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The snow was brutal in the abyss, falling in waves that scoured the land and buried the world in silence. Frigid air clawed through the cave, sharp and unrelenting, while icicles gathered like teeth along its frozen mouth. Near the back of the small cavern the three travelers had scraped together a modest camp, stone their only shelter, their small bedrolls to brave the temperatures. This was their only hope to escape the bone-gnawing storm.
Jayce, ever the optimist, crouched at the heart of their camp, desperate to coax fire from stubborn stone and splintered wood. His cracked hands—raw and trembling—struck steel against flint again and again, sparks flashing and dying before they could take. The tool slipped from his fingers as often as it struck.
Viktor sat opposite, wrapped in every spare scrap of warmth Kai and Jayce had pressed on him. Yet even swaddled so tightly, his wiry frame shifted restlessly, his sharp mind running its ceaseless calculations of their small chances of survival. He sifted through their packs, his fingers methodical, rearranging the little they had left, as though neatness might calm his nerves.
Kai was near the mouth of the cave, leaning against the rough stone wall. Her pale eyes fixed on the storm beyond. Snowflakes hurled sideways in the wind, sharp streaks of white painting her feet. The sight tightened her chest.
They were strangers still—names exchanged, habits glimpsed, but little more. She had offered nothing of herself; they had done little better. And yet, something bound them already. Unspoken. Fragile. A thread tugging between them, faint but undeniable. A trust that never needed to be voiced but was proved over and over again in their short time knowing eachother.
Kai exhaled, plumes of frigid air leaving her mouth. The storm showed no sign of passing, and the thought of losing toes—or worse, losing one of her companions—gnawed at her with quiet teeth. Those men were lucky, Kai could’ve let them on their merry away alone. Only soon to follow and pick up their corpses, sending them back to the surface and finding herself alone again. Another icy gust slipped past the cave mouth, curling around her broad furred shoulders, and she grimaced.
Then Jayce’s triumphant voice cut through the gloom. “I think I got it!” A spark had caught, a fragile tongue of flame licking eagerly at kindling. His grin widened as firelight flickered against his chapped face. “Find anything you can—keep it going!”
Kai pushed herself from the wall, brushing snow from her feet. There was little to scavenge, but Jayce’s grin—toothy and bright, even in exhaustion—made her heart ache in a way she could not name. Kai wandered the cave, gathering scraps where she could: shriveled leaves, brittle grass, and the charred remains left by travelers who had long since moved on. Barely an hour’s worth, if that. But it was something.
Kai threw her contribution into the small pit Jayce had made. The fire caught greedily, burning faster than she wished, but its glow filled the cave with warmth more precious than food. The shadows retreated, and for a time, the three of them breathed easier.
As the night stretched long, the flames burned low, dwindling to embers. Dinner was made and The trio had spoken about plans for their future trails, what would be fastest or what would be safest. What trails may had better food sources and what trails will be crawling with creatures they would rather not cross paths with. After a while Conversation fell silent. Even breathing seemed precious, as though each of them feared the cold might steal it away.
Kai stretched out her bedroll apart from the pair, habit dictating her distance. For safety of course. She would be the first line of defense… just in case. Across the cave, Jayce and Viktor had pressed close, merging their bedrolls into one. Their bodies formed a huddled knot, shivering in tandem.
Kai watched quietly. Her expression unreadable as her clawed fingers gripped the edge of her quilt. Envy curled through her. She had been raised on solitude—made strong by it, hardened by necessity. She had never needed warmth, never needed touch. And yet, now, her body longed for it. Longed for what she had spent her whole life denying.
When the fire finally died out, the modest campsite was plunged into darkness, swallowing the cave whole. The dark seemed to encourage the cold as it crept through the cave. Kai huffed and laid down, pulling her quilt up to her neck. Her fur, thick as it was, could not keep the cold at bay tonight.
From across the camp, shuffling echoed across the walls. Bickering rose between her companions.
“Jayce, stop hogging the blanket.”
“Viktor, it’s covering you completely.”
“It doesn’t feel like it.”
“It probably doesn’t help that you sleep without socks.”
Kai’s ears twitched. In better circumstances Kai would’ve laughed at their arguments. Let them continue and be endlessly entertained.
The constant rustle of clothing and the occasional huff let Kai question if any of them would be able to sleep tonight. Kai sat up, claws rasping against stone as she gathered her bedroll. The sharp sound of claws against the hard rock floor was enough to shut Jayce and Victor’s constant movement and whispers. They were like children, getting caught by their parents because they were up past their bed time.
Kai approached the pair, sound alone guiding her across the cave. When she loomed over their shared bedroll, they froze. Jayce’s eyes widened. Viktor stiffened.
“Move,” Kai said. Her voice had broken the tense silence.
Jayce shifted without hesitation. Viktor wavered, but it was all the room she needed.
She slid down between them, tucking her long legs beneath their blankets, laying her own heavy quilt across the top. Both men went rigid at her sudden closeness. Viktor was icy to the touch. Jayce still shivering like a wet dog.
Kai folded her arms across her chest, forcing her breathing into a calm rhythm. “My fur helps,” she muttered. “Figured I’d share.” The words were awkward on her tongue, but it was the thought that counts. Slowly, Jayce relaxed against her side. Viktor, though stiff, inched nearer.
Unexpectantly, sleep claimed her quickly. The storm raged on outside, but inside the cave, the steady rhythm of their breathing lulled her into something she hadn’t felt in years.
——
Hours later, her instincts dragged her awake. A habit she had grown to get used to. The cave was still black as pitch. The storm still howled. Her joints screamed against the stone, and she shifted to rise—only to find herself pinned.
Her first reaction was to fight, to break free. But along with her sudden movements a soft grunt on her stomach stilled her.
Jayce had curled closer in the night, wrapping his broad frame around her waist, his face buried in the fur of her abdomen, one leg draped heavily over her lap. Viktor had done the same, his slender body pressed to her side, his arm flung over her chest, his head tucked into the curve of her neck.
Their breathing was steady. Peaceful. When she shifted too suddenly, they clung tighter, murmuring wordless protests in their sleep. They reminded her of overgrown lap-cats, unwilling to let go.
It was… welcome. More than welcome. A feeling she had thought long lost with the one treasure she had once held dear. Her arms moved almost without thought: one hand pressing Viktor closer, her clawed palm resting lightly on his back; the other sliding into Jayce’s tangled hair, holding him steady.
And for the first time in years, Kai slept soundly. A dreamless, peaceful sleep.
———
Pale sunlight seeped through the cave mouth, the storm had finally broken. Jayce and Viktor were already moving, dressing and readying themselves. Kai was the last to rouse, she was usually among one of the firsts to wake. Her instincts always on alert and her hearing needlessly sensitive. Yet here she was, stiff and wincing from the hard ground.
Jayce and Viktor did not speak of the night before, instead asking Kai what she wanted for breakfast… or how she had slept. She didn’t miss the soft flush on her cheeks as their gazes crossed between them.
Their packs were slung quickly, and for the first time in days, both men carried a renewed spark in their step. Kai shouldered her own bag, striding to the mouth of the cave. The air outside was still sharp with winter’s biting air, but the sight of melting snow stretched before them like promise. And the quiet warmth she felt at Jayce’s easy grin—and Viktor’s subtle, reluctant smirk—was enough to banish the last chill from her bones.
She paused, standing beside them. Together, the three of them looked out over the white-washed world.
“Well,” Kai murmured. Her voice was soft, almost tentative. “Shall we?”