Not an hour since they left, Sovanna, Rokki, and Taro were cranky and hungry. Sovanna knew then what Taro had been talking about. They shouldn't have moved so much when they had little energy to begin with. They needed to conserve energy, not waste it. At least today was on the sunnier side with more light poking through the white fog making the snow sparkle.

"I hate snow now," she said, shaking her leg ever step she took. It was deeper the further east they went as if the snow wanted to hinder their journey. 

But this second full day of nothing but travel was the day they wanted to make progress. And progress was slow. If the snow did get too deep, they would have to find a long way around it because there was never a shortcut without a map and Taro wanted them all to stay on a straight line east or they might miss Drazlesk.

By noon, Sovanna forgot her hunger and instead wished for greenery. All this white, even though it sparkled in the sun, was blinding her and boring her. She wanted to look at thick greenery. She wished the dip-trees would spring up back to life. Sovanna missed the moist warmth of Tumattamaku's air and how lush it was in all seasons. Her mouth watered at the thought of sunlight droplets, but she shoved them away to avoid her hunger.

"I'm bored," she muttered, trudging alongside Rokki.

He gave a grunt after a long pause.

"What if we keep going, nothing changes?"

Rokki grunted again.

"I miss home."

"Me, too."

He poked her cheek with his finger. There was a pause as if he were waiting for her to retaliate, but she was far too tired from earlier to get into a playfight. She raised her gaze to where Taro flew alone. She wondered how he managed it. Maybe the monotony was nothing to him. Maybe it was home.

"He looks bored," Rokki commented, "We should bring him down."

"How?" Sovanna didn't want to call a rest stopping when they barely left their sleeping tree. They needed to travel more for that. Today was to be their big travel day. Every pause in their step was a waste of time.

"Sovanna, tell me something makes me mad."

Sovanna glanced up at Rokki knowing where he was going with this. It was a typical game for young Kaunlutha to play with each other. Especially useful when neither felt like moving.

"You shouldn't have smooshed snow in my face," she began.

"You started it," Rokki said back.

"No, you did," she smirked, bouncing off of him with ease, "Caging me with your legs like that."

Rokki turned to her and gave a teasing grin. "If you hadn't squeezed against me so hard that—"

"If you'd given me more room under his wings—"

"If you weren't so fat—"

Sovanna bristled, for he had gone too far. "I'm not fat, you are." She pointed to his arms. "See? Proof."

Rokki held out his arm. "What part looks fat? It's muscle."

Sovanna scoffed. "Muscle, sure. You don't know real muscle looks like. Look at my arms."

"You mean your chunky arms?" He grabbed her arm, dragging upward that she was forced to walk on her tiptoes. "Look, mostly fur and skin."

"Let go of me," She tried to pull away, but he was too strong. Rokki then winked at her and nudged his chin toward the sky. She gave a nod and took the opportunity, "Taro," she called, "Rokki's pulling me. He won't let go."

But Taro didn't say anything, and kept his head on the horizon. Sovanna took a deep breath and yelled, "TARO ROKKI IS—!"

Rokki yanked at her and she nearly bit her tongue.

"TARO SOVANNA IS—!"

Taro swerved out of the sky and flew down in front of them causing Rokki to drop Sovanna to the ground. "Shut the quagg up, you hatchlings," Taro snapped, "One thing after another and do you two not get along at all? Can you, oh, Guardian's tongue," He took a deep breath and glared at them, "I'm hearin' som-tin. I'm quaggin' tryna list'n, 'kay?"

Sovanna blinked because she had never heard him speak like that before. His words slurred together as if he forgot how he usually spoke.

"What? As if Aerisi don't have our own swear words, that it? You think we're not a real race, yeah?" Taro crossed his arms. "Quagg means poop, okay? And hatchlings is cub or kitten or baby, okay? Calling you both needy toddlers. I'm about six entire years older than you two. Listen to your superior and shut up." He flew back up.

Rokki tapped Sovanna on the shoulder. "We should be quiet?"

She shrugged, more surprised at how angry he was with them. Sovanna and Rokki weren't actually arguing with each other. It was a form of playfighting and it was only to get him to come down, not to make him angry.

The fun was over though as Taro came back down saying they had to travel north a while because a giant sinkhole was before them.

"Nothing like I've ever seen. Not that big," he said, "No way around it but a long way north." He gave them both a hard stare.

Sovanna grabbed Rokki's paw. "See? We get along. Playfighting to get you down here, that's all."

Taro licked his lips. "What do you want me down here for?" he grumbled, "That's not going to help." Despite his grumblings, he didn't fly back up and instead led them north from the ground. Sovanna wondered if maybe he was a little lonely up there by himself.

But before they could get any further, a figure burst out of the trees intercepting them in their path. Taro halted causing Sovanna to stop abruptly and Rokki crashed into her.

The figure was a Human wearing a thick black coat. It paused in its tracks, eyes widening at the sight of them. It was no more than a few steps ahead and Sovanna could make out an unnatural bulge on its chest as if it were carrying something beneath that coat. The thin pale face pulled down as brows furrowed. Sovanna glimpsed a marking stretching from the left cheek down into the collar of the coat. It was one of those Humans from the Human clans.

No one moved. The frozen jungle was hushed. Snow fell from a tree with a THUD.

A child began to whimper and then legs thrashed, pulling a hood back over a head that poked out of the coat in the front. Sovanna smelled sour sickness. Then the child began to cry.

The Human immediately bouncing the child up and down, patting it's back. "Shush, it's okay," the Human cooed, female by her higher-toned voice, "It's okay, sweet, it's okay."

Then the Human lifted her gaze. "Please, let us go by. We mean no harm."

Sovanna didn't know what made her move, but she came out from behind Taro, paws raised with pawpads showing. When she spoke, she was careful not to let her fangs show so much.

"We passing by only. Is child unwell?"

The female's face softened and small smile crept across her lips. "What a relief that you understand me. I met a few who didn't."

"Maybe we can help?" Sovanna took a step forward. Taro grabbed her shoulder.

"We should go. We're wasting time."

And not help them? Sovanna frowned. Taro might not have lived around Humans, but she knew Humans were a lot more vulnerable to severe weather. Oolid stayed near the fence because it was too hot in the day, too cold at night to live anywhere closer to Kaunlutha. But Kaunlutha were born in the jungle's ever-changing weather.

"It's child," she said to him, "and what if," She grappled for a reason to interact then an idea clicked, "What if they know how to get to Drazlesk?"

"Vanna," Taro hissed and grabbed her arm, pulling her away, "Don't."

"Don't grab." She yanked herself free. "What's your problem?" Then she turned back to the female and smiled, hoping she looked friendly enough. "Do you know how to get to Drazlesk?"

"Drazlesk?" the female asked, adjusted straps digging into her shoulder. The child whimpered. She patted his back. A long silence passed. Somewhere, snow fell from a tree with a soft thump. The female sucked in her lips and whispered, "It's not for the faint of heart."

Faint of heart? What's that mean? I'm not faint. Sovanna thought she could take on anything after what Oolid did to her, even if she couldn't feel the Ater again.

The female didn't say anything more, fidgeting with the straps. They had to make a deal. Sovanna looked at the child whose forehead glistened with sweat despite the chill in the air. She knew a little about fevers. Her father used to give her a drink made of fyrflower honey and it always made the fever go down. If she could find some fyrflower, they could make the drink. All she knew was that the honey was in the flower. If not the drink, maybe the child could chew it.

"Looks like child has fever. I can help with that. Then you can help in exchange."

The female's eyes shined. "Oh, that would be brilliant. But he doesn't have—"

Taro grabbed Sovanna again. "Vanna—"

"Savat, let me go!" She pulled away. He was being ridiculous. This was a mother and child in dire need of help. She couldn't leave them. "Let me. I know how to get rid of fever."

Suddenly, Taro yanked down the blanket of the child, revealing its face. The female squeaked and pulled away. "What are you—"

"He has iceblood!" Taro shouted and the child woke and began to cry. Sovanna recoiled at the sight. While its face was white with a peachy hue, below its chin, the neck veins were so white they looked like streams of ice making cracks across the skin. She had seen iceblood in the corpses that came in from lower Kaunlutha. They were all pale beneath their fur.

This is what the skin looked like. She shuddered. The female hastily wrapped her child up again and rocked it in her arms. Sovanna bit her lip. On one paw, she didn't want to have anything to do with iceblood. On the other paw, she wanted help because she knew how horrible it was to lose someone to iceblood. She always tried not to see the mourning families that came with the funeral succession to the graves. But it was a helpless death. The saddest way to go.

"Fidni," Rokki swore, "I thought only Kaunlutha got iceblood."

The female bit her lip and cast her gaze downward. "What you call iceblood, we call the curse of Kukkiri."

Sovanna widened her eyes as a rush of memory sprung forward in her mind. She began to pace. "Trita told me the story of Kukkiri. The frost beast. It destroyed Sechalutha. Commanded by Wings." She glanced over at Taro. He didn't even look at her, staring intently at his wrist, gritting his teeth. "Kukkiri," Sovanna said again, trying to remember what else Trita said, "Ater was extinguished with it. Moon covered the sun. Our powers weakened."

An idea clicked.

She whipped her head around to the child. "When did get?"

"Two weeks ago." The female reached into her backpack and pulled out a stone tablet. "Yes," she said, "Two weeks."

"Are there more?"

The female's gaze traveled from Sovanna to Rokki and then Taro. Then she looked over her shoulder. When she turned back, she nodded with furrowed brows. "Two weeks ago, we had the worst freeze. It came on a dark, cloudy day. Snowfall, heavy and unusually hard. Like ice. Juma, our leader, said it is the march of Kukkiri. He is coming."

Sovanna turned to Taro. "When you left—"

He clamped his hand over her mouth and pulled her away from the female. "Watch your quaggin' mouth, Vanna," he said through clenched teeth, "you don't know where this Human's from." They both looked over at the female, rocking her child back and forth. When the child started to cry again, Rokki went over and cooed at it. He wiggled his tail tuft above the child's head. A smile broke out and the child pulled at his tail.

"Oh, oh, got me. Do I get more smiles?" Rokki coaxed the child and it smiled again, wider. The female's face softened.

"You're a natural with children," she said, "Leshion usually doesn't take well to strangers."

"I have a twin sister. She used to cry a lot." Rokki waggled his fingers at the child. Then he wiggled his body. The child let out a giggle. "Oh, there's another one!" he said, grinning.

Rokki's the most soft I've seen him, Sovanna raised a brow as he pinched his nose and made a nasally voice.

The female tickled Leshion under the chin. "How nice, Lesh, you have a new friend?" She looked up at Rokki. "Your sister's lucky to have a big brother like you, uh—"

"Rokki," he said puffing out his chin. "To-be chief of village."

"I'm Olifanto-Vin. Just a normal Human partnered to a Krokey."

Krokey? What's that? Sovanna wondered when a scaly tail poked out from under the blankets. Sovanna stared at the tail that wiggled whenever Leshion laughed. A Human and a Krokey made that child. A half child.

Her gazed flickered from them to Taro, letting her eyes trail over the feathers on his cheek. The Human skin poked through in thin parts, turning to hair toward the top of his head. Taro scratched his head and sucked in a breath through his teeth.

"It's worse than I thought," he said in a soft voice for only her to hear, "Kazo wasn't joking. He must've released the beast." Taro kicked the snow. "Then regretted it, that quagg."

"What's it mean?"

"We might be out of time." He leaned backward, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and dug his talons in the snow. His wings unfurled and folded back up again. "It's been about two weeks since I left. My intention was to find the lion with the Ater and bring them to the Guardian to prevent the frost from spreading. If I'm not successful, Aerisi risk to be punished under Kukkiri and face the wrath of the Guardians. Kazo didn't want to listen to the Guardians anymore. Said he would release the beast early to divide the Guardians' attention while he attacked Drazlesk."

It was a double prophecy though. Sovanna's race faced extinction unless she defeated the beast, but she needed Ater to do that. She couldn't let Taro take that away until she knew Kaunlutha would be safe. But there was a loophole.

Somewhere, but how? Not as if I can have both.

The emerald that held the magick of the Guardians wasn't hers yet with Bristya unwilling to let it go. Sovanna couldn't have the Ater if she wanted the magick of the Guardians.

"Oliphanto-Vin, if your child's healed, will you tell us how to get to Drazlesk from here?"

Sovanna whipped her head around. Taro was talking to Oliphanto-Vin. Her eyes were wide and one hand felt for something under the blanket. Rokki, standing near the child, narrowed his eyes.

Oh, she's got a weapon, of course. Sovanna jerked forward.

Oliphanto-Vin nodded. "I know what you are. I used to be a knight. I know creatures. Sure, I knew your father."

Taro gave a wry smile and rolled up his sleeve. "You know what, I think I've seen your kind from the ledge of my window. The nomad half-scales, right?" He pointed to the scaly tail that whipped in and out from under the blanket. Oliphanto-Vin hurriedly hid the tail in the blanket, but it was pointless. They had all seen it now.

"Humans wedding to Krokeys was true!" Taro gave a bark of laughter, but his eyes weren't smiling. "Government ploy."

"Government?" Sovanna said and all heads turned to her. "What's that?"

And now they ignore me. She pursed her lips when Taro and Rokki both turned back to Oliphanto-Vin.

Taro lifted his hand. "It's a deal then. I take iceblood away, you take us to Drazlesk."

Oliphanto-Vin held out her hand and gave a smirk. "Deal then. I'd cut my palm for a blood pact, but I don't want to scare Leshion."

Before Sovanna knew it, Taro had made a deal. He pressed his hand against the child's neck as if he were to choke, but when he muttered something under his breath, a light of white and blue pulled out of the child's skin and traveled into Taro's arm. Briefly, turning his arm as white as the snow, then it was back to normal. Leshion fever visibly disappeared and a pinkness returned to his cheeks.

"You healed him!" Sovanna couldn't believe her eyes.

"I merely took back the frost. Now it's in me to run its course. Safer option." Taro staggered backward and pressed a hand to his temple. He jumped up and down. Then he flew and made a few loopholes in the sky. Sovanna hoped he wasn't trying to secretly tell her something again.

When he landed, Leshion was squirming in his mother's arms.

Taro gave a pat on the child's head. "Give him a day, and he'll back to normal."

Sovanna went up to peer at the child's face. Leshion smiled at her and she noticed some scales near his hairline. She didn't know half-scales were possible.

Whoever Government is, they made this child happen.

Humans were trying to take over Elgana. She shook herself and turned to Taro. "We should go."

"Not yet," Oliphanto-Vin stood, "the deal was to take away iceblood. There's a few in the village. Besides, I can't tell you how to get to Drazlesk. Stopha can. We're going to my village now, Winged One. And call me Oli."

Rokki slapped Taro on the back, making him stumble. "Fidni, Taro, where've you been? Could've used you on everyone in lower Kaunlutha."

Taro clicked his tongue. "You caught me then Oli. I did make a deal like that. Aerisi don't cheat deals. I should have been more specific. And it's Taro."

So, they all ended up following Oli into the west of the jungle. Taro's healing worked on Leshion. He was squirming around so much that eventually Oli had to put him down. Leshion stumbled in the snow and grabbed Rokki's tail. Rokki hissed a little bit, but kept a straight face. Then he picked up the toddler and put him on his shoulder. Leshion squealed and laughed.

I used to do that with Papa. Sovanna furiously wiped a tear away. Then seeing Oli so tenderly take Leshion from Rokki and the way she smiled at the child and cooed, Sovanna wondered if that was what it would have been like to have a mother. A hole opened up in her chest.

She clenched her paws into fists and stomped through the snow, leaving big, messy pawprints. There was no one to go home to. She could return to Rukkatukin for her race and they would cheer for her. But it didn't have to be her. It would be anyone with power of Ater or the Guardian.

The thought left her hollow inside as though someone punched out her soul to replace it with darkness. Sovanna could take the Ater to the Guardians after defeating the frost beast. If all went well, Bristya would give the role of Guardian to Sovanna.

What if that didn't need to be me? She nodded to herself. Someone else. Rokki?

Rokki had real drive, wanting to do the best for his race. He and his sister together would make the perfect leaders. They knew what lower Kaunlutha wanted. Sovanna couldn't even give names.

Is that the loophole? she wondered. I make Rokki a Guardian?

"Sovanna, don't fall behind." Rokki slowed down until she caught up. He cocked his head toward her and whispered, "Are you okay?"

"Of course!" She said then frowned. "You don't have to sacrifice."

Rokki ruffled her hair. "Fidni, I'm happy to serve my Praenglutha," he said. "It's honor."

She could tell his mind was set. Now she would sweep it out from under his feet. Her purpose was to fulfill the Solar Song prophecy no matter what. Like Taro, she would see it through.