NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1924 Into The Cold Night
--- Kat ---
As the day wound down Kat realised she'd need to change up her plans. The sun hadn't fully set yet but the temperature was already dropping significantly. Kat herself couldn't feel it, but Hedera definitely could, and Kat could feel some of the chill through Lily. It made her originals plans seem more and more like a bad idea so Kat gently landed in the snow. Lily, having some idea of Kat's plans started to help make a small bunker that they could expand later if that's what they wanted.
"What's up?" asked Hedera. "You two seem ready to hunker down for a bit…"
"Well, that's the thing," said Kat slowly. "I was planning to keep going through the night, probably carrying you. If you couldn't sleep properly I could leave you somewhere to rest or take a break myself… but the drop in temperature has reminded me that I might not be able to. Carrying you is one thing, but you're barely dealing with the cold as it is. If things get even colder? It might become a real medical issue. So… this is a place we can take a break, have some food, and decide what we're doing overnight."
Hedera nodded, waiting for the two to finish before heading inside. It didn't take long for the basics to get done, and with both Kat and Lily having a firm idea of what they wanted it was a simple matter. Lily made use of her shadows mostly to carve the shape, and to slice out blocks of snow that Kat would then move… usually by just throwing them away. Lily could do the same sure, but her time was better spent doing the outlines and making sure that Kat had a clear segment to grab and move. Otherwise, Kat just had to grab handfuls of snow or waste time compacting things.
Eventually they had a decent area marked out. It was a bit cramped, but this was potentially quite temporary. It was still nicer than the first one anyway, Kat had enough space to sit down without her horns cutting through the snow above them and there were seats all around instead of just on the one size. Once the door had gone up, it really was cozy. "So… how are you feeling Hedera?"
"Warming up… but I honestly had realised just how bad it was…" mumbled Hedera as she pulled off her boots. They were protected from water getting in… but the sweat that came from her? That would stick around. Her foot wasn't in danger of getting frostbite but it wasn't a pleasant thing to be dealing with. Hedera rubbed her hands against her foot for a while, trying to bring some circulation back and warm it up. "I think you're going to be right. Flying through the night is going to be too much for me. It's not even dark out and it might already be at that point…"
Kat nodded, "So the question is if I should go off on my own. Normally I'd be happy to do so… but we know for a fact that the areas here shift around. I might be teleported away without even touching anything strange this time. It… makes me somewhat uneasy. With only Rank 2 speed I don't know if I could catch up to you in a day. I also don't know how often things move, so it's technically possible that I could chase after you for days, with the place you are repositioning every time I get close enough for ages. It seems like a big risk… but we would be wasting a fair bit of time,"
"Everyone else does need to sleep you know. Skipping a day or two is certainly possible… but it means they're going to be weaker in a fight so not that many people are going to take that chance if they've got a nice place to sleep…" pointed out Hedera. "Of course… I admit that the teleportation is a risk. It can't happen too often… but I could still see it happening once a day or something like that."
Kat nodded, "So yeah… I could stick close maybe? Or we could try and find a different spot that's closer to one of the pits, or maybe a cave. We've avoided those so far but I could see that being a decent place for me to investigate. I can always stick around overnight. Not my favourite idea but probably the safest,"
Hedera put her boot back on and swapped to warming up her other foot as she thought over the suggestion. "Ok… so… I don't love it but I do have a bit of a compromise?" Hedera stated. It took a few seconds of silence but Hedera did eventually voice it out. "What I'm thinking is that we keep going for a bit. Basically as long as I can manage before we all hole up for the night. In the morning we can head out again, and I can nap if I'm able. It's not like I have all that much to do while getting carried around. Not many orbs to spot and it should be warmer…"
Kat nodded slowly. "It's not a bad idea. It might mean you'll be low on sleep and the chill is still going to be an issue… but yeah we can probably squeeze at least a few more hours out of the day this way. Are you sure you're going to be alright though?"
Hedera shrugged. "It's not going to be permanent damage. Hopefully we can find either an enchanted item to keep me warm, or a town with supplies. I didn't think this through properly, but it's manageable for now. I'm not sure where the limit is… I've never gotten frostbite before… but I know I'll be fine for a bit,"
Lily transformed and said, "It won't help for your feet, but I can move so that I'm sitting on your hands perhaps? I'm cold sure… but nowhere near as cold as you seem to be while I'm in my Memphis form. My fur is clearly helping."
*Are you sure you're going to be ok?*
[Yes. I really do think so. It's getting colder sure, and I can feel that… but I don't think I'm really 'freezing' if that makes sense? It's not like I can't feel the temperature difference but I'm not experiencing the effects more than I was before. No extra shivering, no goosebumps and unlike Hedera who seems to be desperately trying to get feeling back in her feet I'm fine. It might change later, but for now I can make the offer.]
*Alright. As long as you're sure.*
"That might get me a little longer… yeah, alright let's get moving," agreed Hedera as she shoved her boot back on and stood up. Kat nodded to Lily who let the door of paper dissipate and they trio made their way back up into the cold winds once again. Hedera shivered, and for a moment she considered changing her mind… but no. She could deal with it.
Soon, everything was arranged, Hedera in a princess carry, Lily resting on top of Hedera's arms which had been moved to rest on her stomach while Kat wrapped her tail around Hedera as well, more for that little bit of extra warmth then fear about dropping the elf. Still, it was a decent enough system that they were hoping would carry them through the night. Hedera could already tell it was too cold for her to get any real sleep but maybe she can doze.
The darkness of the night made it much harder to spot what few landmarks the group had drifted over during the day. It even made spotting proper holes difficult. If Kat got more than a few metres off the ground it was simply swallowed by the snow and darkness. Any light the moon and stars might have tried providing them was snuffed out by the intense amount of snow. It was so bad that Kat needed to summon up a bit of demonic energy just to keep flying straight.
And even then, her trajectory was more influenced by the wind, feeling what was up and down, and trying her best to keep moving in the same direction she was… pretty sure she had been heading the entire time.
The lack of other stimulation did make it easier for Hedera to fall asleep… and Kat's decision to wrap her tail around the elf was proven to have been the right one. After nodding off Hedera tried to get warm. This involved rolling around somewhat, curling herself up into a tighter ball, and just generally shifting around. Notably, she didn't move her hands much meaning that Lily was in the same spot… theoretically.
The fact that Hedera was willing to roll meant Kat had to be careful. Sure the elf was usually rolling towards Kat, looking for a source of warmth, but it meant Lily was regularly sandwiched between the two. If Kat wanted to ensure her girlfriend didn't fall down into the snow below she had to keep a hand ready to catch the Memphis at just about any time. It was a bit annoying… but it wasn't like Kat had any other things to look out for. Which was an issue. Not being able to see anything was a worry. What if they past over the towns they were looking for?