Chapter 199: Snow-leopards

While inside the carriage Cassandra casually asked her elder sister, keeping her tone very serious.

"So what’s going on between you and Commander Razial?"

Lotus who was busy playing with her hair suddenly paused and turned to her sister wearing a scowl and moving her index finger in a circle in front of her sister.

"Whatever you mean?"

"Don’t pretend, you can tell me. I won’t judge." Cassandra playfully nudged her.

"Please! Don’t take a page from Stephanie and father’s book. You know Razial, he has always been bit excessive when it comes to us. Following us sisters around since childhood as if he had to always protect us."

Cassandra pursed her lips before taking her sister’s hands in hers and speaking.

"Only you, Lotus. He never followed me and Stephanie around or looked at us the way he looks at you. I see it so clearly now."

Lotus shook her head in disbelief, not wanting to admit what her heart had been telling her for a while now.

"Well, he followed the wrong girl then," Lotus answered with a sigh, returning to twirling her lock on her finger.

Sudden screeches of the horses had their attention diverted outside.

"What’s wrong?" Cassandra poked her head out by opening the door a nudge.

"Dinner came to us," Siroos called out. His black steed with mane as rich as night’s wings neighed and stopped near the carriage.

Confused, Cassandra opened the door more and jumped out. Lotus followed her.

At a distance of some fifty yards a herd of snow leopards blocked their view.

There were about five of them, two were directly blocking their path while one was behind a frozen bush and the others were behind the tall pine trees, ready to pounce.

They emitted low guttural and threatening sounds like deep growls. The skin around their noses and muzzles wrinkled dramatically, pulling back to expose their sharp teeth.

Their hackles raised, their sleek bodies on display as if ready to attack.

The mesmerising sight had all of them frozen. Their magnificent coats in the shades of white and blue were thick and their fur long. The freshly fallen snow flakes appeared as pearls strung in it.

Their size was almost to that of an oversized horse with bleached canines threateningly elongated to their necks.

"Yeah! They hunt in packs," Aiko whispered to her mate, who had his eyes glistening seeing such magnificent creatures.

"How are we going to take them?" Razial lazily asked, climbing down his steed and forming a giant icicle in his hand using his powers.

"They are stunning," Lotus cried out.

"Seems like dinner to me," Siroos added in a bored fashion making Cassandra nudge him with her elbow.

"Always a barbarian. Can’t we just admire them and let them be." Cassandra let her magic shootout, strengthening the purple shield around her companions, in case the snow leopards attacked.

"Yeah! We are like a snack to them, why can’t they be a dinner for us?" Siroos asked, pulling his mate into his tight embrace.

"I say I test my axe." Faris had climbed down the carriage as well and retrieved his axe, he revolved the handle in his hands.

"I think we should just kill one and the rest will scurry off. These creatures are rare so let’s not kill all of them," Razial added, observing their eyes which resembled his in many ways.

"We are not killing even a single one," Cassandra declared and untangled himself from Siroos’s embrace. Slowly she began to move towards the creatures.

"Malakti?" Siroos questioned, ready to follow her but she turned around and said with her signature smile.

"Trust me." Her words and the assurance through the bond made him halt but his dragon surfaced. Ready to burn them to crisp if they dared attack her.

Lotus had a smile on her face as she folded her arms over her chest. She fully trusted her sister and knew she had a plan.

Faris and Razial were on high alert as well, the icy wind was on the tip of Razial’s free hand, while Faris was ready with his axe.

Cassandra carefully moved towards the wild creatures, with her right hand extended. They watched her wearily but as she neared taking careful steps the hostility in their eyes lessened.

"Hey! We are not here to harm you, we are just passing by," Cassandra softly spoke, taking another step, with her hand stretched towards the leopard which stood in the middle of the path.

Her magic pulsed underneath her finger and reached out like specs of gold dust. It touched the nose of the largest among them. The hostility in his blue eyes completely disappeared, replaced by meekness.

It slowly bowed its head and let out a low whimpering sound, lowering its majestic body the white and blue creature settled down on the snowy path.

The rest of its companions followed behind him and Cassandra finally touched his soft fur.

Siroos was almost on the balls of his feet with agitation, he knew Cassandra could protect herself but the mate bond still cast deep worries in his heart and he was seconds away from transforming.

"Don’t forget, she is the goddess of love. Everyone will eventually give in to her," Lotus leaned closer to her agitated brother-in-law and whispered, seeing how he was about to chew on his knuckles.

Cassandra was now lovingly petting the gigantic creature as if he was her pet.

"Aww! You are so magnificent. I guess you were just hungry? You don’t get to eat much in this cold weather?" She tenderly spoke to him and he whined as if protesting and nodded his big head at her.

Meanwhile the hiding snow leopards had shifted from their spots and trotted along, gathering around Cassandra too. Her protective shield didn’t let them get too near to her but they tried to rub their bodies against her.

The animals recognised and felt the positive and loving aura surrounding her and to everyone’s horrors she lifted her shield and let them completely surround her.

"Malakti!" Siroos slowly but cautiously called out, about to rush towards her but her giggle ran out as one of the ferocious beasts licked her ear.

"She is amazing," Aiko cried out, awe-struck by what she was seeing.

Cassandra turned towards her bewildered companions and said.

"Give them some meat which we brought. We have plenty."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read