(The next day)
Rain wakes, gentle light shining onto his visage, the morning sun peered through the dense clouds, only to be snuffed the next moment.
It seems he wouldn't get to enjoy the sun that day- truth be told, he couldn't remember the last time he sat down to enjoy the sun's ambience and savour its warmth.
Nevertheless, it was understandeble, one couldn't expect sun rays to shine upon a subterrerean settlement- miles deep within the mantle.
At his feet, nothing but cold ash remains of the previous day's fire, or rather flickering red coals covered in ash, totally immersed- it would take gentle hands, and great expertise to get it going again.
He didn't grumble- more heat will always be appreciated.
Come to think of it, this was not the first time he came close to freezing to death, No, he could count multiple other instances:-
The cold winter nights in Lum's barrow, where waking up to see the next day was a survival task on its own- the nights he spent with Lum huddled over the fire, covered with unfinished and half treated furs.
Or those times, fleeting to his memory- where he witnessed his kindred turn blue- helpless to do anything but watch their lives silently snuffed within its cold embrace
Therefore, his fixation with warmth could be excused- to him, heat was equivalent to security.
And so, the fire rekindled- under his gentle and constant nudges.
With that out of the way, he shifts to his garments, dried but bone stiff- a bout of silent grumbles and his hands fumbling with the stiff leather (what felt like eternity)- he'd smoothened them over, not fully but to a satisfactory degree.
Good enough to be worn.
Rain sighs in relief- things were in order, he now had to sit down and square out his options, he couldn't stay out here indefinately, not with how the elements were unforgiving- it was only thanks to the chance of running upon the adventurer, his corpse, that he'd survive to see this day- else, he would most probably be frozen blue somewhere.
The adventurer!
His mind pulls him, he couldn't leave his unknowing saviour as he was, disgraced .
It was upto him to give him a dignified send off- be it that he's a stranger and whatnot- thats the least he could do.
~~
Moments later,
Rain stood, towering over the blue, and bare corpse- it had come to it. Give him his dignified rest.
If one scanned Rain's immediate sorrounding- you would notice a makeshift grave, parted from the neverchanging expanse of white.
Rain drops low and grabs the corpse by its limbs, dragging it off, into the grave, rather, attempts to.
He fights the urge to retch and vomit as he feels the corpse skin peeling off under his skin.
He fought through it , sheer will alone keeping him together.
After an eternity, the corpse, and Rain got within the grave- parted snow waist high.
Rain set the corpse supine- back aganist the earth, hands clasped onto its breast- a dignified position, he could think of.
He climbs out, sending flakes of snow tumbling- a meagre ammount , insufficcient in covering the corpse, not even close.
Standing outside, Rain paces back and forth, until he halts, hesitation snuffed out- only clarity within his gaze.
He coughs- more to clear his throat.
"I know you can't hear me" pauses,
"I don't know you, or whatever reduced you to this state,..."
"To leave without saying something,...I cannot...It aint right."
"Forgive me for desecrating your body, I wouldn't if I could, but my state demanded"
"You have my gratitude,"
Rain pushes volumes of snow, immediately after his words.
The corpse is covered entirely within moments, the ground leveling, gradually as time progressed- soon, it was back to how it was, similar to the expanse of white all around.
"Thank you"
Rain mutters as he leaves.
Tomorrow, he would brave the snow, head south- a fresh beginning.
"What?!"
On his way back to camp, his boots stepped on something, sending him tumbling face first into the snow.
A branch?
He gets back on his feet, tracing back, to see what tripped him.
One more branch would aid his firekeeping efforts- not significant on its own but would be helpfull nevertheless.
Rain reaches into the snow and grabs it- only that it was not a branch.
Rain examines the polished wood within his grasp, feeling its soft grains with his fingers.
He pulls it further out, a cord of leather tied to its end- it indeed was what he thought it was- rather close.
Not a bow...but a bow snapped in half, its middle splintered.
He relaxes, It most probably belonged to the adventurer, he'd seen many of his kind with such weapons.
He walks off, only to halt mid step, realisation kicking in.
What could snap polished wood in half like that? Wood purposefully made to withstand stress!
From the looks of things, it was only a blow that reduced it to such state.
No one rather, no creature he knew of could do that, not the awakened guards at Lum's burrow, not the adventurers he'd seen, not one....and with such ease?
His blood ran cold.
He had to leave, NOW!
His previous slow and dragging steps turned into a trot, then a run.
He couldn't wait for his doom! Whatever or whoever felled the adventurer might be still around.
Maybe even watching!
Rain frantically scanned the white expanse- his thoughts racing with the simulations of the worst possible scenario.
Back in his makeshift camp, he packed everything he could fit into his packs, his own and the one he got from the adventurer.
It took him barely a minute to be done, his journal, the ferro rod, the trinkets all packed.
He looks at his garments, he would have to leave some behind- the adventurer's pants and boots would be left- His own undershirt also.
Grabbed the packs and slung them over his figure
He then threw his cloak over his figure, covering the coat and packs, covering everything, its ends swinging just above his knees.
With everything in order, Rain runs off, struggling aganist the sinking snow under his feet, right hand clutching a dagger, hidden within the cloak.
His camp fast disappeared behind him...he wasn't about to stop- until he made as much distance as he could, between him and the place he'd sheltered.