The Poltergeist

With her recent encounters with Sephiran, she had made the decision to travel around Armada’s territory- working her way south, and away from her more usual haunts. It wasn’t that she was afraid- not in the slightest. His determination would have been admirable had it not been a complete pain in her ass. The constant fear of being interrupted was more consuming, and with the next lunar phase coming up, she had shit to do. Climbing to the tops of the peak seemed to be a good choice at the time she had made it. Being close to an unobstructed sky seemed perfect for the Red Moon ritual. Though, the further she ascended- the closer she got to the crown of the world- the more frigid the atmosphere became. Oh well. She had already committed, and at the end of the day … what was the likelihood that she would be followed up here.

Aurelia stuck fairly closely to a trail- though she wasn’t entirely sure where it was taking her. But at the very least, it ensured that it would keep her going along the path of least resistance. However, the thinning air at such a high altitude did weird things to the way the scent fell. So when the sudden echo of a Mountain Lion scream sounded overhead, she immediately gasped in surprise. There was very little of anything to absorb the sound, so the origin of the roaring growl felt like it resonated from within. Her cyan gaze frantically combed the mountainside, but couldn’t pick out the threat. She wasn’t left searching for long. Out of seemingly thin air, the big cat pounced on top of her, grabbing hold of her with its despicably hooked claws in her back and shoulder. Aurelia yelped in pain on reflex as she collapsed to her side under its weight. It attempted to strike her in the throat with its fangs- though she was able to ward off its attempt at a fatal blow with her own splayed jaws. Every move she made in those dragging seconds was nothing more than a reaction. There wasn’t time to think, only defend.

"Aurelia Veratti"