Fleem:

Fleem felt little beads of sweat break out on his hairline as he stared ahead into the pitch black tunnel, though he was shivering a little. From fear or cold, he couldn't tell.

His knees and the hand that wasn't shoved into his coat felt rooted to the ground, keeping him from moving forward or backwards.

Suddenly a light shone through the tunnel, making him gasp. "Fleem? Are you okay?" Percy called in. Fleem twisted his head, squinting against the bright beam from Percy's phone. "I'm stuck! I can't move!"

"What's stuck?" Percy's searching light moved over him, sparkling like glitter on the snowy walls. "Are you sure? You don't look stuck!"

"I can't move!" Fleem repeated, unable to keep from snapping. He bit his tongue to keep from shouting his frustration.

"No, you're okay." Brenda said in a soothing voice. "Just breathe. You're doing fine."

Gripping the device tightly inside his coat, Fleem glanced frantically around the tiny tunnel with only his eyes. "No I'm not! The whole thing's about to collapse the moment I bump into the side! Look, all I did was brush against it and a little snow came off! If I move, I'll die right here!" He stared straight ahead, wildly wondering what to do.

The light disappeared for a moment as Percy looked up to check something, then it swept over Fleem and the tunnel again. "No, you're fine. It's stable for now. Just keep carefully moving forward. Your friends are waiting on the other side. They'll help you if you need it."

This brought Fleem little comfort, but he took a breath in an attempt to slow his heart back down.

I'm not going to die. I'm not going to get buried by snow. I'm not going to die…

He repeated the words like a mantra in his mind, and slowly, his free hand moved and dragged forward on the tunnel floor. Somehow he forced himself to begin crawling again, cowering under the weight of snow mere inches above his head.

Everything's fine. It'll be over in a moment.

Deeper he went, moving away from the light at the end of the tunnel and towards the darkness. He couldn't relax, but as the other side slowly approached, he felt his confidence lifting ever so slightly. He was almost there. He'd be out before the snow had a chance to become unstable.

He gulped as he felt a handful of the cold white powder sprinkle into his hair from above. Almost there…..

He reached out into the darkness and his hand finally reached chilled cave rock. He wriggled forward eagerly, though carefully. He wasn't out of danger yet.

"Hello?" He called out, desperate to hear anyone's voice. Anyone at all.

Something alive touched the top of Fleem's head, making him flinch violently. But luckily for him, the tunnel still held. "Who's there?" He demanded blindly.

He felt the touch move from his head to his shoulders then down his back as if checking to be sure it was him.

A delighted roar echoed through the cave, startling Fleem again. But before he could let out the complaint already on his tongue, a hand wrapped around his middle and pulled him free from the tunnel.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me." Fleem let out a long breath, still rattled. He'd experienced more crazy than he ever wanted to in that one harrowing crawl.

His rescuer lifted him away from the tunnel and set him gently on his feet. Immediately, Fleem heard the quiet rasping in the yetis' breaths and growls. The air was going stale. He could feel it too.

He swallowed and pulled out the device, gripping it so hard he imagined crushing it in his hand. If he dropped it here, in the darkness, he might not ever find it again.

"Okay, uh…" he felt it over, running his fingers over the raised dots….or buttons as Dr. Laker called them. "How does this work?" He mumbled. Dr. Laker hadn't told him what to do once he was actually inside.

He held the thing up uncertainly, pointing it towards the closest sounds of breathing. Would he have to make it scan them all one by one, and put them 'in the system' before it would send them outside?

Assuming he could even figure that out in this darkness.

Well, it couldn't be that hard if Dr. Laker had invented it by accident. He'd just have to try something.

Still pointing it, Fleem found the rows of buttons again and began pressing them, as many as he could. They clicked and beeped just as they had before, so he must have been doing something right. "C'mon….do something!" He growled through his teeth. Nothing.

"Hmph!" He moved forward and reached around until he felt thick fur. "You're good at torturing me. Why not just bring them along?" He turned the device around, until he was sure it was pointing towards himself and whoever was next to him. "Why am I doing this? You owe me big time!"

He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the buttons again, cringing at the ugly sounds coming from them. Immediately, he felt a familiar blast of cold in his gut, and he opened his eyes to surprised exclamations and Percy's blinding light. Outside.

Fleem glanced up at Gwangi now that he could see him, and sank to the ground with a long shuddering sigh. Was it over?

Meechee and Kolka rushed to hug their fellow S.E.S member while Percy, Brenda and Dr. Laker surrounded Fleem. "You did it!" said Brenda. "That's one down!"

Fleem frowned, his heart dropping. "Only one? I thought this sent everyone out!"

Dr. Laker shook his head apologetically. "It's never been able to move more than two at a time from one location."

Fleem withered at the thought of crawling back through the tunnel. "Oh, come on!"

He looked around, expecting to see everyone's eyes on him again. But they were gathering around the snowdrift again, with renewed worry. The muffled roars only made it worse. "What's going on? What now?" Fleem stood up and took a step towards them.

"Meechee?"

He looked over the group outside and suddenly noticed. "Oh."

"What?" The three other smallfeet said in unison.

Fleem gave Dr. Laker a flat look. "Remember when I mentioned Dallin is in the system?"

Dr. Laker winced and looked down, putting a hand to his injured head. "Ugh." He moaned.

Fleem held up the device. "Maybe you should just throw these away once this nightmare is over. They're far more trouble than they're worth."

Dr. Laker just shook his head dejectedly. "None of my projects have ever gone this wrong." He muttered so softly Fleem could barely hear him.

"So, wait...Dallin's in the cave now? You two swapped places?" Brenda broke in, looking more exasperated than surprised. "These situations just keep piling up, don't they?"

Fleem sighed. "Let's just focus on getting out of this one." He looked up and met Meechee's gaze. Maybe he didn't have to crawl through again after all….

"So, should I throw this through the tunnel so Dallin can use it, or what?"

Dr. Laker quickly grabbed his shoulder as if he were afraid Fleem would go running off. "We can't get snow on it." He reminded him. Fleem nodded, heart preparing to drop. "So we'll have to put it in something." He said quickly. His eyes went to Dr. Laker's hand gripping his coat. "Give me your glove. It's just the right size."

After a little stuttering and protest, Dr. Laker sighed and pulled it off. "I want it back after this."

Fleem ignored him and shoved the device into the glove, fighting to get it completely covered. "I can't believe how this day has turned out." He muttered. "A few days ago, I was just living my life and minding my own business." But relief flooded him at the thought of an alternative to risking being buried alive again. As long as he threw the device far enough, anyway.

Meechee pointed towards the tunnel, making Fleem sigh. "Yeah yeah, I know, I'm moving."

He crouched in front of the tunnel and gave a quick nod to Percy with his light."You better grab this!" He shouted through to Dallin. "Don't make me come in there!" Then he threw the gloved device with everything his tiny smallfoot body had. It vanished into the darkness, and everyone went silent as they waited for Dallin to answer.

There was an uncomfortable silence, but eventually the answer came. He'd grabbed it, Meechee translated with a grin. Fleem let out a cloudy breath. "Tell him he has to point it at himself to make it work." Meechee tilted her head and gave a helpless growl.

Fleem threw up his hands. "Ugh, I'm sick of this! You tell her!" He gave Percy's shoulder a shove.

Thorp growled something, getting everyone's attention and pointed. Fleem followed his gaze along with Percy's light, but only saw the faint shimmering air for little more than two seconds before the freezing blast hit him again. Everything went dark and cold so suddenly that Fleem panicked for a moment, feeling himself over to make sure he was alive and conscious.

Cave. I'm back in the cave.

"Here we go again." He muttered aloud. It was better than crawling through the tunnel, but how would they break the cycle once everyone but he or Dallin was outside?

"Alright, whatever, just throw it back! We'll just keep swapping places for the rest of the night, and hope neither of us dies in the process!" He reached out with both hands. "Now where's the tunnel?"

He squinted, and managed to make out a faint glow on the dark cave wall. Slowly, he made his way towards it, stumbling a couple of times on unseen rocks. He crouched, and finally caught sight of the tunnel, only faintly shown by Percy's light on the other side of it. It was even more eerie from here, he noted with a shudder.

Luckily, he didn't have much time to dwell on it before a soft plop came from just inside the tunnel. He reached in, and his hands quickly found the device inside the glove and snatched it up. "Okay, who's next? I wanna get out of here!" He turned back towards the darkness, and the rasping breaths.

A furry hand found him as he wandered aimlessly, resting on top of his head. Fleem wasted no time, and soon both he and the other yeti were outside again. Both took a big gulp of fresh air. Fleem froze as his breath became a sudden frigid chill passing through his body, running through his blood like frost.

He shuddered as he glanced up at the villager he'd saved, but she showed no sign that she was experiencing the same thing. Nor that she noticed that he was. In fact, no one seemed to notice.

Fleem stood frozen in place, unable to bring himself to breathe, and the cold thankfully faded after a moment. He sighed in relief and pulled his coat tighter around himself. He was sick of being a furless smallfoot.

Shaking his head to clear it, Fleem jogged back towards the tunnel to repeat the process. Again and again.

Everyone eventually fell silent and watched from the sides as Dallin and Fleem phased in and out of the cave, each time with another yeti in tow. Fleem threw the device through the tunnel again, bracing himself for the device's chill. No matter how many times he felt it, it's sudden intensity always took him by surprise.

But this time was different.

This time, the breath left his body, and he fell to his knees, just as the snow disappeared and the ground turned to bare hard rock yet again. He gasped at the pain in his knees and his breath came flooding back. Fleem's chest heaved as he tried to get his bearings. The cold was gone again but it seemed whatever had just happened seemed to have sapped some of his energy too. He sagged a little, feeling drained.

What has that device done to me? He was sure it was to blame.

As he struggled back to his feet, he could feel that his throbbing legs were trembling. The soft plunk of the device landing in the tunnel made him cringe. What would happen to him if he kept using it? Would the effects get worse? Would it start getting dangerous?

He swallowed hard as he found it again and shakily turned around to find another yeti. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the buttons, bracing himself for what he knew would come.

Then he collapsed into the snow outside, resisting the urge to be sick.

Fleem moaned and glanced up at Migo, who looked far more healthy after the jump. The yeti immediately looked around, and found Percy among his overenthusiastic welcome committee. He grinned in relief and grabbed the smallfoot into a hug that was far too big for him, growling frantically. "Mmf. Missed you too, big guy." Percy wheezed. "But...loosen your grip a little...will ya?"

Someone pulled Fleem back to his feet. "How are you holding up?" Came Brenda's voice. Fleem scowled in the dark. "This monstrosity is making me sick. Dallin better be suffering too."

Brenda sighed at the remark. "I'm sure you'll both be fine. Meechee says almost everyone is out now. Just a few more."

Fleem snorted and pulled away from her, heading back towards the tunnel. "Percy! I need your light!"

"Working on it!" Percy shot back, still struggling in Migo's grip.

Fleem looked up at Migo's form. "You want everyone out or not?" He called out, and held up the gloved device. "Heroics now, teary reunions later!"

Migo huffed a sigh and reluctantly let Percy go.

Fleem shook his head and turned back to the task at hand, anxiety filling him again as he waited for Dallin to find the device.

He was right about the effects getting worse. As he appeared in the cave again, Fleem felt like he was going to pass out from the horrible combination of nausea, breathlessness and inner freezing cold.

Sprawled on the floor, he laid his head on a nearby rock, not caring that smaller pieces were digging into his side, and did his best to take deep breaths. All he wanted right now was to curl into a ball and never move again. Even as the sickness passed, he didn't see how he could summon the energy to sit up.

A few lingering growls came from nearby as the device was thrown through the tunnel again. Fleem instinctively curled up tighter and closed his eyes. "I can't do it." He whispered to no one in particular. He wasn't made for this. He wasn't meant to be a hero. He wasn't strong enough.

No matter what form he took, he was still the same weak, annoying, cowardly Fleem.

A nearby scraping and a growl made him lift his head. "Who's there?" He called out warily. He'd gotten used to the sounds yetis made to smallfeet, but that didn't make them any less unnerving in the dark.

As whoever it was got closer, Fleem felt loose pebbles shift and roll around him. He grunted and shifted slightly. "Don't step on me! I'm already dying. No need to trouble yourself." He brushed the rock dust off his coat with one hand. "I'm even due for an early burial with all the risks I've been taking in the snow tonight."

The yeti plopped down somewhere close by, and growled. A finger lightly poked Fleem's back. "Ouch! Careful, I'm fragile now!" He batted at the finger. "And I'm dying! I…" he was cut off as something dropped in front of him with a clink. "What was that?"

He narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't sound like the device. The device doesn't 'clink'."

Fleem felt around until he found something that wasn't a rock. "What is this?" He repeated. He picked it up and sat up, feeling it over. It was smooth and thin enough for Fleem to wrap his hand around it. "What…" He paused as his thumb brushed something small and round. A button?

It clicked as he pressed it, and suddenly light engulfed him. Fleem blinked and squinted, pointing the….magic light wand this way and that. "Whoa."

He shone the beam upwards, showing him his mother's face. "Oh, of course it's you. How long did you have this without bothering to say anything? I know the buttons are kind of small, but seriously! I could have used this!"

She held up a hand to shield her eyes and gestured with her head towards the tunnel, where the device waited inside it's glove. Fleem took one look, and retched at the mere thought of using it again. He still felt drained and sick from the last round.

"I can't do it, Mom. I'll die." He leaned back against the rocks to ease the nausea that wouldn't fade, grimacing as one jabbed into his back. Where was his mammoth fur blanket when he needed it? He looked up at his mom with as flat a look as he could manage. "Just look at me! I'm sure it's as bad as it looks."

His mom watched him with an expression he couldn't read. Was she annoyed? Or was that sympathy? A lot of her facial expressions looked the same through her default mask of 'tired'.

She turned away and stood, heading for the tunnel herself. Fleem groaned and put an arm over his eyes. "You helped build that monstrosity. Can't you make it stop making me sick?"

A moment later, he heard her returning footsteps, and felt a slight pressure as she placed the device on his chest.

Fleem trembled. "What if it kills me? I'm useless if I'm dead." He reasoned, though his mom couldn't understand. "We don't know what will happen if I keep using it."

His mom was having none of that. Gently, but firmly, her hand snaked under him and lifted him up to his feet. Fleem wobbled on shaking legs, and hugged her fingers to steady himself. "What's your problem? Don't you care that your device is making me sick?"

He shone his light at her again to make sure she could see his glare.

Unfazed, she looked him dead in the eyes and held his stare. Anger coursed through Fleem. He opened his mouth to yell at her, but his breath caught in his chest and trailed away. He didn't have the breath to yell. The pause gave him the chance to notice his mom's own short breaths. Right. He'd forgotten about the stale air.

Fleem sagged. His mom wasn't being calloused. She knew time was running out.

But how could he keep going like this?

Without breaking eye contact, his mom beckoned over the one other yeti left in the cave. He approached slowly, blinking as his eyes accustomed themselves to the light wand.

Fleem wanted to protest, but found he couldn't bring himself to move or speak. So he watched helplessly as his mom positioned the yeti behind him and pointed at the device in his hands.

Fleem squeezed his eyes shut, willing the sickness to fade. In a moment, it was going to get worse.

He hit the buttons, and waited. This time, it took so long that Fleem wondered if it was going to work at all.

But it did, so suddenly that Fleem thought he was going to pass out. Vaguely, he was aware that he'd landed facefirst in the snow, and that the other smallfeet were running to him. Brenda grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up, to which he responded by throwing up everything in his stomach.

Brenda flinched backwards, looking herself over to see if he'd gotten any on her. In any other circumstances, Fleem would have laughed. But tonight, he wasn't having it. "You want to take my place?" He snapped. "I'll happily trade you!"

Brenda sighed. "Calm down. I'm sorry. You just surprised me."

Cheeks burning, Fleem looked away from her as Percy pulled him up. "Hmph."

He fought the urge to be sick again as a new wave of nausea struck. Yep, this was so much worse than before.

Percy held him steady as he swayed, ready to pass out right there. His head was light, his ears rang, and he'd broken into a cold sweat. He was faintly aware of someone saying his name, but he didn't really care. "I need to sit down." The words came out so softly he wasn't sure he'd spoken them at all. But when he fell to his knees, Percy seemed to understand. "Tell Dallin we're going to wait a moment!" He called and signed back to Meechee. "Fleem needs a little break!"

For the first time, the S.E.S actually noticed the toll this fiasco had taken on Fleem. Meechee looked at him in surprise. Kolka and Gwangi frowned in concern. Migo looked down, ashamed.

Fleem sniffed. "Don't mind me. I'm just out being a hero and suffering the consequences for it."

He winced and closed his eyes as his head started pounding. "Ouch."

Percy grabbed him under the arms and began dragging him across the snow.

"What are you doing?" Fleem forced out through a few groans. The movement didn't help the sickness at all.

He felt something solid behind him, and gratefully leaned against it. It must have been the rock he was sitting on before.

Dr. Laker took the device from his hand and winced at it's heat. "Oh dear. This thing is beat. It's about ready to fry itself!" He looked down at Fleem. "And you look beat too. I don't think either you or it could manage another trip."

Fleem didn't think so either. It brought him a guilty pang of relief, but he was all too aware of the new problem it created: how were they going to get both Dallin and his mom out of the cave without the device?

"Then we'll have to find out another way to rescue Dallin and Tania." Brenda echoed his thoughts, looking back at Meechee, who was approaching with the rest of the S.E.S. "Quickly. There can't be much air left in there."

Fleem sat up as much as he could and used his light wand to see everyone's faces. "Could we build a bigger tunnel? Neither my mom or Dallin are very big."

"Not unless we could find a bigger log." said Percy.

Meechee knelt down closer to their level, and made a digging motion with her hands.

Everyone exchanged uncertain glances. "The snow kept filling it in, remember?" Fleem reminded her.

Meechee bit her lip as she glanced back at the snowdrift. She pointed up at the dark clouds and gestured around them. Fleem scrunched his face and shrugged helplessly.

Percy watched her closely. "The sky...the clouds? Oh, it's stopped snowing!" He looked up at the mountain. "There's still a bunch up there, though."

Fleem glanced between the S.E.S and other smallfeet as they kept talking. It didn't take a genius to see they were out of other ideas. Meechee was hiding it well, but she was on the verge of panic. He could see it in her eyes.

It looked so wrong on her that Fleem felt his own stomach begin to drop. Gwangi and Kolka were more than capable, of course, but Meechee was the one who always stepped up and found a way when no one else knew what to do. She was confident and quick thinking. He'd grown to rely on that fact, and step back to let her figure things out.

Fleem looked back at the pile of snow that trapped his mom and the smallfoot in his body, and his eyes went to the tunnel. The tunnel he'd suggested.

And it had actually worked. He found himself looking over the large group of yetis that now stood outside safe and free, in part because of him. Surely that had to count for something?

To Fleem's surprise, the thoughts had him sitting up straighter, despite the cold and nausea in his stomach. At the same time, it brought him to a realization.

He wasn't simply a bystander like he'd convinced himself.

So many times, he'd witnessed the competence of the other S.E.S members, and known he could never measure up. He couldn't contribute the way they could. They had accepted him into their secret society, but some part in the back of Fleem's mind had always reminded him that he was the least competent. Scrawny. Weak. Gutless.

And no amount of big talk and quips could silence it, though he sure tried.

But now, as he looked back and forth between his friends' stumped faces and the gathering by the snowdrift, his mind cleared up in a way it hadn't for a very long time. His mom and Dallin should have been with that group.

His heart quickened. How much time did they have left before the rest of the air ran out?

Almost on it's own, his body stood up amidst the arguing yetis and smallfeet, and began to walk back towards the death trap of a tunnel.

Everyone gradually went silent as they noticed him, and turned to see what he was up to.

Fleem stopped and looked up at the looming mountain, shining his light wand at the overhanging snow. So much snow….

"Fleem?" He was barely aware of Percy coming to stand next to him.

Fleem shook his head. "There's no digging that away." He said hoarsely.

He slowly looked down at the device still in his hand. One more switch would destroy it, leaving him a smallfoot and Dallin a yeti forever.

Dr. Laker appeared on his other side. "Fleem. We'll find another way."

No. There was no time. Mom…

He could lose his mom if he didn't do something. As strained as their relationship had become, he couldn't bear the thought.

And he though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he couldn't deny that he'd developed a slight fondness for that nervous body-stealing little monster too.

But to give up his one last chance of going back to his body? It was almost as daunting.

Fleem trembled as he looked from the tunnel to the gloved device, and not just from his side effects. Involuntary tears pricked the corners of his eyes. "I have to." He whispered. There was no other way.

He felt Percy's hand on his shoulder. "Fleem." The red haired smallfoot's voice was soft with pity.

Fleem couldn't look at him. He gripped the device as he drew back his arm. Was he really doing this? Yes, he was, he told himself sternly. This time, he was the only one who could make a difference. This wasn't like that morning on the cliff edge.

His arm swung. The device was flung forward, and disappeared into the darkness, along with his yetihood. Fleem stared after it in shock before falling to his knees and wiping at the few tears running down his face. This was it. There was no going back.

It brought a sharp twinge of pain to think of it. But he supposed it was better to know for sure than to cling to a bit of torturous uncertain hope.

Fleem ignored the S.E.S and the other smallfeet as they gathered around him and tried to offer words and growls of comfort. There were no words that could make this better.

When the rush of cold and nausea hit again, Fleem welcomed it, and found himself curled up and trembling once again on the uncomfortable cave floor.

Alone, this time.

So that was everyone. All the trapped yetis were now safe. But what about him?

He managed to turn his head and shine his light wand on the tunnel, the only way back out without the device. Was he supposed to somehow crawl through it in his current state? He could hardly even move, and the stale air wasn't helping!

The sounds of muffled roars and overall commotion made their way through the wall of snow. Fleem lifted his head, but before he could say anything the cold and nausea began to ebb away with a suddenness that made his heart skip a beat. He jerked up to a sitting position, alertness and energy flooding back into him. "How did…."

He leaped to his feet and rushed towards the tunnel as well as he could, gasping for breath. "Guys? What's happening?"

Percy's light appeared at the other end. "Uh…"

"It's the device, isn't it?" Fleem realized with a pang. "It must have stopped working! It isn't making me sick anymore!"

"Fleem, is Dallin still in there? We only see your mom!"

Fleem's brow furrowed. "Why would…" He was interrupted by a sudden barrage of roars. "The snow!" Dr. Laker cried. "Percy, move!" Brenda shouted.

Percy's light disappeared, and with a suddenness that made Fleem jump back, the tunnel collapsed. "No!" Fleem's heart sank to his undersized feet. "Percy, that was my only way out!"

He could no longer make anything out from the other side. "No no NO!"

A sound from behind echoed Fleem's cries. Fleem whipped around, shining his light wand around the cave. A slight movement caught his attention. "Dallin!?" The smallfoot-yeti was huddled against a back wall, holding a hand to his chest as he tried to breathe.

Fleem stumbled across the rocky ground until he stood in front of Dallin. "What are you doing here? Why didn't you go with my mom?"

Dallin stared at him blankly, and held out a hand. In his palm sat the cursed device.

Fleem snatched it and yanked it out of the glove. Sure enough, there were no more beeps from the buttons. No signs that this thing was anything more than a block of metal.

He looked up and met Dallin's eyes. Neither of them needed any signs to come to an understanding.

Dallin slowly shook his head. He looked ready to fall apart at any moment.

Fleem slumped down against the wall, feeling suddenly numb. "Well. I have to admit, this wasn't how I expected to spend the rest of my life."

Dallin growled softly in response.

Fleem laughed, not in amusement but in disbelief. "Me. A smallfoot, with everything that entails. I can't even visit my own village anymore."

His home. There would be no more S.E.S meetings, no more overexcited yetis in the morning, no more wisecracking to Kolka and Gwangi….

Everything he knew was gone.

Dallin curled up even more and let out a shaky rasping breath. "Yeah." Said Fleem. "But we'll probably just die in here anyway. Why didn't you go with my mom? You could have gotten out of this oh-so-terrifying cave."

Dallin blinked as Fleem translated as well as he could. "It makes sense that she would have already been 'in the system' if she helped make this thing. But so are you. Why did you stay behind?"

The smallfoot-yeti blinked again and slowly raised a hand to point at Fleem.

Fleem frowned and put a hand to his chest. "You...stayed because of me?" He said in surprise.

Dallin nodded and glanced anxiously around at the cave, shrinking even further into himself.

Fleem stared at him in bewilderment and confusion. "Wow. You are crazy. What did you think you could do? You're just joining me to die." But he couldn't keep a soft smile off his lips.

"Geez, we're not even supposed to like each other, let alone face our fears and risk our lives for each other. Yet here we are. Huh."

Dallin did his best to return the smile, but Fleem could tell he was dying inside. Outside, too.

The two silently looked towards the blocked entrance, listening to the frantic digging and scraping outside. "You think they'll make any ice sculptures in our honor after we're gone?" Fleem poked Dallin's arm. "We were pretty heroic out there."

His voice was becoming more drowsy and tired with each breath he took. "C'mon, Shorty….don't leave me...hanging."

Dallin looked downright lethargic. His eyes were growing blank and droopy, and he'd gone almost completely limp. He mumbled, a very strange sound coming from a creature who growled to talk.

Fleem grinned sleepily. "Ya know…as far as smallfeet go...you're not so bad. I'm finally...getting proper respect." He pointed lazily. "Lookit me rambling. It's...because of you."

The cave began to fade, darkness engulfing the beam from his light wand. Fleem sagged against the wall, feeling himself fading too. It was terrifying, but strangely relaxing at the same time. He managed to reach out and grab one of Dallin's fingers. "But...I have to admit...for all your jumpiness...you're braver than I am. You're...a good kid, Shorty."

Fleem couldn't see the smallfoot-yeti's face, but he could have sworn he lost some tension.

As he fought for what faint amount of consciousness he had left, Fleem was barely aware of anything. He heard digging.. and Dallin's slow breaths… and voices. His eyes went to the entrance as a few faint figures suddenly broke through it, but he couldn't register it. The last thing he saw was some yeti crouching over him before everything went dark.

Fleem woke up confused.

He was in Percy's home, on the couch, he knew. But he was forgetting something important….

The device. He was stuck as a smallfoot forever.

Fleem buried his face in the blanket covering him. He hadn't died. But did that mean he ever had to leave this couch? He'd just stay here forever and never move again. Maybe then, he could forget that he had lost the life he knew.

"Fleem! You're awake." Percy's voice appeared next to the couch. "How are you feeling?" Fleem peeped at him with one eye. "Mmf."

Percy nodded. "That's how Dallin felt too."

"Where are the yetis?" Fleem moaned.

"They went back up the mountain. Your friends waited here a while, but you were out for a long time. I told them to go get some sleep."

Fleem sat up. "In the cave. How did you get to us? We were thoroughly trapped."

Percy smiled. "We held up the log to block enough of the snow to send a few yetis in. It was rough, but we managed."

Fleem groaned. "Seriously? Why didn't we think of that before…" He turned his head and caught sight of the two devices on the coffee table, the most notable being the broken one. His heart clenched.

Percy followed his gaze. His face was the picture of sympathy. "We'll find a way, Fleem. Dr. Laker will fix it somehow."

Fleem shook his head. "We keep saying that. But something always goes wrong." He collapsed as a wave of exhaustion slammed into him out of nowhere. "I've admitted defeat, and so has Dallin."

He curled up into a ball. "I'm going back to sleep."

Percy waited a moment before finally nodding and heading back to his own room.

Fleem frowned. He was so tired. He'd been tired pretty much nonstop over the past couple of days. But this was a different tired. This tired sank into his very bones instead of simply clouding his mind.

He'd felt just like this the same night he and Dallin swapped bodies.

He was out cold before he could question it further.