The Whispers of Shadows - Azriel

53

A week of bitter cold wind and warm bodies went by. They were hardly dressed the entire time, Aurora's body growing used to the soreness of her arms, legs, and core. Azriel truly was using her body to forget his troubles. She let him, she loved it.

The winter storm that plagued the mountain top was throwing snowflakes and ice crashing into the rattling windows, the moonlight being shadowed by clouds. Aurora, bare but cocooned in a blanket of fur, sat on the edge of the bed as she watched the storm. As they entered June, Aurora was shocked to see the storm so violent in a Court with all natural seasons.

Azriel walked into the room and Aurora turned her head. He was dressed, for once, and bundled in a large jacket that nearly competed with his wings in size. "Where are you going?" Aurora asked as she leaned forward. Azriel's eyes were on the window.

"I need to fly, it's been over a week since I stretched my wings," he answered, buttoning the wool coat.

"It's a storm out there, though. Won't the wind affect your flying?" She asked, tightening her hold on the blanket as she stood and wandered to his towering frame. She craned her neck to look up at him. Azriel sent her a soft smile before leaning down and pecking her lips.

"I think it'll be good for me. I'll be back in a while," he hummed, another kiss to her lips. Aurora held the blanket around her shoulders while she watched him slip out the bedroom door and waited until the cabin door shut before she went to the window and peered out. Streaks of light filtered through the clouds, the large silhouette of Azriel breaking through them.

With a sigh, Aurora made her way to her trunk. She pulled out a loose pair of wool pants and a sweater and tugged them on. She had yet to explore outside, and if Azriel was bracing the cold for alone time, she could, too.

With her boots tied and a large jacket shrugged on, Aurora made her way to the door. The wind and ice bit at her skin as she crunched the snow beneath her feet. The lights within the cabin cast a golden hue over the silvery landscape. Aurora looked up at the moon that was hiding behind clouds. It peeked out and sent a ray of silver over her, as if it was welcoming her into the forest. Not a hint of Azriel was in the sky.

The forest around her was a silent type, the kind where you'd be afraid on your own. Aurora reveled in it. The silence consumed her, wrapped around her like a blanket of shadows that Azriel always grazed her with. When the trees grew thicker, the moon was cut off by the branches. Her eyes blinked to focus in the depth, but no light reflected on the snow. With a huff, she turned back towards the clearing with the cabin. Her eyes fell on a structure behind it, similar style to the cabin but much smaller. Cold kissing her cheeks, Aurora made for the small building.

Water dripped from the roof. Her brows furrowed as she reached for the door handle and tugged it open. A rush of burning heat ran over her. It was a simple wooden room, a bench wrapping around the three walls. Steam thickened the air. Aurora stepped in with sweat already building on her brow. It was a steam-room of sorts, a complete contrast to the outside. In the center of the room, a column that was hollowed out on top sat filled with black rocks. The steam emitted from those burning rocks.

Aurora hummed and turned back to the door. She'd ask Azriel about the room later. Goosebumps covered her skin beneath the layers as she emerged from the heat and entered the equally burning cold. Snow fell from the branches above her head, sizzling when it hit the roof of the small building.

A shadow blocked the peak of moonlight for a mere second, forcing Aurora's eyes to the sky. Very far away, an Illyrian silhouette combed the clouds. She wondered how much colder it was up there compared the the ground. Azriel looped behind the trees and Aurora sighed. Was he going crazy being cooped up in a cabin with her? Had he wished to come here alone? She couldn't imagine what it would be like to bring someone new to a place that held so much in his heart.