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Before the two set off, Atzi made a tired grin at Vammy’s remark, her large hand reaching back and mushing up the corrupted elf’s hair.

[b]“I’m not going to die.”[/b]

And with that they were off again, her muscles rolling like steel cords as she powered out of the cabin and into the woods. Physical exertion shook off the last of the lingering cold that infected her form, and as she breathed in the [i]naturally[/i] cold air, the dark-skinned woman could feel herself settling into that comfortable, energetic rhythm again. But comfort or not, the path turned perilous as they got deeper in, and more concerning, the second call-and-response she had with Talien was cut short.

Ominous. Deathly so.

She swallowed her spit, furrowed her brow, and drove away her worries with action, snow kicking up as she ran with ever greater speed, Vammy’s weight doing almost nothing to impede her. And when she arrived at the scene, Atzi stopped.

Pressed this close to her, Vammy could feel it. A heart that roared like a hammer. A heat that built up like a volcano. A rage most murderous, restrained by a body gone so rigid as to have become a stone coffin.

But the moment passed, and Atzi set her companion down before rushing over to the wolf’s side. [b]“God’s above,”[/b] she whispered, drawing out her knife and sawing at the ropes. [b]“Tallen, stay with me here, I’ll get you out in a second!”[/b] Her sawing became violent stabs, tearing into the thick ropes before she opted to flat-out rip them arm with her hands. Unconcerned with her surroundings, the woman reached into her pouch and pulled out some dried meat for the wolf. It’d do nothing to sate the beast’s appetite, but every bit of energy would help with the recovery.

[b]“Be strong for me, alright? Where’s Maira?”[/b] Her head swivelled from the left to the right, trying simply to spot any droplets of blood leading away from the boulder, any footprints in the snow that weren’t her own. [b]“Vammy, do you, I don’t know, sense anything weird?”[/b]

There was an edge of desperation in her tone. And yet, it was still off.