Larry felt the soaked body of Octavius shivering in his hands, and hugged him closer to his sodden shirt. They had been walking for hours, desperately searching for a path, a trail, anything that could lead them out of their dire situation. But the long hike and the sudden coolness in the air was taking it's toll. Both miniatures were shivering and exhausted, barely managing to stay awake but utterly failing. Teddy was supporting Ahkmenrah, who could barely keep his eyes open. Sacagawea seemed to be holding her own, though it was obvious she was exhausted. Larry himself wasn't any better. He could hardly stay upright, and had to grasp at branches and trees with one hand, while holding Octavius in the other. Worse yet, the sun was setting, and the air was becoming colder by the minute. And they were loosing light fast.

"Larry," Sacagawea said, coming to walk beside him.

"Huh?" He asked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh. Yeah?"

"We should stop and rest for the night." She said, glancing at the other two behind them. She also glanced down at Jedediah, who had fallen asleep in her palm, but was still shivering violently. "We need a fire."

Larry knew they had to stop. He knew that it was important for them to make a fire, and get warm. He also knew they needed rest, and he didn't know how much longer the miniatures could hold on without these two things. But at the same time, this feeling was rising within him, telling him to push on and get out. He glanced over at the two behind him, at Sacagawea and Jed, and then down at the little Roman in his hands, and he knew he couldn't risk their lives. With a sigh, he told the others to stop, and everyone collapsed on the ground, panting and groaning from the effort.

"Dusk is approaching Lawrence," Teddy said, coming to sit beside Sacagawea. "There are many animals that come out at this time. We need shelter, Lawrence."

"And fire," Sacagawea added in, slowly rising to her feet. "I can start that."

"Myself and Ahkmenrah can check out that hollow opening in the cliff face," Teddy said, rising to his feet as well. Ahkmenrah, after a moment's rest, followed suit.

"I...guess I'll stay with Sacagawea and keep an eye on the miniatures, then." Larry said, carefully taking Jedediah from the young Shoshone woman. With a small nod, they all left to follow through with their duties. The cave was only a few meters away, and it was a bit more of a deep impression than it was an actual cave. The wall in the back was very hard, and would give protection from behind from both the weather and the wild animals. There was also two side walls, which rendered the place more enclosed and protected from the sides. The entrance was relatively large, but a small fire burning just outside it would give enough warmth to get them through the night.

After they'd investigated the sheltering cave, they called to Larry and Sacagawea that it was safe, and also that there was plenty of fire wood around.

Larry sat as close to the fire as possible, trying to warm himself and the two precious burdens he held in his hands. Jedediah was still asleep, curled up tightly with a small piece of fabric Teddy had torn from his shirt, since he was the only one completely dry. He'd stopped shivering now, which Larry had thought was a good thing, but had changed his mind after being informed by Teddy that sometimes it lead to hypothermia, since shivering was the body's way of keeping warm. So he was keeping a close eye on him. Octavius was no better off. Unlike his friend, who appeared to be either unconscious or asleep, the poor Roman had been unable to close his eyes for the past hour, and just lay shivering in Larry's palm. Sacagawea looked alright, poking at the fire and adding more dried sticks and leaves if it began to die down. Teddy sat beside the night guard, looking over what few ravaged supplies had been fished from the river since he was the best off at the moment than the others. Besides the miniatures, the only one not doing well was Ahkmenrah, who lay sleeping near the back of the cave. He'd been complaining of a severe headache, and had almost passed out while helping Teddy clear their shelter of debris. So far, things weren't going well.

As Larry listened to the nearby hooting of an owl, a small sneeze brought his attention down to the little Roman, who once again had failed in his attempts to sleep.

"Bless you," He said, gently wrapping him tighter with a new piece of fabric.

"Thank you, Larry," Octavius mumbled, his voice barely audible.

"You need some sleep," Larry said softly, gently nudging Jed to make sure he was alive.

Octavius signed, and sat up against Larry's thumb. "I cannot seem to rest," He whispered, wrapping his makeshift blanket tighter around himself. He then bowed his head, looking ashamed. "I am afraid."

Larry sighed, and tried to sound reassuring. "Hey, it's okay. We'll all be fine," He said, trying to seem hopeful.

"You do not understand, Larry. This is no small matter. Many men have lost their lives in our exact situation, and I fear..." The Roman trailed off, looking away.

"You fear...?" Larry asked, gazing down at him.

"I fear that...if I close my eyes...when I...If I wake...one of us might be...well..." Octavius paused again, glancing at his sleeping friend. "One of us might be gone."

Careful not to disturb the sleeping cowboy, Larry gently hugged the little Roman, whispering reassuringly to him. "It'll be okay," He said, gently rubbing the miniature's back with his finger. "No one is going to die. I promise."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that night, while mostly everyone was asleep, Larry was up, looking into the fire. He glanced beside him at the miniatures, who lay asleep in the center of a small circle of heated stones. Sacagawea had the idea of heating up a few stones over the fire, and placing the two in the center to help warm them. Both were bundled up tight, and the four bigger people slept around the circle, in an attempt to reserve heat. But it was a cold night, and the fire did little to fend off the cold. Nearby, he heard a few hoarse coughs from Ahkmenrah, and began to worry. He couldn't help but listen to the words of Octavius ring in his head.