"That should do it." The A-frame was strapped together using some of Barret's rope, three long and heavy branches, and Flora's extra fabric. Though she was hesitant to part with it as it was expensive, she knew she needed to if they were going to survive. Loaded up with as much wood as they dared and Barret's bag, he gave the travois cart a pull. Slowly, it slid over the ground, and they started on their way for the day.

There had been no sign of any pursuit, but they did not dare slow down too much, not with Aezr hunting them. Barret had been hard at work since dawn making the cart, but he had also shown how crafty he really was by using some smaller branches to make an entire new backpack for Trace. The L-frame had a solid back and bottom, and used some of Zen's rope to hold everything together. Their tents were carried by Keith, who had given his now much lighter bag to Flora. Natani and Zen carried the food: two young bucks that Barret had felled with his new longbow.

Together, they began the long and arduous climb. Everyone was equipped with a walking stick, though Zen and Nat's arms were full. The sky had grown cloudy and gray, and soon a gentle snow began to fall. "If we weren't running for our lives, this might actually be very pretty." Trace said, looking backwards as they reached the top of a hill. The landscape was covered in a thin layer of white, and big snowflakes fell slowly to the ground.

"Yeah. I wish I had any artistic talent in these claws. I've seen so much, so many wonderful things, but my words don't do them justice. Maybe once we're not being chased, I'll try again." Barret said with a smile. After glancing back for a moment, he trudged on.

For five days the snow fell gently, letting up on the sixth. At that point, they had reached the base of the mountain range, and were beginning the climb to the first peaks. Though it had snowed for days, it hadn't built up more than an inch, and in the sun it quickly melted. Slow was their progress, climbing the first hills. Laden with supplies they knew they couldn't afford to leave behind, they went forward and upward as fast as whoever was pulling the wood could move. Though that task fell to Barret with his natural woodsman strength, Keith would sometimes pull to give him a break. As much as they could, they saved their food and wood, and usually went to sleep piled next to each other, forgoing the putting up and taking down of tents. In that time, there was no room for privacy.

Finally, the mountains surrounded them on all sides, and still up they went, ever higher and higher. As they went up, the nights grew more and more frigid, and even the days grew cold. Barret fashioned torches out of the cloth Trace had, and he coated it with fat from the deer to let the fire burn hotter. They had begun carving into one of the deer, slowly consuming it as they went. The days were dark in the shadow of the mountain peaks, and the nights were pitch black, with barely any stars.

Still higher they climbed when the sky turned gray and dark. A blistering wind howled through the valleys, like a herald of the coming storm. For several long hours they marched forward, but they were almost brought to a stop when the blizzard hit. Swirling snow, bitter cold, and vision near zero brought them low. So great was the wind, the snow was barely actually building, moving sideways and creating dunes rather than piles. Slower than before, they walked, though not for long. "We have to get out of this wind!" Trace shouted. "We'll die if we stay out here!"

"Trace is right!" Keith shouted. "There has to be a cave we can take shelter in!"

"If there is, I don't know where!" Barret shouted back. "If we had enough fabric, we could fly in wind like this, but I can't see anything through the snow!"

"Here!" Natani's voice came from a short distance away. "I found a cave! It's out of the wind and snow!"

"Fate is with us!" Barret shouted, pulling the wood towards her. Inside the cave, they looked around. It was… a cave. Not large, not tall, not deep. "Most likely an abandoned bear or bobcat cave. It's sheltered enough, so settle in. Welcome to our home until the weather lets up." There was a chorus of clatters and rattles as gear was let loose and sighs as legs were relaxed. Flora sank low, panting and clutching her stomach.

"Something doesn't feel right." She said with a worried look. "I don't know what, but something in here doesn't feel right."

Barret lit a torch and walked over. "You might just be too cold. Keep this close for tonight. I'm sorry, but there's nothing more I can do, none of my herbs are for advanced medicine. And I don't think any of us know healing magic that would help here."

"It's alright. We just have to survive this. We get to the other side of the mountains, and we can get you all the help you need. I promise." Trace said, pulling her close.

"Our food is frozen." Natani said as she put down the deer. They had already consumed the other one, and Barret had been trying to carve the pelt into something usable. "We're going to need a fire."

"Thankfully, this cave will hold heat fairly well." Barret was already building a campfire. "Though unfortunately if you need to relieve yourself, I'd rather you go outside. It's going to trap smells just as well. Let's hope our pursuers get lost in the storm and don't stumble across this cave."

"It'll be hard to tell what was actually in here." Keith said with a smile. "None of us have washed since we left the river, so no one will be wanting to poke around in here." Once they thawed the deer enough to be carved, they each had a small portion, though Flora had a bit extra. They settled in to sleep as the storm raged on, the wind howled, and snow swirled past.

"They might have gone to the mountains. A desperate path, but the woodsman is crafty. They could try."

He stood ankle deep in the river looking for any sign of them. The tracks had come north, but they were several days old when they picked up the trail. The water surely must have washed away most of their scent, but it still lingered in some places. Though Aezr had insisted going alone, two Templar rangers had joined him. He looked over at them and replied "Unlikely. Not with the pregnant one. She'd never survive the journey. It's a two week hike when the weather is good. There's no way they'd risk it now. Double back and check the far shore." The two saluted and wandered off. "They will be mine. He will be mine."