An Outlaw's Shenanigans, an Explorer's Horror

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(Energy - 5)

The Icy Lands were just as cold as Sova remembered them. Actually, it was colder since this time he was much farther in, nearing Mt. Frostmeer. Luckily, the snow wasn't obstructing vision, or he might have gotten lost trying to find it. Why was he even here? He thought about turning around, but the idea was quickly discarded as he was reminded of a voice echoing through his head.

His recent hallucinations brought on by the peak of Black Mist Mountain hadn't lasted with him for more than one day, yet he was still hearing the voice in his head, insulting him, calling him weak. Not because of any drug, but just because he couldn't forget it. The only thing he felt would ease his mind of the voice was to prove it wrong. What better way than risking death to climb a mountain for no sensible reason?

Even though he felt exhausted already just getting there, he didn't let up even for a break. He had to prove to himself that he wasn't weak. Though....proving something that isn't actually true in the first place usually isn't easy.

"Sounds like you don't get along with....anyone. Normal or weird. Guess I'm the lucky one, huh?" Sova joked. Only one of the mentioned "weird ones" seemed noteworthy to him, the kirlia. He had met a rather shady seeming kirlia once. The odds of the two being the same kirlia were unlikely, but possible.

"That kirlia, what was their name?"

"Akuroma, dyed himself a weird color. Always tried to be some kind of bad*ss intelligent guy. It was hilarious seeing him in a tutu though, especially with the way his voice is," Mirage snickered, almost regretting that she had not made the joke to him about him being the damsel in distress when they needed a decoy back in..shadowhue was it? Mirage could hardly remember the last time she saw him, could not really say she was all that worried for his safety though. He was asking for it if he ended up falling flat and getting himself jailed.

Sova laughed. "Hah, how about that....I met him. He wore a cloak, to be mysterious or something I guess. I'd have loved to see him in a tutu instead." Just the thought of that lightened his mood a bit. But then he thought about the cold again. "Hey, are you alright? Too cold?" He asked. Perhaps it was time for them to leave, before Mirage passed out from the cold or something. The glaceon was doubtful he'd be able to carry someone else well in his injured state. He also didn't find the idea of his new friend dying of hypothermia to be particularly appealing.

"Nah, I'm fine! I have fur," Mirage spoke, conveniently ceasing her shivering without making an effort to stop herself from shivering. There was no need to burden them both with her misery. She had already figured the Glaceon was already probably planning on leaving here soon, so why bother about it?

"You wanna get back to the game or what?" she asked, seeing as the topic had kind of finished with Sova's comment about the cloak and lack of tutu, "Oh, right it was my turn, Hmm...Never have I...slept under a roof of a house."

If the zorua insisted on being alright, who was Sova to argue? He decided if Mirage said she was alright, it'd be best not to try to insist otherwise. Then the game resumed. "You haven't? Well....I have, I'd offer for you to stay with me if I wasn't currently living in the guild...." He said.

Now it was his turn to think of something. "Hmm....I've never felt important."

"Neither have I," She paused before continuing without any further comment, "Never..." she paused again, trying to think, it was getting harder and harder to come up with something. Why could not she think of something? She continued at last, "have I eaten a fish," she finished.

She had not noticed, but she seemed to be huffing a bit, her paws dragging along in the snow and creating lines rather than paw-prints. She trailed a bit behind the Glaceon, but not noticeably far behind. She could see her breath in front of her, puffing out any warm air her body might be trying to contain. On the brighter side, the cold was beginning to go away! She was relieved that the cold did not seem to be biting at her any more. She awaited Sova's answer, dragging her paws along as she went.

Sova tilted his head at the question.  Fish?  What a random thing to ask.  Perhaps Mirage was running out of questions.  "Uh....neither have I."  He said, sounding a bit confused.  "I've never....had a life threatening sickness."  He said after a moment of thought.  He wondered if the zorua had ever been at risk of death outside of battle.  Of course IN battle they had both been at risk of death.  The froslass from earlier alone seemed very intent to kill both of them, after all.

At least a few good things came out of the day.  He'd gained a friend and evolved. He could also now properly enjoy the scenery. So much so that he got a bit sidetracked and stopped looking back at his companion....

"Neither have I," Mirage spoke, "Never have I...Never..." why couldn't she think straight? Mirage shook her head, trying to clear things out of her head and regain composure. Once she felt a bit better she continued, "Felt...that I could be loved..."
What did she say? She could not remember if she had even said anything. Her mind was in too much of a jumble. She stared down at the floor as she walked, tracking off to the side a bit every now and then and failing to walk in a straight line.

"Ah....I guess I have, since I grew up with loving parents....but if you mean....romantically....I guess I've never really thought about that at all." He paused for a moment. Mirage was sounding....really weird. The game could wait, he needed to make sure his friend was okay first. "Hey, you alright?" He asked as he turned to Mirage, noticing that she was walking irregularly. He stopped to allow Mirage to catch up, hoping she just needed a break....

"Yeah! Y-yeah...I-I'm fine..." Her voice trailed off as she caught up to the Glaceon, her eyelids becoming heavy and her legs becoming weak. Once she was caught up with him, she collapsed into the snow. The cold no longer bit into her, she felt no weariness, just numbness. She felt nothing, and therefor wanted to do nothing, "Juz a biv ov a res's'sall" she spoke. Her eyes slowly closed with relief being the only thing she felt. The vixen was suffering Hypothermia, an illness caused when the body cannot produce heat faster than what was being taken away. If left alone, it would slow her body until her heart stopped beating.

Before Sova could even protest and say that Mirage didn't seem alright in the lightest, she collapsed in the snow before him, saying....something, before closing her eyes and falling so silent, the glaceon began to fear the worst. "M-Mirage!? Are you alright!?" He shouted in a panicked tone as he shook her in an attempt to get her up. He wasn't an idiot, he knew something was wrong and laying in the snow was only going to make it worse. At this rate, he'd have to carry Mirage to safety.

"Zim fine...juz need t'teyk a nap...go 'head wizout me ill cash...yup...leighter..." Mirage finally spoke after a bit of a silence before giving in to the drooping eyelids. She was unaware of what was going on, and really only cared about getting some rest. The cold was nothing, the pain from the battle was nothing, everything but the weariness was nothing to her. She did not care about anything else, and curled up right there to rest, not even bothering to find someplace warmer.

Sova, panicking, decided to take action despite Mirage claiming to be fine. She clearly was not fine. "If you aren't gonna get up on your own, I'm gonna carry you." He said hesitantly as he pushed his head under the zorua's waist and lifted her over his neck and onto his back. As an eevee, he definitely wouldn't have been strong enough to lift her with his injuries. Good thing he wasn't an eevee any more. "I'll get you out of here....just don't do anything stupid like go towards the light...." He muttered.

Mirage felt herself be lifted, but did nothing to fight back against it. She was in a dream-like state, her eyes were closed and her mind projected images of dreams. It was more of a nightmare though, as she had been returned to her birth town. The townsfolk looked down on her, chased her out of town, occasionally getting pitchforks and torches like something out of a film or book whenever her Parents came to bail her out of a situation and attempt to talk things through. Everyone hated her, she could almost feel herself growing thinner and thinner as she had nothing to eat and her family failed to provide for her. She wanted out, the nightmare was too much. She backed into a corner of her dream, the reality being amplified in her mind and magnified to worst case scenarios.
"Just leave me alone..." was the only words that reached the waking world from her mouth.

Sova glanced back at his likely dying companion. He knew she was in a very poor state of mind, if she was even in a state of mind in the first place, so what he'd perceived as him being told to go away didn't make him feel bad. He was too busy worrying. "Yeah, not gonna happen...." He muttered as he walked. It was going to be a much longer trip with this incident....

Despite his best efforts, thoughts of the worst-case scenario began to creep into the glaceon's mind. He wondered if Mirage could even hear him in what ever twilight zone she was in, but decided to try and give her some compliments. The least he could do was assure her in her dying moments that she wasn't as horrible as she thought.

Though thinking of something to say over the stress was proving to be quite difficult. All he could manage for the moment was a quiet "Don't die...."