Marius looked at him, drained, but the meat warming him somewhat. He hugged his knees, his lips quivering.
Kyle shot him a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, we can’t have a fire just yet, now with those assholes still around...”
“You’re already outdoing yourself... Kyle... I’d be dead without you.”
Kyle looked at him, getting up. “You’ll be dead if I don’t hunt... I’ll be back. Don’t sleep?”
Marius nodded and watched him leave, his eyelids heavy. He struggled to stay awake, but the cold helped somewhat, his body shivering.
Kyle roamed the fields for hours, making sure to leave some small clues to find his way back. He ate berries and hunted small rodents, filling his bag with them. Looking up, he spotted a brown patch under a rocky cliff and walked cautiously closer.
The huge bear lay on its side. It had been probably dead for days, the pungent smell of rotting meat invading his nostrils. He still approached it cautiously, his eyes darting around for other predators, but there were none. Exhaling softly, he walked next to the animal, his eyes gleaming, and proceeded to cut its skin off.
He was exhausted by the time he’d finished, dusk settling in, dangerously quickly and he bundled the stinking skin up, tucking it under his arm. He left swiftly then, following his clues in the dim light, the wind stronger, chilling his bones.
Marius startled when Kyle's form filled the crack’s entrance, the overpowering smell of rotten meat making his stomach flip. He breathed through his mouth, his eyes wide. “What the f...”
Kyle grinned, tossing the skin, some firewood and his bag down. “I found a dead bear.”
Marius moaned, livid. “Great...”
He watched Kyle stretch the skin out on the sheer rock, same as the rabbit fur, and he scrapped at it with a rock, working methodically, sweating despite the biting cold. Kyle then added all the salt he had in his bag to it, making sure it was well covered, and then busied himself with taking the dead rodents out of his bag, skinning and gutting them.
His eyes darted to the dark sky filled with stars. “They won’t see the fire up here, not the smoke either. The night is too dark and there’s fog now settling below.” Kyle lit the fire, the warm flames slowly seeping into their flesh and bones. Marius sighed, closing his eyes, but Kyle swatted his thigh. “No sleeping yet.”
His eyes flew open, a small smile on his lips. “You’re being a real bossy little twat...”
Kyle’s eyes gleamed. “Your teasing temper is back? Maybe there’s hope.” He put the rodents on sticks and roasted them on the crackling fire, the smell of the rotting, drying fur everywhere.
Marius pulled a face. “This smell... horrid.”
Kyle grinned. “Your spoiled Roman ass can’t handle a bit of stink?”
His face darkened, his eyes lighting up. “Watch your mouth...”
Kyle smirked. “Or else...?”
Marius lunged at him, pinning him to the ground, panting, their faces close. “Or else...”
Kyle wriggled his nose. “You stink too... don’t blame the bear...” They laughed and kissed deeply, but Marius was too weak still, and Kyle rolled him off. “You’re useless... sit and eat.”
They ate the rodents, the scorching flesh divine in the bitter cold, and then lay close to the fire. Kyle spooned Marius as he needed the warmth more, his body still shivering despite the fire’s radiating heat. Kyle stroked his shoulders and side, sending more shivers down his body. Marius’ eyes closed, and he dosed off at last.
Days had passed, their progress steady, their worried eyes glancing behind and around them. The landscape seemed deserted though, and they were progressing on rocky land. Kyle had bundled Marius into the bear's fur after two days, and he felt much better, less cold, but worry chewed at him, watching Kyle in his plain leather clothes, his breath billowing in the air with every step. A couple of flakes drifted from the sky and Kyle stopped, watching them fall, holding his palm out to watch them melt on his skin, the tiny ice crystals landing on his face, tingling, his face turning upwards as more and more flakes fell.
He sighed, a vague happiness glowing inside, and Marius watched him, amused. “Surely this is not the first time you see snow?”
Kyle smiled; his eyes lost in his memories. “No... but the first time in years that I can enjoy it...” He looked at the intricate pattern of the flakes on his sleeve. “I was not allowed to leave the house with Lucius...” Marius’ face contorted, and he embraced him, just holding him as the snow fell. Kyle sighed, pushing him away. “Nice... but we need to go... Look, there seems to be a cave further that way...”
It seemed very far, in the rock, a small opening and Marius steeled himself to continue walking.
It took them hours to get there, Marius’ tired body screaming at him, every step a torture in the heavily falling snow, Kyle’s eyes on that single dark hole in the rock which seemed to drift further with every step. Still, they had no other option but to reach it, hoping that it was empty and large enough.
When they arrived, it seemed even smaller than from afar, barely allowing them to crouch in, following the damp walls with their hands, Kyle’s voice echoing in the narrow corridor.
“It might become larger, hopefully...”
The distant sound of water, gentle drips and Kyle hurried a bit more, feeling a gentle warmth invade the air, a soft glow in the distance. The narrow tunnel ended, and he found himself in a big room, the ceiling stretching endlessly towards a hole high up, letting the light in. His eyes fell on a large pool in the cave, gently fuming, the smell of sulfur strong in the air and his heart fluttered.
