Every time the wind gusted it kicked up clouds of powered snow which glistened in the morning light. It would have been beautiful if it wasn't so dang cold or so Nykole thought.
She stood watch with her ever present companion Lucius while the rest of the party broke camp oand loaded the sleds. She scanned the horizon looking for anything out of the ordinary. What the might be, she didn't know. Her employer was sparse on the details. Get the four sleds to a certain hot spring and get paid big money. They never said what she was protecting them from but there was six guards on the job so there had to be a threat out there.
She took a sip from the steaming mug of tea in her hand as see turned to watch the last of the supplies being loaded. She was bundled up in layers of furs which her thin elven body. Pulling her hood tight, she muttered to herself, elves are not meant for the cold
Aikaterini hated the cold. But what she hated even more was the human skin she was forced to wear for this job. Not that this particular skin was worse than others it was just that it was human, and humans were fragile awful creatures with an affinity for dying in harsh conditions. She could easily just be a polar bear and then be done with it.
But that wasn't what they were paying her for. She was getting triple the average pay for this job because of who she was able to become. And so the average sized Kat appeared to be a burly middle aged man with the attitude of sour milk. Look intimidating. Discipline anyone who so much as asks questions.
She was, as far as anyone else knew, their employers right hand man. Everyone else was expendable.
"Oi! You!" Her deep, gravelly man voice shook mountains as she approached the tea drinking elf, "Carry your weight or go the hell back to your other pointy friends."
She liked being mean. Most people deserved it.
"Oi you" she mimicked back " I'm on watch, so I'm watching if you have a problem take it up with the boss you big lump of meat." She remarked.
Just then a deep voice echoed in her head "filter Nikki you don't need a fight" her companion Lucius chimed in.
The signal was given for the sleds to move out. Nykole turned the the bossy grunt " looks like it's time for you to do your job." Not waiting for a response she turned and fell in behind the last sled as they started across the tundra.
Kat drew herself up to the extent of the height this skin allowed - which was impressive at over six feet. She knew her job and played it well.
"Don't test me elf." She growled, taking an aggressive step forward, "If you knew your job you would know who I am and know your place. Now I asked you to take your scrawny limbs and get your ass over to assist the final loading process. Now."
She thought about smacking the tea from her hands but...maybe not yet. Best not waste all of her cards.
Damnit it was cold. Even in all the furs and the skin's copious layers of fat she felt the chill in her bones. She wanted it to be time to camp. She wanted to shed this man and don the waiting polar bear within in her own private tent.
Kykole was about to suggest that they go talk to Lady Juliette because the only person telling what to do was one that was paying her, but they were cut off as the sled moved out.
For miles and miles they trudged across the tundra. The wind whipping at their clothes. The sun blind them as it reflected off the snow. For the longest time, everything was flat as far as the eye could see. Slowly a number of small mounds came into view. On closer inspection there was a dozen in all.
As the small band passed by the mounds exploded upwards and strange beast arose from within. They were part man and part bear. The warebears set upon the party with a fury. The two guards at the front rushed forward and were overwhelmed nearly instantly.
The raindeer pulling the sleds paniced and bolted in all directions. One of them flipped over while the others raced away. Half the warebears gave chase which left six to deal with.
It was long, it was treacherous, and Kat was starting to regret yelling at the elf. She should have realized the wisdom of a warm drink in this weather, but she hadn't thought much past her own annoyance at having to become the big baffoon. Even now she shuddered beneath layers of fat and furs as the caravan continued.
It was getting dangerously close to her shifting threshold, and if there was one thing Aikaterini didn't mess with it was that. And she wasn't about to let herself actually become this Elarick guy.
But she couldn't stop the caravan either.
It didn't need to be long, but it needed to happen...she she found a moment to murmur about taking a piss and catching up, before taking one of the poor animals and disappearing over a ridge.
With a shudder she began the process. All said and done it wouldn't be more than five minutes from leaving to when she returned. Albeit making things speedy did cause some pretty terrible pains, but nothing could be done about that now. She stripped down to her birthday suit and then fat gave way to muscle, bones cracked as they shrunk, and the skin she was wearing slipped from her figure in a steaming pile of...discard. She didn't know what else to call it. It wasn't pretty, but it was necessary.
And then the cold hit. But only for a few moments. Discarding a skin was far messier than donning one, so she quickly pulled the too-big furs back on her and started the donning process. 30 seconds later, she was once again Elarick and was already on her way back when she saw reindeer running.
Oh no.
No no no no no.
She had only been gone a few minutes.
Urged her animal on and soon saw exactly what the problem was...were bears. Big, ugly, half-human hybrids that were a mockery to her real transformative abilities. And they were angry. Members of the party were already lying in bloody heaps as the monsters feasted on their flesh.
Gods no...she couldn't do anything in this skin!
So she stripped down again, a big fat naked Elarick, and shed his skin again until it was just her for a few seconds before white fur sprung from her skin. This was who she was. This was her true form - at least according to her, genetics be dammed.
And she lunged and took down one of the six remaining mutants, her teeth filling with blood as she clamped down on its neck.
Euphoric.
It all happened so quickly. One minute it was monotonous boredom, the next all hell had broken loose. She grabbed glaive and charged the nearest warebear. Lucius beside her readied the barb on his head tail.
Nykole rushed in and stabbed at the beast which dodged with surprising agility. Focused on the elf, the beast didn't see Lucius come up from behind until it was to late. Three stings in quick succession and the warebear started to convulse uncontrollable. Now an easy target Nykole finished it off with a stab in the heart.
Her white fur was stained read around her paws and her muzzle and dripped down her chest, but she didn't have time to worry about any of that as she moved from one of the hybrids to the next. This one was actively tearing through another poor hired hand, but that also meant he was distracted and didn't see the polar bear falling from the skies to sweep deadly claws across his back.
He let out a roar and lunged back, catching one of Kay's hindquarters with his teeth. Nothing too terrible, but it burned like fire and sent a roar ripping through her mouth. Then she was attacking back and it wasn't too much longer before she brought him down, too.
Was anyone else alive? The place was a blood bath.
There.
Of course. The damn elf.
Nykole pull her glaive free as a beast slumped to the ground. Bleeding in the snow the dead warebear slowly shifted back into the form of a man.
Nykole barely had time to register that these creatures were men before another one came her way. Charging blindly at her the beast was easy to dodge with a roll to the side. Coming out of the roll on one knee she struck out with her blade and took be warebears head off its shoulders.
As quickly as it started, it was all over. Surveying the gore covered battle ground she spotted the polar bear with the last of the enemies in its maws. Not sure what to think she turned to Lucius who could talk to animals. "Ask the bear why it helps to fight."
Lucius took a few steps forward and his deep voice echoed in the bears head "what cause do you have to fight these men?" He asked.
Kat flinched visibly when the other creature's voice echoed in her head. She'd never had something like that happen before and it felt intrusive. Like there was an interloper in her brain.
And she didn't know how to answer him. She wasn't psychic. She couldn't talk to people without a human voice and right now the only response she could give was a deep rumble in her throat. If he could read her thoughts it would just be an odd hodge hodge of their journey across the snow, of skin colored goop against ice, and pain. Physical and mental pain, but they all combined into one average sized girl.
But she couldn't just stay here like this. They could very well turn on her and this could all be over faster than it started.
Curses sang through her head as she started the process of shedding the skin. Big pieces of pelt melted off of her section by second until only she remained in human form, shivering in the snow, with a decent sized gash from her hip to her knee from where she'd been hit during the fight.
It was so cold that even as it ooze it frozen against her bare skin as she shivered.
"I was hired." She stuttered, wrapping her hands around herself. She already couldn't feel her feet, "Like you."
Lucius was confused when he didn't get a reply back. He was even more confused when the bear started to change into a human female. He spoke to Nykole. "She is also some sort of skin changer," he remarked.
Now it was Nykole's turn to be confused. "There was only one other lady on this trek and that was lady Juliette so who are you?" She ask as she approached the naked lady. "Do we need to find you some clothes " she asked.
"Elarick." She wrapped her hands around herself tighter as her chattering teeth almost made it impossible to speak words. "I was hired to be Elarick."
She didn't want to ask for help, she didn't want to be indebted to anyone, least of all some forest pixie and her pet. But her lips were already blue - it was the tundra after all and humans were so terribly fragile.
But she also couldn't talk to them as a bear and she needed them to not kill her. So she stood there. Defiantly. Until the tremors became too much and her legs gave way beneath her.
"I find it hard to believe that you were, are that ugly bastard" she said as she closed the distance between them. She looked around trying to find something to give the naked lady. The warebears had no clothes and the other hired hand were mangled messes.
She didn't like Elarick or whatever their true name was but she also wasn't going to let them freeze to death.
With a sigh she pulled off her own cloak and gave it to her. "Take this for now, I'm going to go salvage more gear". She moved to the first sell sword and took his boots which were the only thing not shredded. They were much to big but beggars can't be choosers.
At the sled she pulled off the heavy leather tarp that covered everything. Under the covers there were a few tents a little dried food and several creates of empty bottles that lady Juliette had planned to feel at the hot spring. What she didn't find was more clothes.
She returned with the boots and trap. " this was the best I could find. There was a few tents and some food on sled so we can make it a few days out here."
Kat shivered, quickly feeling her weak, useless human appendages go from burning to numb, and now that her legs were planted in the snow, they were quickly following suit.
Shift. She told herself angrily. But she felt she was stuck between two kinds of deaths: death by cold or death by blade.
"Then you don't have much of an imagination." She snapped back, but those were the last words she found herself able to utter. Her hands were placed firmly beneath her armpits and the exhaustion brought by the cold was making her head fuzzy.
Which is probably why she didn't just shift and run - which would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, she pulled the offered cloak around herself, grateful to at least no longer feel the bite of the wind.
Then came the leather tarp, which would do very little.
"I...can't...stay...like...this..." she gasped, survival finally taking over. Thankfully she had touched a number of arctic animals before starting the journey for this exact reason. Her skin began to turn black, gray, white, and she shrunk down to a quarter of her size beneath the tarp. It would take less time to warm-up the smaller she was.
And once a tiny arctic penguin had replaced the human woman, she curled herself into a shivering ball within the tarp and prayed it wasn't too late to save her limbs.
'Then you don't have much of an imagination'
There was the meanest she had grow to expect from Elarick. Here she was trying to help and all she got back was a attitude.
Nykole watched and they morphed into a bizarre creature. It looked like a bird but had flippers for wings. " Lucius, you ever see something like this" she ask her companion. He just shaked his head no.
Seeing her cloak now laying on the ground she bend down an picked it up. "So what do we do now?" She ask knowing the penguin could not respond.
Lucius spoke up "just focus on me and think what you want to say. I should be able to hear you"
C...cold... she thought towards the elf's pet. She knew he wasn't actually a pet and she was even offending herself a bit for not being able to fix the mental distinction, but she was so cold that even basic brain function was difficult.
Hate...hate the cold...hate this job... she curled up even tighter in her tiny penguin body beneath the tarp and was embarrassed as little squeaks of distress left her.
They were going to die here. They were so far from civilization and exposed to the elements. She should have turned this job down. She should have gone back to the woods after Yurim...after...
She continued to shiver and pushed those memories to their box deep inside her mind.
"We can't stay here. The only two options are go after the other sleds and try and rescue lady Juliette which is probably mute at this point, or we can head towards the hot springs. From what I have heard they are visited fairly often so vote we head there and hope we meet up with other travelers." She addressed the little bird.
Nykole needed to stay moving or the cold wind got to her. Not expecting a reply she headed back to the sled and started to dump all the creates of bottles and some of the extra gear. They didn't need five tents for three people after all.
Being a penguin under a tarp made things go fast by way of warming up. The heat from her body and breath billowed around her and soon she found herself able to function again. First she wiggled her flippered feet, then her arms, and eventually wiggled her way out to waddle around the snow.
She was exhausted, but knew she'd have to suck it up if they wanted to survive. Without clothes she wouldn't want to be a human - hell, even with clothes she didn't like being human - but...they were a long way from civilization and the right thing to do would be to offer help.
Can you hear me? she tried to project her thoughts outwardly and hope that maybe the other one could hear her. I can...I guess I could be a bear again and...the elf can ride me...
Blegh. That was gross to say.
"Can you pull the sled, it has food and supplies on it that we can use. Also what happened to the clothes you were wearing as Elarick?" Lucius ask back
By this time Kykole was done stripping the sled down to the essentials and was pushing it back to the group. Looking at the penguin out in the open she remarked " I see that you are doing better"
Ok...Kat responded. She didn't like being a mule, but having the supplies would definitely be important for survival.
I don't know where his clothes are...somewhere back that way. She waved a flipper to their east. Saw the animals running and the abominations chasing and reacted. Went bear.
She chewed on her lip...or...beak for a moment before, begrudgingly, said, Tell the elf thank you?
As Nykole rejoined the party, Lucius relayed the message, "The bird says thank you."
She looked at the penguin, then the cat, and back again. She never expected a thank you. "What is your name be the way" she asked
Lucius tolder her about the clothes abandoned somewhere behind them. "Lets find you clothes so you can return to a human form if we can it back to civilization"
The Kat-Penguin nodded and then ruffled her feathers slightly to add extra layers of insulation from the added padding. It was always interesting inhabiting an animal. She was still her, but each creature also existed there and their instincts persisted. Some more than others those instincts were so strong it was easy to lose yourself. Like being an ant or a bee. She did that once and it had nearly trapped her. Now she stuck with ones that had a stronger sense of self.
Aikaterini. She responded to the cat. Kat is fine.
She circled a few times in the snow until she was certain warmth had returned to her limbs, then she made space between herself and the only other surviving members of the excursion. Bears were big creatures and she needed the space.
Then the little penguin began to grow, the sound of bones snapping echoing across the tundra which were then mixed with grunts and hisses as her human form returned. Couldn't stay here long, not unless she wanted to nearly freeze again. The cut on her leg was still there and still bleeding, but it didn't bother her much.
"Bear incoming." She informed them before white hair sprung from her skin and she began to grow. It wasn't long before she was replaced with the same polar bear who had helped destroy their enemies before.
This way. She told them as she began trudging back the way she'd come, hoping it wasn't that far before they found Elarick's clothes.
"I am called Lucius and my companion is Nykole Zion but you probably already knew that." He said as penguin Kat ran around warming up. He then relayed Kat's name to Nykole.
Lucius and Nykole both watched in discomfort and Kat transformed first back to human than into a bear. It was the sounds that were the most disturbing.
The party followed the bear as they back tracked. Luckily the tracks hadn't been covered up yet by the wind and shifting snow so it was pretty straight forward to locate them on the frozen tundra.
Kat was able to follow her tracks easily, and did so at a slow trot, not thinking it was important to wait for the other two. It would be better to be speedy in this cold and they didn't have the luxury of her coat. So she returned to them fairly quickly with the clothes in her mouth and deposited them onto the sled that looked like was being prepped for their journey.
They don't fit me. Too big. I'll stay an animal unless you need me to change. she didn't mention she preferred it.
Once Kat had returned with the clothes, it was time to figure out how to pull the sled. Kykole wanted the bear to pull since they were the largest, but it took time to adapt the harness and rig. They just weren't designed for a polar bear. After much perseverance she finally cobbled something together and they were off.
Mile after mile they trudged across the open tundra. Just as the sun was starting to set, which happened early at this latitude, they came across some low stone ruins of what looked like a old temple or monetary. "Help me search the area, this would be a good place to make camp for the night if it's clear. These walls will block the wind, " she said as she un did the harness.
Kat nodded her big polar bear head, and waited patiently to be unhooked from the rig. They had made a good amount of progress, but she had done most of the work and she was tired. Her paws felt heavy as she circled the area, pausing here and there to check the direction of the wind. The ruins were clear and she found a good corner that also had a bit of a lip to help shelter them from above.
Kat let out a loud huff to let them know where she was, and began swiping away at the ground for a clear place to light a fire.
All clear, Lucius. She told the cat, unsure if he could hear her over here. Clouds on the horizon. Looks...concerning...
After undoing the harness Nykole took some time to walk around the ruins. She had always liked old places. It was fun to think about what they would have been like at their height. Near the center of what she believed to have been a courtyard she found a pedestal with the name Saint Alfonzo carved into it. She pondered who the man had been as she made her way back to the group.
In the supplies was a small amount of fire wood. If used sparingly they could at least have a hot meal.
Lucius turned to look at the horizon "I agree, looks like a storm" he replied.
Kykole focused on preparing the food, a meal of pemmican, hardtack, and tea. It wasn't much but it would have to do.
And once Nykole started cooking, Kat curled herself up close to the fire and let her eyes droop close. It had been a long day and it was catching up to her.
In a few moments, soft bear snores started coming from her snout and her head was resting on her paws. She knew she needed to eat, too, but that would require shifting back and right now the thought of going through it again...
But to eat she'd need to because bears ate too much.
Nykole hummed a nameless tune as she continued to warm up the food. She smiled to herself at the sound of both Kat and Lucius softly snoring. Once the food was done she gently woke the pair. "Wake up sleepy heads, eat up before it gets cold."
As she eat she looked around the corner Kat had picked out. It was a good location, sheltered from the wind on two sides and from above.
Kat growled softly when the elf woke her, but the soft rumble of displeasure was all she allowed herself. She could sleep for days - it was good to have someone keeping her aware of her surroundings.
And her stomach was practically screaming at her.
With some effort, she pushed herself up onto her paws and padded over to the supplies where she found Elarick's clothes. Then she began the transition.
A few moments later she returned to the fire, fully clothed, although she looked like a child playing dress up with her father's wardrobe. She wouldn't be able to use her hands in the massive gloves, so she took them off when she sat down again and held her fingers out to the fire.
Then she, too, ate. And...if it wasn't clear before that she preferred being a bear, the way she ate gave it away. It was nothing short of scarfing as if something would take it away from her if she ever actually stopped to breathe. She didn't need much, and she didn't care what it tasted like as long as it filled her stomach.
As they eat the sky darkened as the clouds they had seen on the horizon moved to obscure the setting sun. It made for a beautiful if cold sunset.
Seeing that light was fadind fast Nykole scarfed down the last of her food. "Want to give me a hand setting up the tents." She ask Kat
She eyed her from over her plate of food incredulously. This woman had seriously just sat down the entire day while she pulled their weight - literally - and now she was asking her to do more?
"I don't need a tent." She snapped. "I'm a bear."
And she took another bite, not that she was hungry or anything, but more to prove a point that she wasn't moving. But...
She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Fine."
And she stood and began helping.
Nykole tried to bite her tongue at the snappy remarks because if she spoke her mind they would have a fight. She needed friends right now not enemies.
As they work she remarked "I like you better as a bear, you're less rude" she tried and failed to stay quiet. Saying the first thing that came to mind was a problem of hers. It had gotten her into all sorts of trouble ever since she was little.
Kat helped, trying to ignore the cold that seeped into her gloveless fingers. She needed the dexterity and the big oaf's gloves didn't offer any. The tent was going up quickly, thought she was forced to pause often to see what Nykole was doing - it wasn't something Kat had to do a lot. Normally she just...went bear.
"I like me as a bear better too." She snapped back, "Then if you piss me off enough I can just eat you."
She didn't mean it, actually. Despite her outward demeanor she did actually enjoy company...sometimes. Lucius more than Nykole. He was just there and didn't need anything...
By the time they had gotten the tents up, the sky had gone from red to purple. Now that it was nearly dark, the temperature was dropping fast.
"You're such a brute, you know that"
She started to shiver held the flap open "in you go Lucius, time for bed" with a yawn the big cat got up and went into the tent which was just big enough for two people.
"Yeah, well, fuck you too!" She called after them before turning on foot and beginning the process of shedding her clothes into a pile under the tarp so they could stay dry. She'd probably need them again and wet clothes were a death sentence.
A few moments later she was a bear again and flopped down before the fire and dropped her head against her paws trying to ignore the cold. She was mostly ok, but even polar bears weren't made for this kind of cold. And as the sun disappeared it got cold.
She fell asleep quickly, still exhausted from pulling the load that day. Her soft bear snores felt louder as they bounced off the ruin walls.
And she slept.
She slept until the wind picked up, seemingly without warning, and she blinked awake to realize the fire, and she, had been covered by a foot of snow.
Shit.
She shivered and turned to look at the tent that was quickly getting buried. Without thinking, she padded over and started digging around the entrance and the sides that were most in danger. Gods she hoped the little bit of roof was strong enough. The wind was blowing so strongly now that the snow was almost horizontal.
But there wasn't anything she could do anymore. She'd have to keep displacing the snow, but for now? She curled up protectively in front of the tent in a desperate attempt to keep the area clear and warmer for her weak humanoid companion and her cat.
Nykole woke to the howling wind and utter darkness. She went to the door to find her stubborn companion laying in front of the entrance. The wind had changed direction and now the walls did little to protect them. "What are you doing out there" she ask. The wind blowing the snow straight in her face.
She had been dozing at this point, and Nykole's voice jolted her back to the present. Another few inches of snow covered the bear which she shook gently from her coat before continuing her watch; her protective duty. First she dug out the front of the tent, not even acknowledging the elf, then she continued to create a moat-like ditch around the little tent as the snow continued to pile on top of them.
Stay inside. she projected to Lucius, knowing she couldn't say anything to Nykole in this form, You'll die in minutes. Stay together. Stay warm. the exhaustion was clear in her voice, but she didn't stop.
Once it was cleared once again, she dropped to the ground and curled into a protective ball at the front of the tent. Already there was at least a three foot wall around them and it wasn't stopping.
Lucius had still been sleeping when Kat called out to him. He thought he had been dreaming and was slow to react. With a long yawn, he opened his eyes and saw Nykole at the door. "What is it, Nikki?" he asked.
She responded by ducking back in side the tent. "A storm has blown in, Kat is keeping the tent clear." She responded.
"What can I do to help" Lucius asked Kat.
Stay. Inside. she said without moving her head. She was starting to shiver, but it was less of the normal human shivers and more a way for her bear body to stay warm.
She'll freeze. She added, hiding her eyes from the biting winds. The one good thing about the ever growing wall was the protection it was beginning to offer.
"If you stay in the open you'll freeze to" his voice had tone of desperation as he spoke. He did heed the bears advice and stayed in the tent with Nykole.
No room. she thought back. Someone has to keep us from getting buried.
A few inches of snow had already covered her even though she had only just laid down. She shook her coat again. She wouldn't get much more sleep at all, though that was probably best. Moving helped keep the cold at bay.
Lucius relayed Kat's message, adding, " I think she is right, someone has to keep the snow at bay."
Nykole didn't like that answer but she couldn't argue with her logic. The tent was bare big enough for her and Lucius.
The snow drift that was building up was starting to act as a wind break. She could still hear it howling but it wasn't shaking the tent as much.
Another half an hour went by and another foot of snow. Gods this was bad. Soon she wouldn't have enough room to displace it.
She which meant there was work to do. She circled the clearing she had made and gradually made it wider, but also pounded down the snow in a manner that made some odd semblance of steps. No, steps was the wrong way to describe it, but it wasn't exactly a ramp either. It was...a way up essentially. That's all she could claim it to be.
And she was tired. So tired. But she had to keep moving. If she didn't they would die and she would be alone. Again.
And she hated being alone.
Was that why she hadn't just turned and ran after the attack? Was she secretly hoping for some kind of companionship? As Elarick she had no friends - that wasn't the job nor was it his personality - but...people listened to him. People, didn't exactly respect him but..., people feared him. He was a brute.
Gods she must be tired to be thinking about this. About what it meant to be a decent person. About what Yurim had tried to teach her before...before...
She stopped underneath the overhang, catching her breath for a few moments before continuing to pound out a path. The wind was still howling around them and she wondered just how much snow the sky could hold.
There was a creak, a crack, and then the overhang snapped in half and four and a half feet of snow came tumbling onto her in an instant, burying her completely and displacing the tent as it slid into the side she had been so desperately working to keep clear.
Kykole was curled up in a ball next to Lucius trying to stay warm. There was a loud crack and wall of snow rushed into the tent. They were pushed back by the miniature avalanche. Her first thought went to Kat "oh no, Lucius can you reach Kat." She exclaimed, her voice a mix of fear and panic.
Lucius tried to call out to the bear "Kat are you ok"
The most surprising thing about the feet of snow that came crashing into Kat was the fact that it didn't actually feel cold. At least at first. It was like being smothered in a giant blanket, which would have been great if it wasn't pressing against her body in every direction. Snow was above, below, around her. It was everywhere.
And it was suffocating. And heavy.
And suffocating.
She tried to push herself up and the snow shifted slightly but packed in on itself and then she couldn't push anymore.
Can't get out. She thought back, unable to keep the panic from her thoughts. She couldn't get out. She couldn't get out.
"She's suffocating" Lucius screamed to Kykole so loud that it hurt her head. She sprang into action, climbing up and out off the half buried tent. It was dangerously cold outside and the driving wind made it worse but she didn't even notice. The only thought she had was to find Kat. Lucius joined her and they started to dig where they thought she would be.
Kat thought she could hear them digging, but everything was muffled and dark and she couldn't be sure. All she knew was the snow continued to press in on her bear form, so she pushed back. She pushed back until she had given herself a few extra inches of movement on each side, but that was hardly enough.
And the snow was now making it impossible for air to make its way in. Oh Gods, oh Gods, oh Gods.
She would run out of air. She would! There was nothing she could do about it either. She didn't have enough room to use her claws to dig her way out.
Her breathing was coming fast and panicked, using the air quickly but simultaneously warming her up as it encompassed her in the snow cocoon.
I have to change back. She told Lucius. If she had been speaking she would have been gasping for air. Instead, her voice just sounded scared and small, not anything like the feral creature she had been during their trip and even after the attack. I have to change back. Can't...move enough.
And before she could change her mind, she triggered the process with a sob. Soon she was human again. Human, naked , and trapped in a bear sized hole in the middle of a blizzard.
She started digging, ignoring the pain that accompanied the cold. Survival was her only thought.
With heavy snow falling all around them Nykole and Lucius dug as fast as the could. The adrenalin blocked out any sense of cold. Time seemed to slow down as each inch seem to take lo ger than the last.
Lucius spoke to Nykole. "She's panicking we have to dig faster." To Kat he said " breath nice and slow, we almost have you."
They had dug down nearly four feet when the bear sized bubble collapsed exposing poor Kat to the elements. As soon as them were through Nykole jumped down to wrap her in the cloak.
Kay kept digging, her fingers becoming raw and bleeding onto the white snow but she couldn't feel them anymore, nor did she care. If she stopped she would die. Hell, she was probably already dying as her movements and panicked breathing consumed the last bit of air trapped with her in the icy grave.
And then, as she felt hope draining from her, there was air. Sweet, sweet, fresh, biting air! She gulped it in, not even caring that her human skin was quickly freezing.
And then Nykole was wrapping her up and she fell into the elf with a sob.
Nykole pulled her closer and patted her shoulder "You're safe now" she said reassuringly. She said it but didn't really believe it. They were in a blizzard at night and their only shelter was in shambles. What to do, what to do, her mind raced as the snow continued to fall around them.
"What do we do?" Kat sobbed. Whether changed by the near death experience, or overcome with exhaustion, or whether it was simply the fear of being confined, the strong exterior that she showed the world was in shambles. She couldn't stop shaking and it wasn't from the cold - though that certainly was a factor.
The tent was practically buried and they were so exposed to the elements that if they didn't do something fast it wouldn't matter anymore.
"What do we do?" She asked again.
They had a conundrum on their hands. She couldn't do anything while keeping Kat warm. "Do me a favor and snuggle up to Lucius, he will keep you warm while I fix the tent."
Shit, she thought to herself, everything was buried under four feet of snow which included the other tent and the sled. Not wasting much time she started digging the tent out. Even with heavy gloves her hand were quickly frozen but she couldn't stop their survival depended on her.
She managed to free the tent but the poles were snapped. They would have to use it as large sleeping bag but that would only work if the snow stopped soon.
Kat pulled the cloak around herself and moved in closer to Lucius, allowing the feel of his fur and his warmth to help steady her. She was Aikaterini. She was a bear. She had lived her life in the wilderness and survived on sheer will alone for much of her life. She couldn't just fall apart because of a little bit of snow, she was stronger than that. She had to be stronger than that.
Even as a human, her default was that of an animal and the way she nuzzled against Lucius in the snow reflected her upbringing more than anything else. Even as a human she would always be an animal.
I should change back. she thought to Lucius, though she was uncertain if her thoughts translated as a human as they did as an animal I should change back, right?
Gods she was doubting herself.
Lucius wrapped his long feline body around Kat, trying to provide as much heat as possible. He hated to admit it but his fur coat wasn't cutting it. His kind, the Ferguine were from a moderate climate and they weren't designed for this kind of cold.
"Can you change into a fox or something small then we can all squeeze into the remains of the tent and warm up." He replied.
He was concerned about Nikki she was down a lay of clothing and had to be reaching her limit.
She nodded, flipping through her mental catalogue of animals as the cold inches into her bones. The wind whipped through the coat that barely offered enough protection. Her fingers and her toes were already blue, but that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. She could exist without a few toes.
What would work? What was small enough to fit in the tent but warm enough to help them all not die?
The change started, much, much more slowly than before. She was exhausted. This was the last change she'd have the energy for for awhile and she didn't even have time to think about what might happen if she wasn't able to transform back before the 48 hour deadline.
At least she'd be cute.
About a minute later a brilliantly white ermine was snuggled up against Lucius. The cloak had fallen away and lay forgotten in the snow, slowly getting buried.
Nykole wasn't sure what to do. If they stayed put they risked being buried in the snow. She wanted to move to the other side of the wall in the hopes that it was blocking the wind driven snow. The problem was they would have to fight their way through four feet of loose snow to get there. "Any suggestions on what to do next" she ask Kat and Lucius.
We need to get the tent out. Kat thought exhaustedly, move it to the top of the snow. Lay out the tarp to press it down.
And then pray.
Pray to whatever God they believed in, if any, that the snow would stop and they could recover the wagon and their supplies.
Lucius relayed Kat's message and Nykole started working as fast as her cold fingers would allow her. She only paused to pick up the discarded cloak and throw it over her feline friend. Kat's option was probably the best option as it didn't require a trek though the snow in the dark.
Once she had the tent laid out she held one end open and beckoned the others inside. There was nothing to be done about the broken poles. They would just have to make do.
Kat was moving sluggishly, but somehow she managed to make her way into the tent and moved in as much as possible so her larger companions would have enough room. The poles were broken, but they were present enough to provide a smallish dome above them.
How much more could fall? Kat thought in panic, It should be almost done, right?
Nykole lay in the middle of the tent with her legs pulled up to her chest. Lucius lay behind her leaving room in front for the little ermine.
"You hanging in there alright" Lucius asked Kat. She had been through a lot and he knew it.
Tired...came her quiet response. She was curled up at Nykole's feet, close enough that her soft white fur was pressing against her to provide as much transfer of warmth as was possible. As they existed together, their bodies were filling the tent with warmth - though that was all relative. Just because it was warmer inside than out didn't mean that it was warm.
We should shake the tent every so often to keep from getting smothered... her eyelids were drooping and it was getting harder and harder to keep them open.
I'm sorry I couldn't do better... she murmured before exhaustion claimed her.
"Then sleep, I'll take first watch and you did fine." He was sure she even heard the last little bit. Soon he was alone as both Kat and Nykole were asleep.
Kat was growing on him, but when you see someone's emotions lead bare like that it was hard not to care.
Kat woke an indeterminate amount of time later and only the sunlight that pierced through the walls of the tent told her that time had passed. Time had passed and the clouds must be gone.
She was alive.
She was alive!
And then dread crept in. She was alive but was her pack? Had they survived the blizzard?
In a panic she scurried around and began nudging Nykole with her nose while calling for Lucius, Lucius! Lucius are you ok? Are you with me?
Lucius sat up with a groan. He had tried to stay awake but had succumb to exhaustion some time in the night.
"Yes, yes I'm here" he answered her pleas.
At the same time Nykole also stirred from her slumber. "The sun is out, that's a good sign" she said aloud.
Oh thank Gods, thank Gods! she could practically cry for joy. Somehow, someway, they had managed to survive a blizzard. They had managed to do something truly spectacular.
In frenzied excitement she ran circles around the little half-collapsed tent and around Nykole's feet. Tiny ermine squeaks emitted from her as she moved and then she froze.
How long has it been? A day? Two? I have to be human every two days!
Nykole sat up as best she could in their ramshackled tent. "What has gotten into our little friend here." She ask Lucius as she watched Kat run around the tent.
Lucius chuckled as he to watched the spectacle "She's just excited to be alive after last night." He responded.
Nykole thought for a moment. "Once we find the sled I think we should take the rest of the day to rest. That storm took a lot out of us."
"I'll go find it!" she practically bounced about and then went to the front flap and wiggled open a tiny hole with her nose and....was met by snow.
Well...that wasn't good. There was barely enough room in the tent for the three of them when she was a tiny weasel of a thing. And she didn't have hands, or height, to open it further to actually get out.
She stepped back and tilted her head at Nykole, "Door needs thumbs." she told Lucius.
Lucius held up a paw "don't look at me, I have no thumbs." He said with a smirk. " Nikki please get the door for Kat, she thinks she can find the sled."
At his request Nykole got up and opened the tent flap the rest of the way. The snow was piled so high that she had to crawl out on her stomach. Once out she stood and stretched. Her joints stiff from the cold.
Lucius followed the others out before stopping to survey their surroundings. What had been tall ruins looked like a series of low walls and pillars. Their tent was nestled in a deep depression.
Kat zoomed from the tent the moment Nykole was out of the way and buried her nose in the snow. With the sun shining at the wind calm she almost felt warm in her fur, warm and full of joy she never expected to feel towards anyone in the expedition. Her job had been to be an ass to everyone – something she had no issues doing and even enjoyed making people feel miserable.
For a time, at least.
Now, however? Now they had survived a blizzard with little to no protection. She had done her very best to try and save these two companions and she damn well wasn't going to make that effort be in vain. No. Now that they had survived she would make it her life's mission to keep them safe until they were forced to part ways.
The snow was crisp and sent tingles of pleasure through her nose, but that wasn't what she was here to do. She needed to find their supplies buried in over four feet of snow. She should be able to sniff it out and then burrow to find it. Once she found Elarick's clothes she'd be able to change back for a bit, maybe eat some smoked meats or whatever they had.
"Here!" She called and simultaneously squeaked for Nykole's benefit before digging her tiny claws into the snow and disappearing beneath. It didn't take long to find the top of the wagon and used her nose to find her way to the foods that they would all need in order to start their trek. It would be along haul yet and there was no way they'd be able to dig this entire thing out by themselves.
Nykole followed Kat's lead and started digging down to the food. In this cold it food was important.
After a solid fifteen minutes digging in snow up to her chest she emerged victorious, the bags of pemmican and hardtack in hand.
"Eat up you two" she said opening the bags for others before laying on her back exhausted.
They needed to get the sled out to carry their supplies but it was going to take a lot of time and effort and she didn't know if she had it in her.
Kat helped Nykole dig with her tiny little ermine claws, but even still it was faster for the elf than it was for her. But sooner rather than later the food was rescued and topside. That didn't stop Kat, though, she needed Elarick's clothes so she could transform back into her human form. She wasn't sure how long they were all asleep, and though she doubted it was longer than eight hours or so, she didn't like not knowing her clock.
That and it was abundantly clear that her little self-protective forms weren't doing much to help the rest of the survivors.
So she dove back under and kept digging around, grabbing furs in her mouth and pulling them up with extreme efforts.
While she rested Kat continued to dig. "Ask her what she is after" she said to Lucius.
Lucius was about to ask Kat when she returned with some of her furs. "I'll help" he said as he started to dig next to the ermine helping to retrieve the clothes.
Kat was thankful for the help and together, she and Lucius were able to pull up the extra large furs. Once they were all laid out on the snow, Kat began the transformation process. It was slower this time. Terrifyingly slow. She didn't think that he had outrun the clock, but maybe she had gotten too close to the deadline and that was the issue....but....she'd been within minutes before and things had still happened normally. Now, though? Now she was struggling....
That wasn't good.
She had been transforming a lot. Maybe there was a daily quota she had never actually met? Maybe she was just tired and cold and hungry? Whatever the issue, she had a gut wrenching feeling that she wasn't going to be able to transform back and, if she did manage it, there was no guarantee she'd be able to transform back within the 48 hour window.
Gods dammit.
After an excruciating few minutes, she was finished and laid panting in the snow. Her body was hot from the pain that came from transforming and the elongation of the process made it even worse. She wasn't sure if she had been able to keep the grunts and quiet closed-mouthed screams from escaping – normally she didn't have a problem but it was also typically faster.
The cold overtook the heat soon enough and she crawled, exhausted, towards the pile of clothes and began pulling them on as fast as she could until she was a pile of oversized furs sitting in the middle of the snow.
"Sorry..." her voice carried out of the pile softly. It was impossible to even see where her face was. It was comical, really, her small frame encompassed by the clothes of an over six foot heavy-set man.
Kykole laid on her back gnawing on a bit of hardtack. She sat up when Kat said sorry. "What are you saying sorry for, you have been most helpful."
"I don't think I can shift back." Her small, tired voice came from the pile of clothes again, "Not for a while."
It made her feel defeated to admit it, like she was admitting something horrible and nasty - something you'd never want company to know. It made her weak. Without her abilities she was just another squishy human.
"You just need some rest, we had a long night, you have to be exhausted." She flopped back onto her back and let out a tired sigh. "I know I'm exhausted"
Kat shivered, trying to figure out what to do and how to make the best of this situation. She was a survivor, it's what she did, it's who she was! But here, in the tundra? She wasn't prepared for this. She didn't know how to survive without her own personal set of skills. Despite surviving the blizzard, they were still in an exorbitant amount of danger.
"We don't have time." She replied, pulling the furs even tighter against her body, "We have to move or we're going to die. You know that, right? The cold will take us one by one."
"All I'm asking for is one day to rest and get the sled dug out." She didn't mean to raise her voice but she did. "We have to get things in order. Rushing off without supplies or a plan will get us killed."
It was three or four day to the nearest hot spring if the stayed on course which was nearly impossible without a compass. They were tired and weak from exhaustion, did Kat really expect them to just move on carrying all their gear.
Kat couldn't believe what she was hearing and she could feel anger boiling beneath her exhaustion. She stared at Nykole, mouth ajar, and then exploded.
"And then what?" She bellowed from her too-big clothing and through chattering teeth, "Then fucking what, pointy? Are you going to pull the sled?! You volunteering to do all the work?! I fucking keep you alive last night and pulled all that shit the day before. I don't have anything left to give you."
Nykole roared "you bet your ass I'll pull the damn sled by myself." Her voice quivered with anger but she managed to bring her voice down "Now you can leave if you want but I doubt you would make it far." With that she turned and started digging some more.
Kat didn't move. She didn't even respond to Nykole after her outburst. She was seething and she was exhausted and she was cold, but she also knew that whatever the elf claimed, she wouldn't get far while trying to pull a fully laden sled. The elf was being ridiculous.
But transforming was out of the question right now. Kat, literally, couldn't do anything to help and only Lucius had been kind to her so far. From her side, the elf was just an ungrateful mooch who couldn't even conjure up a thank you for all of the work that Kat had done for her.
Gods, Kat was too tired to argue back. That was new.
So, instead, she huddled deeper into her too-big-furs and, much to her complete mortification, she cried silently to herself.
Nykole was so angry she could barely see straight. She focused all that energy into digging out the sled. The continents of the sled was haphazardly throw on either side of the pit.
Having dug down to the sled she then dug a ramp to pull it up and out of the hole. Exhausted she collapsed on her back. Her anger Having burnt itself out.
Lucius came and sat next to her. "You ok" he ask. He wasn't used to seeing her get so upset.
"I'm just peachy" Nykole mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.
Kat was cold. Colder than she had ever been in her entire life. Any other time she would have transformed into something that would have kept her warm, but now? Now she was afraid to do anything. If she transformed and couldn't turn back she would be stuck in that form forever past the 48 hour mark. Her companions didn't understand that and she wasn't feeling particularly keen on sharing that bit of information. In the wrong hands, that could mean the end of her.
She also didn't understand why Nykole was angry with her. She had literally done all of the heavy lifting during the storm. Aikaterini had kept them both from being buried and was now asking for some grace and was being yelled at for it? Ridiculous! Why had she even saved them in the first place? She didn't owe them anything. Gods she was stupid. All it would have taken was for her to run off as a polar bear and she would have been fine – living off the land was what she knew! It was how she had survived this long in the first place! She was more bear than human.
Soon her thoughts became stupid and slow as the cold crept up her legs and rooted her to the ground. The arctic wasn't just cold, it was death incarnate. How long had it been since she had last felt her fingertips? Or her knees even? Was it just her, or was it getting warmer?
Just a quick nap. That's all she needed and then she would be better; then she'd be able to transform.
Just a quick nap....
Her eyes closed and she drifted into a hypothermia induced sleep with tears frozen on her cheeks.