A sleepless night

You toss and turn, unable to find any semblance of rest. After what feels like forever you head to the kitchen, careful not to disturb anyone, and attempt to quietly pour yourself a drink.

You stand, the ice in your glass clinking gently in your hand as you stare out across the moonlit snow. You see a pair of eyes in the darkness.

You are rooting to the spot as a beautiful and large mountain lion comes strolling out of the treeline. It's eyes staring straight at your through the window. It stretches languidly in the pale light and sits, seeming to be waiting on you. It's shining eyes never leaving yours.

"Don't be scared." A gentle womans voice echos through your mind. "You will come to no harm from me, sweet male. I only wish to let you speak with the spirits that live in this mountain." It continues.

You can't move. You can't speak. You can't even wriggle a toe as a tingly feeling falls over you.

"Come, there is little time." The mountain lions voice beckons you, and woodenly your limbs jerk into motion. You try to swear, to bump into furniture, anything to wake the rest of the cabin but your body only moves to the bidding of this strange creature. You shiver as you begin marching off into the snow, your feet quickly becoming painfully cold. Your almost nude body shrieking in protest.

The mountain lion begins walking back into the forest as you follow and stops to look over your shoulder.

"Oh. You won't make it like that." It says in an almost patronizing tone. Once more you feel a haze of tingly sensation wash over you. The painful numbness of the cold dissipates almost immediately.

You sigh in relief and note that now, despite being almost nude (your frilly painties not doing much), you feel delightfully warm. You are still terrified of where this is heading.

The cat seems to note your thoughts and pads back over to you as you remain unable to move your own body. The large feline yawns casually, it's maw of overly long fangs inches from your unprotected crotch.

"If I wanted to hurt you..." it meets your eyes again before gently and carefully shredding your underwear with a lazy nip of sizable canines.

"I would."

It turns back to the forest and walks on.

"Come."

For some time you walk on, into the darkness of the forest and further up the mountain. Your feet crunching through snow and ice, thankfully not worse for the travel. The moonlight casts a magical mood on the journey. It feels like ages when you start asking questions of the lion.

[Where are we going?] You think. It looks back over it's shoulder.

"To a special place where spirits hibernate, your arrival marks the waking of one of the elder spirits. One that has slept for Millenia. She has much to do."

[What do you want with me?] You ask, your mind reviewing too many movies about ritual sacrifices.

A tinkling laugh bounces through your brain.

"Nothing that dark, the spirit due to wake is not a **** or blood spirit. Nay, she is the spirit of bountiful springs, and heavy fruits. Of teeming rivers and lush gardens." The mountain lion gives you a serrated smile. "You will probably even enjoy the waking ritual. Eventually."

With that ominous message the lion turns back to the snow covered landscape and trudges on in silence.