Prompt: Write about the Mountains

A mist hung about the pine forest below the purple-brown mountains. Mountains that stretched for miles ahead and to both sides, short and tall, some with snow caps and others without. In the middle, scarcely visible above all the ones before it, was the tallest. That mountain was their destination.

Wynaré shivered in the cold, pulling her cloak about her closer and snuggling in next to Alex.

"In there?" Kei gazed at a cave in the distance, up the incline, the trees sparser now that they were near the base.

"In there. Come on." Lesara pushed ahead in long strides, as though she couldn't wait to get back underground again. She probably couldn't.

The others, were not so eager. Going through a network of caves to the middle, tallest mountain. They were going to be in those caves for weeks, maybe even longer. They knew better than to go over and through the mountains though. Lesara would find no cover from the sun's light that route. They had no choice, if they didn't want their guide to die.

They were at the mouth of the cave in what seemed like a time that couldn't have been long enough.

"Are you sure?" Alex whispered to Wynaré.

She responded by looking ahead at Kei. "As long as he is."

"I knew that." Alex frowned and focused on his feet as they headed into the cave after Lesara.

"You didn't have to come." Kei's voice echoed ahead of them.

Alex kept silent, refusing to have another word battle with the elf.

Wynaré's voice whispered behind him, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. He only knew it was magic because a white light flared up beside him, momentarily blinding him, and then died down to a soft glow that was bright enough to see by.

"You should have done that outside first" Lesara's voice echoed from all around them. A rustling followed it and they had to duck to avoid the bats flying in all direction above them. Soon they flew away from them, guided magically by Lesara.

Nyth shifted nervously and then shrunk to a fourth of her normal height just before she shape-changed into a emerald and silver-colored house cat.

Alex looked down at her with an eyebrow quirked.

Mind if I hitch a ride on top the bag on your back? She mind-sent, I'm afraid that closed spaces make me very uncomfortable. It helps to become something small, but I won't be able to keep up for long if I walk.

Alex shrugged. "I don't mind." He knelt down for a moment to make the leap to his bag less daunting. Wynaré stopped with him. When Nyth was safely perched on his bag, Alex stood up and he and Wynaré sped up a little to catch up to the others.

Alex had been wondering if he'd be able to handle such a long time underground. Now, he was more worried about how it would effect Nyth. Kei looked uneasier than the rest of them too--perhaps he had claustrophobia too but was not willing to admit it?

A winged elf used to the open air of nature. Alex was willing to guarantee Kei had it, no matter how good he was at hiding emotion.

FIN

Just a little scene involving the characters from Stalemate. It sucks, but at least I wrote *meh*