Disclaimer: I don't own Yona of the Dawn/Akatsuki no Yona.
Chapter 2
"What are you doing out here, anyways?"
Shin-Ah glanced back at the girl as she and the young man followed him to where he had left the others. "Traveling." That was the simplest answer for a longer explanation.
The group had been on their way to a small village on the other side of the mountain range that was supposed to be having trouble with local bandits. The people in the last town had told them about the mountain paths, but their directions had become confusing once the group had gotten to the mountain range.
There were too many paths, and even Yoon couldn't decide exactly which path they should take. He had chosen one that seemed to fit the directions as closely as possible, but while they had been hiking, the blizzard had blown in from the north.
Everyone had tried to press through, but the freezing temperatures and vicious wind had finally forced them to find shelter in a shallow cave. That hadn't been enough to keep them completely out of the weather. Hak, Yoon, and Jae-Ha's attempts to start a fire had all petered out, and Shin-Ah couldn't stand to see Yona and his friends shivering in the cold.
He had decided to go scout the area just to see if he could find a better place to get out of the storm. Leaving Ao behind with Yona, he had crossed over a few paths before he eventually found the girl and the man out on the mountain.
He hadn't expected to find anyone else out in the storm, so seeing the girl and the man had surprised him. At first, he had thought that he might have to fight them, but apparently they were friendly. Or at least they were on the surface. He had told them about the others, and the two of them had agreed to take the group somewhere they could get out of the storm.
At this point, Shin-Ah was starting to lose feeling in his fingers and toes, and the biting wind was driving its way through his cloak. He longed for a warm fireside, but he pushed his wants away, like he was used to doing. Throughout his childhood, there had been many things he would have liked to have or have more of, like food and warmth, but he had grown accustomed to going without. He would be warm soon enough, if these people were telling the truth, and he was more concerned about his friends than himself.
"You're lucky we saw you," the man behind him grumbled, "Most people who get caught out here in a blizzard aren't found until the spring thaw."
The girl laughed, the sound bright against the bitter wind. "Don't mind Kyung, he gets grumpy when he doesn't catch anything on a hunt."
"That's not my fault, you were making too much noise."
"Foraging isn't noisy, so that's not even a good excuse."
"Yet somehow you make it so loud…"
"I do not."
Shin-Ah found their teasing banter to be somewhat calming. It reminded him of his own friends, who almost always seemed to be bickering over one thing or another. Still, he was worried about the others so he kept up a quick pace.
"Hey, furball," the young man called Kyung said, "We need to know your name."
"I'm Lien," the girl offered when Shin-Ah didn't automatically answer, "And he's Kyung. We're with the Swift Song Caravan."
Shin-Ah weighed the situation. If they were telling him all of this and showing his group the way to their shelter, they must have been confident in their abilities to defend themselves seeing how this could easily be a trap he set for them. That, or they were very trusting people. He had a feeling that the former was the truth.
After a long while, he finally answered her. "Shin-Ah."
"Well, that didn't take forever."
"Kyung, be nice."
"I honestly thought he forgot how to speak."
"I said be nice!"
It seemed that Kyung would probably get along well with Hak. They both used a similar kind of sarcasm. Shin-Ah led them to the mouth of the shallow cave where his friends were waiting for them and motioned for them to wait. He didn't want his fellow dragons or Hak to attack Kyung and Lien.
His friends were huddled together in a pile of cloaks and blankets when he peeked his head into the cave's mouth. It was easy to assume that Yona was buried somewhere near the middle so she at least could keep warm. Hak lifted his head and Shin-Ah could see Yona curled up against his chest.
"Shin-Ah!" Kija said, his silver-haired head popping up from the group.
"Welcome back," Hak said, his voice gruff, "Find anything?"
Shin-Ah nodded. He could feel Lien hovering near his elbow, so he moved back so she could get through.
"Hi," she said, bowing her head a little to his pile of friends. They all sat up a little, obviously taken aback by the appearance of a stranger. "We have a place you all can stay until this blizzard passes over. It's not far from here, and the rent's cheap."
"How much? Yoon's muffled voice asked. Shin-Ah spotted the edge of the boy's cloak, but Yoon seemed to be hidden entirely underneath it.
"You have to watch our caravan's drama and dance practices and give us honest feedback," Lien said, "And help us do inventory. And maybe a couple other chores. In exchange, we'll give you food and shelter." She shrugged. "See? Pretty cheap."
"Depends on the quality of the practices," Jae-Ha said, his teeth chattering.
"We'll take it," Hak said. His eyes were on Yona, who was nodding and looking eager at the idea of finally being warm again. He stood up, pulling the princess to her feet.
"Food! Yes!" Zeno exclaimed as he jumped up, "Shin-Ah, you're amazing."
"Thank you," Yona said, giving Shin-Ah a smile and then bowing her head to Lien. "We're happy to go with you."
Good. Now everyone would be safe again. As his friends began to get up and get ready to go, Shin-Ah swayed, feeling sleepy and unsteady now that his mission was complete.
"Hey, Shin-Ah, you feeling okay?" Jae-Ha asked. His voice sounded far away and faint.
Beside him, Lien said something, her honey-brown eyes dark as she looked at him with concern, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. His vision went dark around the edges, and he crumpled, everything fading as he fell to the ground.
