Exhaustion had already been settling into their bones throughout the day, but at double pace, no one was breathing well by the end of it. Pushed back against the snow, the sweat on their skin freezing over the moment they took a breather, it would be an understatement to call the group’s last spurt to the spare woodlands tiring. Ettamri felt the brunt of the fatigue, having sank the lowest into the snow; further out, the snow had turned powdery, and her feet habitually broke through the crusted ice surface. Her hunger was an obsession, stomach growling like a seething beast, the uncouth sounds drowned out by the winds of winter. The others hadn’t done all too well either. Bundled up as they were, Argen and Renault both felt the sticky coolness of having soaked through their inner clothing in the last segments of their run, while Siwon’s longcoat no longer billowed dramatically in the wind. Travelling through the many streams had dampened it, and now the bottom part was frozen over, snow accumulating over it. Katya, at least, could simply shadow Ettamri’s steps, but the priest was tired as well.

Work didn’t end just because they stopped for the night, however. Argen, having come to a stop after so much activity and being tasked only with keeping watch over the industrious mage, felt the bite of the bitter winds most sharply, tendrils of cold sneaking into his clothes to be amplified by the dampness of innerwear. Renault’s own efforts turned him into a tired lad as well, the thought of food greatly endearing. He was no beast, after all, and with no shovel in sight, constructing a domed shelter that everyone could fit in only added to his tiredness. His gloves may be of above average quality, and the same could be said for his boots, but nature always found a way. By the time he was done constructing the shelter, the brunette mage’s extremities were wrinkled underneath the fabrics that shielded them. Siwon’s own trials were suffering too. Though the Jaws of Death granted him the boon of the Hot Hunger this time around, Kur-Inuus deigned not to shield him from the fact that all the snow that clung onto his clothes had now melted due to the heat, soaking it in. With time and heat, perhaps it’d dry out, but then again…it was still snowing. And snow was still melting. What joy.

Katya was uncharacteristically(?) quiet as well, half-stumbling around the camp now that Ettamri was no longer plowing a way for her. What deadfall she found was frozen and wet, but after some general gesticulations, Ettamri was convinced to help her with simply breaking standing trees apart and dragging them over to the fireplace. Some large logs were used for stools, others were used to feed the flames, and soon enough, the party were gathered around the bubbling pot of stew. Their clothing began to steam, the humidity beginning to feel like a really cold sauna. The stew, though not finished yet, still looked thin and sorta miserable. If they were in Andeave right now, they’d probably be in a proper tavern, eating meat and bread, drinking mead and wine.

But it was alright.

Warming herself beside the fire, her eyes glittering with anticipation for a hot meal, Katya began to sing a wordless song again, slapping the sides of her log as her head swayed from side to side. It was a cheery, repetitive melody, more of an earworming jingle than a properly complex composition, but she looked at the others, as if expecting them to join in.

‘It’ll be fun’, her eyes said. And what else were they going to do while their dinner boiled down anyways? Socialize with actu-

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind them, and as the five of them all turned, each with a different expression upon their faces, two shadows loomed out from the white curtain surrounding them. Half-frozen and burnt-out, but still very much alive, Oscar and Muu had finally caught up.

Katya was the first to smile, continuing her song as she scootched over to the side, pressing up against Ettamri as she patted the empty section of log beside her. Dramatic as Ettamri and Muu's beef may be, surely it wasn't as tasty as a soup that was more than just potato skins?