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Snow.

One minute, it had been the middle of summer and the day had been hot and humid and the next, there had been white flakes fluttering slowly down to the ground. Smile had been concerned more than anything else. She had had dreams; she had felt that certain things had been wrong and yet, she hadn't been able to pinpoint their sources.

Just before the snow had come, however, she had felt some sort of peace settle over her, as though whatever had bothered her for the last near-month had finally come to an end. She couldn't explain and, even now, as she walked and shivered slightly, she still couldn't explain what it had all been about.

This was the second day. Her first night spent curled somewhat miserably in a spot she had thought to be safe but she'd woken up several times just lost under a layer of snow that she'd shaken off before settling again to try and find sleep a little more. It wasn't that she didn't know what winter was, she'd seen what winter could do but this was the middle of summer, it wasn't right that it would snow.

Cold and tired, Smile still found herself moving along. She had no destination in mind but if she kept on moving, she kept warm. He mane and tail both were something of a wet and slightly tangled mess and she wasn't looking forward to untangling it all whenever the snow hopefully stopped.

All she wanted, at this point, was to find shelter so she could try and rest a little more. Her hunger could be ignored. Normally, finding food wasn't an issue but all of the things she usually nibbled on had found themselves currently lost under a blanket of snow and while she'd found a few things, they hadn't felt quite as filling as usual.

She had been careful as she walked, minding her steps. Often times, she'd paused near an area that had looked to be softer ground than not and she'd poked out with a hoof. Usually, she'd found the area solid enough to walk on and had done so, hoping to cut out on some of the time spent looking for shelter.

Smile was currently crossing an area that hadn't felt completely secure under her hooves but she was too far to go back and she just was... so tired. Huffing as she found herself shivering a little harder, she kept on walking, her head partially down against the snow. It was as one particular gust of wind took hold that she slipped.

One moment she'd been on slightly soggy but still mostly solid ground, the next, she was in a water that was deep enough she couldn't even get her hooves to reach anything and in her panic, she waddled further in, shivering hard at the difference in the temperature of the water and the air.

Had it not been for the fact that she was so tired, Smile could have likely gotten herself out of the water with just some effort, but at this point, her exhaustion and the startling fall kept her from being able to locate just where she'd come from.

@Lirilei

[imgleft]https://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/imag ... uncert.png[/imgleft]

Snow!

Flawed was entranced by the cold snow that had begun falling from the sky. He'd gone out without Repeat and Fluff that day so he could collect berries and such without them trying to 'help' him, and well, he'd decided if he wanted to sprawl somewhere in the sun for a bit he wanted to do so without either one of his small companions jumping all over him.

He'd gotten absorbed in his collecting, enjoying the near silence of the surrounding swamp (after all bug noises and bird calls made it so it was never truly quiet), he didn't at first notice the falling snow. The first cold bits to hit him he was oblivious to, it was only when a flake landed on his nose that he paused a moment in confusion a soft "What?" from him as he wriggled his nose to get the cold flake off.

Flawed had abandoned his gathering then, captivated by the snow. He'd stayed out in it for awhile before returning to the cave with his berries, and slept soundly, even with the snow falling. The next morning had found him slipping out early, to see how the swamp had changed and he wasn't disappointed by what he saw.

Spending some time exploring, he was mesmerized by how covered everything was. Until things weren't. There was a barely visible path through the snow, and he cautiously followed it, barely spotting the doe in the water. It took him a few moments to realize she wasn't drinking, or bathing, or swimming. She seemed to just be there and he came closer, a tentative "H...hello?" called out as he got near enough to be heard. He couldn't tell if she was okay or not, but he imagined that water had to be pretty cold!


@Izaeah

Numb.

It was a numbness she didn't feel comfortable with and Smile knew that it made her motions laggy at that point. She still was trying to look left and right, just barely managing to turn herself around with some effort to try and find where she'd dropped from so she could go back to the shore.

In her tired state and the fact that no matter where she looked, she just couldn't tell which way was right, Smile had waddled even further into the water. At that point, it was a miracle that she still had some part of her that was above the cold liquid that seemed to be warming little by little. It was almost tempted to let it just wrap itself around her fully and, what, let it all go?

No, no that wasn't right. She shook her head sharply and almost missed that tentative word. A moment more and it would have gone right over her head but there it was and she was sure she'd heard something!

With more effort than she felt she had left in her, maws clenched shut to keep her teeth from clicking together, Smile forced herself to turn around. For a moment, she just couldn't see and her efforts felt in vain but there, in the paleness of the snow, she spotted the much darker shape. She couldn't fully make sense of what she saw but it gave her some renewed hope that just, maybe, all was not lost.

"H-help me." Normally not one to stammer, the cold had a different idea in mind. She exhaled sharply and, trying to find some reserve of energy though she felt empty, she managed a bare short distance closer before stilling, it was just so hard.

"Cold... c-can't get out." the words sounded pitiful even to her ears and she tried to still, to keep whatever meek amount o warmth remained to herself.

@Lirilei

The stammer was a surprise to him, he'd never heard another kin with one, and his heart reached out to the doe in the water. He could empathize. Little did he know it was just due to the cold, but that was okay. He wouldn't be upset once he found out it wasn't her usual style of speaking. It wasn't in Flawed's nature.

He jolted a little as he heard her words though, and he began to look around quickly. "H-hang on, I'll find s-something to help drag you out! I'll be right b-back!" he turned away from the water, and moved off a short distance. A branch? No. The long enough ones would be too hard to handle alone. A log? Too heavy alone.

There was vegetation, and he went to it, tearing it free with teeth and hooves, a long length of it and he took it back to the water. "I'm g-going to throw this t-to you! G-grab it and don't l-let go!"

Of course, he couldn't get it very far, it wasn't heavy enough, and he despaired a little as he looked around more. Could he tie something heavy to it and toss it out? Should he secure it to something and go out to her? Would he be able to get out if he did? He did a couple of things. One end was quickly looped around a nearby tree to anchor it, and the other to a bit of wood, that he then kicked at to get into the water.

Maybe it would fly close enough...or drift towards her, or be close enough to move towards it a little. Hopefully. "G-grab it!"

@Izaeah

Help. He'd said the word without really saying it. She almost laughed at being told to hang on but she didn't. She just was... she was so cold. Still, there was hope of getting out, somehow, someone had come her way and just maybe she'd be able to be out of that water before too long.

She did lose sight of him after a moment however, that set her heart racing in fear that just maybe--

No, she still could hear him and she shuddered sharply when he came back within her line of sight. She almost sagged but somehow managed to move forward just a bare bit more. It wasn't much, it didn't seem like anything at all but she had.

At this point, however, all she could do was watch him as he seemed to fiddle with... something. That something splashed not very far from her but for all of a heartbeat it felt like much too far away. Gritting her teeth together, Smile made an effort, used up energy she didn't think she had anymore. Once she was within reach, she exhaled a tired sigh, looked at the long green ever-natural rope that was just there, attached to this bit of wood. This, here was her way out, wasn't it? It had to be.

"O-okay, g-grabbing on n-now!" And she did. She took up the piece between her teeth and held on. She'd try to move along with whatever pull would happen but this really and truly was the last she had of energy. Trying to pull herself out on her own just was asking too much.

@Lirilei

He hadn't exactly said he'd help her, not that he realized that like she had. No, he'd been too focused on finding a way to help the unknown doe stuck in the cold water.

Flawed's heart hammered frantically in his chest as he rushed to get things together, to kick the line out to her, and as it fell short. Still, that she moved towards it was a good sign and he forced himself to breathe, though it hurt his chest to do so he was so anxious just then.

He grabbed the vine at his end, and he started to walk backward with it, and around the rock he had it tied to, little by little, adjusting his grip on it every time he got it wound around a bit. It would be slow going but he didn't know what else to do. He wasn't the biggest kimeti around. If this had been Cave Yell, or even Echo, they could have probably pulled her in, in a more conventional way, just grabbing on and walking backward till she found the shore.

Still, he didn't let his smaller build stop him, or deter him. He'd do all he could, to get her to shore.

@Izaeah

It was surprisingly difficult to keep her jaws shut around the stick. More than once, as she felt him pull and she forced herself to slowly move along so as to not leave him to merely drag her heavy waterlogged frame all on his own, she felt herself almost release her hold but somehow managed not to.

A small little piece of her couldn't help but wonder just how much energy he was exerting just to get her out of the water. It would make her weep when she stopped to think about it. That someone at all would go through the effort to getting her out.

Smile knew that she most likely wasn't the doe around. She wasn't bulky but she'd always been a little taller than other does. That and, well, she knew she was waterlogged. Her mane, her tail, her fur. All of it felt soaked through and that just added to the weight.

An eternity later, or so it felt to her, her jaws cramped and her body running on empty, she found herself able to feel the bottom properly under her hooves. With a shudder and several stumbles, still hanging onto that branch just in case she slipped further back in, Smile somehow managed to climb up the bank and out of the water altogether.

It was only as she gulped in a deep breath of air that she released the branch and it took more effort than she felt she still had to shake as much water as she could. Best do that while he wasn't right next to her; after all, he'd already done for her, getting him wet wasn't very high on her list of priorities! Had she been of a mind to give up--not something she'd ever let herself turn to before--she would have laid down right where she was and she would have called it quits but that was stupid, wasn't it? He'd just gotten her out of the water, giving up would render his efforts completely moot.

"T-thank you." Soft, chattered and clearly exhausted.

@Lirilei

Flawed was sure she would end up letting go of the stick more than once, it's why he worked as hard and as quickly as he could, to drag her out of the water, and closer to shore. The closer he could get her, the better after all.

Still he could see it was difficult for her to keep hold, to walk as much as she was able, and he wagered she'd been out here awhile. He remembered his own tiredness after traveling, and the turning of the seasons some time ago. He could only guess that she'd been caught unprepared for this sudden snow.

Once she was out of the water he stood there breathing heavily, sweat gathered on his body from the work of hauling her out of the water. He only took a few moments for himself before he was at her side. "Y-you're welcome. Lets f-find somewhere w-warm. You m-must be f-freezing." well it was cold, and the water was cold, so it made sense.


@Izaeah

Well, snow in the summer was certainly unheard of. At least, in her time yet alive, it had been unheard of. She had been caught quite completely unaware and while she'd been mindful of keeping watch of her step, this one had surprised her. One moment on mostly solid ground, the next, splash.

She closed her eyes a moment, feeling some of his warmth through the fact that her own coat was soaked through. Though maybe it was a warmth from being too cold; that possibility was something she had heard of once through the friends of her parents. The thought made her tremble a little more, just once, before she settled with a trembling exhale.

It was his words, they startled her from the beginning of a near-doze. Sleep just sounded so perfect right now. She knew it was a terrible idea but at this point, it just was so tempting. "T-that would be n-nice, p-please." She flicked her ears a moment, frustrated that the water had been deep enough that she'd actually gone under at one point though she didn't feel as though there still was water anywhere in her ears, just a sort of slightly muted sensation that she hoped would fade with time.

Her tired gaze looked one way, then the other. She briefly turned her attention back to the water and shuddered at the thought of falling back in there. "I d-don't really know m-my way here, y-yet. D-do you know of a p-place?" Soon, too, her speech would ease back to a smoother cadence, she knew. Not that she minded. At any other point in her life, she would have found his stuttering to actually be adorable.

@Lirilei

He thought of the cave, where he lived with the twins, and offspring, but he didn't want this doe he'd just fished from water to go into more water, or to take the longer way around. The dragons while adorable usually, were also loud but he did know of a place that wasn't home they could go, so she could warm up a little.

"I d-do, follow me." a sure nod of his head as he started to walk, slowly, wanting to make sure she kept pace with him. There was a tree that had fallen he didn't know how long ago, but so much so it was fairly hollowed out and generally facing away from wind. That's where he was headed. Plenty of mosses lined the inside so it would be comfortable.

For the moment, he merely stayed walking side by side with her to offer her support, and warmth as they went, he was sure she was cold and unsteady. "I-it's not too far. You'll be w-warmer th-there." at least more than wandering like they were.

He lost track of how long it took, longer than normal but he didn't mind, and eventually he moved his head toward the shelter. "Th-there. It's hollow inside."

@Izaeah

Even as she half-watched him, his thoughts unknown to her, she found herself struggling not to nod off. Sleep just sounded so perfect at that point. Sleep meant being warm, usually. His words startled her back closer to awareness and Smile forced herself to shake her head once, twice, a third time, trying to will herself to remain awake. The cold was beginning to feel warm and she knew that this was an illusion and little else. At least, what little part of her mind still could focus on the old knowledge.

It took her a brief moment to will her limbs to respond but, once she had, she found that she could keep pace with him. A little slower than she knew she usually would have managed but she still was keeping pace and she told herself that this was a good thing. At any point, she felt that she could have just stopped and curled where she'd been to sleep, it would have been fine.

His presence at her side was a comfort she could not have done without, she knew. It kept her both centred and slightly warm as she could feel him just there, next to her. It made her focus on that warmth instead of the fake-warmth of the cold.

"Thank you." It took a bit of work to get the words out but she was thankful, that he'd gotten her out, that he was walking her to this warmer spot and that warmer spot was just there, waiting, hollow and warm, so he said.

"Will y-you come inside t-too?" Smile had to take a moment longer to focus on what he was showing her but once she took notice of the fallen tree, it was all she could see. On unsteady and tired legs, she moved forward, ducking her head somewhat to move as far in the hollow of the tree that did certainly feel warmer than the outside. It felt the safest bet to move in as far as she could, he couldn't be set on staying outside, right? Once as far as she could settle, she eased down, tucking her cold limbs as close to herself as she could. It didn't feel like much but it still was so much better than out in the snow had been.

@Lirilei

Flawed knew the cold could be bad, could make it so she never wanted to wake up and move again. He recalled that from his time when much younger, and the first time he was caught alone in the cold, how he just wanted to curl up and sleep and forget how cold it - he - was. But he'd forced himself to move, to find a proper spot to rest, and he knew it's what needed done for her too. So he stayed close, ready to urge her on if she seemed ready to falter.

"Y-you're welcome." of course she was. Her question earned a nod of his head. "Y-yes. You're cold and n-need to be w-warm." though of course she could be led to believe he too was cold, and needed to warm up as much as she did. "Y-you first." one side was semi blocked, and he wanted her closer to the mostly closed side, less wind in the end. Once she was settled, he stepped in as well, and he settled as close to her as he could without actually laying on her. "N-now you can rest." his words were soft, understanding. "It's safe here." he draped his head across her to help share his warmth even more, hoping the poor doe warmed soon. Or at least fell asleep so she could rest, and maybe warm. He would stay here with her, keeping her warm, and safe for as long as needed, though he too started to doze off as he warmed up as well, not as chilled as her of course, but still appreciating the slowly returning warmth of the dark doe.

@Izaeah

It was strange to think, that just some hours ago, she'd been wandering, just trying to find... what is it she'd been trying to find? Even now, she couldn't remember. If it truly were important, it would come back to her, that was how she chose to see it. For now, she was more focused on trying to keep her eyes opened as she watched him follow inside once she'd settled.

Still, she was shivering, feeling the cold clinging to her very bones, it felt life. His presence, so close, it helped slightly loosen a knot in her. She shuddered a little, feeling exhaustion tugging at her very being. Smile exhaled softly, feeling her eyes finally fall shut despite her best efforts.

Once it was clear that he was fully settled, however, she shifted her own weight just barely, resting as close to him as she could, her head settled comfortably against him, keeping her just so warm.

He smells good. Were her last thoughts before sleep seemed to settle deeply into her and her breathing slowly evened out. She felt safe in settling there with him. Safe in the knowledge that for some reason, he would not let her drift into a permanent sleep. It was this comfort that allowed her the peaceful rest she so desperately needed.

@Lirilei

(I think we can call this completed?)