Watch for POV changes. Not every line break equals a change in POV, however. I try to make it obvious quickly. Shouldn't be a problem if you're aware.

WARNING: Some Strong Language and Deadly Peril . . .

Roy stomped snow from his snowshoes on the porch of Ramon's cabin. Well, he assumed it was Ramon's cabin. It wasn't like the mountain man was likely to have neighbors anywhere around – of the human variety, anyway. Hopefully the door would be unlocked. Not that Roy was above busting it open, but he didn't want to damage their benefactor's residence more than he could help. He was eager to get inside, exhausted and wanting nothing more than to get out of the wind and cold and collapse for the next six months. But the sun had maybe two hours to go before it dipped behind the western mountain peaks, which meant starting back within the hour or staying overnight. And that latter choice would probably kill Connor.

Have to settle for thirty minutes. Damn.

As he bent to unstrap the snowshoes from his feet, Roy glimpsed another pair lying on the porch boards. His eyes darted over them, reading the signs. They had been dropped carelessly by the door and were dusted with snow as if fresh from travel. Some of the snow was packed down to form boot prints.

Robin.

Roy exhaled slowly, feeling his heart rate pick up as he processed this hopeful sign. He'd seen neither hide nor hair of the wayward bird during his hike, his only trail markers being boot prints through the snow. But the prints only led one way. Which meant that, unless Rob had slipped out through a back door, he was inside.

"You better be here, birdboy, or I'm gonna wring your scrawny neck."

The door opened easily for about a foot before it bumped into something.

"What the hell?" Roy shoved the door further, pushing whatever was in the way over enough for him to enter. Closing the door behind him, he stared down at the blockage with a curse.

"Damn it," Roy growled as he dropped to his knees next to the unconscious form of his friend.

A small white fox was curled up on the boy's chest. It scurried away at the redhead's approach, retreating a safe distance before turning to bark loudly at him with something that resembled a cross between that of a dog and a cat's outraged cry. Funny, all the time he had spent with his forest ranger father and his medicine man guardian, and he had never before heard the sounds that a fox made. Pretty obnoxious when he considered it, amused by the small animal.

Roy patted Robin's face gently. The boy coughed harshly but didn't awaken fully. Ramón wasn't kidding when he had said Robin was still ill. Stubborn, the boy likely just undid any healing he might have accomplished in the past few days with this stunt.

One side of the Robin's face was the mottled combination of blues, greens, and yellows found in healing bruises. The biologist had said Robin had fallen into the river and Conner had gone in to pull him out. Shit! The boy must have hit every boulder hidden in the whitewater from the looks of him. How the hell did he manage to get up that cliff being in this kind of shape?

Roy had no illusions as to what Robin's uniform must be hiding. He shook his head. Another of one of Artemis's miracles . . . But it wasn't old bruises that was keeping him unconscious . . . So, what was it? Fever? Injury? Had he been hurt in the avalanche?

Robin's lips were discolored and the rest of his face paper-white except for two splotches of red over both cheeks. Roy pulled off his heavy gloves, having replace the fingerless kind as soon as he had topped the cliff . He touched Robin's face and cursed again. If he had had a fever, this hike had cured it . . . and in the process blown right past the body's normal temperature.

Hypothermia . . . The kid was lucky he managed to make it to the cabin before collapsing. Roy had no doubt that, if he had collapsed in the snow, Robin would be dead even now. He was shivering, at least. His body hadn't lost the ability to produce its own heat with the involuntary movement. Moderate hypothermia then, rather than severe, but still concerning. As his hand moved down to the boy's chest; Roy felt a noticeable difference in temperature. Warmer.

He glanced up at the irate fox with new-found respect. Cecil, the fox, may have just helped to save Robin's life by sharing his body heat with the boy.

He needed to warm Robin up faster than that, however. Sliding his arms under him, Roy picked the younger boy up and carried him over toward the fireplace. It was open to the room on the other side of the wall, he noted . . . A bedroom. He discovered that it was furnished with a bed much more substantial than the cot he has seen in the shack.

Laying Robin on top of the bed, Roy yanked the fur that had been draped over the footboard off, and covered him with it. He moved to the fireplace and was appreciative of the dry wood already laid out. All it needed was to be lit.

Ramón was bound to have something to light the fire stashed somewhere obvious, but Roy didn't bother looking. He pulled his flint and arrowhead out of his pouch, and with a few expert flicks of his wrist, started the kindling burning. Although much larger than the shack, the cabin was still small enough that it should warm up quickly. Hopefully Robin would be able to do the same.

Roy moved back to the bed and pulled back the fur in order to further check Robin for injuries and to move him under the rest of the blankets. He was startled to discover that the fox had followed him in and snuck under the fur beside the boy. On being exposed, he sat up, chittering angrily at him.

"You're a cute, little fellow," Roy told him, "but you are currently in the way." He picked the animal up by his scruff and set him back on the floor.

"Off with you now, Cecil," Roy muttered, and turned back to what he was doing.

Roy noted several tears on one side of the boy's uniform as well as a long slice right up the middle, indicating the presence of injuries. Ramón must have cut him out of his tunic. The stitches repairing the cut were small and neat, but the uniform was compromised for more than insulation now. Thankfully, Roy didn't expect any supervillains to be hanging out in the middle of the Canadian Rockies. Sportsmaster and Cheshire managed to escape with Overton; he didn't think they would be back when they could simply create another weapon.

He had just reached for the clasps on the front of Rob's tunic when a white ball of fluff bounded onto the bed from the other side. The fox crawled up on Rob's chest and laid down right below Roy's hands. Roy shoved him to the side but didn't bother setting him back on the floor. The little beastie would just be back up in seconds anyway, he figured.

"Move it, bub," he ordered. "I need to get him warm and see where he might be hurt."

Cecil stuck his nose in Robin's ear, snuffling him. He made a loud cross between a whine and a howl. Robin jerked from the noise and curled up as a violent coughing fit overtook him.

"Easy, Rob," Roy murmured. "Let me help you up."

He lifted the boy into a sitting position and rubbed his back. Robin blinked open his eyes, staring at his friend blearily.

"Roy?" he rasped. He blinked again as if unable to believe his eyes. "Roy?!"

"It's me, kid. Here to save your scrawny butt," Roy smirked at him.

"Y-You're not d-dead?" Robin twisted to see him better and winced at the movement.

"So, you are injured on top of being sick and hypothermic," Roy concluded as he noted the painful movements. "Batman would have your hide if he were here now."

Ignoring those injuries, Robin threw his arms around the older teen. "God! We thought you and Artemis were dead!" Rob pulled back just as suddenly. "Artemis! Is she . . .?"

"She's fine," he assured his young friend. "Not for lack of trying," he added in a grumble. "I left her with Conner at the shack. We missed you by a few hours, apparently."

"Conner!" Robin's eyes widened. "Crap! I-I must have fallen asleep. He needs antibiotics badly, Roy. You saw him, right? That Red Sun laser stripped him of his invulnerability and any immunity he might have had to our bacteria. He's sick, Roy! I mean really sick! He could die!"

Roy nodded grimly. "He looked pretty bad," he agreed. "Your rescuer seemed concerned about you, too, however. He sent me after you . . . And it's probably a good thing he did. You were completely out of it when I got here fifteen minutes ago."

"I'm better now that I rested," Robin assured him. He tried to get up but Roy held him in place.

"That wasn't resting that you were doing, chum," Roy told him. "You wouldn't wake up for me. You need to take it easy for a while longer."

Robin looked alarmed. "Longer? Conner doesn't have longer! What time is it? I've taken too long as it is." He glanced about the darkened room. There was no window in the small bedroom. "Oh no! Is it dark already?"

"Calm down," he ordered. "It's just three now. We should have enough light to get down the mountain if we leave in another thirty minutes, but we'll have to haul tail."

Cecil had crawled up into Robin's lap, begging for attention. Robin rubbed him absentmindedly before looking down at him.

"Oh, Cecil must be hungry," he realized suddenly. Robin felt around his belt. Ramón had given him some food for the trip. It was only dried jerky but he could share it. The fox wouldn't eat much.

Cecil immediately perked up as Robin's hand moved toward his belt. He hopped up, his nose following the boy's fingers closely. What kind of treat he was expecting, Robin wasn't sure, but food or smoke pellet, the fox would likely be ecstatic. He pulled out a couple of strips and tossed one onto the blanket for the animal.

"Do you want some?" Robin offered a strip to Roy.

Roy's stomach rumbled. It had been a long time since he and Artemis had breakfast. When he thought of how much had happened since then, it felt like another lifetime. He plucked the strip out of the Boy Wonder's hand and bit into it.

"We need to find those pills, Roy," Robin said as he retrieved another piece of jerky for himself.

Robin coughed again and the pain in his chest nearly doubled him over. He felt breathless afterwards but did his best to hide it. They needed to leave early enough to beat the darkness. He couldn't allow Roy to keep them here overnight. He wouldn't be able to travel fast so it was already past time to go.

"You're in no condition to be going anywhere," Roy told him; standing up. "You know that, right?"

Robin rolled off of the bed in the other direction. "I'll rest when we get back. Promise."

"Hey! You stay put and get warm," Roy barked at him. "I'll find the antibiotics for Conner."

"Two people looking will cut time in half," Robin said but he paused by the fire, enjoying the warmth it provided. It felt like it had been forever since he had been warm.

"We could rest here overnight," Roy suggested as Robin knew he would. "We could get a head start in the morning. At least we'd have the light, and wouldn't have to rush."

Robin was shaking his head. "No. Conner doesn't have that kind of time. I mean it, Roy. That infection is going to kill him if we don't get these meds to him as soon as possible."

He left the warmth of the fire to head back into the main part of the cabin. The light that made it through the small windows was weak. He lit a lantern to help him search the dark areas better.

"I understand that, but I can't help but worry about you, too, kiddo," Roy complained as he followed the younger boy out of the bedroom. "The trip here was harsh, but even if we manage to get down the cliff before the sun sets, the trip back is going to be even harder in the dark."

Robin didn't bother to look at him as he began opening doors to the cabinets. Where did Ramón say he kept his meds again?

"Then we need to hurry," he said, pawing through various items in case the pills were behind something.

"Are you even listening to me? I'm serious here, Rob. You aren't up for this," Roy told him angrily.

Finally Robin spun around to face the older teen. Roy was taken aback by the anger and determination he found in his friend's face.

"I will not abandon my teammate," Robin snarled at him through clenched teeth. "I'm going to do this with or without you, or die in the trying!"

"And if I stop you?"

"You won't," Robin declared hotly. "I won't let you stop me, and I won't forgive you if you try."

Roy blinked, obviously surprised by Robin's vehemence. "And I won't forgive myself if anything happens to you," he retorted softly.

Some of the tension drained out the younger teen. "Then I guess you have a problem then, don't you? I'm leaving as soon as I find those pills so I suggest you bank the fire before we go. I'd feel really bad if we accidentally burnt Ramón's cabin down."

"This is a mistake," Roy insisted.

"Then you can tell me 'I told you so' all you like, but later . . . after we get back to the shack," Robin told him over his shoulder. He was back to searching for the pills.

"What good is it to say 'I told you so' if you're dead and can't hear it," Roy muttered.

He'd done what he could. Part of him knew he should probably force the issue. In Rob's weakened state he'd be no match for the older teen but Rob's stubbornness and moral code was stronger than anything Roy had ever been up against. If he didn't want the boy following him, he had no doubt he would be force to tie him up but Roy also knew in that instance that if he did anything to try to stop him, Robin would never forgive him. Roy would end up losing his friend. In their line of work, one didn't just throw away friends for any old reason.

He would just have to help him when the time came . . . And it would. Robin paused in his search to cough again. Roy didn't miss how he clutched at his chest in the middle of it. Maybe Robin had been getting better before this insanity but that was no longer the case. The boy was a liability to himself and Roy was certain that he would end up dead without his help.

Walking over to the fireplace, he banked the fire regretfully. The cabin was only just beginning to feel comfortable. Turning around, Roy prepared to help search when Robin suddenly whooped.

"Here it is! Right where he said it would be," Robin announced.

He held up an orange prescription bottle. Roy watched him start shoving the pills and other supplies into a canvas bag. After another moment, Robin closed the door to the cabinet and start toward the door. Roy met him there.

"Hold up. We need to get you something warmer for the trip back. A hat, at least," Roy said.

"I had one, but lost it going up the cliff." Robin admitted. "Hurry, though, or I'm going without it."

"Have you always had this death wish, chum?" Roy muttered as he rummaged in a chest set near the door.

"Here's one," he said, waving the toboggan in the air. It was black and worked well with Robin's uniform colors. "Knitted rather than furry, but warm." He shoved it over Robin's head and grinned at his young friend.

"Now, for a coat," Roy turned back to the chest.

"No," Robin argued. "Anything that Ramón has will be too big and bulky on me. I need my mobility to get down that cliff,"

Roy looked at him like he was crazy. "And when night finally falls, the temperatures are going to plummet. Your uniform is lighter than mine and compromised with that split and all those tears."

Ignoring him, Robin opened the door. Stepping out, the cold air attacked his lungs, immediately setting off another round of coughing. Cecil scrambled to follow before Roy slammed the door behind him.

"This is ridiculous! You have no business out here," he snapped. "Look, give me the medical supplies for Conner and you stay here. I'll start the fire for you again. I'll come back for you tomorrow."

Robin ignored him. As soon as his coughing eased he found his snowshoes and sat on the step to lace them around his boots. The fox rolled in the snow a few feet in front of him, ready to play.

Roy growled in frustration. "You are a stubborn son-of-a-bitch, aren't you?"

"So, I've heard," Robin murmured, unconcerned. He shrugged. "It's not the worst thing I've been called."

Roy jerked his handmade snowshoes off of the peg where he had put them and threw himself down next to his friend in obvious annoyance. He worked on putting them on in stiff silence. He finished at the same time as Rob, just adding to the certainty that younger was in no condition to begin this journey.

When they stood up Robin wobbled as he attempted to gain his balance. Roy narrowed his eyes.

"You're dizzy, aren't you?" He accused.

"Are you going be like this the entire way back?" Robin grouched. He adjusted the bag with its precious cargo and started forward. Cecil ran forward several yards, then turned, and ran back to circle the boy before started off again.

"I have half a mind to tell Batman exactly what all you've been up to when we finally get out of here." He easily pulled ahead of his slower companion.

The retort he had been expecting didn't materialize, however. Robin didn't blow him off, nor did he beg him not to tell. After a few more shuffling steps his curiosity got the better of him and Roy looked back.

Robin was shuffling along, with his head down his exhaustion was evident. The wind wasn't all that bad at the moment so it wasn't to shield his face from the cold. Roy slowed down to let the younger boy catch up to him.

Why wouldn't he be worried about the Bat's temper? Roy knew well how protective Batman was of his protégé. If Roy gave a play-by-play of this ill-conceived plan, Batman would ground Robin for a month.

He narrowed his eyes as he realized something. "You don't think we're going to get out of this, do you?"

Roy was shocked! Robin was the team's optimist. He never surrendered! Robin would simply go after the problem in a different way, from some new angle that no one else had considered. The boy simply refused to give up and this argument proved that. But that wasn't the vibe Roy was getting off of him now.

Robin glanced up at him and then back to the ground in front of him, unable to make and keep eye contact.

"You'll make it," Robin answered softly. "Artemis, too."

"But not Conner? If you really feel that way then why are you risking your life like this?" Roy asked.

"What?" Robin looked at him in disbelief. "I was supposed to just sit there and watch him die? I can't do that, Roy! I don't have it in me to do nothing when I know coming here for the antibiotics could give him a fighting chance."

He continued to rant, waving a hand at the sky angrily. "If only the sun would come out! Overton said that the sun would counteract the effects of the laser but it's been nothing but heavy clouds for days now. Even high noon looks like dusk! Nothing else seems to be helping."

"You care about him, don't you?" He asked.

Robin stared at his feet. "Well, yeah! He's my teammate . . ."

"Yeah, and . . .?"

"H-He's my friend," Robin's voice hitched. "He got hurt saving my life, Roy! He ran after me when I was swept away by the river. He followed me and jumped into the water to save me even though he no longer had his powers!" Robin looked at Roy, then. "That's how he was injured, you know. I was trapped under the water by my cape. I had been knocked unconscious and drowned. Don't you see? I was gone, Roy! I was already dead! Ramón had to use CPR on me to bring me back."

Robin was getting worked up and that translated to more coughs. He had to stop walking until they eased.

"You okay?" Roy asked, concerned. His friend was sounding worse by the second.

Robin gasped for breath as he continued to struggle with his emotions. "He can't die, Roy! Not because of me . . ."

Ah, that made sense now. "You feel you owe him," he said knowingly.

"No!" Robin yelled at him and then succumbed to coughs another time. He struggled to speak. "It's not anything so mercenary as that . . ." he gasped out helplessly. "He's my f-friend. He's like, like a . . . a brother to me. C-Conner took care of me . . . when I couldn't take care of myself."

Roy watched as Robin tried hard not to cry. God! Had he ever seen Robin cry before? Maybe once . . . a long time ago. Eventually the boy seemed to get himself together.

"Conner can't die, Roy," he stated firmly. "I won't let him die."

Roy considered Robin's absolute trust in the clone. It certainly seemed to be justified if what all he was telling him was true. Roy had discovered for himself that Artemis was beyond loyal. Based on what she had told him, and he couldn't see where she was lying, Artemis could have escaped the bridge easily and left him there to die. The others would have never known the truth but she had risked her own life for his. He found that he could no longer believe she was the mole. And he was beginning to doubt that Conner was either. Jumping into that frozen torrent to save Robin wasn't the action of an enemy.

He nodded. "Okay, then," Roy said. "I guess we better pick up the pace."

Unlatching his quiver, Roy pulled it around and reattached it at his side. He took off his bow as he knelt in front of Robin and started unlacing the boy's snowshoes for him.

"Hop on. I can make better time carrying you than you can trying to walk in those things."

Robin scoffed. "You can't carry me! It's too far."

"It's either this, or you go back to the cabin while I continue on by myself," Roy said. "It's going to be too dark soon to attempt the cliff unless we move faster. You decide."

It finally dawned on Robin that he was problem. He looked back over his shoulder in the direction they had just come.

"I don't want to go back." His eyes were huge behind the mask. "I-I don't want to be by myself," he admitted in a whisper.

Without the whistling wind, Roy was able to hear his confession. He pretended not to. No sense in making the boy feel worse than he already did. He would have preferred Robin go back but part of him was afraid, now that he knew where everyone was, to separate them again.

He spun around, presenting his back. "Then up you go, buddy. Time's a-wasting. You can rest now and be better prepared to tackle that cliff when we get to it."

"Right," Robin agreed. "You're right. Sorry."

Cecil had returned to them during this and now pawed Robin's leg, wanting up. Without a second thought, Robin picked up the fox and the animal scrambled over his shoulder, draping himself around Robin's neck.

"What the heck?"

Rob laughed, coughing a little as a result. "He likes to ride like this," he explained.

Roy glared at the little beastie where he lay, looking at him smugly from his perch on Robin's shoulders.

"You're kidding me, right? You don't really expect me to carry him, too, do you?"

Rob didn't say anything but then he didn't have to. Roy rolled his eyes in defeat.

"Ah, hell . . . Whatever. What's another passenger, right?" He snorted. "Climb on, your highness. Your royal pack mule awaits."

"You sure?"

"Get on," Roy ordered.

After a brief hesitation Robin climbed onto Roy's back. Despite their heavier uniforms, all their gear, and the fox, too, Robin really didn't weigh all that much.

"Jeez, you weigh next to nothing! Doesn't the Bat ever feed you?"

Robin snorted in his ear. "That joke's growing old. Of course, he does."

"I didn't realize that the bird name came about from your eating habits," Roy played it off with a smirk.

Robin really was pretty light, though and he couldn't help but wonder how much weight the boy lost in the last few days. All either of them had to eat today had been jerky. He was suddenly glad he had hauled that deer haunch with him. He would make sure Robin ate something once they returned to the shack. He was as determined to get the younger boy through this as Robin was to save Conner. If he could just get them back tonight maybe all of them could go home.

They grew quiet as Roy continued to shuffle steadily with his burden toward the cliff's edge. He kept checking the amount of light through the branches of the trees, judging the time as best he could without getting a glimpse of the sky beyond the heavy clouds. He kept his ears sharp for the dangerous sounds of creaking and cracking in the branches above them.

Occasionally the fox would make a low noise but he must be used to traveling on someone's shoulders because he didn't make a fuss to get down. Roy appreciated the extra warmth he provided for Robin. As for himself, he admitted that Cecil's tail helped him stay warmer as it lay against his own neck as well.

After a while Roy began to suspect that Robin had fallen asleep. The boy's forehead had dropped onto his shoulder some time ago. Rob's breathing was still labored but it was far easier than it had been during the time he had been walking on his own. The boy was obviously weak but Roy didn't blame Ramón for not keeping Robin from trying for the cabin. Roy had trouble keeping the boy still for more than a few minutes at a time as well.

A glimpse through the trees revealed the valley below. They were almost back to the cliff now. He judged they had thirty minutes at the most. The light had dimmed perceptively during the hike. Roy had left his grapple arrows in place, however, and the top one still had about four hundred feet of cable. With Robin's grapple gun as backup, Roy was feeling almost optimistic about their chances of getting down alive. Even so, they would be cutting it close.

His mind was already working out the logistics of getting them down. That's the only reason he didn't notice the creak of a twig and the rustle of a heavy body against the naked branches of the tree above them.

A hundred and fifty feet . . . That was how close they were to their goal when it happened.

They had just entered the clearing when it struck them. The heavy body hit with such force that Roy went tumbling, his clumsy snowshoes shattering on impact. Robin and his fox were thrown from their perch and went rolling across the snow.

Roy lifted his face from the snow and gaped. Between them stood the tawny figure of a mountain lion. Robin had rolled onto his side, coughing. He had yet seen the threat. The fox had and stood its ground beside the boy, arching its back and barking madly. A piercing, howling cry that was as startling as it was loud.

The cat was twenty times its size. It curled its mouth and revealed long fangs that would tear through a human's frail skin in no time. The cougar batted its paw in the air and roared at the smaller animal. Cecil back up until it was against Robin's shoulder.

Roy scrambled to pull his bow from over his shoulder. Yanking out an arrow, he notched and fired it but the cougar was quick, leaping out of the way at the last second. Foam spilled out harmlessly over the frozen ground. He looked down, unsure where his net arrow was since his quiver was hanging crooked and tangled at his side.

"Shit! Where the fuck is it?" He pulled out another, but it wasn't the one he was looking for.

Handcuff arrow? Hm, maybe it could slow the cat down . . .

The little fox was sticking near Robin but it was no match for a predator so large. Roy stood up, releasing his arrow all in one move. This time it worked and the handcuffs snapped over one of the cat's thick paws. He wasn't able to get both but the cuffs distracted it from Robin and Cecil.

Robin sat up obviously confused, attracting its attention again. The mountain lion stopped biting at the cuff and suddenly pounced. Instinct took over as the boy fell back and rolled forward, causing the cat to miss its target. The animal twisted around, swatting the boy. Because he was sick, Robin's reflexes were off. Although he tried to dodge, the claws swept over his upper back and shoulder, tearing easily through his uniform and leaving bloody grooves in its wake.

Out of time, Roy leapt forward, swinging his bow in an arc that caught the cat across its nose. It screamed as it shook its head and ran a few feet away from the weapon. Several days of harsh weather had left its normal prey scarce and made the puma desperate. Instead of running towards the safety of the forest the animal turned to face the threat. Hunger made it more than willing to fight for its next meal.

"Robin, are you okay?" Roy asked Robin without looking away from the animal in front of him.

The boy hissed in pain. "Ngh," he grunted. "Not great . . . Been better."

"I need you to move away while I distract it," Roy told him.

Disoriented, Robin blinked the tears of pain from his eyes. He looked around him and discovered they were by the cliff. He must have fallen asleep during the hike. If he had remained awake would he have been able to detect the big cat before it had attacked? Would it have mattered if he had? The animal was huge.

"Move? There's nowhere to go!" But he crawled backwards several feet anyway as Roy positioned himself between Robin and the cougar.

Cecil was still spitting mad. He remained crouched, his was tail stiff as he yowled at the predator. Robin climbed to his feet. His head was spinning. His hands searched his pouches for something to use against the animal. He pulled out a tranquilizer. It was strong for a human but Robin wasn't sure if it would be as effective to something as large as a male cougar.

The cougar was well over seven feet in length from nose to the tip of the tail. Robin could only guess at its weight but he thought it had to be pushing two hundred pounds of pure muscle. If he hadn't have been moving when the cat had struck him, Robin suspected it might have killed him with the blow. But he was moving too slow. If the beast attacked him again, Robin had little chance of either avoiding or surviving it.

The tranq 'gun' was a miniature version of a blow dart but instead of Robin having to blow the dart out using lung power alone, something he was sorely missing at the moment, this was set up with compressed air. The trouble was, although he had two darts, the mini tranq gun held only had enough compressed air for one shot.

He had just one chance to make this work. Something not easy to do when one's head was spinning.

"Roy, move! I'm going to try to tranquilize him," Robin called to his teammate.

"You have tranquilizers?" He sounded surprised. "Well, don't just stand there. Do it already!"

Roy backed up slowly as the cat shot looks back and forth between them. It realized that these two were trickier than its usual prey and it became cautious. Robin aimed carefully.

The cougar moved at the same time Robin fired and the dart caught him on his hip rather than high on the shoulder as Robin had hoped. It noticed the pain, however, and twisted about, spinning around in order to bite at the sharp sting. Rolling over in the snow once, the cat managed to dislodge the dart but it had already had enough time to release the drug.

Wild and angry, the puma twisted about once more and sprang. Roy tried to dodge but the mountain lion caught him high on his chest and the two of them went tumbling across the snow. They slid down toward the cliff's edge, coming to a stop only a few yards away. Roy ended up on bottom of the pile with his bow shoved into the beast's mouth. The furious cat was snarling and gnashing its teeth on the shaft. Popping sounds indicated the bow was weakening under the onslaught.

The snow became stained as deep scratches along Roy's shoulders and upper arms began bleeding freely. The mountain lion could still kill Roy with claws alone before the drug could stop him. The tranquilizer wasn't working quickly enough and the animal's adrenaline was fighting its effects. Roy drew his legs up to prevent the cat from gutting him with his hind claws only for the cougar to tear through flesh and armor alike.

It snarled and screamed around the bow, intent on killing its opponent.

Worried for Roy's life, Robin palmed the second dart in one hand and pulled out his grapple with the other. He needed to overwhelm the cougar sooner rather than later and return Roy's favor by drawing the cat away from the older teen. He was hurt, though, and no match for the animal even on a good day. The cat would be on him in seconds, unless . . .

With no more time left Robin ran at the struggling pair, throwing himself into the cougar's side. He slammed the second dart home just below its neck as the two of them toppled and fell away from Roy. The cat released the bow and returned to face its original target . . . the sick one. Robin scrambled to get out of its way even as he aimed his grapple into a large tree that extended out over the lip of the bluff. The mountain lion moved in to attack but Robin kicked out hard, catching the cat in its jaw and snapping its mouth closed violently.

He quickly fired off the line and hit recoil. The grapple yanked him out from under the lunging animal before it could crush him. As Robin slid along the icy snow at the gun's highest speed, the cat bounded after him as he had hoped and gave Roy his precious recovery time.

Before the puma could pounce again Robin shot off the edge of the cliff and swung out over the valley far below. He used his momentum to arc up and land onto the branch below his grapple hook. Robin's balance was thrown off by another violent coughing fit. Nearly tumbling off the other side, Robin seized the branch above him and held on tight.

He glanced back at Roy who was struggling to climb onto his hands and knees. The snow around him was stained red with his blood. But Robin's attention was drawn back to his own situation as the cougar climbed the tree and stepped out onto the limb after him.

The cat shook its head. The tranquilizers were beginning to work but would it kick in soon enough? Robin's hook had tangled around the branch above his head. It would take a minute to get it free. Unfortunately, it was a minute he didn't have.

The mountain lion moved closer, stalking him, when it suddenly startled and snarled in pain almost knocking it off of its perch. Robin's eyes widened behind his mask when he spotted Cecil hanging from the big cat's tail, his sharp teeth latched on to the appendage tight.

"Cecil! No! Get back," Robin ordered.

The cat was torn between the fox behind him and the boy in front of him. It swatted at one and then the other. Although Robin jumped back to avoid him, the cougar's claws tore through his side and knocked him from his perch. Only his precarious grip on his grapple gun saved him from plummeting to his death some nine hundred feet below.

Angry, the cat swatted the cable and tried to bite it, causing Robin to swing perilously over the valley floor. His hands slick with his own blood, he struggled to hang on. Warmth ran in a generous flow along his side. His body felt such excruciating pain ripping through him that he knew he was in danger of passing out. Black spots wavered in front of his eyes.

"Robin!" Roy was on his hands and knees near the edge of the cliff. "H-Hang on! I'll get you."

The cougar wasn't through yet. Cecil had leapt free when Robin had fallen and the little fox bounded over toward Roy as the cat followed more slowly. Roy struggled to notch another arrow. The right one this time . . . By drawing the cat away, Robin had given him time to search his quiver for the arrow he was looking for. He fought to steady his aim. His arms were shaking and Roy's fingers refused to work correctly.

Nerve damage? Possible, his arms were shredded.

If that wasn't enough, Roy's bow was in danger of snapping under the strain after the wildcat had gnawed on it. Luckily, he only needed one shot. It stalked him, stumbling like it was drunk, giving him the time he needed to draw the bow string. He released the arrow and a red net shot out, ensnaring the cat. It struggled, screaming and growling for another minute before the last of its energy leeched from its system. The beast collapsed as it panted, still emitting a low rumbling growl.

Once the danger passed Roy's bow dropped from limp fingers and he sat back on his heels, as physically exhausted as the drugged mountain lion before him.

He glanced about him. It looked as if a slaughter had occurred on the plateau. Bloody snow and long streaks of red covered a huge swath of territory. How was it they were not all dead?

"L-Little help?" Robin's weakened voice drifted to him.

Gasping, Roy turned back to where the younger boy still dangled. He could see the line quivering in response of Robin's violent quaking. Although it was hard to tell in the growing darkness, Robin was obviously bleeding as heavily as Roy. The jagged tears Robin had received during the fight with the cougar were visible even at a distance. The boy's face was white against the dark mask he wore.

He's falling into shock, Roy realized in alarm. He's going to pass out soon!

Roy pulled off his gloves, surprised as a thin stream of blood poured from them. His hands were red with it. The ground seemed to move under him as his head threatened to float away. Damn it! He was obviously having his own problems with blood loss. Now that he wasn't in danger of being gutted the searing agony of his injuries tore through him. He imagined he looked as bad, if not worse, than Rob did but refused to assess his own injuries. Even if he had the time, doing so would likely only make his wounds hurt more.

He attempted to pick up his bow only to have it slip out of his hands. His fingers were clumsy . . . slick. His arms were trembling. Roy grabbed a handful of snow to clean them off and tried picking it up once more. What arrows did he have left? He was having trouble remembering. He knew that his grapple arrows and all the line he had were still below him on the cliff face. He'd have to climb down in order to reach the one nearest him. It was only a couple of feet but it might as well been a thousand for all that he could currently manage.

"Hang on, Rob," he panted. His respiration and heartrate were fast . . . too fast. A symptom of his blood loss, he knew. Not good. "I'm coming."

Roy yanked out his arrows, searching for one that would allow him to pull Robin to safety. Panic flared as he clumsily tugged each free only to discard it as worthless. He didn't have anything left that could help!

He shoved himself to his feet, weaving and stumbling past the sleeping cougar . . . towards the tree from which the boy still dangled helplessly.

"Robin! Can you hit recoil? Let the grapple gun do the work for you," he yelled at him. "I'll climb out on the branch and pull you in." He wasn't sure how exactly but not trying wasn't an option.

"S-Slipping . . ." Coughing, labored and severe, followed.

Roy spared a glance at his friend as he attempted to pull himself up into the tree. The light was fading fast now. Darkness was nearly upon them. Tackling the cliff was out of the question now. They were injured. In their condition it would take two or three times as long to reach the cabin. Roy wasn't in any shape to carry Robin anywhere this time around.

"Roy? I c-can't . . . hold it," Rob's voice was barely a whisper but the fear Roy could hear in it was real.

"Yes, you can! I'm coming to get you," Roy promised through clenched teeth. He'd climb down the blasted cord if he had to, even as his brain told him that would only result in both of their deaths. But he had to try . . . He had to!

His muscles protested his movements. His strength was waning . . . His fingers becoming increasingly uncoordinated, refusing to do his bidding.

No! No! God, not now!

He pushed his body onward, stretching to reach the next branch above his head to pull himself up. His boot slipped and Roy landed at the base of the tree in a heap. His body slammed across several exposed roots and he felt a couple of his ribs snap. A stabbing pain shot through him and his breath exploded out from his lungs. A red haze of agony engulfed him.

"Roy?!"

He bit back a groan. "C-Coming . . . H-Hang on," he gasped. Dizzy, growing progressively weaker, Roy fought hard just to climb to his hands and knees.

Roy turned his head to look just as Robin's hands gave out and he slipped from view. He stared in disbelief! Robin had been there one moment, and the next, he was gone! There was nothing remaining but the boy's grapple gun . . . It swung back and forth in the open air just a few feet beyond the edge of the precipice.

"Rob! Nooooo!"

Roy attempted to crawl to edge but his arms gave out completely and he collapsed in what was quickly becoming a mush of blood and snow. His vision tunneled and darkness engulfed him.

Whining, Cecil settled next to the unconscious teen as the last of daylight slid from sight.

REACTIONS? :O

Uh Oh . . .

I won't be posting to any other stories until "Derailment" is complete. So, you can spend the time until the next chapter contemplating how (or "if") our heroes get out of this one. Doesn't look good! Conner, dying without any meds to help him; an injured Robin, falling from unimaginable heights; Roy, bleeding out on a lonely cliff top.

The question remains: Do you trust me? ;D