The fearsome beast slithered into the cabin as the snow entered the cabin with its entrance. Rinok remained motionless, unconscious.
No one said a word; they huddled close and held their breath as they saw the Snowager approach the Bori. A thousand thoughts whirled in their minds; but fear struck them and they could not move. But if nothing were to be done, Rinok would surely be-
Prytariel shook herself and yelled, "RINOK!!"
The Snowager stopped its advance and turned, rearing its massive head in her direction.
"L-let's get out of here!" Osielle stuttered, trying to break free from the restraints of his fear.
"There is no need for that," came a calm voice. They all turned their heads to see that Rinok was standing, his eyes still in a trance. "The coming of the Snowager was heralded by ice and snow. It has not come here to hurt, but rather to find something," he continued.
Indeed, as they peered at the massive snowy serpent whose yellow eyes glared, they noticed that it had stopped its advance. Its eyes moved from Prytariel to Osielle, and from Osielle to Minae.
"It's... looking for something?" questioned Minae quietly, looking in alarm from Rinok to the Snowager.
"No," Rinok said. "For someone." His eyes were now far different than how they ever seemed before - the solid blue tint became an icy silver. "For me."
Rinok's teammates looked at him in disbelief.
"We come from Terror Mountain, but I am similar to it, perhaps more than I am similar to all of you. We love the cold, but I am the cold... and this unnatural snow that has suddenly overtaken Altador is the strongest cold that I have ever faced. It awakened in me this connection to the winter. The Snowager felt it too, and came here. I must go with it."
Quiet filled the room, barred by the earth-shaking breath of the Snowager, which now turned to look at Rinok. The rest of the Terror Mountain was already overcoming its fear of the Snowager, or at least as much as was possible being so close to it, and an understanding came over their faces.
"So, this is goodbye?"
The Bori nodded solemnly. Marvellously, the Snowager bowed its head, allowing Rinok to climb upon it.
"Look for me... in the sound of the whistling wind... in the hurl of the falling snow... in the silence of the icy caverns of Terror Mountains. I will be there..."
And with that, the Snowager slithered out of the cabin with Rinok upon it; the snow and hail outside subsided, and eventually, the Altadorian sky returned. The Terror Mountain team still talks about the time they met the Snowager, and the sudden farewell to their teammate; but never before nor since did they ever remember seeing snow in the golden glades of Altador.
The End,
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