Crash

39: Star Map

A Week later

Lyra-

I continuously yanked my small travel brush through my thick hair. I needed a hair cut, but mine wasn't as short as Nathan's and the ends would split if I used my knife.

I had enough to worry about at the moment so I pushed my self concerns away. The temperature outside was deathly cold, nothing could stay out there, well, nothing but Baine. He loved the cold.

As soon as he found the ice tunnel, he was up and out. I didn't know where he was for hours until the lump of snow beside the entrance to the tunnel wiggled and lifted its head.

He'd slept for so long that the snow had covered him and he didn't seem to mind at all.

I knew the temperature had to be subzero or a little more. This was nowhere near subarctic conditions. Believe me, I don't think emperor penguins are worth your eyebrows freezing and your toes being blue.

Most days, we didn't leave the cave because it was so bad. Nathan went out for traps and to get meat from the cache but made me stay here. He was absolutely terrified that I was going to get sick again, even when I reassured him that I wouldn't.

 The cold never really bothered me but I did prefer warmer places, the Amazon was pretty nice  in this case for instance, but I hated the bugs. Especially the spiders.

The wind always howled and screamed but we were very insulated between the cave and the snow cave built around us. We would hang around in the domes of ice to stretch out or take a walk. Nathan and I picked up the process of tunneling to the crack again. We had a whole system running under the snow like a web.

Early on, it was clear that we were going to need a smoke vent and an oxygen hole, so we poked a hole in the ice ceiling just outside the door. We kept it open by re-opening it with the spear every few hours.

To keep ourselves sane, we played stupid games like hangman, tic-tac-toe, and even checkers that I'd made with rocks and a horribly drawn board.

Now, Nathan was trying to teach me chess. Trying.

"Wait-wait a minute, can I move the uh...horse..one..." I struggled to remember what the stone with the etched in horse head was.

"Knight?" Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, can I move it here?" I pointed to a small space near the original spot where the knight sat.

"No, Knights can't move that way."

"Can I move this one?" I picked up a stone with a small crown on it.

"Yes, the queen can go before the king because the queen protects her king," he took it from my hand and placed it in front of the King.

Ten minutes later, I lost my last pawn and bishop. Nathan sat triumphantly with all of my playing stones next to him while his players littered the space we called the board.

I scowled at him, "That wasn't fair."

"Life isn't fair," he shrugged, smirking.

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. Can you hand me a hair tie?"

I gestured to my bag and he pulled it into his lap.

"Where are your hair ties?" He asked, shuffling through my things.

"I dunno, look in the pockets," I sat back and poked at the fire with a twig.

"Well no hair ties, but I found a notebook."