༄ؘ 𝑨𝑹𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦

༄ؘ ✧ 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑵

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ༄ؘ 𝑺𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑵 ༄ؘ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

𝑨 𝑪𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑾𝑨𝑺𝑵'𝑻 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑵'𝑺 𝑰𝑫𝑬𝑨𝑳 𝑷𝑳𝑨𝑪𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑷 𝑭𝑶𝑹 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑵𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻, 𝑩𝑼𝑻 𝑹𝑨𝒀𝑳𝑨 had built them a fire to make sure they stayed warm during the night instead of traveling through the snow in the below-freezing temperatures. Ezran was bundled up in a cloak to use as a blanket to try and keep him warm so he wouldn't get sick, and Marin was cuddled up to Callum's side and watching him draw in his sketchbook.

Both siblings saw Ezran roll over out of the corner of their vision, and Callum paused his drawing. "Ez, you should really try to sleep."

"I'm... I'm..." he sneezed, wiping his nose. "I'm fide."

"You're not 'fide,'" Marin chuckled. "You need to rest."

Ezran got up and stood on Callum's other side, sniffling. "What are you drawing?" he glanced at the paper. "Oh."

"When you were down there, under the ice," Callum spoke softly. "I was so scared. Marin went after you, but minutes went by and... I thought I was going to lose you both like we lost her. But you both made it. And now I can't stop thinking... Maybe she was watching over us."

Marin huddled closer to her brother's side and leaned her head on his shoulder. "If she knew what we were trying to do, she'd be proud of us," then she glanced up at Ezran and narrowed her eyes playfully. "And she would yell at you to go sit closer to the fire and bundle up!"

He sniffled again, walking over and putting his hands out in front of the flames to warm them. "I know."

Footsteps got Marin's attention, though it was only Rayla coming in from outside in the snow. She'd left a bit ago to go looking for some food to eat. "She's beautiful," Rayla said from behind her, looking at Callum's book. "She's your mother?"

"Yeah," Callum quietly said.

Rayla lad out a little pouch on the ground. "I found some moonberries. This should keep us full... for a day," she took two different berries out of her pocket and held them out to Ezran. "And I found these for you. Bogeyberries! Ancient Xadian cure for the common sniffles."

Ez took them and went to eat them, but Rayla stopped him. "Mmm... nope. They don't go in your mouth. To cure a stuffy nose, you've got to stuff 'em up your nose."

The other two siblings smiled at Ezran and Rayla. "Oh," Ez said. "Seems doable."

"How's the egg doing?" Rayla asked them, frowning.

"I don't think it's getting better," Marin said sadly.

Callum nodded. "It was glowing so bright before, but now it's dim and flickery."

"It's even darker than when I left..." Rayla sounded pained.

"We gotta find help," Ezran said, his voice slightly messed up from the berries stuffed up his nose.

༄ؘ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

𝑾𝑯𝑬𝑵 𝑴𝑶𝑹𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑪𝑨𝑴𝑬, 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑷 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑫 𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑽𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑨𝑮𝑨𝑰𝑵, 𝑴𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑵 𝑾𝑨𝑺 relieved when they finally came across civilization again. Trudging up snowy hills and mountainsides was exhausting when still recovering from being ill. She was mostly better, her fever was gone and the aching in her bones had mostly dissipated, but she still felt tired and slightly weaker than she normally did. A slow recovery, but a recovery nonetheless.