Chapter Text
Living in secret among us is a race of creatures known as enchanted animals. Each group represents a race of animal from the aardvark to the zebra (mollusks, insects, and worms are not included) and has three forms: beast (when they take on the form of the animal they represent), human (self-explanatory), and beast/human (a seamless blend of the two). But sadly, as a race of animal begins to disappear (either through natural selection or by human hand), the enchanted animal that represents it begins to disappear as well.
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The Himalayan Mountains were rumored to be home to a terrifying creature known as the Yeti. But unknown to even the native people, the mountains were home to several villages of enchanted animals; among them villages of enchanted snow leopards. It was their job to protect the snow leopards that lived in the mountains. They lived off the land growing their own food and hunting for meat; using every part of the animal that they could and wasting nothing.
Like others in her village, Snowbell spent her days working in the village, hunting in the mountains, and protecting the snow leopards. Like all enchanted animals, family was everything to Snowbell and she was at the age where she old enough to be married. Many of the young males were courting her not only because she was beautiful but because her father was the leader of the village. However, Snowbell was very picky. She knew that she had to chose the best mate possible because he would lead the village along side her.
"Snowbell," someone called.
Snowbell turned and saw her little sister Snowdrop running up to her. Snowdrop was only ten, too young to help with the hunting or protecting the snow leopards. However, she was old enough to understand what was going on in the village and to start her training.
"Can I come with you to protect the snow leopards?" Snowdrop asked.
"You know you can't. You still haven't learned all the things you need to know to keep the snow leopards safe."
"Snowbell," their father called. "It's time to go."
"I'm coming," Snowbell called back.
She looked at Snowdrop.
"Stay in the village and help Mom with the house work," she told her sister. "Dad and I will be back before dark."
With that, Snowbell followed her father and the others on patrol out of the village. They were going to check on the snow leopards and free any they came across that were trapped illegally as well as spring any illegal traps. (Any traps used by conservationist to help track and survey the snow leopard population were kept in tact. They knew that these traps wouldn't harm the snow leopards and were used so that the humans could help save these beautiful animals.) This was the most important job they had.
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It was almost dinner time when Snowbell and her father got home. The patrol had been good; no snow leopards needed to be set free and the only traps they found were the ones used by conservationists. Days like this were good. The enchanted animals didn't mind conservationists in their territory since they wanted to help the wild animals as much as they did. It was the hunters and poachers that they couldn't stand. Some enchanted animals had gone as far as taking on their beast forms and hunting the poachers or taking on their beast/human forms and scaring them. Snowbell remembered the stories coming out of Wisconsin of an enchanted wolf taking on his beast/human form to scare hunter trapping wolves along a certain road.
As Snowbell and her father neared the family's house, Snowbell's mother met them outside and she seemed upset. This wasn't all that uncommon. If the patrols ran into trouble, the mate and parents of those on the team would be upset until they saw that their loved one was alright. However, this patrol had gone smoothly.
"Have either of you seen Snowdrop?" she asked. "I can't find her anywhere."
"I saw her just before the patrol left," Snowbell said. "She wanted to come but I told her she couldn't and to come home and help you."
"You don't think she left the village, do you?" Snowbell's mother asked.
"She might have," Snowbell's father said. "She's been wanting to come help protect the snow leopards. She might have thought that, if she could complete a patrol on her own, she could come next time."
"But she doesn't know how to spot the traps or any of the other things for patrol. She could get into real trouble out there."
"We'll find her. She couldn't have gotten far."
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The patrols search but couldn't find any sign of Snowdrop and it had the entire village worried. Not just because she was the leader's daughter but also because, like a enchanted snow leopard children, she played in these mountains and knew them very well. (To earn money to help the conservation efforts, some members of the village would use coal to darken their snow white hair to hide the spots and worked as guides for mountain climbers. Some of the best Sherpas were actually enchanted snow leopards.)
"I don't like this," Snowbell's father said. "The searchers have lost her scent. Even if she doubled back and returned home, we'd still be able to pick up her scent."
"Something happened," Snowbell said. "Even if she leaves the village, Snowdrop knows to return home before dark."
"Snow Hunter!" someone called to Snowbell's father. "We found something!"
Indentations in the snow indicated that a large cage had recently been sprung but whatever or whoever was trapped inside had been taken away. By the tracks and the scent, the search party knew that Snowdrop had been the one taken.
"Who would have taken her?" Snowbell asked.
"It had to have been poachers," Snow Hunter said. "The conservationist would have let her go. They must have mistaken her for a snow leopard and taken her away."
"But where would they have taken her?"
"To the world of man."