It was still dark, hours before dawn yet. So when Zax hit the snow, he hadn't seen it coming and got a mouth full of the stuff. But he had been ready to land, and so came down in the deep loosely packed snow in a crouch that avoided any injury.
He popped up out of the snow in time to see the helicopter engulfed in flames, plow into a nearby frozen river. Just missing a natural bridge arcing the river a few yards off. The fiery wreck doing something to light the profound dark of a far northern night.
Zax caught sight of someone ahead of himself, who sighting him in turn, made their way through the snow towards him.
"Are you alright!?" Came Kunsel's voice over the rawer of the fire, and the snow flurry coming down from the hills.
"Yeah!" Zax answered a bit breathless. Dusting snow out of his hair he pulled on the SOLDIER balaclava. And turning his coat collar up, domed it closed in the front. "How about you?"
"Same. But we can't stay here. Any hostile can easily track the last known position of our helicopter in the air to this point, and the fire and smoke are a dead giveaway. Zax can you find shelter? We can't risk leading Wutai troops towards a civilian town like Icicle. I need to search for our commander."
The only things they had left on them were their cold weather clothes, their swords. And any materia Kunsel might have, Zax didn't have any on him. The tents in their packs had gone the way of the helicopter, so they would need shelter for the night or risk exposure. Zax was grateful that Kunsel was prepared to handle the situation, unlike Zax himself.
"On it!" Zax assured, ready to do what he could to help. Cities and even the ShinRa headquarters were one thing. But out here, despite drifting snow and partial cloud coverage, he could glimpse the stars. With a view of thees celestial features, he was true as a compass. And having gone over a map of the area with Kunsel during tea, he could salvage a good idea of where they were. And where he needed to go, for the best chance of finding some adequate shelter.
He had no path markers with him, those to had been with their packs. But Zax wasn't about to let that be their undoing, in place of a path marker he used his sword to test the footing ahead of himself. And he was confident he could navigate his way to and back from the ice pillar field, northeast of where they had crashed. The ice pillar field might offer shelter from the wind if nothing else.
It was hard to get a view of the stars, but it wasn't as bad as it would have been had the snow been coming straight down. Aside from this he was less familiar with the sky this far north.
It was a lot of wading through deep snow. All the while he worried for Kunsel, knowing the enemy that had shot the helicopter down, would be closing in on the crash sight. This worry spurred him on and he made it at last without stopping, to the the forest of ice columns.
Normally a cave was avoided if at all possible, when faced with potential enemies, a cave was a dead end from which there was rarely any means of retreat. But in this weather they didn't have many options if they wanted to first survive the elements. So when Zax came across one that he had at first mistaken for a mound of snow and ice, he knew he had found their shelter for the night.
Having discovered what he had come for, Zax hurried back. The drifting snow had covered over his tracks already, which meant he had to test his footing once more. However it also meant they would not be traced in this way.
On his way back, Kunsel meet him. Ee was alone.
"You didn't find him?" Zax asked. Then noticed as he drew nearer, the slash mark in Kunsel's coat the insulation bubbling out, and the cut across ees lips spilling blood down ees chin and into ees balaclava. Ee also walked with more of a stagger then the snow would warrant, with ees arm held tight against ees side. Then Zax noticed the frozen blood that washed Kunsel's sword.
"Gaia! K, are you alright? Was it Wutai?"
Kunsel shook ees head, but ee hadn't needed to. Zax could see now that something was off. The injury was all wrong for a spear or gun lance such as the Wutai used. It was a sword wound.
"Our commander didn't make it." Kunsel supplied.
Zax understood ees meaning, there had been a fight between them. Right now Zax was just grateful that it had been Kunsel who had survived it. But he already had so many questions about what he'd just learned.
"Let's get going, so the snow has more time to cover over our tracks before Wutai gets here." Kunsel urged, favoring the undamaged side of ees mouth.
Zax nodded without speaking.
They followed the same path Zax had taken, back to where he had located the cave. And ducking inside, they found the place dry, with room enough to easily accommodate two.
Kunsel sat down against the wall of the cave. Busying emself turning ees coat inside out, so that the cut in the fabric would not be exposed to snow that would make the insulation damp and cold. Zax was glad to see that the sword had only cut the coat, and not gone through. Reassured Zax performed a couple of squats for warmth, then sat down beside Kunsel pressing close so that they could share heat.
Nether spoke right away, and for the first time Zax felt an uncomfortable line of tension between himself and his friend, on both of their parts. But greater than this was his concern for his friend, and it was this that took precedence.
"Let me see that?" Zax requested, referring to the cut crossing Kunsel's mouth. He extending his hands hopefully.
Kunsel just hummed ees consent.
Holding Kunsel's chin in his hand, Zax angled the others head to examine the injury left in the wake of the second's blade. Very gently he used the thumb of his other hand, to nudge Kunsel's lip into better alignment. The injury itself was clean and not so jagged that it was past manageable, if he'd had a heal materia he could have sorted Kunsel out right away. As it was the blood flow wouldn't be helping em stay warm, some of it had already frozen in the fabric of ees balaclava. And the wound looked painful, if it was left to heal without care it might affect Kunsel's speech and singing voice.
Why had they fought? To the death no less, what had motivated it. Zax wondered. It was to reminiscent of that night when Jewl and Tobi had been cut down by their supposed ally, in the middle of nowhere. He recalled now other instances of ShinRa deaths on missions that Kunsel had participated in, and he wondered had it actually been Kunsel who had killed those others, if so why?
Removing his scarf, Zax wound it about Kunsel's neck so that the scarf sat up over Kunsel's nose, and he turned Kunsel's collar up to secure it in place. This would at least help stop the blood.
Kunsel thanked him with a thumbs-up, to avoid the use of ees lips in speaking. Ee then pressed ees palm over the scarf covering ees mouth, keeping pressure on the wound.
"I'll take the first watch." Kunsel managed. "I won't get much sleep like this."
Zax felt uncomfortable with the idea of resting while his injured friend stayed up. But he understood that his being rested and uninjured, should he be needed to fight, could be vital. So he did not argue. Leaning against Kunsel's unbruised side in order to share warmth, Zax closed his eyes and concentrated on the howling of the wind, and the rise and fall of Kunsel's breathing.
Kunsel had been the one to propose the arrangement, but was still surprised Zax trusted em enough to sleep like he was, after seeing the evidence of what ee had done. As far as Zax knew Kunsel was a cold blooded team killer. Ee wanted to explain what had happened, but ee didn't know where to begin, or if that was the wisest thing to do. And at the moment, it would require more talking then ees injured mouth would permit.
Between the scarf and ees augmentation, the blood had stop a lot earlier then it might otherwise have done. But even so the scent of blood was strong, that worried Kunsel. The blood might draw predators.
Ee checked ees PHS again, still no reception. it was either this storm, or if they were unlucky, Wutai scramblers. Northeast of here, Kunsel recalled that there was a lodge that was listed as having a transmission tower. If they could make it there by daylight, after this storm had blown over. Then they could get a message out to Icicle Inn, and someone there could contact ShinRa to send help. That was the best plan they had right now.
A change in the sounds outside the cave, drew Kunsel's attention. Ee listened and waited with baited breath, eyes fixed on the whirling snow. Then ee heard it again, the crunch of snow under foot.
Trying not to jostle Zax, Kunsel hastily got to ees feet. Ee approached the caves mouth cautiously, sword in hand ready should ee need it. Ee'd expected a monster to have scented ees blood. But instead ee found a woman standing a few feet back from the cave, her thick black hair whipping about her in the storm. She regarded em with a cool intensity that felt dangerous, like she truly had followed the aroma of blood here.
"Are you ok? It's freezing out there." Kunsel heard emself asking.
She glanced behind Kunsel towards Zax. "He's doing fine, good." When she spoke her voice was accented like Zax's. Then of Kunsel she said. "He has a friend too."
"What's going on?" Zax voice reached em from further back.
But Kunsel was unwilling to look away from the stranger outside, ee felt it would somehow be a mistake to do so, even as she wandered away to be obscured by the storm.
Zax joined em in time to glimpse her just as she vanished from sight.
"That…" Zax began, seemingly even more startled than Kunsel. "Was Polle." He finished. Eyes still focused where she had last been seen.
"What!?" Kunsel winced at the pain the exclamation caused. "You're aunt?" The woman they had just seen bore a resemblance to Zax it was true. She had the same cowlick in the front of her hair, the same nose too, and she had appeared Gongagan. She had also shown some personal interest in Zax's well being. Could she really have been Zax's family, why had she not waited a moment to great her nephew?
"Auntie!" Zax called in to the storm. "Good to see you're doing alright! Thank's for checking in on us."
"Uh, nice to meet you Pollensalta!" Kunsel called, as best ee could without causing emself to much grief. Then asked of Zax when they retreated further back into the cave. "Is this a typical family reunion?"
Zax laughed. "No. If it was, the whole of Gongaga would show up, and we'd actually have something to eat." Then to himself Zax mused. "I wonder, did she come to live here?"
It was only another half hour by the clock on Kunsel's PHS until the storm cleared, and it would be daylight soon. Without the proper equipment they had little choice but to move during the day, even if it meant giving up the advantage of knowing the land by night.
"We need to head northeast towards the lodge we saw on the map." Kunsel said.
"Hummm" Zax cast around, and pinpointed the glow of the rising sun. Making an allowance for how far north they were, and how that would affect the length of the days and nights at this time of the year. And comparing this to the time on Kunsel's PHS, gave him his bearings. "Follow me." He said.
After a time of wading through thigh deep snow Kunsel spoke up, feeling ee couldn't put off addressing this any longer. To harbor an interpersonal issue during a mission could be a dangerous distraction. "I'll explain what happened last night." Ee promised.
Zax glanced ees way. "Ok. But I do trust you you know? Secrets or no. You're my best friend, and while I can't say I know everything about you, I think I know enough to be sure you're essentially good natured. So yeah."
Kunsel was supersized by this emotional frankness, but now knew that as far as things between Zax and emself were concerned, they would be alright.