The boy
Now becomes a man
Those 'round
Cheer his name again
But now
Is he truly a man?
His eyes
Vacant, hard as stone

They slowed down to a walk when they were sure the villagers didn't follow them.

"Why didn't you use Father's sword?" Dov asked with a wheeze, hunched over slightly while trying to catch his breath.

"I didn't want to hurt you by accident," Aeric replied, equally breathless.

Dov scrunched his nose as they stopped to rest by a tree, just a few paces away from the road. "I don't think the shovel was any safer."

"Then be glad I didn't hit you."

In truth, Aeric was scared to draw it. He had seen what the weapon had caused, and he was afraid he'd follow the same spiral that other sword wielders had fallen down. It was a stupid fear, but one he had nonetheless. And above it all, the sword hung at his waist, heavy with the promise he had made.

"How did you know that they were...you know..." Dov clenched his teeth and stared at the ground, visibly disturbed by what he had seen.

"You noticed how quiet it was, too, right?" Aeric asked, and Dov nodded in response. "I realized it was because all the animals were gone. That, and it was a farming village without any crops. So I snuck out the window when I 'went to use the facilities' and found a pile of bones in the back. There were human skulls in that pile."

"...To think we could've been dinner," Dov said in horrified awe. Aeric simply nodded in agreement.

Silence surrounded them as they caught their breaths, and it would have remained that way if it weren't for Dov suddenly looking past him.

"Wait...Aeric, look over there!"

Aeric could only blindly grasp at Dov as he rushed towards something Aeric couldn't see. Panic flooded his veins for a second time that day as he ran after him, dodging around bare branches and leaping over roots. He cursed the fact that he was much taller than his brother, thus couldn't move as freely between the overgrowth. When he finally caught up to where Dov then stood, he grabbed his arm.

"Don't run from me," he seethed.

"But Aeric, this is—"

"Do not run from me!" He would regret yelling at Dov later, but he needed to keep him safe. He promised he would. "Do you think this is funny to run away? What if I didn't catch up and we ended up separated? What if those cannibals were still around? You don't even have a lantern. If you get lost, you will freeze to death!"

"Aeric," Dov whimpered, clawing at his fingers to get him to let go, "this hurts!"

He released him as if he was burned.

They stared at each other for a long while with only the fog from their breaths between them. He could feel the blood rushing back into his fingers. Had he really been gripping him so tightly? What was wrong with him!

"I'm sorry," Dov said quietly and lowered his eyes before he could say the same. "I won't run from you again."

There were no words that could have mended what was lost. Instead, Aeric looked to the side to see what Dov led him to. Before them stood a steep decline that created a basin. Steep enough to be concerned but level enough to be walked upon. Trees that had long died and became stripped of bark poked up through the top of the thick fog that settled below. It swirled ominously, almost as if it was beckoning them to follow; to walk amongst it. There seemed to be no end, not even as he looked left and right.

It was the end of the forest and the beginning of the Neverdawn Plains.

* * * * *

Cold.

He could barely think of anything else. Every step he took was labored as he waded through the thick snow that covered the ground. The wind tugged at his cloak and threw ice in his face. Some gusts were so strong, he thought it would surely extinguish the life-flame his brother now carried.

He worried for Dov. He always had, but now as he listened to Dov's teeth chatter harshly, he knew something was deeply wrong. It was when Dov pitched forward dangerously as he stumbled over his own feet when his worst fears were confirmed.

"Dov?" He managed to catch him before he fell into the snow. "Hey, maybe we should—"

"Look!" Dov exclaimed, pointing at something with unfocused eyes as he struggled out of his grip. "Mother! Aeric, she made it! She's—She's right over there!"

Aeric wanted to scream. "Dov, there's no one there. Please, we need to rest."

"No! Look!" Dov insisted angrily. "They're right over there!"

To hell with the Neverdawn Plains! He knew this was a bad idea from the start! Dov had stopped shivering, and his protests were becoming weaker. While he didn't know much, Aeric knew he didn't have much time left. As carefully as he could, he hoisted Dov into his arms and began trudging once again. He had a new goal in mind, however. He needed to find shelter now. Anything to keep the hellish wind off of them.

He didn't know how long he had been walking. He didn't even know if he was heading in the right direction. There were times he thought he should turn back to the forest, much preferring the dangers that awaited them there. At least they had enough to move forward. They could find another gate instead. But would Dov make it? Maybe they were closer to the Neverdawn Gate than he thought. If he could just get through it, Dov could get better. Dov had to get better.

Fear and panic gripped onto his heart every time he thought Dov had stopped breathing. It was only the lethargic fluttering of his eyelids that told him his brother was still alive.

"Just hold on a little longer," he told him, even if he wasn't sure Dov was listening. "Once we find somewhere to rest, everything will be alright."

They stood at the heart of the blizzard now. He could barely see a few feet in front of him. The trees became more and more scarce. Either that, or he was moving at a slower pace than he thought. His arms ached terribly, and he could no longer feel his hands, feet, and face. He even began seeing shapes and figures from the corner of his eyes. Some of them resembled those who he knew back before the war; back before Pyrilor had—

What did it matter now.

That was when something caught his eye. Something more coherent than the random silhouettes that swirled in the snow. Without a second thought, he veered off to the right, hoping to find something—anything that would help them. And he could have sobbed at the sight of a large, stone overhang. While it only had two sides, he could see a nook wedged between a boulder and the rock face as he grew closer. Little snow laid inside. He urged his legs to carry him a little quicker, and he risked a glance down at Dov. His brother's lips were blue, and his eyes were half-shut as he gripped weakly onto his shirt.

He worked as quickly as his numb hands would allow and stripped off both of their tops when he got there. Skin on skin contact, he remembered a hunter saying, if they were caught too deep into the forest and someone became too cold. It didn't matter how undignifying it was; it could be life or death for the one in danger. It certainly didn't matter as he pulled Dov closer to him and wrapped their combined cloaks around them tightly. He couldn't stop shaking. It was so cold, and he was terrified.

"Dov?" he said thinly. It felt as if his throat was closing on him.

"I'm tired, Aeric..." Dov replied quietly. Fear gripped Aeric's heart when Dov muttered his next words as his eyes drifted closed. "Can I sleep now? I'll...make sure to tell them..."

Nothing else was said as Dov became still with only shallow huffs of breath proving he was alive. Aeric pulled him closer, careful not to jostle him too much as he tried swallowing down his panic.

"Dov...? Dovlan? No...No, no, no! Please! You need to stay awake!" Aeric wanted to scream, to cry, to shake him awake, but he knew none of that would bring Dov back to consciousness. "Dov, you can't—" He choked on his words. "Please, stay awake!"

But it was too late.

It was a grueling night for Aeric. He did everything he could with what he had, keeping the life-flames close to Dov and cradling his little brother in his arms, praying for a miracle. No fires would light in the plains, and no help could be found for miles. He considered the possibility of carrying Dov back out of the plains, but where would they go? And if he carried him to the gate, where would they find help? Not to mention he hadn't the slightest idea where the gate was in the first place. He had truly damned them to this fate.

Hours had passed by the time the blizzard had cleared, the fog simply floating silently as it was before. In the dim light, all that could be heard was the quiet sobs of a single person. Why...Why did it have to be him?

Dovlan was dead, and Aeric was alone.