"NICK!" Jo shouted above the howling of the wind. "NICK!" The only answer was a gust of snow in her face. The storm was getting worse. Turning to Jack and Franz, she pulled them close to her so that they could hear her speak. "We've got to find some shelter." The boys nodded and Franz immediately spotted a large log. Communicating in gestures, the boys proceeded to stack pine branches, which they recovered from the ground, against the trunk, forming a triangular structure. The three piled in, Jo in the middle, sitting close to draw from each other's body heat. They weren't totally protected, but, after Franz and Jack plugged up the ends of the small tunnel, at least they had a wind shield. They hunkered down, preparing themselves to wait out the storm.

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Dan stood still in shock for a moment, then, in one bound, crossed the small room and grabbed the front of Ethan's shirt, pulling him to his feet.

"Where's Nick?" he asked, giving the smaller boy a shake as Emil joined him at his side, glaring at Ethan.

"I-I don't know." said Ethan, his voice betraying fear in spite of himself. "He was chasing me, then he wasn't. I don't know where he went."

Dan and Emil glared at the boy for a minute, then decided that he was telling the truth. Dan shoved him back down, and Ethan lay there, watching with anger in his eyes as Dan paced up and down the length of the cabin, slamming his fist into his hand. A second later, he pounced on Ethan again. "Show us where you ran." he said, pushing him towards the door.

For one second, it looked as though Ethan might resist going back out into the storm, but a glance at Emil, who stood silently next to the door, backing Dan up, seemed to change his mind, and, rubbing his broken arm, which had gotten jostled when Dan shoved him, he stepped out into the cold and wind once more.

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Nick was warm. So warm. It felt so good to sleep....He started as someone shook him. Waving them away with his hand, he closed his eyes again and drifted off...."Nick! Nick!" Someone was shouting in his face, shaking him, slapping his cheek. Coming more fully awake, Nick focused on the face in front of his. He squinted in recognition.

"Dan?"

Dan nodded. "Yeah, we gotta get you to the cabin, quick." he shouted. Nick felt him and someone else pulling on his arms, pulling him to a sitting, then a standing, position. The woods around him were white with blowing snow.

The two boys struggled along, practically carrying Nick with them. Emil noticed that Ethan had disappeared, but neither he nor Dan really cared at the moment. Right now, they needed to get Nick warm.

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Jo awoke with a start. Her head was pillowed on Franz's shoulder and his head was resting on hers. Carefully raising her head, she lowered Franz's onto her own shoulder and looked over at Jack. He, too was leaning on her, fast asleep. Lifting her hand, she touched his cheek and found it icy cold.

"Jack, Jack." she said softly, nudging him. He didn't move, but as she continued to rouse him, he slowly lifted his head and looked around. Glancing out between the branches of the "door" of their shelter, he said groggily, in slurred tones, "Blizzard stopped."

So it had. Jo hadn't even noticed. The snow was still falling, but gently now, and the wind was all but gone. Turning to Franz, she aroused him as well and the three stumbled out into the snow.

Looking around, they saw that it was getting near to sunrise. Jo shivered, clapping her hands together. Jack looked at her worriedly. "Maybe we should head back to Plumfield. You're awfully cold, Mrs. Jo."

Jo shook her head, trying to control her shaking as the cold penetrated her wraps. "Nonsense, I'm fine. We must try to find Nick."

Franz, after a glance at Jack, stepped to her side and took her elbow. "No, Jack's right. We need to go back to Plumfield. We don't even know where to look for Nick, and we might freeze ourselves."

Jo tried to protest, but was overruled by the two boys. She finally consented to go back if all three would come back and search after getting warmed up. As they headed toward Plumfield, she looked back over her shoulder at the dark woods and asked the Lord to please keep Nick safe.

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Wow, I finally updated! Lemme know what you think, and I'll take any ideas, criticism or anything gratefully!