The makeshift sled was heavy, the newly fallen snow too sparse to help it along too much. Cain looked up from his perch on the sled's handle and gave Cliff a cheerful chirp as they passed through a familiar gate. Perhaps the falcon started to recognize the place as well. After three years of hunting and living on his own, Cliff was relieved to see something familiar again. Soft pine needles covered in snow lined the beaten dirt path, tidy little huts dotting the way.

Akiyama Village – not another place like it existed in the world.

"That's right. We're home," the young man replied, panting as he pushed their load along. Furs, pelts, antlers, horns, preserved fish, and an astounding amount of fresh and salted meat weighed down the sled, but in his joy, it didn't feel so heavy – he could do anything. "I hope everyone's hungry."

After his absence, everyone would surely be eager to partake in what he had successfully harvested himself, apologizing for misjudging him and rejoicing in his return. They'd see how wrong they really were, and he'd forgive them with a smile.

His voice rose in pitch with excitement. "Maybe there will even be a feast…"

And I won't have to perform. I'll be in the seat of honor tonight – a self-taught hunter.

"I'm sure Ma and Ivy will be excited to see us." Cliff's eyes were twinkling as the thought of seeing his family's smiling faces once more brought him a second wind of energy.

A broad-shouldered man bumped past them and hurried along. Cliff recognized the uneven gait.

"Rowan, it's me, Cliff. I'm back!"

The man whirled around, his bushy graying eyebrows furrowed. Beneath his beard, a frown could be seen. Their eyes locked for a moment and Cliff felt a sharp pang in his heart when the gray eyes he looked into hardened. His old neighbor said nothing when he shook his head, looking down at the ground as he walked away, picking up his pace.

"B-but…" Cliff's voice died as he noticed a couple of people near the square turning away and murmuring to one another.

He suddenly became aware of the changed atmosphere of the small village. Hardly anyone was outside. The square wasn't decorated in evergreen boughs as it typically was this time of year. A sour feeling hit the pit of his stomach and his blood ran cold as he saw the hostility reflecting in their eyes.

Maybe I shouldn't have…

An older woman looked at the small hut along the river he was walking toward – the Yamamoto residence. She cast him a glare over her shoulder, the defined wrinkles in her face harsher than he remembered. "Don't know what you're thinking, coming back here. You've got a lot of cheek, boy."

The sled felt exponentially heavier as he pushed it along the path, his sweaty hands slipping on the handle. Cain shot him a concerned look.

Was it worth coming back?

Claire's quiet afternoon quickly took a sharp turn as she walked along the snow-covered cobblestones. The sight of her partner in the town square caused her heart to leap with joy, but upon seeing his aimless wandering, her happiness was replaced with alarm.

"Cliff?"

The first thing she noticed was the fact that his arms were bare; his coat was nowhere to be seen. She watched his breaths come out in puffs as he gazed blankly at the sky. The flakes landed in his hair. He didn't tie it back today, and it didn't look like he had bothered to brush it, either – it was disheveled and almost fell to the middle of his back.

Hurrying closer to him, she repeated his name, and her heart dropped when he didn't respond.

The young man stood still, staring up at the falling snow. Upon closer inspection, he was trembling with a shiver that went beyond a chill. The way his glazed eyes didn't seem to focus left her on edge. She put her hands on his shoulders and turned him towards her.

"Cliff?"

His mouth began to move like he was attempting to speak. He looked very ill, and she had a sickening feeling he had been outside for a long time, judging from the blue tinge of his lips.

What could possibly have him out here like this?

He looked through her, his eyes widening with emotion. "M-Ma?"

Without warning, his knees gave out as he collapsed in front of her. Claire attempted to catch him as he fell, and she was able to soften the blow as he crumpled into a heap on the snowy ground. Her eyes widened in horror as she knelt down to help him.

His lips were trembling as the attempted to form words. "I… s-said… I was… sorry…" he muttered, shivering uncontrollably.

His words were making little sense to Claire, but her priority was getting him someplace warm. She reached for his hand to try to pull him up, but she grabbed paper instead. She briefly looked down at the tattered photograph in her hands. A younger Cliff and two unfamiliar faces looked back at her. She tucked the photo in her coat pocket and held her hand out to him, her mind focused on his safety.

"Cliff, are you okay? Come on, I'll help you up."

She could feel the chill of his skin through the fabric of her gloves; his body gave off no warmth and he was as cold as ice.

Her fingers closed around his forearm and his eyes suddenly widened. Trembling, he shrank back from her as if she had struck him. Pupils dilated, eyebrows raised, he looked terrified. He trembled, his eyes darting about and flickering as he began to pant.

Her worry turned to downright fear. Her own breath began to quicken as her heart thudded in her ears, an uncomfortable twisting sensation overtaking her stomach. However, Claire was determined to be a source of strength for him. She gulped, attempting to shove down her own fears at the moment. "Cliff…" Her voice sweetened. "Cliff, Honey, it's me, Claire. Let me help you."

His eyes whirled back up at the sky as he continued to breathe heavily, weakly trying to break free from her hold. "I-I'm not doing it! No one asked me if I wanted to!"

She had a feeling he wasn't referring to not wanting to get up. She focused on his glassy eyes, attempting to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. Wherever he was, he was not with her. Claire took off her coat and wrapped it around his shoulders, looking around for someone – anyone – to happened to be passing by. Her heart sunk when she saw nothing but empty streets. Even Harris was probably staying somewhere warm instead of making his usual rounds, especially now that the snow was beginning to fall harder.

"Do you want to go inside and get warmed up?" she asked carefully, knowing it was highly likely she wouldn't get a response.

Cliff blinked, his eyelids heavy. His breath had slowed down reasonably, but the exhaustion on his face was not unlike that fateful day he stated he was planning on leaving Mineral Town. Claire felt her heart race and a chill run down her spine as she watched him. The fatigue on his face, the lack of life in his eyes – he had the look of someone who had given up. His eyebrows furrowed and without warning, silent tears flowed freely.

Claire found that she had tears streaming down her own face as well. "Cliff, pl-please…" Her voice cracked as she weakly held a hand out to him. "You're scaring me…"

He made no motion that he understood a word she had said. Desperate to get some sort of reaction, she leaned in and pressed her mouth against his. She thought of those sweet lips that were heated against hers, the blush that rose in his cheeks when they kissed. His breathing would always be a little accelerated, his eyes sparkling as they locked with hers. A lump formed in her throat as her lips touched his. His mouth had no warmth to it and while he was no longer fighting her off, he had gone limp. She broke off the kiss, looking down at his pale skin.

I need to get him somewhere warm…

She once again looked around them, praying for someone to be walking by. Upon seeing no one, she squatted back down, trying to figure out how to lift him. She looked down at him helplessly, blinking the tears out of her eyes. Even if she did manage to lift him and carry or drag him to the clinic, it would likely be a clumsy process and there was a high likelihood that she would drop him. She remembered the words from the book she borrowed from the library after her brush with heat exhaustion – jarring someone with hypothermia could cause heart problems. She placed a hand over his heart. He was too precious to her; she wouldn't entertain the thought of risking it.

She was distracted from her thoughts when he began muttering something under his breath. The young man's slurred words were indistinguishable, but at least he was speaking.

Claire steeled herself, swallowing the lump in her throat. After all, Karen had mentioned that Cliff had been strong for her when they found her passed out on the farm. She wanted to be that for him. "Hang in there for a few minutes, Cliff… I'm getting help."

Tearing her eyes from him, she sprinted along the cobblestone paths, weighed down with the guilt that she had left him lying on the ground. She shivered as the wind cut through her sweater and caused the tears on her cheeks to sting.

This is nothing compared to the cold he is feeling…

Claire didn't remember much of her trip to the inn, but she threw the doors open loudly, panting.

Ann looked up from wiping the tables, her eyebrows raised in alarm. She could see that her friend was distressed, her snowy, tousled hair and missing coat causes for concern. "Claire? What's going on?"

For a brief moment, the young woman's voice caught in her throat. Saying what had happened aloud would make all of this real, after all; it still felt like a horrible nightmare. Her voice cracked as she forced the words out, her pitch higher than usual in her worry. "Cliff collapsed in the square. We have to get him somewhere warm, but I need help!"

Doug and Carter were already throwing on their coats.

"Where is your coat, Claire?" Doug's fatherly side had taken over as he came out from behind the bar. He tossed her a spare jacket, which she gratefully pulled on despite its bagginess.

"I wrapped it around Cliff. He's very cold. He's been outside wandering around…"

Ann pulled on a jacket from behind the bar and jogged over to Claire. "Take me to him." There was a tremor in her voice.

Claire and Ann led the way to their fallen friend, running and sliding along the snowy cobblestone streets. Carter and Doug followed at a slight distance, taking the trek a little more carefully. Claire realized there was probably a reason for this, as Ann slipped in the snow and reached for Claire's shoulder, taking her down with her.

Both women were deaf to Doug's mild scolding, telling them to be more careful.

Their blue eyes met and Claire could see the worry etched on her friend's face. Ann's expressions were apologetic, and there were tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Neither friend said anything as they helped each other up, studying the horror on each other's faces. Ann offered Claire her arm and she accepted it as they hurried along together.

Caution was thrown to the wind as they approached the square. Ann's breath hitched as she saw her friend lying in the snow. Sprinting ahead and forgetting about Claire, she crouched down by Cliff and cupped his face in her mittened hands.

"Cliff! Cliff, say something!" She gave him a rough shake.

"Ann, don't!" Claire panted, slipping on the ice that had formed. "Be gentle with him!"

The young man's eyes fluttered open at Ann's jostling. He blinked, his eyes glassy. Upon seeing her, his eyes grew wide as he gripped his hands around her forearms, snapping to life. "I-Ivy, I'm so sorry for what I did…" His eyes immediately filled with tears and there was so much remorse on his face that she was taken aback.

Ann looked at him, her own expression reflecting confusion. "Ivy? I don't know who you're talking about."

She was startled to see Claire suddenly at her side. "It's his sister," she explained, panting as she crouched down beside them. While Cliff didn't seem to understand what was going on, seeing him with his eyes open was much more encouraging than the way he had gone limp earlier. Why hadn't she been able to do that for him?

The redhead uncomfortably shifted her arms as he grasped them. "Cliff… you're hurting me…" She looked back at the older adults approaching them, unsure what to do. A frown crossed her lips as her brows raised in alarm.

Cliff's grip tightened as he sensed her discomfort. "Please don't go. Please." He choked on a sob. "I promise I'll make it up to you somehow…" He began to pant with fatigue.

Ann's breath quickened in panic and her eyes darted around as she instinctively fought against his weakening grip.

Claire knew she had to do something before things got out of control. "Cliff, it's okay! We're here to help you," she explained as she tried to take his hands. If only he could focus on her – allow her to take away his pain and give him serenity. She had been able to do that during the middle of fall when he was talking about leaving, after all.

Cliff was deaf to her words. His flickering eyes were focused on Ann. As Carter and Doug joined them, his grip loosened.

"Cliff, did you fall and hit your head?" His parental instinct took over once again as he attempted to squeeze between the two females.

"I tried to catch him," Claire explained, feeling a wave of guilt that he still managed to fall at all. Cliff was still focused on Ann, his slurred muttering making little sense. Doug and Carter were working to carefully lift him, and Claire felt her heart drop.

Tried. All I can manage to do is try and fail. I really have been useless during all of this… I'm his lover, and I'm not even able to do anything…

The priest's words refocused her mind on the situation. "We'll need to carry him to the hospital," Carter was saying.

"I-is there anything I can do to help?" she squeaked.

"We've got it, Claire." Doug was already gently lifting Cliff up under the arms while Carter took his feet. Ann let out a nervous laugh as she spoke reassuringly to Cliff, who was still weakly grasping for her hand.

"We'll be at the clinic before you know it. They'll have warm blankets and maybes some hot cocoa…" Ann's hands wrapped around his as they walked along, and she leaned in to breathe hot air on his fingers.

Claire's throat tightened as she followed along, tucking her hands into the pockets of the oversized corduroy jacket Doug lent her. Before she could dive too deeply into her own mind once more, Ann tapped her with her free hand, clumsily offering it to her as she was still focused on Cliff. Upon closer inspection, Claire could see that it was trembling, much like her own. Blinking the mistiness out of her eyes, she gratefully accepted it and walked alongside her friend.

Author's Notes: Thank you all for your patience. Writing has been slower lately as I keep intimidating myself with this new story arc. I've had so much leading up to this and I don't want to let anyone down. I've started a new method of drafting out my work, though, so I'm hoping to update more often.

I know a lot of people write flashbacks out in italics and there's a reason why I left it in plain text here at the beginning of the chapter. I wanted it to feel like it was really happening, as this is the way Cliff is seeing it right now, creating a bit of confusion as to what was real and what was fantasy. Also, reading a huge chunk of italicized text can be daunting. I plan on sprinkling a lot more flashbacks throughout this arc so we can get a fuller backstory. Please look forward to it.

This chapter was particularly tricky to write because I wanted to show the symptoms of a panic attack and hypothermia at the same time. The result is a mixed bag of symptoms that seem a little erratic.

I hope you all enjoy, and thank you for reading along, as always!