Shan hugs herself closer as her companion compares the darkness to the cloak of the mythical beast Halia. She shivers, mostly out of fear than cold. [b]"And the storm? Do you think that it could be..."[/b] She trails off slightly. [b]"Do you think it could be [i]them[/i]."[/b] She watches as the man throws the skewering stick into the dying fire, causing it to spring brightly back to life and illuminate the cave with a mixture of dim light and shadows against the walls. Shan didn't want to appear too weak, she couldn't always rely on the man to be there when she was frightened by the weather or the darkness. She needed to remember that just because something was unknown didn't mean it was always terrifying. Some things were exciting and interesting. She remembered fondly when they had discovered the horses, a sunny and wonderful afternoon. She had thought that the majestic creatures were magically. 

[b]"Listen, Shan, I'm sure we'll be able to return one day. They can't hunt us forever. One day we won't have to run anymore."[/b]

She stared into his eyes, a determination lay inside his irises that caused a swelling of hope inside of her. Shan smiled kindly. [b]"I know, Ailbe. And when that day comes we will celebrate. It will be wonderful, food and drinks and... dancing."[/b] She laughed and scooted slightly closer to the fire. She was not as sure as Ailbe about what their future would hold. But she wasn't about to let her cynical attitude crush his spirit. [b]"We are running very low on firewood, we won't have light for much longer. We should get ready to tuck in for the night."[/b]