A taste of

I feel nothing, my consciousness seemingly suspended in a pitch black void that consumes all. "Is this what dying feels like?" I ask myself as I stew in the nothingness around me, however as I lie there I begin to hear a sound a whisper barely audible. I focus on the sound, trying to amplify it and I begin to hear it get louder, no longer a whisper it develops into formed words "Runt! Come on! Get up!" The sound repeats cyclically growing louder and more urgent with each go around, the sound gets louder and louder until finally. I take a deep gasping breath as I come to, oxygen filling my deprived lungs, instantly I'm hit by the encompassing embrace of the cold. The soft snowfall feeling like daggers stabbing into my soaked skin.

"Gods you're alive" I hear to my left, I open my eyes to the blinding light of the day "Elyn?" I ask as my eyes try to focus on the figure infront of me, but Elyns form shifts as my eyes focus and I see the familiar green skin of Quinara. As I focus I see that Quinaras damp hair was stuck to her face and she despite all her strength was shivering in the cold, she must have dove in to save me. "You saved me?" I ask her "n-not yet runt" she says her teeth chattering in the cold, "need to get us back to camp before we freeze to ****". I nod and attempt to stand but the cold has weakened me too much, I couldn't even feel my legs as they had gone completely numb, "I can't stand" I say fear creeping into my voice.

Quinara rises to her feet and for a brief second I think she's about to leave me to freeze to **** but she leans down and picks me up, carrying me in her arms like one would hold a newborn. She takes off in a sprint into the forest I'm jostled by her movement, her movement is choppy not the deliberate confidence she had previously. It's clear the cold is weakening her with every second, the damp heavy clothes acting as additional weight as she brings me me through the woods. I hear her strained panting, she was barely masking the pain of the cold, I begin to lose feeling in my hands and pass out again.

"RUNT!" Quinara shouts rousing me from the void once more, "ugh" I moan, "don't close your eyes stay with me" she commands as trees pass us in a blur. "Talk to me" she says desperately keeping me conscious as if I were to pass out again it would be likely I'd never wake up. "I didn't listen" I say deliriously "I'm sorry, I failed you", "ok ok it doesn't matter ok" Quinara says back almost soothingly. I ramble incoherently about Elyn and fairies and Quinara listens diligently as she carries me back to our camp.