Chapter 53: Snow Cave

I was lucky that Adi had me watch so many nature documentaries. There was no way a frog would be hopping about in winter. Thankfully, I remembered where I'd seen some on the territory during early fall. I trekked my way out there, knowing there was a frozen over pond. The pond itself wasn't important. It was what was buried beneath the snow and leftover leaves from the fall that was important. I dug around for what was probably an hour or two, but I managed to get somewhat of a haul. I found two hibernating frogs and quickly ensured they'd never wake up. They were stiff but not frozen. They'd have to do for a bribe towards Brokentail.

Unfortunately, I had to end my hunt early. A cold sweeping wind was coming in, and the clouds in the distance promised heavy snowfall. If I stayed out any longer, I'd probably be caught in a blizzard. I met up with Ravenfeather as we headed back, but we weren't quite quick enough. Soon enough we couldn't even see ten feet in front of us. The snow was coming in hard. We probably could have made it back if we were on one of the main trails, but we had been a bit far out in the territory when we'd been hunting. There was no option. We had to bunker down somewhere.

I've always said Ravenfeather was more keen eyed than me. Today proved no different. Ravenfeather spotted a point where, either a tree had shifted long ago or the soil had moved drastically. Either way, a natural cave existed under a certain tree. We were lucky in that the entrance was on the opposite face of the blowing snow. We both climbed in, knowing our only option was to wait out the storm.

Even without the constant snow pelting us, the storm still proved itself to be a threat. I could feel the temperature dropping. The condensation from my breath was freezing top my whiskers, an all around uncomfortable experience. Ravenfeather had it worse. He was thin and had a more sleek coat, all around better looking but less useful to survive the cold. Something had to be done.

I began plugging up the entrance with soil, not all the way. I just needed it blocked enough that our body heat would stick around a bit better. Ravenfeather just watched, wide eyed and shivering. To him, what I was doing made no sense, but it didn't need to. He implicitly trusted me. Soon, I blocked it up, leaving a good airhole to keep us from suffocating.

Next up, we needed to conserve energy. The best method was sharing body heat. I encouraged Ravenfeather to lay down first. Then I draped myself over him. My longer fur would help cover his own short fur's weaknesses by acting as a point for his own body heat to reflect off of. Sure, I'd be more exposed than Ravenfeather, but I was the one better equipped to deal with the cold. We listened silently to the wind and snow whipping around us. Our breath still drew forth a white fog.

I could smell Ravnefeather's fear. It was slightly sharp. I could also feel his heart pounding. Despite this, I felt no fear of my own. We'd either live or die. It was something that was left up to fate. There was nothing we could do to increase our odds. There was no point in worrying about something we couldn't change. Instead, I focused on the moment, the quiet breaths of my companion, the rise and fall of his chest, the warmth of him. I savored it. If this was our last time together in this world, I wanted to remember it fondly.

Ravenfeather soon calmed down. The impromptu den had gone from freezing to just cold. It wasn't perfect. It was still too large for us, so the heat kept dissipating, but it'd do. The storm raged on, but luckily the snow on the outside turned into a boon. The heat in our den soon rose to a comfortable level. I no longer needed to protect Ravenfeather from the cold. I moved myself free, stretching out a few kinks I'd gotten from trying to cover my mate so completely.

"It looks like we'll survive this, but that storm doesn't seem like it's going to stop soon." I mewed.

"Yeah. At least we got somewhere safe, but what should we do?" He asked.

"Not much we can do besides wait it out. We'll hear it when it stops. We've got food and can pull in some snow if we get thirsty. Other than that, we'll just have to bide our time." I responded.

"I may have a way we can pass the time." Ravenfeather hinted, his body moving in a suggestive manner. I never knew Ravenfeather could be flirty.

I will say that we weren't bored in our wait. In fact, we'd been plenty active. When the storm stopped, it was almost a shame to leave. Regardless, we departed with what was left of our catches of the day. It'd already become nightfall. The wind was cold and biting, but the air had gone still after the storm. I don't have a perfect frame of reference, but the snow came up to my stomach, so it was probably four to six inches. While Ravenfeather was able to walk, I kind of just had to plow through it.

We got back without any other major issues. Fireheart was ecstatic when he saw us. He came sprinting up to us purring with tears dotting his eyes. We must have really scared him.

"Ravenfeather, Smudgefoot! You're ok! We were looking for you while also looking for some kits that escaped camp. We weren't able to find you, and we feared for the worst. How'd you guys get through it? Also… You two smell funny." He mewed.

"Let's… not get into why we smell like we do. We got lucky. There was a cave under the roots of a tree. We hid out in there until the storm stopped." I answered.

"Why won't you talk about the smell?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Fireheart! You can't go asking about other cats' relationships like that." Sandstorm teased from the warriors den entrance.

It must have taken a moment to realize what Sandstorm meant before his ear tips went red. He must have figured it out because he stammered. "Oh. Oh! Yeah. Ok. Shouldn't have asked. Let's… just get inside. It's too cold out here."