This arc (five chapters) and the one before were previously reversed. I swapped them so that Van Rook is not aware of Doyle's circumstances until he actually encounters Doyle in chapter 23 on (old readers will know what circumstances and encounter I'm referring to). As a result, I've had to revise these two arcs and other references to them.
I will still refer to the Avalanche arc in my notes when I refer to timing.
At least my only reviews to the first two arcs consist of "please update" at the time of this writing. So one less thing to cause confusion.

Disclaimer: I don't own Doyle or Drew. I don't own their parents.

Episodic, "collection" of short stories, history shared by many stories (but not all of it used by all of those stories—I may occasionally point out the differences), not meant to be alternate universe, so on and so forth.

Timing: maybe a few hours after the end of chapter...3. This and the next four chapters make the only arc (thus far, as of 36 posted chapters and a 37th in progress) that takes place at the same time as any other.

Avalanche!

After what felt like hours, Jonathon finally dug himself free. He paused only to catch his breath, and immediately set the spell to locate his family.

And shrieked, as some force beyond his magic fed on that spell and tore through him.

He struggled to his feet again, panting and wild-eyed. That's never happened before. What...?

He shook his head. He shuddered, gritted his teeth, and tried the spell again.

The force tore through him again, and he trembled with the effort of holding against it.

Just a...little more.... He saw what he needed, and cut off the spell before it could drain him further.

It pained him to leave the children any longer, but after that spell, he'd need Anna's help just to stay on his feet. And she was closest; he could only hope he had strength enough to reach her.

He staggered to the remains of the campsite and stopped in front of their tent. He began to dig, and prayed to every god he could think of, and a few that he wasn't so sure about, that he had judged right. The spell had never failed him before, but there could always be a first....

It took all of his control not to sob with relief as he pulled his wife from the wreckage.

She was unconscious and freezing, but that could easily be taken care of.... Easily, that is, but for the force that tore through him with every spell. He braced himself against it, but the effort still left him collapsed and gasping for air.

"Jo–Jon–athon?" Anna's teeth chattered. She'd traveled all over the world with him, but she didn't remember ever being this cold. "Jonathon?" She took his hand, closed her eyes, and concentrated....

And he jerked his hand away and tried to massage some feeling back into it. It felt like he'd been hit by lightning.

He forced a grin to his face; this was why they were great partners. She didn't have the training to use his spells, but she'd learned to channel power into him from anywhere...even the storm's fury.

"Jonathon...what's happened? I thought...." Anna swallowed, and took another breath. "You said the weather would be good. You said you could feel it. And that monster, were did that come from? Why didn't you feel that? Why did it attack? Why did it go after Doyle?" She shuddered, remembering exactly how it had looked at her son. Knowing how animals typically behaved around their children made that monster, that look, only seem more monstrous. "You said animals...."

Jonathon shook his head. "The storm...not natural." He shivered; whether from fear or just the cold, he wasn't certain. "I can feel it, sucking at me, feeding on my every spell. When you...when you sent the power to me, I could taste it. This storm was made, Anna. It isn't natural, and I think it's why I didn't feel that creature." He took a deep breath before telling her the most frightening part. "The storm feels like a small magic—"

"Small? This?"

"—a small magic...that's gone out of control.... And...and the children...are in the middle of it."

Anna stared up at him; her expression flickered as shock gave way to pure terror. "The...." She frowned. "Where? Where are they?"

The two struggled to help each other to their feet. "The storm...swept them away." He considered trying the compass spell again, and immediately rejected the notion. He'd be of no use if the storm drained him again, and anyway, he still remembered where it had pointed. "Doyle...is off to the south...that way." He pointed towards the back of their camp. "Drew went a little more to the east. They...they're not far...."

Anna snorted. "'Not far'. In this? Isn't that just a little vague? "

Jonathon grimaced and nodded. "If you...if you look for Doyle, and I get Drew, we should all have strength enough to...to meet back here, before nightfall.... As long as I don't need to use another spell...."

"If we...? You want to split up?! Jonathon, you want to split up in this? With that monster roaming around? No! We need to figure out a way to find them...together. I don't think any of us should be alone in this! We need—"

"It will only take longer to find both." Jonathon held up a hand. "And if we argue about it, they'll be alone for that much longer."

Anna's shoulders slumped. "All right," she whispered. "Just make sure the two of you make it back here safely, all right?"

"I plan on it." Jonathon kissed Anna's forehead. "If you need any help, remember the rule...."

"Watch for animals behaving strangely," Anna finished.