305 Complete Darkness (2/2)

She let out a small curse and glanced around, hoping to find any source of fuel. Her eyes landed upon her soaked robes.

Li Xueyue weighed her options. If she cut off the sleeves, she'd lose the minimal warmth it provided her.

If she let the flame die out, they'd lose their heat source and be plunged in complete darkness. And nothing would be more frightening than that. The storm outside was already heightening her fear, but she tried her best to calm down.

”Damn rain,” she grumbled.

Heiyue's ears perked at the unfamiliar sound of a dagger cutting through a fabric.

Li Xueyue had used the dagger strapped to her leg to cut the sleeves away, up to her elbow. Immediately, her entire body shuddered from the exposed skin. She sucked in a sharp breath and furiously rubbed at her goosebumps.

”It's so cold,” she muttered whilst placing the wet material into the fire.

She prayed the moisture from the sleeves wouldn't kill off the flame. To her dismay, the flame only grew slightly bigger.

”I'm so tired…” she trailed off before yawning. For odd reasons, the cold was lulling. Almost as if it was guiding her to death's doors. Even Heiyue didn't realize she was falling asleep.

It wasn't long before Li Xueyue's eyes fluttered shut. She began to doze off, not realizing it was just a ploy of the weather. Her body leaned towards Heiyue as death slowly crawled from the shadows and towards her leg.

- - - - -

A few minutes went by and Heiyue was puzzled by the silence. He tilted his head, wondering exactly what happened to the soft, murmuring sound beside his ears. He let out a quiet neigh, hoping to hear something. But nothing, except for the quiet flutter of wind.

Heiyue instantly knew something was amiss. He let out a louder neigh and shifted his neck, nipping and nudging in the air. What was happening? He could no longer hear the loving sound of a voice calling out for his name.

Heiyue rose to his full height. He heard the ruffle of clothes before something thumped beside him. With one leg, he stomped the ground in protest, wondering if his friend heard the same thing. But he felt and heard nothing.

At this, he began to panic. He stomped the ground again, letting out a protesting snort. He folded his ears and began to pace the cave, only to shy back from the heat emitted by the small fire Xueyue built.

Heiyue prodded the floor, again and again, hoping to touch something. And finally, he did. The motionless body smelled familiar, sweet, and light. It smelled like comfort, home, and kindness. The smell he was used to and loved. The only problem? She wasn't moving.

He poked at her again with his nose, wondering why the body wasn't moving. What was happening to his friend? He heightened his senses and listened. Finally, he heard it. The quiet, chattering clinks sounded strange. The puffs of air were growing weaker and weaker…

When a rough gust of wind blew past, he tilted his head out of curiosity. Abruptly, the heat he felt on his side was gone. He was perplexed, and for once in his life, he was scared.

Heiyue let out a quiet snort. He paced a bit and continued to nudge at his friend with his muzzle. And little did the poor thing know, she won't be making it until the next morning.

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