Honor and Glory | ATEEZ

016

We tumbled down the mountainside in a blue of white and cold, catching occasional glimpses of the clear purple sky above us, and mountains in the distance as we resurfaced, only to plunge into the icy cold again as we went underneath the snow.

We were moving fast.

Too fast.

If we weren't killed by the impact with one of the cliffs or icy peaks we passed, the cold itself could probably snuff out our lives just as easily.

At one point, I felt myself sinking deeper and deeper into the depths of the avalanche, unable to breathe through the thick layer of snow all around me.

Maybe now was the time.

Maybe it would be now that I finally died, I thought.

I had considered it before, even braced myself for it.

Memories of the other districts and how we barely had escaped the Temples of Water, Earth, and Air came back to me in rushed flashes and images.

But maybe now would be the end of it all.

I didn't get the time to brace myself for death this time, though, as black spots began closing in on my vision as my lungs burned of exhaustion and anoxia.

And then I blacked out, leaving the cold world of snow and ice behind.

I was woken up by a kiss, feeling the warm touch of soft lips pressing against my own as my eyes fluttered open.

I locked eyes with Yunho, his clear blue eyes swirling with worry, and then relief. Like an unruly ocean.

Still not completely registering the situation, I looked up at the rest of the group, the three men standing behind Yunho as they stared down at me with a series of contrasting emotions on their faces;

Mingi pouted, though I didn't miss the breath of relief he let out as he studied my face.

Jongo looked beyond ecstatic as he let out a relieved laugh.

And then there was Wooyoung.

Wooyoung looked like he was about to explode in a fit of fiery rage as he looked back and forth between Yunho and me.

I blushed, looking back at Yunho as my inner fire burned through my veins.

The brunette opened his mouth as if to say something, scratching his head awkwardly as he also started blushing, only to wince as he accidentally touched the wound on the side of his head.

He scrambled off the ground, trying to hide the blood.

I let out a small sound of surprise and awe as I sat up and took in our surroundings, noticing that the guys had found yet another ice cavern for us to set up camp in.

Even though ice wasn't exactly my favourite feature in nature, I was still impressed by the beauty of it.

The cavern looked a lot like the one we had sought shelter in during the snowstorm except that in this one, a small source of water trickled out from somewhere in the depts of the ice, forming a small stream that cut through the icy floor at our feet.

The barely audible sounds of the running water calmed me down, but my small bubble of peacefulness quickly burst as Mingi tackled me with a hug, though one of his arms still hung limply at his side.

"Be careful, you goon" I said, giggling a little as the redhead crushed me in his embrace.

Jongho wasn't far behind, limping over to the two of us as he joined in on the hug, all of us laughing in relief as we held each other as close as possible.