A few hours passed before Elkay was able to stand. When she did, Ellie urged her to find shelter, because she was starting to look like a living ice cube. They trudged through the snow slowly, though Ellie tried to get them to move faster. She ran ahead of the dragon, then back to her side, then out front again, hoping she would adjust her speed. She didn't. It wasn't long before Ellie heard a heavy "whump", and turned to see the dragon lying in the snow. She groaned and sprinted over.

"Elkay, I know you're sad, but we have to keep moving. If we don't, we'll freeze to death."

Elkay looked up at her miserably.

"That's just it, though. I'm freezing. I never told you this, since I was so ashamed of it, but I have this condition where I have a low tolerance for cold. I'm literally going to die in a few minutes."

Ellie's eyes went wide.

"Oh my god! Is there anything I can do?"

Elkay shook her head.

"I'd rather you didn't. Use your magic to get home safely."

Ellie put her hand on the dragon's shoulder.

"You know I can't do that."

Elkay sighed.

"Yeah. I guess I'm just going through some emotional . . . things . . . right now, so you'd better not listen to anything I say. Use your best judgment, I guess. I give up."

Ellie looked at the shivering dragon sadly and formed a magic dome around them. She could feel her magic depleting, and it was making her uncomfortable. If she were to get stuck in the frozen wasteland, it was more than likely that she would freeze to death. Instead of thinking too hard about the repercussions of her sympathy, Ellie decided to focus on something else.

"Why do you think your mother is trying to fight us?"

Elkay gave a light shrug.

"She doesn't love me. Or maybe she does, and she's concerned for me. I don't know."

Ellie twisted her mouth.

"Well, whatever reason she has to defy us, she considered it worth committing to. I knew her for many, many years before all of this."

Elkay scoffed.

"Years are nothing to her. She's old. Older than me, even."

Ellie hummed.

"Well, yes. She would have to be. What's her story?"

Elkay rolled onto her belly and sat up straight.

"Her name is Neithhotep. They say she was one of the first dragons, and dragons are as old as the Universe itself. She saw many kings and queens in her lifetime, but she never expected me to be one. I think she wanted it for herself. She was sort of a vigilante, my mother. It was her who made the Beneath."

Ellie nodded.

"And you copied her idea with the Purgatorium?"

Elkay snuffed.

"Maybe. Kind of. Look, the point is, she rounded up countless scoundrels, so I'm assuming she expected some sort of recognition. That's just a theory. I have no idea why she'd interfere with our story, though. It seems everyone wants to cause a little chaos. I'm sorry she ruined what you had planned."

"It's not your fault."

Elkay sighed.

"It kind of is, though. I shouldn't have involved myself in your business. You'd probably be better off without me."

Ellie hummed.

"Maybe, maybe not. That doesn't matter. Right now, we need each other."

Elkay nudged her closer with her tail.

"Okay. Alright. Can we still figure this out?"

Ellie shook her head.

"By this point, I have no control over the narrative. Claire was supposed to arrive earlier so that she could train the stegoceratopses properly, and with June's elephants on the move, she won't have much of a chance. They'll have to evacuate the valley."

Elkay nodded.

"I see what you did there, by the way. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel as organic as your story did."

"That's because it's synthetic. I tried to plan it out with every variable in mind, but I guess I could never be one hundred percent prepared."

Elkay chuckled lightly.

"I guess so. You know, we could always activate a plot hole and end this whole mess."

Ellie shook her head.

"No, that's a last resort. I'm not sure what the consequences would be."

Elkay lifted one ear.

"How exactly would we go about it, anyway?"

Ellie shrugged.

"Find something that doesn't make sense."

"Like why you would send both Owen and Claire to the valley even though the stegoceratopses are afraid of humans?"

Ellie shook her head.

"No, that isn't one. I planned to have Owen hide while Claire interacted with the tribe. I'm kind of glad things turned out differently. Owen seems to really get along with the stegoceratopses."

Elkay smiled.

"Does that mean he'll stay with them?"

Ellie shrugged.

"I don't know. He really loves Claire. I don't think he'd leave her."

They fell silent when they saw a dark shape approaching them through the blizzard. As it drew nearer, Ellie could make out the silhouette of a felidragon. Elkay pricked her ears and ran forward.

"Igloo!"

"Tundra," the felidragon replied, "But I appreciate the effort."

Elkay nodded.

"What have you been up to, Tundra?"

"I'm trying to do a spiritual journey of isolation and self-discovery."

"And how is that going?"

"Well, I met up with you, so that kind of ruins the point."

Elkay's ears flattened.

"Oh. Sorry."

Tundra shrugged.

"Whatever. I can start over tomorrow. What brings you here?"

"Your grandmother banished us," Elkay said.

Tundra gave a knowing look.

"Oh, so you met her? Yeah, she offered to let me take revenge on you for leaving me in a dumpster, but I said 'no'."

"Thank you."

"No problem. Can I get back to my solitude now?"

Elkay nodded.

"Sure, sure. Knock yourself out."

Tundra licked her paws.

"Oh, by the way, if you're looking for leverage, Neithhotep is emotionally attached to that starfish, Raven. She's the one with purple hair. It shouldn't be too hard to convince her to join you. She's a brat."

Elkay rubbed her chin.

"That . . . is actually a viable option at this point."

Tundra nodded.

"Good. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my nothing."

Elkay smiled and turned away.

"Alright. Thanks, Parka!"

She turned and dashed away, sending up a cloud of snow. Ellie followed on wing. Tundra watched them both disappear, then sighed with exasperation.

"What an idiot."