The moment Aurora crossed the final stretch of forest separating the Fox Tribe's territory from the Snow Lion lands, she realized that she had been completely unprepared for the sight waiting ahead.
The lush greenery that had surrounded her for so many months gradually thinned until the trees became sparse and twisted, their branches carrying layers of frost. The damp earth beneath her feet hardened into patches of white, and before long, the forest gave way entirely to an enormous open plain covered in snow and ice.
Beyond it rose a magnificent range of mountains whose peaks disappeared into the clouds, their slopes coated in thick layers of ancient ice that gleamed beneath the afternoon sunlight.
Aurora stopped walking without realizing it, staring at the breathtaking landscape. She had experienced forests filled with enormous trees, rivers, lakes, endless rain, humid summers, and warm sunlight, but this was entirely different.
