes. With a swift, brutal twist, it wrenched the spear free and tossed it aside as though it were nothing more than a twig.

  The snow leopard’s gaze locked onto Lily, its eyes burning with primal rage. It was no longer focused on the group as a whole—it had singled her out, its target now clear. A low, menacing growl rumbled from deep within its chest, the promise of death in every growl.

  “Lily, move!” Xavier shouted, swinging his axe again just in time to miss the snow leopard as it lunged toward her. She barely ducked, gasping for air as the predator sailed over her.

  The fight continued, the group doing their best to work together, but it felt like the snow leopard had the upper hand at every moment. It moved with perfect skill, its attacks planned and precise. Every time they thought they had a chance to strike, the leopard vanished, only to appear again from the storm with even more anger.

  Xavier’s body throbbed with pain from the fierce blows he had taken, but he refused to give up. He couldn’t afford to lose—not like this, not when they were so close. He could hear Marcus groaning behind him, struggling to get up, his body weighed down by the power of the leopard’s attack. Tessa, clutching her leg, was pressing her hand against the wound, the snow beneath her turning red as she tried to stop the bleeding. But despite the chaos around them, Lily stood strong, her face pale but determined, gripping her weapon tightly, ready for the next strike.

  But they were being worn down, little by little. The snow leopard moved with blinding speed, its attacks relentless and faster with each strike. It was like a living storm, its fury never stopping, leaving no time for the group to recover. Each time they thought they might catch a break, the predator was back on them, its claws flashing and its fangs gleaming in the dim light.

  They were all injured now. Xavier’s arm ached from where the leopard’s claws had torn into him, the deep wound pulsing with pain. His ice axe felt heavy in his numb hands, slipping from his grip. Marcus’s movements were slower now, his head aching from the blow, his vision blurred and senses off. Tessa’s injured leg made it harder for her to move, and the blood loss was making her dizzy. Lily, though determined, was beginning to tire, her breath ragged, her steps slower with each passing moment.

  “We’re not going to make it at this rate,” Marcus grunted, trying to stand but slipping in the snow.

  Xavier’s heart raced as he quickly scanned his team. They were all hurt, their bodies battered and bloodied from the snow leopard’s brutal attacks. The storm howled around them, the cold wind cutting through their clothes and seeping deep into their bones, growing colder with every passing second. The air felt thick, heavy with the sense of something terrible about to happen.

  He knew they couldn’t keep fighting much longer. The snow leopard was faster than any of them, its moves lightning quick and deadly. They were outmatched. Every second that passed made them weaker. Their limbs felt heavy, their breaths shallow, and the pain from their injuries never stopped gnawing at them.

  Xavier’s vision was blurring, the pain in his arm and shoulder clouding his thoughts. He was barely holding on by willpower now, but even that was running out. He could see the same exhaustion in Marcus’s eyes, the way he struggled to focus, and how Tessa stumbled, her blood staining the snow. Lily, once so firm, was beginning to waver, her steps slower as the cold and fatigue took their toll.

  The snow leopard was no longer rushing the attack. It was circling them now, moving with terrifying grace, its golden eyes gleaming with hunger. It knew they were at the edge of collapse, and it was just waiting for the perfect moment to make its final strike.

  “We need to get to higher ground!” Xavier shouted, his voice rough from the cold and fear. “We can’t stay here. We can’t fight it like this!”

  Lily, her breaths short and fast, nodded in agreement. “We need to regroup. We can’t stay out in the open.”

  “We have to run,” Tessa said through gritted teeth, her pain clear as she clutched her leg. “We won’t survive if we don’t—”

  Before she could finish, the snow leopard sprang again, its claws aimed at Tessa’s exposed side. But Xavier wasn’t about to let it happen. With a desperate move, he lunged forward, using every bit of strength he had left. His ice axe struck the snow leopard’s flank, barely grazing it. The blow sent the predator sliding sideways through the snow.

  “Go! Now!” Xavier shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

  The group’s breath came in ragged gasps as they huddled together at the edge of the ridge. The snow leopard’s growl echoed in the distance, a constant reminder that they weren’t safe yet. It was a waiting game now—who would break first?

  Xavier’s heart raced, but his mind was sharp. He scanned the area quickly, looking for any kind of advantage they could use. The snow leopard, though fierce, was a predator of habit—it waited, it watched, it calculated. But if they could use the terrain to their favor, maybe, just maybe, they could turn the tables.

  "We need to think," Xavier muttered, his voice strained but clear. "We’re not safe up here, but we might have a chance to get it to make a mistake. We just have to be smarter."

  Lily nodded, gripping her weapon tightly, her eyes scanning the ridge, the snow leopard’s movements below them. “What’s the plan?”

  Xavier took a deep breath. “We keep moving, stay close to the rock wall. It has no way of getting to us from here. We’ll lure it out, lead it around, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll get a shot at taking it down when it’s distracted. We can’t let it get too close.”

  Marcus, still reeling from the earlier blow, grimaced but nodded. “Sounds like our best shot. But we need to be quick.”

  The storm roared louder, the cold gnawing at their bones, but for a moment, they shared a look—a silent understanding. They were battered, exhausted, and hurt, but they weren’t done yet. They had one more chance.

  "Let's move," Xavier ordered, his voice steady despite the fear bubbling beneath the surface. "And don’t stop until we’re out of here."