Every man on the boat was exhausted. Rowing and sailing at a speed that few vessels could catch, the lone byrding had seemingly evaded capture in the night. Connor dared not fall asleep though, not until it was certain that they were out of danger. Unfortunately, just as it was looking like the handful of survivors would be able to race the Widow River to the Craggy Sea, it became apparent that there was a bigger problem. Despite Smith's injuries, the water in the boat was slowly filling. Daybreak revealed the cause. That wolf Connor had cut down last night did manage to do damage. She had made it to the boat, but rather than try and tear it apart she had instead been busy punching holes in the hull. They weren't big, but enough water was coming in so that sooner or later the vessel would sink. The rest of the men in the boat were using anything they could, even a spare helmet, to jettison the unwanted ice-cold water.

"Sir, what do we do now?" Connor asked Thorsen. The teen had used every trick he had to keep them all alive, but without a way to plug the holes, sooner or later they'd sink and drown in the muddy current.

Thorsen thought for a good minute before an idea clicked. "We need to make for the West Fork. We can stash the boat at the confluence, then I'll explain the rest."

In less than an hour, the confluence of the rivers came into view. Swinging the boat around, and making sure no one was following, the crew landed the small craft in a small hole formed by the two contradicting currents. Pulling the craft up onto the rocky bank, they stashed it in the high weeds and brush so thick not even a rabbit would crawl into. They were all cut, bruised, tired, thirsty, wet, and cold. Most supplies were gone, having been thrown overboard. A decision that may have only succeeded in extending their lives by a short while. Once everyone found their way into a gulley where they couldn't be seen from either river, Thorsen then pulled out a small map he kept in his pocket along with his compass. He laid it out in front of this men.

"There's a supply stash 40 miles from here up the West Fork and inland. Only a few miles from the backside of the Big One we passed by yesterday. If we can make it there, we'll have food, some weaponry, and materials to repair the boat."

"Sir, that's forty miles over tundra." Smith said. "You may as well leave me; I'll only slow you down."

"No Smith, we're taking you with us if we go. We're still in the territory of the hostile wolf tribes. There are others behind that mountain who may actually help us, but anyone who stays here will eventually be found. Our pursuers are going to be combing the river looking for us."

"We're not going to be able to make a fire." Connor added. "If we do, the wolves will surely see the light. We'll be the only thing taller than a shrub for miles in any direction."

"It's also two days of walking, minimum." One of the other men added.

"All this is true." Thorsen replied. "But what other choices do we have?"

"I could try to plug the holes with grass and mud then we make for the coast." Connor suggested.

"And what are the odds that would work for us for the next three days while we limp down the river? Not to mention sooner or later those war canoes will catch up to us. That trick you pulled with your dragon will only work once."

Connor lowered his head. "I know, I wish there was more we could do."

"So do I kid, but salvation is only two days away. We start walking now and keep walking halfway through the night, we'll easily make the supply depot tomorrow afternoon."

"Alright. Smith, I can help you walk. We'll bring up the rear."

"Then it's settled." One of the civilian volunteers concluded. "We make for the supply depot. What's our heading captain?"

"We follow the river until we've reached the back side of the Big One, then we head inland when we find a little creek."

Sam was looking from atop the walls again, trying to pick out where these wolves were in the evening light. He had to admit, they were excellent at concealing their true numbers. He could make out several camps a few miles out in every direction, blocking seemingly every path to and from the outside the world. All except for the river, their last life line. A movement caught his eye just then. Putting his spyglass up to his eye, Sam could make out a small boat, one of the byrdings. Only, it was just one and the sail had holes in her. Still, people seemed to be rowing it.

"Lieutenant, ring the bell. We need to get down to the docks now and get the men off that boat before the wolves close in."

The bell rang, summoning guardsmen to the western gate. Sam now had a company of fighters with him, men that his father had personally trained since they were all young volunteers. Sam himself wasn't exactly a veteran, but his father was Captain of the guard and had passed down many lessons to him. Now it was time to put them to good use.

"Guardsmen! We need to secure a perimeter around the dock and bring in everyone on one of our boats. Once the door opens, maintain formation and march double-time."

With a nod to the gatekeeper, the metal bars raised up followed by the heavy groan of two massive oak doors.

"Forward! Double-time!" Sam shouted as he charged forward, leading his men out from the protection of their wall. After a short while, they made it to the dock just as the little boat was approaching. Over the hill came the pursuers, followed in the distance by a couple of canoes.

"Perimeter, now! Someone get that boat secure and let's get them unloaded immediately."

The wolves approached on both land and water before stopping about a hundred yards away.

"Shield wall, now!" Sam ordered as he lowered his visor. They might have only been 30 guardsmen, but they had superior armor and weapons. Meanwhile the wolves had numbers on their side, but any move of aggression by them would be met with lethal force from years of training.

However, the wolves didn't move. Instead, they kept their distance, almost like they were observing. The boat was quickly lashed to the dock and about a dozen men found their way out, most with some kind of injury. Three had severe injuries and were inching closer to death. Sam only looked behind him to check on their progress, but the boat was a bloody mess.

"What happened?" Sam asked the closest volunteer, the highest-ranking guardsmen still standing.

"Ambush, Sam. They caught us in the night, and they've been chasing us all the way up stream."

Just then, a wolf strolled forward from his loose line of warriors. It was one of the tribe leaders.

"You may take your men inside with you. Let them tell you about what's happened. Perhaps Tostig will be inspired to come to us and negotiate before any more blood is spilled."

Sam didn't move for a solid thirty seconds. He took in the scene around him. The Canoes were no longer advancing, but instead were making for shore. The line of pursuing warriors didn't move either.

"Alright guardsmen, keep formation, don't let any of our volunteers become vulnerable to arrows. March back to the gate."

The guards formed a tight cocoon of steel around the injured sailors and guardsmen. Retreating back to the gates, the wolves followed, but kept their distance. Once near the gate, one of the archers loosed an arrow, landing several yards short of the wolves, who stopped. They were wise enough to stay out of range of the walls lest their mostly unarmored bodies be riddled with missiles.

"Open the gate!" Sam ordered and the gatekeeper once again complied, opening the oak outer doors before lifting the iron bars. It was done so that an unwanted party couldn't simply charge through both lines of defense at once. Thankfully, the wolves did not make any further moves. Instead, they turned and headed back to their camp.

The great hall was warm, and warm food quickly passed around while healers got to work on the injured. Sam, Gerrick, and Mansfield immediately went to meet with Tostig and the council.

"What's happened?" Tostig asked as soon as he hurriedly sat down.

"We were ambushed, my lord." Mansfield explained. "We set up camp on an island in the river, thinking that would keep us safe from any possible encounters with the snow wolves. However, in the early morning they arrived by canoe and attacked us. I, as well as most others, jumped up and grabbed whatever we could to fight with. Someone yelled "wolves", and from there it was like a mauling by some great bear.

"The rest of the expedition?" Tostig further asked. "What's become of the other boats?"

"Three were on fire when we managed to shove off. Two had already made their way downstream, but a war party was after them, so we decided to head upstream as quickly as we could. The rowing damn near killed us, but at some point, before dawn a couple of canoes began trailing us."

One of the council members then spoke up. "And they didn't attack you further?"

"Sir, if they wanted to kill us, they could have. I don't know why but I am thankful to be standing here now rather than floating down the river with arrows in my back."

The council member nodded in agreement. "Indeed. My guess is they are trying to make an example of you. Try to sow panic in our people so they'll flee over the mountains."

"Which is precisely why we aren't going to tell everyone else what happened in any kind of detail. We need to keep order if we're going to survive the winter."

"My Lord," Gerrick spoke up, "perhaps we should leave while we still can. Get every man, woman, and child out of here. We can come back in force next spring when the passes open."

"No, Gerrick. If we leave, then the wolves may raze Callow to the ground and destroy the mines. We can't let this… confrontational politics grow into a war."

"Confrontation politics?" Gerrick replied, surprised. "Sir, my men are dead, dying, and wounded. Whoever may still be alive out there won't be able to bring supplies back to Callow. The wolves own the river now. The only roads we have open are over the pass. We must leave before they are blocked too. If we don't and this becomes a siege over winter, we will all starve."

The council member from earlier then added in his opinion. "My lord, the captain is right. We don't have supplies for winter. Tomorrow we should give the order to abandon the town. We can meet with the wolves to set up a temporary truce, then we can make our case in Morlin. The crown needs these mines just as much as we do."

Tostig, frustrated, sat in silence for a minute. "Damn these animals. Killing my people and now taking away a generations' worth of wealth spent building this town. But you are right, we can't stay. Tomorrow, we leave. Send out another party Gerrick, this time to the east. Have them watch over the pass and make sure that none of these wolves are planning a large-scale slaughter as the women and children make their way for the border.

"I'll make it so, my lord." Gerrick said. "I'll put my son in charge of this mission. The guardsmen would follow him to the end of the world."

"Then it's settled." Tostig said, defeated. "Boy, I trust you'll be able to keep the road secure for us in two days' time when we leave."

"Yes, my lord."

"Good, then get to it. I had better make preparations."

No sooner had Sam walked out of the great hall than he felt a cold wind blow. Something told him that this plan wasn't going to work. But before he could round up volunteers for a last-minute expedition, he had to find Connor's kin. They should know what's happened.

Liz was cleaning the bar, preparing it for another night of activity, when she heard the door open. "I'm sorry, but the tavern isn't open for another hou— Oh, Sam, it's you!" The girl quickly made her way to the entrance to great her interest.

"Have you come to check on us ladies?" Liz teased.

"I guess. Hey, where's Shadow and Asher?" Sam asked.

"Oh, they're both in the room. Poor Asher still isn't used to this cold weather."

"I can imagine it's quite different from his tropical home. Could you get them please, there's a couple of things I need to tell you."

"What's wrong?" Liz asked, concern growing on her face.

"I'll explain once everyone is here."

Liz went down the hall and, after a minute, brought Shadow and Asher out with her.

"We had better take a seat in a booth…"

Anna Marie was adding up the previous night's earnings and separating out each of her employees' pay when she heard a cry from the tavern. Annoyed that someone would be at her bar before opening for the evening, she made her way toward the front. When she got to the threshold, she stopped and saw that Sam was getting up to leave.

"Liz, I'll be back soon to check on your three, but I wanted you to hear it from me first before word gets around town."

Liz couldn't speak, she was weeping along with Asher, but Shadow held her composure.

"Thank you, Sam, please come back when you can."

"Sam? Hun, why are ya here so early? Ya, know we don't open fer an hour."

"Apologies miss Marie, but I had to deliver some bad news. I'll be back as soon as I can to explain more, but there's a lot of things to do before I leave tonight."

"Tonight? Leave where? Hun, you ain't makin' sense."

"Sorry, I can't say anything more now. I'm under orders from Gerrick."

As the door closed, Anna's attention turned to her employees and tenants.

"Shadow, mind explainin' to an ol' confused woman what's happened?"

Shadow could barely raise her head, struggling to hold back tears of her own.

"Miss Marie… Connor is missing."

"Wha… how?"

"The expedition was ambushed." Shadow explained. "We only know because one boat managed to get back here before sundown. He could be on one of two other boats that got away, or…"

Liz then managed to squeak out. "Or he's gone…" And that was all she could say before sobbing again. Asher, also crying, pulled himself in close, hugging Liz around her waist while in the booth. Shadow put a hand on Liz's shoulder.

"Ma'am, I think we're going to need the night off. I'll come to help out when it gets busy."

Anna was still taking in the news. She hadn't known Connor for more than a week, but he seemed like a good, responsible kid. "Alright, take all the time ya'll need."

Asher and Shadow helped Liz up from her seat and then the basitin helped lead her away. Shadow hung back until they were both down the hall. She then leaned close to Anna. "And when Sam gets back, let me know so I can wring his neck for bringing this on us so quickly." Anna nodded before patting Shadow on the shoulder. The leopard held back tears for a second time, steeling herself. If Connor was indeed gone… no, she couldn't think like that. At least not until more was known.

Sam did return after getting together enough volunteers to clear a path to White Pass. He walked into the tavern just as things were starting to get busy. He made eye contact with Anna, who greeted him.

"Oh Sam! Sit tight I'll get Shadow for ya."

We waited near the entrance until Shadow came through the threshold. She didn't look particularly happy.

"You, me, out back, now."

"But—" Sam was cut off as Shadow grabbed his arm and dragged him quickly out the back door. Once the door was closed, the leopard's piercing eyes locked onto Sam. She marched herself right up into the teen's face, rising to her full height which was a couple inches taller than Sam. Normally few people would notice, but a half inch from his face, it made her seem a lot bigger… and scarier.

"Shadow, what's with the-"

"That poor girl has been bawling her eyes out from the moment you left, and Asher isn't in much better shape. Why the hell would you just drop this on us?"

"Shadow, please, give me a bit of space and I'll expla-"

The leopard then grabbed Sam by his collar and lifted him a foot off the ground, against the side of the tavern. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that when angered, a keidran was very strong.

"Look, Shadow, she either was going to hear it from me or it was going to come to you tonight at the bar. I didn't want any of you finding out through the breath of some drunk stranger."

Shadow then dropped Sam to the ground, letting him find his feet. She could barely hold back tears and now her voice was breaking as she tried to speak.

"You… you have any idea how much Connor means to us?"

"I'm starting to see it now, I guess."

Shadow then seemed to slump, finally letting out a sob after keeping it in for so long.

"How the hell did this happen? Why couldn't they be called back once the wolves came?"

"I don't know Shadow. There's a lot of missing details. But there's a big thing you have to know about tonight."

"Bigger than my friend and Liz's brother being missing, and probably dead? You know Asher thinks the world of him."

"Yes. Bigger than that. The town is leaving. All of us."

"What do you mean?"

"If that mission was a bust and we have no supplies, we won't last the winter. Especially if Callow is under siege. Tomorrow, Tostig is going to negotiate a truce and then we're all leaving. I'm riding out tonight with a dozen men to secure the pass before it's too late."

Just then a sudden gust of wind blew over the town, carrying with it snowflakes. The moon clouded over, and the back alley became significantly darker. Shadow looked up at the sky.

"Then we better hope that the pass stays open for another two days. Just how cold does it get in the winter?"

"Cold enough to make some metals as brittle as glass."

"Shit that's cold."

"Yeah. Not to mention it's almost completely dark for a week right in the middle. Not a problem for your keidran, but for us that's a big problem."

Shadow then wiped tears away. "I'm sorry for getting rough with you. I'm not actually mad you gave us the news, I just hated that you hurt Liz and Asher."

"And I'm sorry that I hurt all three of you. When I know more, I'll let you in on it. In the meantime, get yourselves packed and ready to leave. Don't tell anyone just yet, we're giving orders tomorrow when I return."

Shadow nodded. "I understand. You don't want to start a riot."

"Exactly. Keep Liz and Asher safe, be at the courtyard outside the main hall tomorrow afternoon."

But it wasn't to be. By the time Shadow woke up early the next morning, it was another blizzard outside. There was no big meeting, no big reveal. By afternoon the snow was beginning to pile up in the streets. Far up in the pass, it was closed. The whole town, for better or worse, was now in the grips of winter.

Many miles away, the blizzard had come in the night for the surviving members of the expedition. Gale force winds and blowing snow had stalled progress, and now they were moving at a crawl. Connor was bundled up as best as he could, Zephyr making a nest for herself in his coat. It would have been colder, but having a dragon do her best to keep her body warm helped warm himself too, having left most of his clothing in the boat. But he had loaned out some critical pieces to other sailors, and to Smith. They could barely see each other now, and Thorsen ordered them to stop. He shouted over the wind to his huddled men.

"Here, tie this around your waists." He yelled as a long rope came out of his bag. "That way we stay together."

With frozen fingers it took an eternity. Connor hoped that it was only a few minutes, but looking at how worn down the others were, there was little doubt that it had been an hour. An hour of lost time in a blizzard.

"Alright men, forward, and follow me! Keep your rope tied no matter what!"

Four grueling hours later and Connor figured that, at most, they had only covered a few miles. The good news at least was no one would be stupid enough to hunt them down in this weather. But it was a small comfort. Connor knew all too well what would happen to exposed fingers, so he kept alternating arms, supporting Smith as they went. Letting the left one warm up deep in a pocket before switching out every ten minutes or so. He had some light gloves, but they weren't much help.

To make matters worse, all the men had started out wet with river water and sweat. They were cold before, now they were freezing. But they had to push on, that supply stash was their only hope of salvation. Marching onwards, the wind blew harder, the snow was even more intense, and the temperature dropped. It was now well below freezing, and colder than the men had any protection for. That's when the rope in front of Connor went slack. Worried, he pulled on the rope, and it thankfully became tight again. But upon reaching the source of the problem, it became evident. Laying in the snow was one of the men unconscious from exhaustion. The others had felt their rope get tight, and so they backtracked a few yards to the fallen man.

Connor could only help keep Smith propped up, so one of the other men checked on their friend. After a couple of minutes, it was obvious there was nothing more that could be done. If he couldn't get himself up, he was going to be dead within the hour.

"Cut him loose." Thorsen said in a strained voice. "There's nothing more we can do for him."

Reluctantly, one of the men pulled out a knife and cut the rope, splicing it together again without the man. However, numb, frostbitten fingers made the task difficult. The man hadn't noticed, but he cut his hand badly and Connor noticed blood dripping into the snow. He hardly had the breath to tell him though.

"Connor?" Smith said, weakly. "Why have we stopped?"

The question confused Connor; he thought Smith was aware. "One man is dead, but we're going to keep moving."

"How much further?"

"I don't know, but we can't stop now."

"I'm hungry…"

"So am I Smith."

Connor was doing estimations in his head to keep himself thinking clearly. It had been an hour past dawn when they stashed the boat, which was surely covered in snow by now. And they hard walked all day before stopping for the night, cold and wet. They woke early just as the storm was getting intense and started making their way again. It must now be late morning.

The arduous journey continued without end for hours. By midafternoon, three more had dropped into the snow never to rise again. Each one instilled Connor with renewed strength to keep going. He had to find a way back to Callow. Back to Liz, back to Asher, back to Shadow. Just then the rope went slack again. Connor repeated the same moves as before, reeling in the slack. They were at the back of the line. He was getting worried now for Smith as he was silent most of the time, followed by bouts of incoherence.

"Connor?" Zephyr asked mentally.

"Yeah Z?" Connor replied with his thoughts as he blankly witnessed yet another man be cut loose from their life line.

"We aren't going to make it, are we?"

"Zephyr, you have to keep believing we will make it."

"I'm cold…"

"I know you are honey. Keep summoning that internal heat as best you can. It's keeping us both alive."

"I'm also scared."

"So am I, Z. But one way or another this won't last forever. We have to keep fighting."

The rope was once again spliced, five knots showed where men had once been tied. The hours wore on, each one more painful than the last. Connor was starting to lose his grip on Smith, who could barely move on his own. It was exhausting, but they had no choice. Soon, darkness began to envelope the whiteout. What was once blinding white snow became grey, then it grew darker and darker. No torch could remain lit in this wind, not even Zephyr's fire breath would last long outside her mouth. Another hour went by, and the rope went slack again. In the endless darkness, Connor felt up the rope until coming to another man. Two figures came into view after a few minutes. Thorsen and one other man.

"Looks like it's just us boys. Connor, how's Smith doing?"

"Not good sir. He hasn't been making any sense for hours."

"Shit… well, so long as he can keep walking, he stays with us. But Connor, if he drops, you have to leave him."

"Understood sir…" Connor said.

"Alright, let's keep moving" Thorsen ordered.

Now it was too dark to see a thing. They had lost the river many miles ago, and now what little they could see through the snow was shrouded by darkness. Zephyr kept checking in on Connor and tried to get through to Smith, but Smith was too incoherent to recognize her in his own mind. While he had hoped that the snow would stop by nightfall, he was sorely mistaken. Connor had never felt snow like this before. It stung like ice on his face. He adjusted the cloth covering his face, keeping his nose from freezing off. He couldn't see the hand in front of his face, but he was losing feeling now and not even the pocket would help.

As they walked, Connor could swear he walked over something soft. Something else was under foot. Bending over briefly, Connor felt for the object. To his surprise, he found a glove. A short while later, he found another. Then a hat. Something odd was happening up ahead, but he was so cold the teen didn't question these unexpected gifts. After a few more minutes, he barely made out a loud scream through the wind. Something really was wrong. But he had Smith to contend with and a little dragon that was losing body heat. Just then, the line got tight. The pull was so strong that it almost knocked Connor over. Luckily, he caught himself and Smith, who was by now almost completely dependent on Connor for support. Suddenly, the line went slack. Going through the motions once more, Connor reeled in the rope until he stumbled on another body.

He couldn't see but knew that he'd have to cut and retie the rope to keep up with Thorsen. However, feeling around the man, Connor noticed that he was touching bare skin. The man was half undressed. Even worse, he couldn't find the other end of the rope in the snow. Finally, he grasped at what he thought was the rope leading to Thorsen, but instead it was only a few feet long. At the end, Connor could barely feel through his numb hands that the rope was frayed.

"Shit" Connor thought.

"W-what is it?" Zephyr replied, intruding on his thoughts.

"The rope, it's been cut."

"What does that mean?"

"We have to try and find Thorsen before he gets too far."

Connor charged forward, using some of his precious reserves. But after a few minutes, reality sunk in. Thorsen, being in the front, probably didn't feel anything on his rope until it was far too late. He must have walked off into the snow completely unaware that he was now untethered. Connor found his way back to the body and waited a few more minutes, hoping beyond hope that Thorsen would realize what happened and backtrack.

"Zephyr, I need you to make a flame as a beacon for Thorsen."

The little dragon popped her head out from inside the jacket and did her best, but the light didn't reach far. It did, however, illuminate the man's mostly naked body. Connor spied a jacket next to the man that he was wearing, and quickly grabbed it, putting the extra layer on him. It would, at a minimum, buy him some more time. The light also allowed Connor to look at Smith. To his horror, Smith's face was completely black from frost bite, his face coverings having come undone miles ago. There was only a faint breath coming from his mouth. Connor quickly wrapped his face coverings up again, hoping to salvage what he could of his friend's face.

The teen took another moment to look at his hands. Thankfully, they weren't black, but early stages of frost bite were slowly forming. It was then that Connor noticed tracks leading away from the body.

"Hey, you see those Z?"

"Yeah?" She thought.

"I'm going to cut us loose and follow those tracks, they must be Thorsen's."

Connor did just that, grabbing a knife from the pocket of the latest fallen man. They were free of the tether and, after giving the man some final thoughts, pushed on into the darkness. They followed the tracks for the better part of an hour, but they were beginning to be covered up by blowing snow. After a while, Connor noticed that some of the tracks were crossing over each other. They were walking in big circles, following a man who was unknowingly covering the same ground over and over again. Zephyr was growing tired using all her energy to make a flame, but Connor pushed her to keep it up until they found Thorsen. Unfortunately, no sooner had Connor thought those words than a final body came into view. Connor rushed forward with Smith in tow and turned the body over to reveal Thorsen. Barely conscious.

"Who… who are you?" Thorsen said weakly.

"It's Connor sir, and Smith, and Zephyr."

Thorsen opened his eyes to take in what little light they had to share.

"I'm glad you're here. Let's rest a while."

"Sir, you have to get up."

"Why? It's warm now. Relaxing."

"Thorsen! You're dying! Get up before we all perish. Smith is in even worse shape, see!?"

Connor then lowered Smith's face cloth, revealing his blackened features. Thorsen's eyes grew wide, and, for at least a moment, he became coherent.

"By the masks, is that Smith?"

"Yeah, and you aren't looking too much better. Now get up, we need to move!"

Thorsen then nodded his head and tried to get himself up. But he couldn't. Connor then sat Smith down and tried to help his captain up, but it was no use. The man had no strength left in his legs, nor much balance. Defeated, Thorsen pulled Connor in close so he could hear him.

"I'm sorry Connor, I'm done. I've got nothing left. Look, we've been walking for two days now, we should be close…"

Connor didn't have the heart to tell Thorsen that he had spent most of the last hour walking in circles completely disoriented.

"But if you can walk, Connor, you have to keep going. Get yourself to safety, live to tell everyone what happened."

"Sir, I'll keep going until I drop."

"Here, you need these…"

Thorsen then pulled a compass and his small map out of his pocket and placed them in Connor's frozen hands.

"The creek you need to find is directly north of here. If you go west, eventually you'll find the river again. But if you go North, there's no way you can miss the creek. Now, take Smith and keep going."

"Sir, what about you?"

"I'm not going to make it. But don't worry kid, I'm at peace with it. We had to try. I wasn't expecting this blizzard to come down on us so hard. Now go, while you still can!"

There wasn't anything else Connor could do. "Alright, I'll go."

"Oh, and Connor?"

"Yeah?"

"It was an honor. I never got to thank you properly for getting us away from those wolves on the river. When you survive this, I want you to get back to Callow and protect it with your last breath if you must. Let those bastard dogs know they couldn't kill you and neither could the snow."

"The honor was mine, Sir. I pray you don't suffer any longer."

"I'm at peace with it Connor, now take Smith and make for those supplies. They'll save you."

Connor then grabbed Smith and got him on his feet. The younger teen was like a ragdoll now, but after a couple of steps the semi-conscious Smith found his footing and stumbled forward with his friend. Connor used the last of Zephyr's fire to check the compass before finally letting her rest.

"Try to regain some strength, Zephyr. It's only a few more hours until dawn."

"Okay…" she said, weakly.

Thorsen watched as the light grew dimmer in the snow, before it disappeared completely. It was now in the darkness, alone. Taking a deep breath and letting out some final tears, Thorsen pulled out a knife. Laying back in the snow, he uncovered his left arm and, in one smooth motion, let the blade cut deep into the length of his forearm right down the wrist. It was easy since he could barely feel a thing from his elbow down. No longer able to see, Thorsen relied on feel and, for at least a minute, the warm liquid brought some life back into his right hand. Satisfied, Thorsen put his good arm over his chest and let the darkness close in on him. It was a better death than suffocating under snow.

The darkness made the hours crawl by. But finally, after many miles of walking, Connor could finally see enough to check the compass again. He looked behind him and was glad to see a long line of tracks in a straight line. They hadn't been wandering. Looking at the compass, it pointed Northwest. However, he noticed that Smith had more or less stopped functioning in the last few minutes. Now basically pulling his friend along, Connor made little progress. He found the last of his energy reserves and pushed.

"Liz, Asher, Shadow" he repeated to himself over and over again. He would see them again no matter what. He had to keep pushing. But after another two hours, there was nothing left for him to use. Connor could feel himself grow delirious. Finally, Connor collapsed. Falling on his butt in the snow, Smith slumping over beside him. Rolling Smith over, he checked for breath. There was none.

"Z?"

"Y-yeah?"

"You need to fly."

"What?"

"Smith. He's dead, and I'm not far behind. Check my mind Z, I'm seeing things."

Zephyr intruded into Connor's mind and, horrifyingly, it was true. She could see Templar, adrakists, and that old captain Drake. She then saw Asher, Liz, and Shadow's faces.

"Yeah, you are." Zephyr said, worried.

"Get yourself above the storm. Somewhere up high it will be cold, but you'll have the sun to help warm you. You'll see the mountain. Go there and find shelter. When the storm passes, fly back to Callow."

"Connor…"

"Let them know I tried Z. Make sure that they all know how much I love them."

The teen then laid back in the snow, checking the compass one more time. The snow was beginning to lighten up, meaning the blizzard was coming to a close. The wind had died down enough that his little dragon could actually stay airborne. Zephyr jumped onto Connor's chest.

"Connor, please, get up." She begged, tears forming in her eyes. She was cold, but after her fire was depleted, she switched to using mana to generate heat. It wouldn't last forever, but she could at least stay alive another day or two.

"Z, fly out of here, now."

"Please…" she spoke. Zephyr nuzzled Connor's neck and he responded by placing a frozen hand on her.

"One of us has to make it. The others should know what happened, they'll be able to move on. And you, you'll outlive us all by centuries, or even millennia. Now go, the storm is dying down."

With that, Connor let go. Zephyr, without much choice, spread her small wings and let the wind catch them. She lifted aloft, floating for a minute.

"I'll get help Connor; don't you dare fall die on me."

Connor nodded, but he was getting weaker by the minute and knew it. His strength was fading fast. The last thing he saw before closing his eyes was Zephyr climbing higher into the sky.