The following days passed much as the first two had done. Despite the occasional ache of her recently-mended bones, Ty Lee worked hard to lay in enough food and wood to last them for weeks. She wasn't certain how long they would have to stay there, but she didn't want to be stranded without any supplies. When she wasn't laboring or keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, she was with Azula. The former princess still showed no signs of recognition – or of any other emotion – but some of the sharpest angles of her bones began to soften as Ty Lee kept her warm and well-fed.

Eight days after Ty Lee had first found Azula, she spotted a group of soldiers farther down the canyon. She had been about to light their breakfast fire; the sight of movement made her abruptly drop her firestone and shrink back into the scrubby bushes that hid the mouth of the cave. She peered down the long slope from her hiding place. The group was about a mile away, moving along the far bank of the frozen river. Ty Lee thought she could count ten of them. Even at that distance, she could tell that they were dressed in the scarlet uniforms of the Fire Nation military.

There had been a fresh snowfall two days before, and Ty Lee hadn't had any reason to go down to the river since then, so she didn't think she had left any tracks down there. Up by the cave, however...she glanced uneasily at the clouds of steam billowing off the nearby hot spring. If those soldiers should decide to investigate the spring, they would certainly find tracks enough. Then she would have to defend Azula. I'd have to kill them, she realized. Her belly clenched. Shivering, she watched the progress of the distant soldiers closely.

An hour later, Ty Lee was still crouching amongst the bushes, her gray eyes fixed on the spot where the search party had disappeared. They hadn't strayed from the riverbank, and had vanished down the canyon, but Ty Lee was still nervous. She chewed her lips. At last, hesitantly, she turned back into the cave, taking the wood and firestone with her.

Azula was sitting in the middle of the stone floor, her arms wrapped around herself, rocking her head in meaningless patterns. The little acrobat slowly replaced the sticks on the woodpile. "We'll have to have a cold breakfast this morning, 'Zula," she said softly. "I just don't think it's safe to build a fire. You'll forgive me, won't you?" The former princess gave no sign that she heard. Ty Lee sighed softly and dug through their food supplies for something they could eat cold.

She watched nervously all that day, but the soldiers never reappeared.

The temperature dropped sharply the next day. Even tucked snugly under the blanket, Ty Lee still woke shivering. She got up and pulled on her thick cloak and mittens at once. Her breath sent out white puffs of steam, even in the comparative warmth of the cave. When she poked her head out, she saw that a thick carpet of snow had covered everything during the night. The sky was mostly clear now. A frigid wind blew crystals of ice up into her face. Chattering already, Ty Lee quickly ducked back inside. She could feel how the icy breeze was forcing its way through the bushes that shielded the mouth of their cavern.

"This won't do," she murmured. "This won't do at all..." She looked back, musing. Their blanket might block some of the wind, if they draped it across the cave entrance, but it wasn't nearly big enough. She looked out on the icy landscape again, her brow furrowing. A sheet of thick material or leather, hung across the cave mouth, would protect them from the cold, but there was no way for her to get one. There was nothing outside but stones and snow. Her jaw tightened with resolve. "Well, if there's nothing but rocks, I'll just have to use those," she said. She turned and looked to where Azula lay; the girl was unmoving, her white face relaxed in sleep. "I'll be back, 'Zula." And Ty Lee stepped out into the snow and the bitter cold.

The howling wind was coming from the north, gusting down the canyon. The gymnast trudged through the knee-deep snow to the white mound that was the pile of boulders. The crust of ice gave way beneath her hands as she burrowed. A few minutes' work uncovered one of the large stones. Ty Lee tugged and kicked at it until it rolled free of the others, then laboriously rolled it through the snow to the northern side of the cave mouth. She shoved it up against the rock wall – then she went back for another one.

After an hour's work, Ty Lee had succeeded in rolling five large stones into a sort of two-foot wall on the north side of the cavern. She stopped for a minute or two to rest. When she had caught her breath, Ty Lee began to scoop up snow in her mittened hands and pat it into the gaps between the rocks. Then she built the wall higher with more snow, packing it down tightly. Another hour or so found her putting the finishing touches on a sturdy wall nearly four feet high and eight feet long. Ty Lee stepped back and looked at it with some satisfaction. She couldn't feel most of her fingers and toes anymore, but the wall shielded their cave from the wind quite effectively. Shivering, Ty Lee turned and ducked back into their little cavern.

Azula was awake. She had gotten up, and was now kneeling in the warmest corner of the cave, rocking back and forth aimlessly, her head turning from side to side. The little acrobat pulled off her mittens as she made her way to Azula's side, then paused as she looked down. Her numbed fingers were white. Ty Lee stared down at them in alarm, wiggling them; they felt stiff. I've got to get them warm again! Quickly, she knelt down beside Azula and pressed her hands against the warm stone wall. The heat slowly brought her half-frozen fingers back to life, although it stung badly enough that it brought tears to her eyes.

And then – when her hands had finally thawed out, and she sat back again, limp with exhaustion from the hard morning's work – Ty Lee realized that she hadn't given Azula any breakfast, and it was already past noon. She looked at the former firebender. Azula was still rocking pointlessly, still shaking her head back and forth, still expressionless and silent and so damnably sick, and she, Ty Lee, was still exhausted and cold and so bloody helpless…

"Azula, stop it. Just stop it." Ty Lee grabbed at the girl's arms and crushed her against her chest, trying to hold her still. The rocking stopped, but Azula continued to turn her head from side to side. "Stop it!" Ty Lee was crying now, groping for the girl's dark hair and pinning the twitching head against her own shoulder. "What's wrong with you? Why can't you just snap out of it? I need help, Azula. I need you! I can't do this by myself anymore. Please…" There was no response. Despair swept over Ty Lee like a flood. I'm alone. I'm…I'm completely alone. She sobbed bitterly, rocking Azula like a baby.

The storm of weeping raged for some time. At last, Ty Lee loosened her grip and sat back, wiping her damp face on her sleeves. Azula's amber eyes stared at her as lifelessly as before. The little acrobat choked back another sob. Slowly, she drew her back into her arms. "I'm sorry, 'Zula," she whispered, closing her eyes tightly. "I'm so sorry I yelled at you. I know it isn't your fault. I didn't mean it. I'm just so tired and lonely, and I don't know how to help you." She felt the black head nestle against the side of her neck, and her heart broke. Ty Lee pulled back so she could kiss the girl's cheek. "I still love you," she said softly. "You know your Ty loves you, right?"

The golden eyes peered at her in mild confusion. Then, suddenly – like the sun breaking through the clouds – Azula's pale lips curved upward. Ty Lee's eyes widened with the shock of it. After so many days of seeing nothing but blank apathy in the face of the former princess, the tiny smile almost seemed like an alien thing. Astonished, the acrobat slowly raised her hand to rest it against Azula's cheek. "That's right," she whispered, as joy welled up inside her. "That's right, 'Zula. You know who loves you, don't you?" Her own face broke into a wide grin. "You know who loves you." For a few seconds more, Azula gazed at her with that faint smile. Then it faded. The amber eyes glazed over again. As quickly as it had come, it was gone.

Ty Lee was disappointed for a moment. Then she smiled again and hugged Azula close. "That's good," she murmured. "That's good, 'Zula. Just a little at a time, right? Baby steps." She kissed the porcelain forehead. "How about I tell you another story before I fix us some lunch? Maybe you'd like that." And as cold as it was, Ty Lee felt quite warm as she recited her fairy tale. It was a deeper warmth than any that could be bestowed by blanket or fire.

It was the warm glow of hope.