"Snow," Torrent mused. A white fleck fell on his snout as it gently drifted downwards. The ground surrounding the cave was already provided with a thin dusting. Crystal walked up next to him, and peered outside. It had finally gotten cold enough that the snow had reached their cave.

The two had still not made their descent into the underground stream. Crystal remained cautious and hesitant, and Torrent had decided it would be fair time to stockpile up food in case winter came early. They'd visited a SandWing town due west of the mountain sympathetic to Blaze's cause, and Crystal had bought some salted meat and supplies while there, hopefully enough rations to last them for quite a while. While IceWings could go for weeks on end without eating, SeaWings were a little bit less fortunate.

Torrent stepped onto the white layer, his webbed paws creating imprints in the thin film of snow. He looked up the mountain. While the snow might be falling down slowly now, he didn't know how fast it could speed up. If there was too much overnight, Crystal warned, the two could be trapped in the cave without food and water. Fortunately, the snow could be used if the two required water, and Crystal's ever-readiness had made sure they wouldn't starve if trapped.

Crystal hadn't seemed happy about deciding to stay in the cave if they got snowed-in, but she accepted the risks. Torrent felt like it was the only way — every day now, the underground stream was getting smaller, due to its source being clogged up by snow, and soon the only water would be from snowmelt. Then, the two might be able to get through the hole, and into the caverns further beneath, where the ancient animus Darkstalker slept.

Torrent scraped a talon along the ground, picking up snow on it. "Do you think we should check up on Griffin?" he asked Crystal. Griffin still hadn't returned, and if he did while the cave was snowed-in, he might not be able to find or get to Torrent and Crystal.

Crystal allowed her talons to sink into the thin layer of snow. Just like home, with Clarity. A place she could never return to, not that she ever wanted to. There was nothing left for her but an execution by Queen Glacier. She frowned, just thinking of her queen's smug grin, then remembered what Torrent was asking. "No," she replied. "He wanted some space from us, and we should respect that. He'll come back in his own time."

"But what if he got hurt?" Torrent protested. "What if Queen Burn captured him?"

"He'll be fine," Crystal assured him. "He went to Trustbreaker, remember? You remember what he did, Griffin is in the best of claws." She knew this wasn't entirely true — there were plenty of awful things that could have happened to Griffin along the way, but if he was already dead, there was nothing to do about it. It's not like there was a delivery service up here, so he couldn't send up letters anyways. And if he'd wanted Torrent to go after him if he'd been gone for this long, he should have said so.

She had been angry at Griffin when he'd left, but now that he'd been gone for a while, she actually missed the bird-brain somewhat. She missed Schist too, of course, but it's not like he'd ever come back. He'd given her the choice of his friendship, or the dragonet's life, and she'd chosen the latter. Maybe Griffin, on the other claw, would be more forgiving. Being alone with Torrent was nice, but it sometimes got quiet, and his companionship didn't always feel like enough.

The SeaWing turned around, and walked back into the inside of the cave. Crystal stayed outside for a minute longer, letting the snowflakes rest upon her scales, before returning to the inside. The snow was starting to fall harder now.

It was only a few days until Crystal's predictions proved true, and snow had covered the entrance to the cave where Crystal and Torrent resided. The SeaWing pushed against the snow, and attempted to brush some away from the top, but it was no use. Snow only fell inwards, and Torrent was unable to clear a path. The two were trapped.

Torrent lit up a few of his bioluminescent stripes, providing light for Crystal to see the surrounding cave. She dug a claw into the snow, and got the same results as Torrent. There was no way out of the cave, at least not without going further beneath, just as they had intended. Hopefully, this way, the stream would have dried up enough for them to pass, and they'd be able to go into the caverns beneath to take on the animus waiting there. If not, then they'd just have to wait for the snow to melt to get out of the cave, which could be anywhere from just a few days to months.

The SeaWing climbed down the hole into the cavern beneath, where the stream had been. Water still remained, but instead of the large gushing stream from before, it now was only a rivulet, snaking down the wet bed. The snowfall had stopped the flow, and now, the caves further beneath should be accessible, if Torrent was able to fit through the passage.

"It's gone!" Torrent called up to Crystal in excitement. Now, finally, after so much waiting, he'd be able to continue.

Crystal uncomfortably climbed down the hole, stretching herself as her claws scraped against the top of the stone step. After getting down, she glanced over at the trickle of water nervously, Torrent's light rendering it visible.

"C'mon, this way," Torrent continued, walking along the cave floor, down to where they had been unable to continue before.

Crystal tried to keep up, knowing that if Torrent went too fast, she'd be lost in the darkness. "Wait," she called out.

Torrent stopped, and turned around. "What is it?" he asked.

The IceWing squirmed uncomfortably, and tapped a claw on the rock below. "Maybe this isn't a good idea," she blurted out. "One of us, or both, could still get stuck in the caverns below, or maybe the water could suddenly floor in. We could wait for Griffin to return, he could do it instead."

Torrent closed his eyes in frustration. "We've already planned all that," he protested, "we can't just wait until Darkstalker decides to suddenly awaken, can we?" Crystal shivered at his words, her tail spines ricketing back and forth. The SeaWing frowned, noticing Crystal's movements. "This isn't about the stream, is it?"

Crystal shook her head. "It's about him," she said, with a hint of terror and menace, "the Darkstalker."

"He's just an animus," Torrent explained, "he's nothing to worry about. Just like Gila, and that RainWing dragonet, and Magma, except he's alone, asleep, and doesn't set things on fire."

"I know, I know," Crystal replied. "Logically, I shouldn't have anything to fear about, at least not more than any of the others we've been up against. But he's still the Darkstalker. He lurks in every dark corner of the Ice Kingdom, he hides within every cloud when we fly. He can enter our dreams, and kill us in our nightmares. Every IceWing has been brought up to fear him and everything he's touched, and now, he's literally asleep, just beneath my claws, and I'm going towards him, not flying away in terror. He's like your Albatross, except Albatross killed a bunch of princes and princess, not random dragonets in their sleep."

"That's nothing to be scared of," Torrent replied, trying to make Crystal feel better, "I've killed dragonets in their sleep too, remember?" Crystal gave him a glare. Not helping, he thought. "Alright, I get it," he continued, "but if we can do this, we kill Darkstalker while he's asleep, we can make sure that every IceWing dragonet, forever, will be safe from him. Isn't that worth risking death?"

There are fates worse than death, Crystal thought, remembering a few of the hopefully hyperbolic Darkstalker legends she'd grown up with. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves. This kind of fear wasn't befitting of her, a Second Circle IceWing, a scientist's daughter. She couldn't let her emotions overpower her, no matter how frightening the Darkstalker had been made out to be. "Yes, let's go," she answered, now with resolve.

The two continued on through the downwards sloping cave, until they reached the bottom. The small opening was still there, more exposed to the air now that the stream had closed to a trickle. Torrent peered in. He wasn't sure how far it went, but it looked like it would be big enough for him to fit through, though he didn't think he'd be able to turn around. Crystal checked her pouch, making sure that they had enough water and food to last them a while.

Crystal took the first step into the tunnel, her paws splashing in the slow rivulet of water beneath. After she took a few steps in, Torrent followed behind, scrunching his wings against his body so he could fit, the tips of his horns scraping on the ceiling. This wouldn't be a comfortable walk. Crystal touched a claw to the Darkstone, still hanging from her neck. It glinted faintly, being far outshone by the glowing scales on Torrent's snout that he used to light the way. Just in case, she told herself, as the tips of her tail-spikes dragged through the water.