Kopaka couldn't tell if he was still in pain or if he was finally going numb. How long had he been stumbling around, trying to make his way back to Ko-Koro? Had it been minutes or hours? Which direction was he even supposed to be going in? Had his wounds really made him this delirious? Surely he hadn't bled that much. Perhaps the heat of his assailant's flames was partially to blame. Yes, that seemed accurate. It was a mix between his injuries and the heat exposure, as well as being faced with his family's murderer. That had to be it.

The Toa gasped as his wounded leg gave out beneath him, dropping him into the powdery snow with nary a sound. Kopaka's ears were ringing by this point, most other noises sounding muted and distant from him. Even the howling wind of an approaching storm sounded so far away that he hardly registered it was even there. For what felt like an eternity, the twenty-eight year old lay there face down and struggling to build the strength to get back up again. He couldn't be that far from Ko-Koro now, could he? It had to be just a little further, just out of sight. He only had to go a little further.

Every muscle ached and pleaded for reset as Kopaka forced himself to stand again, his shoulder virtually radiating pain and his leg feeling as though it were on fire. Apparently he wasn't going numb yet. But he pushed through it all the same, just as he pushed through so many other trials before. He couldn't afford not to, not after the encounter he had narrowly survived. The other Toa had to know what had transpired so they could be more prepared than he had been. He'd at least had a general warning about it and it still was not enough to protect him; how many of his team mates could survive without any warning at all? Images of his friends being cut down and slain flashed through his mind one after another, each merciless death more graphic than the last, until Kopaka couldn't bear it any longer and stumbled to his hands and knees, utterly nauseated by the machinations of his wandering and troubled mind. Again and again they danced before his mind's eye, each yell or cry echoing loud within the ringing of his ears. Death after death, yell after yell, the images grew stronger with every second that his wandering thoughts claimed.

Kopaka forced his awareness back to the present, tearing his focus away from horrific imagery and once again getting to his feet. "I have to get back to Ko-Koro..." He murmured faintly, each tumultuous step more agonizing than the last. "I have to warn the others before it's too late..."

But where was the way back? Had he seen that rock formation already? He couldn't even find his old footprints, and even if he could, would he even know if they were the right set? What if a muaka or some other vicious rahi found him first? Did he have the strength left to fight one off? His mind was already reeling as it was, and now his countless 'what if's were adding to the turmoil and confusion he was so lost in. So buried by his clouded haze of wonderment and pain, Kopaka didn't even realize he was falling over until he was already on the snow-laden ground, and by the time he did, he'd lost all that remained of his physical strength. But even as he closed his eyes to embrace the inevitable, he thought he heard something. Was that crunching snow? Had someone come to find him?

Almost distantly, Kopaka heard a low and semi-muffled voice, though he couldn't identify the words or who said them in spite of sounding familiar. The Ice Toa decided that it must be his attacker, back to finish the job now that killing him could be deemed an act of mercy. Yes, that had to be it. The Shadow Toa had returned to put an end to his presently miserable existence. "Kill me fast... This has lasted longer than I can bear..."

"Kopaka?" The voice asked now sounding closer and a lot clearer. "... Are you nuts?"

The twenty-eight year old slowly blinked his eyes open as he felt himself getting rolled onto his back, his vision only just clear enough to make out messy brown hair and bright orange eyes. There was only one person crazy enough to brave a snow storm who looked like that.

"... Pohatu?"

"Well what does it look like? A mahi goat?"

"Sometimes I debate that..."

"Rude!"

Kopaka twitched a weak smile. Someone had come to find him. He would be alright. And most importantly, he could warn the rest of his team. "Please tell me you know how to get back to town."

"What's this?" Pohatu asked, carefully lifting Kopaka off the ground and up into his arms. "The mighty Kopaka Nuva was lost as well as begging for death?"

"Just shut up and take me back..."

The Toa of Stone shook his head grimly. "Can't do that, not yet anyway. The storm's too thick. But there is a cave nearby with some supplies in it, so we'll wait it out there. With you in bad shape, hurrying isn't an option."

Kopaka groaned in frustration. The last time he'd been delayed by weather was during the less-than-pleasant battle against the Bohrok Kal, when the Toa had been utterly stripped of their elemental powers. It wasn't a time he enjoyed remembering. But it also drew something else to the Ice Toa's attention. "The scouting cave? Who told you how to find it?" As far as he'd known, only he, the Ko-Matoran, and Turaga Nuju, knew about that cave.

"Oh, some fellow named Navak mentioned it to me." Pohatu explained as he carried his taller Brother along. "Said the stars told him I'd need it, and now it seems we do."

Navak. He was an unusual matoran by every standard Kopaka could think of. Having been discovered on Metru Nui after the Visorak crisis, the Ko-Matoran had apparently been able to avoid Visorak and Vahki alike, though a few of the now-Turaga as well as a majority of the island were certain it had somehow addled his head. But, for the most part, Navak was completely sound of mind, by what Kopaka could see, and aside from his unexplained fear of bird noises he was incredibly helpful to everyone he met, even if they didn't really need or want his help in the first place.

"Well... Thank goodness he was there to help out. How did you even find me?"

Pohatu grinned, albeit mildly. "I'm just that good."

By the time they reached the scouting cave, Kopaka had drifted into and out of consciousness several times, and only really started to wake up when Pohatu got a campfire going. Propped against a nearby rock and looking more than a little perturbed, the Toa of Ice could only frown and watch as Pohatu poked around for medical supplies. "Remind me when you learned basic levels of first aid?"

Pohatu chuckled at the question. "Learned it along with Gali shortly after we got here. Nokama was adamant that at least two of us knew how to keep everyone alive." He soon located what he was looking for and walked over, an unnervingly mischievous gleam in his vibrant eyes. "Speaking of Gali, when are you two going to make it official? I know you two have been low-key pseudo-dating for ages now."

Kopaka blinked slowly at this, not entirely sure if he had actually heard that right. "Excuse me?"

The Stone Toa grinned. "You and Gali. When are you going to just ask her out already?"

There was no denying or missing Kopaka's exasperated groan, leaning his head back and closing his eyes while his brother got to work. "So you did actually ask that."

"Well of course I did; I've been in a state of constant suspense for almost a decade. You aren't gonna keep me waiting any longer, are you?"

The Toa of Ice scowled, his cheeks flushing as he snapped hotly. "I will keep you in suspense as long as I like, Pohatu, and why you picked now of all times to harass me about my personal life I will never understand."

Pohatu's grin didn't falter. "Why not? This is one of those incredibly rare times where I know nobody else is going to show up and interrupt. No better time than now to talk about little secrets."

"... I hate your undeniable logic so much right now."

"So will you tell me?"

"No."

There were many things Kopaka would have been fine and willing to discuss, but his relationship with Gali was not one of them. Sure, his brother wasn't wrong about how long it was taking for Kopaka to officially ask Gali out, but it wasn't his fault that bad things always happened whenever he finally felt safe enough to ask. He had even been intending on asking her sometime after the hype over the tournament had subsided. But, just like clockwork, something bad had once again derailed his plan. He was even starting to wonder if this was a sign that having a proper relationship wasn't allowed.

"She won't wait forever, you know."

That snapped Kopaka back from his thoughts. Frowning as he sat upright and opened his eyes, the Toa of Ice asked crossly. "What are you talking about?"

Pohatu shrugged. "You can't expect her to not eventually lose interest, Kopaka. She's been waiting a long time, and you still haven't made a move. Can't really say that's a good strategy for keeping her attention from straying to other, more active possibilities."

Kopaka's scowl quickly turned into a full-blown glower. "Are you threatening me, Pohatu?"

The brunette shook his head. "Goodness no. But she and Tahu did have a moment of reconciliation, and only Mata Nui knows where that might take them."

"You're lying."

"Am I? You've known me for twenty years and I have been nothing but honest with you about stuff like this. Will you really start to distrust me now?"

Again, Pohatu's words rang as true as could be. The Stone Toa had never given him false information before, not for anything this important. But would Tahu really be able to take Gali's affection from him? They had been at severe odds for a fair while now; surely they couldn't have gotten over it that swiftly, especially at the final match of the kolhii tournament. They were too competitive for that to work, weren't they? "Are you certain they reconciled, Pohatu?"

The shorter Toa nodded, though his gaze remained focused on bandaging Kopaka's wounds. "I was right there watching and listening as it happened. Tahu and Gali are getting along, and Tahu is starting to wonder whether or not she has her eye on someone. I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually plucked up the courage to ask her himself."

He focused on finishing up before speaking again. "Sure, I'm going generally on guess work, but what I saw was pretty solid evidence in my books. You've probably got a bit of time still, but I wouldn't wait too much longer if I were you."

Kopaka's angered expression had long since subsided by now, replaced instead by grim contemplation. "Then it's settled." He said after a moment's pause. "I will bring it up with Gali the next appropriate chance I get. I will not lose her to Tahu. Not in a million years."

"That's the spirit!" Pohatu encouraged cheerfully. "Don't lose her to anyone, no matter what. But for now, you need to sleep. You'll never recover if you don't rest, and the night will be long."

The Toa of Ice wanted to argue, but he could not deny that he still felt exhausted. Endeavoring to secure Gali's love could wait just a little longer. Nodding slightly to Pohatu in acknowledgement of his words, Kopaka rested his head back and closed his eyes...

Just in time to miss the impish and blatantly victorious grin that adorned Pohatu's face.