The cavern air was damp and heavy with silence, broken only by the faint dripping of water echoing off stone. Asha wrung the last bit of moisture from her tunic, laying it flat once more in the narrow shaft of sunlight.
Kai shifted beside her, flexing his arms, though the motion was clumsy. His body felt strange—light in one sense, like he had been scoured clean, yet heavy with exhaustion. Deep inside, beneath bone and blood, something faint pulsed—an almost imperceptible hum that wasn't entirely his own.
He tried to listen for it, but the sensation faded like a dream, as if he imagined it.
"Don't strain yourself," Asha said gently. Her voice had softened since his awakening, though her eyes still bore the marks of worry.
Kai gave a crooked smile. "I'm not straining. Just… trying to feel what's inside me now. That tree—whatever it was—it's part of me now, right?" He pressed his hand to his chest. "Like a seed planted where my heart should be."
Asha's gaze darkened. She touched his cheek, thumb brushing across his skin. "I don't like the thought of something unknown lodged inside you. Even if it saved your life."
"Neither do I," Kai admitted, though his smile didn't falter. "But… maybe it's not all bad."
Asha gave no answer, only drew him into a brief, fierce embrace before pulling away. The sunlight beam had begun to shift, and their clothes—still damp—would not dry further. They had little choice but to move on.
When they gathered their garments, they folded them neatly and placed them in a bundle atop their heads. Naked, they waded into the icy stream. The first touch of the water made Asha hiss between her teeth.
"Cold!" she gasped.
"Hold on," Kai said curtly, though his body shivered the same, just not as much.
Asha's hand settled firmly on his shoulder, a silent tether in the encroaching darkness.
The water lapped at their chests as they hugged the cavern wall, avoiding the deeper middle. Their breaths puffed in small clouds of white.
Each step was careful, deliberate—the stones beneath slick and treacherous. The tunnel loomed ahead, its ceiling low and oppressive.
Kai raised his voice softly, "We'll have to crouch. Keep the bundle high. Don't lose grip."
"I trust you," Asha said simply, though her grip on him tightened.
With slow steps, they followed the stream into the low tunnel. Luckily, the water wasn't deep enough that they had to swim.
The tunnel swallowed them in blackness. The ceiling pressed down to within a head's height above the water. They stooped forward, nearly submerged, the icy stream clinging to their skin. Their breaths grew louder in the cramped space.
"Steady," Kai murmured, guiding them. "The flow isn't strong. We can do this."
The water clung to their skin like icy fingers, each step through the underground stream a shiver that rattled bone and marrow. This was especially so for Asha who didn't have the resistance to cold that Kai has.
Their clothes, folded carefully and balanced atop their heads, wavered precariously with every sway of the current. Naked, pale against the blackness, they moved slowly, their breaths sharp and shallow in the echoing cavern.
"Don't lose your footing," Kai whispered, voice low and strained, though the sound carried strangely in the tunnel.
Asha's hand gripped his shoulder firmly, her fingers cold and trembling but steady. "Just keep moving forward. I'll follow."
The ceiling dipped lower the deeper they went, until only half a head's height separated stone from water. Kai bent his neck and shoulders, forcing his body almost entirely beneath the frigid stream. His teeth clenched against the urge to gasp. He could feel the slow drag of the current against his legs, the weight of Asha's hand, the sharp bite of cold.
He could only keep reminding himself, if we fall here… if I falter, she has nothing left to cling to.
The tunnel stretched on in suffocating darkness, broken only by the occasional drip from above and the sound of water sliding against rock.
Asha's thoughts raced behind her calm demeanor. He's too weak still. His body hasn't recovered, even if the tree healed his wounds. If he collapses…—she tightened her grip on him, as though sheer force of will could keep him upright.
With each occupied in their own thoughts, minutes bled into eternity until suddenly—blinding light. They stumbled forward, the stream widening and opening into the outside world.
The tunnel spat them out at the foot of a rocky cliff, trees rising in wild disarray beyond, their leaves gilded by the waning afternoon sun.
Kai drew in a ragged breath and blinked against the brightness. "We… we made it."
Asha released a shaky laugh, more relief than humor. "Barely. But yes… we're out."
They quickly dragged their way ashore before collapsing, embracing the warmth of the earth, no matter how meager.
Soaked, chilled, their bodies trembling with exhaustion, they sat beneath the towering cliff face. The forest exhaled its damp, earthy scent, and the light was warm compared to the cavern's grip—but the sun would not linger.
"We need shelter," Asha said firmly, wrapping her arms around herself. She glanced toward the sky, already streaked with orange. "Not out in the open this time. We can't risk the wolves again."
Kai followed her gaze and understood there wasn't much daylight left. Maybe a few hours at most.
They had to act fast or they would be left stranded and vulnerable in the dark. Who knows what other dangerous creatures would be roaming for weak prey like them?
They wiped away as much water as they could from their body before dressing in their slightly damp clothes. Although the moisture brought a chill, the thickness of the furs was still a big improvement to before.
Then, they started searching for a viable place that they could shelter for the night. Kai was still wary about any unseen dangers, so he made sure that they stuck together as they moved.
After surveying the surrounding area and not finding any dangerous animals nearby, Kai found a tall, sturdy tree to climb atop to get a better view.
He looked all around and saw that he was at the bottom of a valley of trees on one side and a tall cliff face on the other. He scanned along the cliff face until his eyes caught a narrow ledge carved into the cliff wall.
He brought Asha to the ledge, and it was sheltered by stone and shadow, but it was too high up for them to reach.
"There," he said, pointing. "We can reach it… if we climb that tree and cross the branch."
Asha frowned at the height. "Are you sure?"
Kai gave a small smile despite his fatigue. "We've done worse."
The climb was awkward, their limbs stiff and their damp clothes clung to their skin, but together they reached the ledge. Asha remained above while Kai descended again, determination pushing him past the ache in his body.
"I'll bring wood," he said, ignoring her protests. "We'll need fire."
Branch by branch, twig by twig, he carried what he could, passing them up to Asha's waiting hands. He even found a hollow tree with a bird's nest nestled inside, dry twigs and down perfect for kindling.
After passing enough materials to Asha, Kai found a straight and sturdy branch which he quickly fashioned into a makeshift spear by sharpening the tip against a rough rock.
He returned to the stream to spend what little time remained to fish.
By the time the sun slipped low, Asha had shaped a small bed of leaves and coaxed flame from friction, smoke curling upward as fire crackled to life.
When Kai returned from the stream with a crude spear in hand, only one fish skewered upon its tip, he looked half-defeated. His lips were pale from the cold, his body shivering despite the fire's warmth.
"Only one," he muttered, handing it to her. "I wasn't strong enough to catch more."
Asha touched his cheek gently. "One is enough. You came back—that's more than I can ask for."
Sitting by the fire, the heat brought new life into their weary bodies as they proceeded to their next task.
With care, they used the dragon scale to slice the fish, its edge gleaming faintly in the firelight. The meat skewered on a stick sizzled over the flames, and soon the smell filled their makeshift refuge.
Hunger made the taste divine; each bite was shared, passed between them in silence until the bones were all that remained.
Kai leaned back, his eyes heavy-lidded, the firelight dancing in their depths. "I wish… we had more. Not just food. More than surviving like this."
Asha rested against him, her bruised body aching but her heart full. "Then tell me. What do you wish for, Kai?"
He was quiet for a long moment, staring at the sky as night unveiled itself, countless stars piercing through the dark canopy above.
Finally, he said softly, "I wish to live. Not just survive, but live. To see the world. To eat delicious food. To be surrounded by friends. To become stronger. To find what this… this all means. Why I am here. And…" He turned his head to look at her, his voice barely above a whisper. "To always be with you."
Asha's throat tightened. Her fingers found his hand and held it, warm against the chill. "Then I wish for the same."
Their foreheads touched as they gazed into each other's eyes, tender affection expressed without need for words.
They lay together beneath the endless night, wrapped in one another, the fire crackling low at their feet. The stars blazed with silent brilliance above, and for the first time in many days, neither thought of danger or pain. Only of the fragile, unyielding bond that carried them forward.