This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

However, after traveling for what felt like days, he was beginning to think he should have just bitten the bullet and turned back. The ravine stretched endlessly with no signs of an end, nor did he see any movement—no indications that anyone had survived. But still, he kept searching.

"Oomf—!"

Suddenly, his balance wavered, and before he could catch himself, he crashed face-first into the snow with a muffled grunt.

A sharp, indignant squeal erupted beneath him.

Malzahir jerked upright, startled—this had been the first sign of another living thing he'd seen since Idrias!

Beneath him, a small, iridescent creature squirmed free from where Malzahir's feet had stomped it into the snow.

Its fur shimmered faintly with a crystal-like quality, reflecting the surrounding environment. But considering that all of the surroundings were pretty much a homogenous white, it too took on that color—nearly invisible against the snow. It shook itself off, glaring at him with tiny, beady eyes before hopping back a step to examine him.

Malzahir narrowed his eyes. The creature didn't move like a wild animal, ready to launch an attack against him, nor did it flee upon seeing him.

But before he could dwell on it further, he was distracted by a strange sight from his new angle on the ground—what looked to be an opening in the edge of the cliff?

From his higher vantage point while standing, it had blended seamlessly into the snow, but from the ground, the uneven dip in the terrain made its outline just barely visible.

All along the edge of the massive ravine, the land dropped at a sharp 90 degree cliff. However, here, the edge of the ravine sloped downward in a dangerous incline, like a natural slide that had the world's most gruesome end.

Towards the end of this horrifying slide of death was an area where the snow had settled unevenly, concealing what appeared to be a narrow, partially collapsed tunnel entrance embedded in the slope.

It teetered precariously near the edge of the cliff and one wrong step while trying to enter or exit it could send one skidding off the side of the cliff. One would have to be incredibly nimble to safely enter or exit that passage.

His gaze flicked between the dangerous opening, the tiny paw prints in the snow, and the strange little creature. "Did you come from there?"

The creature tilted its head. Realizing that it might not understand him, he pointed at the opening and tried to convey his question through body language.

Then, slowly, it nodded after nearly a minute of Malzahir looking as though he was clumsily enacting some kind of abstract dance.

But seeing its docile temper, lack of caution around humans, and developed ability to communicate with him despite not necessarily understanding the same language, Malzahir began to form a hopeful idea… Perhaps this was a contracted beast. And if it was here alone, that meant its beast-tamer was nearby—or possibly, trapped.

He exhaled sharply, weighing his options. He had been hoping to find other people, Idrias' allies, but deep down was beginning to lose all hope.

His fingers brushed against the space ring Idrias had given him. He eyed the crumbling opening balanced dangerously on the slope's edge. Had the collapse extended even a foot further, the entrance would be completely gone—moreover, there were no guarantees that the ravine couldn't suddenly expand further and swallow the entrance—and the tunnel it led to along with it.

He then looked at the treacherous incline leading to it. If he wasn't careful, he'd slide straight off into a seemingly bottomless drop. Every single survival instinct in his body was screaming at him not to make the risky attempt of entering the precariously balanced tunnel entrance.

'But fortunately, my desire for survival is at an all-time low…'

Willing to take the risk after finding what may be his only hope of finding Idrias' allies, he secured a rope to ice formation jutting up from the landscape while tying the other end to himself.

After roughly testing its ability to hold his weight, he began his descent done the slope. The snowy slope was slick with ice in some places, crumbling and loose in others, and more than once, he felt his footing slip.

Click.

Hearing a faint clicking noise he looked back and saw that he had company, assuming that the sound was made from his new companion showing off its nimbleness.

His careful, trembling unsteady steps were followed by the rabbit-like creature that was hopping around while effortlessly maintaining its balance—walking down the incline as though it were walking on flat land.

Click.

Malzahir frowned, glancing back. That… wasn't from the creature, was it?

Crack.

The sound came again—louder this time. Malzahir barely had time to glance back before the ice formation that had been supporting his weight split clean in half.

His body fell into a helpless skid downward, while he scrambled to regain control.

But at the last possible moment, his fingers dug into an exposed rock jutting out from the entrance he was trying to enter—digging in deep enough to cause his fingertips to bleed and some of his nails to even break completely off.

He gripped it tightly, the impact jarring his arm as half of his body dangled precariously over the steep cliff. For a heartbeat, he just hung there, breathless, looking back at the endless dark below.

Then, slowly, carefully, he pulled himself into the narrow opening at the ravine's edge, his muscles burning with the exertion of raising his whole body. "Gods," he muttered under his breath. "This had better be worth it."

The rabbit-like creature, which had remained still during his struggle, suddenly moved again.

Its body shuddered slightly—then, its glassy, vacant eyes blinked. A subtle shift in energy rippled through the air, and in an instant, the creature became noticeably more lively. It straightened, its ears twitching, its fur shimmering as if reinvigorated.

Malzahir frowned, noticing the change. "What is wrong with you?"

The creature didn't respond in words, but this time, it moved with a much clearer purpose. It hopped forward, glancing back at him as if to beckon him along.

"…Alright," Malzahir murmured, brushing the snow and ice from his sleeves. "Lead the way."