"For all we knew, the fighting outside might have concluded already," Celine continued.
"I find it hard to believe that," said Blanc, shaking in head in disbelief, "It's only been a few days."
"All of us here know, my love, how fast things can change in days," Celine replied, a sad look on her face.
And the truth of her words was undeniable.
It reminded Blanc and the rest of them, how fast all their lives changed in a matter of days.
"Fine, let's say you are right," Blanc sighed, pushing all those memories away, "What do you suggest?"
"We look for the path to cross the Gardens, and if it is defended, we remain in the taiga for the duration of our stay here,' Celine replied, telling them what she believed was the fairest of options.
Blanc refrained from voicing another opinion, deciding to keep it for himself as he turned to the others and asked, "What do you all think?"
"It's fair, I agree with Celine," Miyanna replied, not having anything else to add.
"I like that I can read here," Kael began, "But I won't be able to read in the wetlands with all that water around. So I am more than happy to remain here even without checking anything."
Blanc sighed, hearing his reply, but could not put the blame on an eight-year-old for being greedy in his wants and needs.
So, he turned towards his younger sister, "What do you think, Lune?"
"There's plenty to hunt here as well," Lune said, finding herself agreeing with the rest.
There was no point in trying to voice a different opinion, as, in a way, Blanc agreed with all that was said as well.
Remaining unseen was the most important thing they had while in here.
If the fighting outside had stopped, and Noble Blood Certa turned his eyes back towards the Silver Gardens, then remaining unseen became even more valuable.
After all, discovery meant that they had to leave. And fast.
They had only one thing to barter with, and Blanc was almost certain that even if that thing bought their freedom, the Patriarch of Blood Certa would not miss the opportunity to finally be able to defeat Blood Denegis.
Regardless of the thing he would be defeating would be mere remains of what Noble Blood Denegis meant months ago.
"If all four of you are in agreement, then so be it," Blanc nodded, having to agree with the better plan. "With that said, we should now begin our search."
After choosing to head towards the trees in the distance to their left, they began walking to cover as much distance as possible while they still had sunlight left.
But their advancement got cut short earlier than they wanted to by two events that followed them in quick succession.
One of them was that they got face-to-face with a large herd of caribou, an opportunity far too good to just let go, deciding to use it as their big hunt of the day.
Many of the beasts escaped, but just as many painted the snow crimson, with Blanc having four for himself, while the others got five each.
A decision that saved Blanc from overharvesting, as the carriou did not offer him any new Marks but instead blackened the Mark he received from the moose a few days ago when they first passed into the taiga.
However, in the midst of Blanc wiping the sweat from his forehead, glad he did not waste any kills on himself, Celine fell to her knees, grabbing at her chest as she received a Bloodshard fragment of her own.
"Congratulations, my love," Blanc said to her as her complexion improved.
"You were right," she started giggling, the feeling still uncomfortable to her, "It does hurt like a bitch."
"I know, right?" Blanc replied, before he started laughing, while the rest were still unconscious, harvesting.
The second thing that followed shortly after they were done with their harvest was a snowstorm that came out of nowhere, with a strong wind announcing its arrival from the north..
Deciding in the moment that it was dangerous to continue, Blanc began shoveling as much snow as he could around two thick trees, trying to make a wall around them that they could use to shield themselves.
As he kept piling snow higher and higher, the rest were preparing the tents.
However, Kael and Lune, in their panic, were not able to set it up in time and soon gave up on that idea, putting it back in its place, and hurrying inside Blanc's tent just as the snowstorm began whistling through the branches, announcing its approach.
They did not have time to get enough wood for a fire or to set up their campsite properly, which brought all five of them inside the same tent.
Luckily, the tent had enough room for all to stay comfortably inside, with Blanc letting the twins and his wives use the bed to sleep and warm themselves while he remained awake to watch how the snowstorm progressed, and to ensure no beast approached in the night.
But letting them sleep in the bed did not mean that they were agreeing with his ideas.
"The cold is getting to you, hubby," Miyanna sighed, trying to find a solution. "If we try, there is enough room for you in here, as well."
"If I stay in bed, I might fall asleep," Blanc countered, pointing with his chin upward, "And all of us sleeping peacefully while we are inside a snowstorm is madness."
It was hard to argue with his words; the storm outside made sure of that.
Beyond Blanc's back, the wind howled like a wolf, thrashing against the tent's fabric and making it shudder in every direction it pleased.
By some stroke of luck, and maybe some quick thinking, Blanc's hastily built snow walls held firm, blocking most of what the blizzard tried to throw at them.
And what snow managed to slip through the walls was met by the tent.
Yet, the good, thick fabric held strong, enduring the storm's anger, and more, showing off Celine's great foresight skills.
"Fine," Celine said, not trying to argue when she knew he did it for them, "But at least use a sleeping bag while you do. We might be more resistant to the cold now, but it can kill us just as easily if we overestimate ourselves."
"Please, Brother," muttered Lune, a guilty look on her face.
Hearing their pleas and seeing how Kael remained silent, most likely blaming himself for their inability to set up their tent, Blanc gave up and agreed to use a sleeping bag during the night.
With a dinner consisting of dried meat and water, and with guests in their tent, all went to sleep, leaving Blanc to listen to the wind raging on outside and the whisper of his thoughts inside his mind.