Remember the pact of our youth

A joy hard-learned in winter was the warming of the bed
You'd shake for minutes there and move your legs

Well, things have gone terribly awry.

After being knocked out by a abominable snowman, Koa had woken up to a number of surprises. The first: Pip worriedly pawing at his chest, her normal chattering uncharacteristically muted and worried, her nose cold as she presses it into his. "Hey, Pip, I'm good," he'd murmured, reaching up to run a hand through her thick, warm fur. With a groan he pulled up to a seated position, wincing at the throbbing in his head. "It's alright, see?" he reassured the distress dragonling, forcing soothing thoughts through the bond. "Not even paralyzed, I can even move my--- hey, where the fuck are my shoes?"

Yup, there's surprise number two.

It's been about four hours since then, and Koa's genuinely surprised that frostbite hasn't claimed his toes. Or maybe it has- honestly, he's too numb to tell. Pip has done a valiant job of keeping Koa moving, but the concussed Dragoon is fading swiftly, the last of his strength long since spent. Now he's sustained by hope and force of will, both of which have finite supply.

Doesn't help that instead of town, they seem to have found themselves in an endless maze

"I just need like a sec, Pip," he says wearily to the dragonling, leaning against a particularly sturdy looking hedge. The dragonling croons anxiously, nipping his shirt in an attempt to keep him moving, but Koa won't be budged. Slowly he sinks down into the dirt, in a patch of snowless ground Pip's been kind enough to melt clear. He just needs a second to collect his strength. It's gonna be fine. This is fine.

Koa Carpenter

Wrap the blanket over you and keep your head within
Let your breath heat the air until you'd feel it getting thin

// now we are hanging out in the backyard //

He’d watched the last of the event from afar, having not wanted to interrupt the game afoot it seemed. But when the aftermath had settled – and before any various meetings to attend – the Flood finds himself wandering around the aftermath, precisely at the time Petronella, the little sea panther, started darting off in a different direction. She’s bigger now, still unused to the cold entirely, but the cub darts through the snow like a spotted black rabbit, heading straight for a figure she recognizes.

And Sunjata’s quite helpless in catching up – to the point he shifts to his macaw shift, a streak of blue as he chases after the panther, who’s already found her target. But it’s a confusing maze at the best of times, and this isn’t exactly ideal, Sunjata is grateful for the height his macaw offers and the fact that his companion doesn’t blend into the snow.

As such, the macaw lands in front of them, shifting back into himself as he looks to Pip and Koa who’s fucking red as all hell and frigid, and he rushes over with confusion flaring in his gaze. “Koa, what happened? Was it the whole fucking sleigh ordeal?” Already reaching out to tug Koa into a hug, his scent warping to whatever Koa found appealing in the moment, Sunjata tries to offer his own warmth to lend the help he can while Petronella moves to the other side of the dragoon to try and offer some of her own warmth.

the flood

// looking at a new point of view //

A joy hard-learned in winter was the warming of the bed
You'd shake for minutes there and move your legs

Koa should get up. He knows he should get up. And he will, he's going to, he just needs a second, ok, Pip? Wearily and weakly he shoves at the dragon, who stubbornly refuses to stop her tugging at his sleeve. She's begun to suspect that the only way to get him up is by lighting a literal fire under his ass, and seems to be gearing up to do just that, though Koa's mental protests keep her from actually starting the flame.

And then from on high, an angel appears. Or maybe not an angel? There's definitely wings, but they seem rather more colorful and small than one might expect from an angel - or so go Koa's tumbling thoughts, rattled by the shivers coursing down his spine. Then the angel lands, and it stops being an angel and becomes a person, one that the Dragoon can almost recognize as he peers up through lashes covered in frost, and who smells of campfire and pine.

Then the not-angel-person is on the ground, and there's long arms wrapped around him, and also a cat? "Ja-Ja-Ja-ta-ta-ta?" The name is barely decipherable through his clattering teeth. Blinking the last of the snow from his lashes, Koa leans into the Flood's embrace. Pip has weaseled her way to the interior of the bundled bodies, right on the Dragoon's lap. Frowning, Koa tries to remember how he got here, exactly. "Y-yeah, that s-sounds r-right." The whole thing feels very distant and surreal, though that might be the hypothermia talking.

But he's warming up and coming back, the shivers growing less intense. "There were p-presents, and a giant sn-snowb-ball, and...." Pulling back a little, Koa's frown deepens as he stares down at his feet. "... and I think a pu-pumpkin stole my shoes?"

Koa Carpenter

Wrap the blanket over you and keep your head within
Let your breath heat the air until you'd feel it getting thin

// now we are hanging out in the backyard //

“Yeah. It’s me.” Sunjata says to Koa’s chittering, stuttering question – wrapping him in close against his warm chest, making room for Pip as Petronella offers what she can, too. The warmth begins to work, though, as he folds those wings in a circle around the dragoon to trap some heat, and eventually the Koa-Popsicle becomes more melted as the minutes go on. “What?” He asks with a warm, breathy laugh, though he’d be lying if the mention of a mischievous pumpkin didn’t sound like Fangorn. He very wisely says nothing about that particular thought.

So instead, he tries to warm Koa up a bit more, before he pulls away briefly and keeps Koa’s arms in his hands. “Might be a bit cold at first, but it’ll get you feeling better.” He says before he summons his healing magic, letting the cool (probably warm, given Koa’s state) rain fall atop them, soaking Koa to the bones to take out some of the pain or exhaustion he might be feeling. “Let’s get you to the House of Midnight and get you something warm.” He says as he lets his magic do its work, studying the dragoon’s face to try and see any potential thoughts on the matter and whether or not the magic was working.

---

Sunjata uses his healing magic on Koa!

Magic: Let it Rain | Can cause rain to fall in a 30 ft radius that heals allies while damaging enemies. May be used two times per thread, with a two post cooldown.
Type: Grey | Rank: Upgraded

the flood

// looking at a new point of view //

Your leg, ahh! It’s caught in a bear trap some quicksand moss! Quickly you sink in up to your knee as what you had thought to be just a patch of dry moss begins to slowly devour you. If you aren’t freed in about 30 minutes, you’ll lose the leg.

You’ve encountered Quicksand Moss! It should be fairly easy to escape from, though you might experience lingering pain or swelling in your leg.

Quicksand Moss - Quicksand moss has the appearance of dead moss, although in reality, this brown colour is due to it consuming animals instead of sunlight. It grows anywhere a regular moss or lichen would, but grabs any creature foolish enough to come near and quickly digests them.

A joy hard-learned in winter was the warming of the bed
You'd shake for minutes there and move your legs

The comforting warmth of Sunjata's body is doing wonders for Koa's physical state, reducing the constant chattering shivers to fewer, infrequent waves. Add to it a warm, summery rain (magical, he assumes, given the actual season), and the Dragoon is feeling nearly human, with sensation returning to his poor blistered toes.

"'s nice," he murmurs, eyes shutting briefly as rivulets of healing flow over his cheeks. "House s-sounds nice." Pip chirps agreement, her own anxiety greatly alleviated as color blooms back into Koa's face. Slowly, still aching, the young Dragoon shifts, readying himself to stand. Still holding Jata's hands for support, he pulls himself upwards-

- then promptly falls back down, because his feet won't move.

"Wha...?" Looking down to see what's happened, Koa is alarmed to find not toes, but moss creeping up his frigid feet. Sputtering, he attempts to back away, but of course the hedge is preventing any real retreat. Panicked, he kicks out at the constricting plant life, trying to dislodge himself from this new trap. A growling Pip assists as well, snapping and clawing at the creeping moss in a way that's as likely to maul Koa's skin as it is the offending plant.

An overreaction on both their parts? Probably, but it's been a long day.

Koa Carpenter

Wrap the blanket over you and keep your head within
Let your breath heat the air until you'd feel it getting thin

// now we are hanging out in the backyard //

The rain comes down in a summery warmth at odds with the snowfall around them, and for a moment the Flood thinks that everything might work out and they’ll be perfectly fine hauling him up out of the snow and on their way to the House of Midnight, when the fucking universe has other plans. His nose wrinkles, and as Pip starts to try and snap and claw at the moss, Petronella mimicks her in clawing at the pieces trapping Koa.

Only when Sunjata kneels down into the snow does he find the culprit, reaching in and utilizing that strength of his to rip it out of the root and toss it into the hedge, ensuring his leg is clear from any lingering entrapments. “Fuck, you weren’t kidding.” He says with a little laugh at the fact he’s missing his shoes, but it doesn’t matter to him because Koa won’t be walking. In fact, it’s a similar thought that has Petronella clambering up onto his shoulders as Sunjata goes to stand.

Bending down to scoop Koa up fully into his arms, Sunjata spreads his wings, but pauses briefly to ensure that Koa knows what’s happening. “I’ll give you an airlift. It’ll be easier and quicker than trying to get out of the gambit by foot if you want to keep your feet.” And after allowing a second of that information to sink in, Sunjata takes flight, ensuring that he doesn’t lose grip of Koa or Petronella and ensuring that Pip is in sight as she takes flight along with to follow them, to get out of the maze quicker.

the flood

// looking at a new point of view //

A joy hard-learned in winter was the warming of the bed
You'd shake for minutes there and move your legs

The two companions make quick work of the moss, and luckily for Koa the healing rain washes away any collateral damage done to his poor feet. Unfortunately it does nothing to save his socks, which in addition to being soaked, are now irreparably tattered. It's a significant blow to Koa's already diminished wardrobe, but right now he's too grateful to worry about his imminent shopping needs.

The second attempt to stand goes much better than the first, and Koa is feeling positively human again, or at least something close. Rolling his shoulders and shaking his head (now dully throbbing despite Jata's healing, but that too should pass), he nods at Jata's airlift offer. "Got it," Koa answers, despite definitely not getting it.

And so it is much to his surprise that Koa finds himself flying, barefoot, in the arms of an incredibly attractive demigod who smells of smoke and whisky, and damn it's a shame he's far too befuddled to appreciate what a fairytale-like moment this should be.

{fin!}

Koa Carpenter

Wrap the blanket over you and keep your head within
Let your breath heat the air until you'd feel it getting thin