define('WP_CACHE', true); {"id":84,"date":"2009-03-10T21:19:24","date_gmt":"2009-03-11T05:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crossed-paths.com\/logs\/?p=84"},"modified":"2014-02-02T17:28:43","modified_gmt":"2014-02-03T01:28:43","slug":"chapter-8-snowed-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crossed-paths.com\/logs\/archives\/84","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 8: Snowed In"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 8: Snowed In<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/strong>In Which Jozra and Soquan Find Themselves Snowed Into Their Burrow.<\/em><\/p>\n

———————————————————————————————<\/span><\/p>\n

Catamount says: Hours later the ferret wakes up into darkness. She furrows her brow and murmurs. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s odd\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: The otter grumbles in his sleep and rolls over, taking with him his body heat and a lot of the blanket.<\/p>\n

Catamount says: The ferret gasps in the suddenly very chill air. She hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realized how cold it had gotten outside their little nest.<\/p>\n

Arrin says: Soquan sleeps on, obviously unaffected by the cold.<\/p>\n

Catamount says: Jozra grabs the cloak she was laying on and wraps it around herself. She stands slowly and feels her way towards where the fire was.\u00c2\u00a0 Shivering, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s finally able to light a small torch and with this little illumination, she looks around the cave, trying to remember what woke her up.<\/p>\n

Arrin says: He wakes up moments later, yawning widely.\u00c2\u00a0 Not feeling her nearby, he sits up.\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jozra?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Catamount says: She murmurs from across the cavern.\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m here.\u00c2\u00a0 Something woke me up and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure what\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 It feels kind of like I slept in.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: He stands and frowns, his ears twitching this way and that. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no breeze coming through.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Catamount says: The ferret sniffs the air. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right. Think the hole is plugged up?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: He heads towards the entrance. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll check.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He heads up the passage and comes back down a moment later.\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re stuck in here. Snowed in to be precise.\u00c2\u00a0 The snow\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s turned almost solid, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t move it, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only enough room at the top of the hole to let air in.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Catamount says: The ferret huddles deeper into her cloak. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That would explain why it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so cold, but it should warm up soon, right?\u00c2\u00a0 I wonder if we should light any fires, though.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: He shakes his head. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t light any fires, the smoke wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get out and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d suffocate. And I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know about it getting warmer, the air that is coming in cold air.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Catamount says: The ferret puts out her torch and feels her way along the wall to where Soquan is. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, sometimes snow acts as an insulator.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve known of those trapped in blizzards sometimes digging a snow cave to keep warm.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: He shrugs. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maybe it will then.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He takes her paw in his to let her know where he is.<\/p>\n

Catamount says: Jozra blinks owlishly to no avail. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So I suppose we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to put up with cold food for breakfast. Think it will thaw soon?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: He grins lopsidedly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think we might have to wrap it in a blanket to keep it from freezing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He pauses for a moment. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Goodness, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shivering. C\u00e2\u20ac\u2122mere.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He leads her back to their nest and pulls the ferret against him, and folds his arms around her. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Any better?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Catamount says: Jozra tucks the cloak tightly about her and nods. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Much, thank you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Anytime.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0He leans back and pulls the blankets around them. He settles down, still holding her close. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So what do you want to talk about?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Catamount says: She thinks quietly for a bit while she warms up again. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m kind of concerned about getting out of here. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m willing to wait a couple of days but our food won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t last much longer than a week.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: He nods. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know, I should\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve warned you about the flash snowstorms. I doubt that the storm will last for more than a week.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Catamount says: The ferret thinks about this for a bit. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So I suppose if the snow melts sooner we can get on with our trip, but if it melts later, we should just head back to the village\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: He nods. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yeah, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no need to starve ourselves over just a little bit of gold.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Catamount says: The ferret nods. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I agree.\u00c2\u00a0 I had more or less given up on finding gold before I met you anyway.\u00c2\u00a0 This just seemed convenient and a nice trip to take.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: He nods sleepily, yawning loudly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yeah\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Catamount says: The ferret chuckles. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem like there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s much to do other than sleep then.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yeah.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0He grins and continues in an obviously playful, seductive tone, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That is, unless you can think of something else to do\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d His grip around her waist tightens in a suggestive manner.<\/p>\n

Catamount says: The ferret chuckles. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Now\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 That would use up our air even faster I think.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Arrin says: He laughs. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0He gives her a somewhat affectionate nuzzle. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We sleep then\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He closes his eyes.<\/p>\n

Catamount says: Jozra pulls the cloaks tight around herself and soon falls back to sleep.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 8: Snowed In In Which Jozra and Soquan Find Themselves Snowed Into Their Burrow. ——————————————————————————————— Catamount says: Hours later the ferret wakes up into darkness. She furrows her brow and murmurs. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s odd\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Arrin says: The otter grumbles in his sleep and rolls over, taking with him his body heat and a lot of … <\/p>\n