forum Alone in the snow || closed (2/2)||

Started October 31, 2022 by @FallenSinAza

tune

Ezra wrapped himself in a blanket and passed the food around, his limbs hurt so bad from the cold that he wanted to cry, but he couldn't let the others see. "We should cuddle together to produce more heat," He suggested

Kira acknowledged the two's return with a gentle smile, her story time with Rawya had been cut short but for good reason. She grabbed the bread gratefully, eating a piece and stuffing the rest into her hoodie pocket for later. She knew Ezra and Franklyn had been having a rough time, so she decided in her mind that it was enough expedition for the day. She swallowed the bread and let out a deep sigh before speaking.

"We should… rest for the rest of today, after we fix up the tent," she proposed. "From there, we can figure out what our next move is tomorrow. Any objections?"

Rawya nibbled on the bread slowly, trying not to rush. Everything in him was clamouring for more, for him to eat it all, but he didn't know when they'd next get extra food. Better make this last.
The cloak around him felt heavy with worry when he saw how cold Ezra and Franklyn were. Ezra was turning purple, for Pete's sake! He hastened to take the cloak off, his cold fingers trembling so hard it took him four tries to undo the button. He held it out to the space between Ezra and Franklyn, unsure which of them needed it more. But they both needed it more than him; he was sure of that much. "Here," he said firmly. "Take it."

Rawya's offer was very kind, but Franklyn didn't know what he was sick with, and didn't want to get his germs all over the cloak. He noted that Ezra had a blanket, so he shook his head at the younger boy.
"You keep it, I'm not cold."
In truth, he wasn't. He was kinda numb, his headache being the worst part right now. His forehead felt like it was going to split right down the middle, and the dizziness was making his stomach upset. He waved off the bread as well, not wanting to eat because he'd throw it up immediately.

Ezra curled up and shivered, Am I really hallucinating..? I swear I saw him..
"The sun will be rising soon, better get some sleep, I bet they'll have some sort of new training for us."

(Sorry, I was sick)
"Yeah, I agree, Ezra. We need to save up some strength." Kira said, glancing over at Franklyn. With that, she curled up and began to attempt sleep, trying to use the howling wind as makeshift white noise.

"Good night," she whispered at last, before falling silent once more."

(didn't even realize it was my turn :I)
As soon as the sun rose, the camp had noticed the broken lock. Zion burst into their little tent and pulled Kira out by her hair, "Kira!" Ezra jumped up and chased after them, as the others did the same.

Franklyn scrambled to his feet and tried to go after Kira, but his head was spinning immediately. He dropped back to the ground, insanely dizzy, and swore quietly at his own weakness.
I've got to help them …

(Oh! It's back alive. :D)

Kira struggled as much as she could against her assailant, but to no avail. She was a mere child, 11 going of 12 that year, there was zero chance she was getting away from someone almost double her size. She had no choice but to allow him to drag her wherever he wanted. And though her feet were bare and being burned by the cold of the snow, she dug her heels down to make a trail in the snow, and yelled as loud as she could for help, not that she got many of those out before Zion yanked on her hair harder and barked at her to shut up.

She flailed her arms more, no longer trying to escape, but feigning an effort to do so. In reality, she used the act as a way to quickly and stealthily snatch a key off of the belt Zion wore. She had no idea what the key was too, but she only prayed it would be useful. She locked her eyes on her friends who were chasing after her, though they were growing more distant. In a last ditch effort, she threw the key as hard as she could toward the boys, along with half of the bread she had stored in her hoodie, it wasn't much, but she hoped it would help them survive longer. Especially Franklyn whose life force appeared to be rapidly depleting.

Ezra chased after them, his lungs burning from the cold air. "Kira!" He called after them. Ezra clawed at Zion's arm, attempting to loosen his grip, but his efforts amounted to nothing, he was only met with a fist to the stomach. The sheer force of Zion sent Ezra's small body flying. His weak body tumbled and rolled in the snow. Just then, two of the soldiers came over to Ezra. Their large hands gripped his arms, as he himself was dragged to the middle of camp.

Franklyn lifted his head, watching his friends get dragged away, before pulling himself up to his hands and knees. Slowly, he crawled through the snow to where the key and bread were. He nibbled at the bread, for just a moment, trying to get his body to stop shaking, before slowly getting to his feet.
He followed the drag marks, stopping just outside the ring of men in the center of the camp. They had the two kids surrounded, and Franklyn was worried that this might be it. He shoved the key deep in his pocket and stepped up behind the men, trying to see what was going on exactly.