--Mara Date: Seventh Week of Winter

----Survivor’s Log, 1st Lt. Russell Winters

“Hey everyone, survival log time again. Hope you don’t mind. Nothing much to do when your shrine is all covered in snow, right? So…where do I start this time; because I have good news and bad news? Bad news first I think, get it over with. The Cauthan refer to winter as the time of Kel, their death god. You already know his name I’m sure, given where you all are. Might be a little silly from our perspective, but for a pre-industrial species with little in the way of medicine or artificial insulation, I can understand the nickname. Far as I can tell, it’s claimed its first casualty of the year. About a month ago one of the village hunters went missing. I didn’t recognize the name, never met the guy. Don’t know if he had a family or what. To be honest, after everything that’s happened, I don’t even want to think about that. What happened to you all is too much already and, to be honest, if I think about what Veera and I have too long I just get afraid that it will all slip away. Things have gone right for so long…I just wonder when the fates will decide man and feather kitten weren’t meant for one another. I guess I’ve had too much time to think lately, even with all the hunting and training. Anyway, this situation has pretty much played out the way you’d expect. Search parties were sent out, hunters beefed up their security, but they never found him. Veera and I don’t leave the village without weapons anymore, not that I’ve ever made a habit of it. It’s more that Veera insists we each carry a spear and that I have both of my guns on me at all times. I used to leave the rifle at home for the most part. Yeah, I get it Shifty, enough about the depressing shit, right? Right.” Winters took a moment, clearing his mind and trying to push his less optimistic thoughts aside.

“So on the subject of good news; a month ago Veera and I attended the formal bonding ceremony for those kids I hooked up at the harvest festival. It was a wedding for all intents and purposes, so I guess they really aren’t kids, are they? Asha, the bride, turned out to have a bit of a devious streak under her innocent exterior. She’s pregnant. Dropped the bomb on all of us right there in the chapel, even her husband didn’t know yet. Don’t worry though, it’s not like a shotgun wedding back on Earth, they were already trying for a cub. It’s a bit hard to tell with all the fur in the way, but Veera and Io are both convinced that she’s started to show. As you might imagine, they find the concept delightful. As for Veera and me, with the snows slowly accumulating we’ve pared back on training a bit, spending our free time around town at the various temples, talking to Asha, Zolta, and the other villagers we know, or working on her understanding of English. I told Veera after the wedding that their village has started to feel like home to me. It’s no disrespect meant to you all, or to my family back on Earth, but right now I can’t assume I’ll ever make it back. So from that perspective at least…things are getting better.

Now Dax, I know all you care about is me and Veera because you’re a sick freak. But I respect the dead so…ugh, Jess just plug your ears. Yes, I know what happened when we bathed was wrong. Yes, we both liked it. Yes, we’ve done it again since then. It’s not like I magically stopped sweating after that incident. In any case, we haven’t gone further than that. Veera’s still nervous about being…entered…for lack of a better word, so I’ve been reciprocating with deep tissue massages as best I can. She seems to consider it a fair trade. Jess, you can come back now, I wanted to fill you in on Veera’s training actually.

She’s been doing well so far. The conditioning regimen that Io started us on has fallen off just a bit to make room for more combat training. Since a lot of the guards are on extra duty with the hunters, not to mention Veera’s good first impression at the barracks, her desire to get in the ring has come down from burning obsession to something more normal. We don’t have to compete for space as much. It’s allowed her to focus more on other areas like her flexibility and balance, marksmanship, and what Io’s begun to call the ‘science of augmented unarmed combat’. It’s a mouthful, I know, but it’s descriptive and accurate.” Winters broke for a moment and chuckled as Io appeared at his wrist to nod her head importantly. “What that means, apparently, is adapting human martial arts for use with Veera’s claws and talons. They’ve also thrown in some knife work as well, as Veera hasn’t taken too well to longer bladed weapons. Overall the results have been good. Let’s just say that over the last month I’ve found it increasingly difficult to take it easy on her when we’re in the ring if I don’t want to take a hit. She still hasn’t managed it, but that doesn’t seem to have fazed her like it did the first time. If nothing else Veera’s a realist. She knows she was a rank novice a couple months ago and that I’m one of humanity’s deadliest tools. I gotta admit I love her for that. I will say though, she and Io have become quite the duo these past weeks. Hell, last time I went hunting Io told me, and I quote, ‘see you later, don’t die’.”

‘Excuse me sir, you’re leaving out the part where I pre-loaded the latest version of both my tracking and ursae detection protocols into your armor. Besides, while I enjoy hunting with you, I also enjoyed having some time to spend with Veera and really talk about her strengths and weaknesses. And behold! You did not die.’

“Mmm, quite. As Io so elegantly points out, I’m not dead yet. Not only that, but I have the sneaking suspicion that the finer points of Veera’s relatively explosive lower body strength was not the main topic of discussion for very long,” Winters stated confidently, arching a brow at Io.

‘I choose to resent that assertion out of principle,’ she replied playfully. Winters shook his head.

“Of course…not because I’m wrong or anything. Sorry guys, I got a little distracted there I guess. The food and wood stores are holding up well. We’re getting enough power to keep Io and my suit running. The three of us are healthy. All considered, life is stable. I guess the last thing to fill you in on is that I’m fulfilling a promise today, a couple promises actually. There’s enough snow on the ground now that I’m going to take the ladies sledding. I figure my shield is strong enough to manage the task. As you can tell we got started pretty early thanks to the slower pace. That’s about it from me. Be well you lot. Stay warm and uh…if I’m not back before then, Merry Christmas.” Winters paused as he felt a comforting presence at his side. He looked down at Veera, her golden feathers bright in the morning sun. “Done stretching?”

“Yes darling. I think we should be on our way soon. Are you finished here? I don’t want to take you away from them.”

“I was just wrapping up. I filled them in on the major points since Zolta and Asha’s bonding ceremony. Do you want to say anything?” He offered, remembering the last time they’d been at the shrine together.

“Nothing in particular,” Veera replied, bowing to the shrine nevertheless and speaking a small greeting in English. “Selah to you all.” Winters couldn’t help an appreciative smile.

“I think that’ll do. Shall we then?” With nodded assent, he and Veera climbed the small slope back up to his pod, collecting his shield and her satchel before performing a battery swap and heading out. Veera began to distribute dried meat and raw vegetables as they walked while Io guided them using a rough map of the area on Winters’ HUD. The two of them had a particular destination in mind.

“So, anything you want to talk about?” Veera asked happily, breaking the silence as she idly chewed on a piece of chesko. Her body was constantly hungry for protein of late as she continued to put on muscle mass, primarily in her legs. That particular area of her body was the current object of Winters’ attention, his observation unhidden. “Or would you rather just continue to stare?” She asked slyly, lengthening her strides so that he could see just a bit more of her calves and upper legs as she walked. Winters laughed and easily kept pace, even through the snow that now lay easily half a foot deep throughout the forest.

“Would you mind if I do both?” He asked with a wink. Now that they’d shared multiple baths together, each less awkward than the last, it was no surprise to Veera that her lower body was especially captivating to her mate. He’d always lavished attention on her ass, but as she’d grown stronger he’d begun spending more time on her legs as well, lingering there as he soaped or massaged her after a long day of running or fighting. Given how she looked at his own figure when naked, she could hardly blame him. “I actually do have a question though,” he told her.

“Oh? What’s that?” Veera looked over at him, momentarily unconcerned about her footfalls in the snow.

“Well, a question to go along with my observation that your legs are becoming objects of fierce beauty.”

“Out with it you flatterer!” She batted her eyelids at him. “Don’t stop though.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it Veera. Seriously though, I was wondering what you and Io discussed when I was on my last hunt. I’ve noticed her suggestions for your exercises have been changing as well. What’s up?” Io appeared over the B-MASS, looking between the two of them.

‘Shall I?’ Her tone indicated her eagerness to join in the conversation.

“Sure thing Io! I could use a bit more time to eat anyway,” Veera acquiesced as she withdrew a couple of kina from her satchel, throwing one to Winters before chomping down on her own.

“Isn’t that…too hot for you?” He asked with mild concern.

“On a day like today?” Veera breathed out heavily as she felt the spicy flavor fill her mouth. It misted and twirled before them before dissipating into nothing. “Some spiciness is just what I need!” Winters shrugged and nodded, figuring Veera knew what she was doing. As the Cauthan began on another strip of dried meat to balance out the heat of the kina, Winters looked back to his VI.

“So Io, same question.”

‘Of course sir.’ Io brought up Veera’s training pentagon, filling in each segment one by one. As always, her flexibility score was listed at maximum. She’d made great strides in endurance and speed as well. Power still lacked, but her combat skill was also starting to increase, albeit from a low base.

“These are looking good Veera. I’m proud of you,” he told her without reservation, feeling that small spark that roared into a towering flame whenever they were in the ring together.

“I still haven’t managed to hit you though,” Veera lamented. Her tone was more accepting than anything else. He shook his head.

“Remember our first fight? I told you I expected your best. You did well enough there that Antoth’s still using it as a cudgel against his own men to get their asses in gear. Your improvement is really showing.” Veera’s crown feathers fluttered happily at his compliments as she took another bite of food.

“Thanks darling. Go ahead Io.”

‘Before I do I will simply add my own approval to that of the Lieutenant. You have come far Veera. Now that it’s been just about three cycles, there’s much to appreciate. To that end sir, I believe we should discuss this.’ Io highlighted the segment of Veera’s chart that corresponded to power. ‘This score is…inadequate to convey the whole picture,’ she informed him with a miffed attitude.

“Why’s that?”

‘Because we’ve encountered our first serious instance of female Cauthan physiology not cooperating with human military training doctrine,’ she said seriously, though neither she nor Veera looked in any way concerned.

“Go on?”

‘Did you ever think back on our tussle with that hyrven, sir? How it cleared the distance between us so quickly?’

“Can’t say I have that much. Why?” Io threw up her hands in exasperation.

‘Barbar! Is that how it works now? You snap a creature’s neck and promptly proceed to forget about it?’

“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say forget, but you’ve clearly been thinking about this more than I have. Does this have something to do with that theory of yours that the Cauthan and the hyrven share a recent common ancestor?” His question immediately assuaged Io, her face morphing from one of discontent to happiness and appreciation.

‘As it happens, yes sir, it does. I have been ruminating on the tissue samples you provided me from your first successful chesko hunt. I understand why you could not dissect the hyrven as well, but it very much irks me that I don’t have access to that data. To condense matters for the sake of time, I believe that the large predators of this world may have descended from an ancestor species, or group of ancestor species, that have different muscular structure than the rest of the creatures we’ve seen, be it chesko, shen, other small forest animals, or those beasts on the plains.’ Winters’ brow twitched as he took interest, his tone curious.

“Different how, Io?”

‘Different in the capacity for storing and releasing energy over short periods of time. In simpler terms, the ability to jump or leap high and fast.’

“I suppose that matches what we’ve seen of the hyrven, though I admit that’s a small sample size. What does that have to do with Veera?” Winters asked, moving close to his girlfriend and taking her hand in his. She gave him a warm look and allowed Io to continue. She didn’t fully understand the VI’s theory either.

‘As Veera’s strength has grown, it’s become increasingly clear that her legs and lower body have responded in a way that her upper body just cannot keep pace with. This could be an element of gender dimorphism among the Cauthan, since we know that Antoth and the other male guards are very well muscled in the torso. I am not saying that her upper body strength has not improved, just that it is not nearly as profound.’

“How ‘profound’ are we talking Io?” Winters requested. Though interesting, he didn’t see how a preference for lower body strength over upper body was significant enough to warrant days of discussion and formulation of a new set of training regimens. Io looked up at Veera with a proud and conspiring look.

‘Sir, accounting for a typical slowdown in the addition of muscle mass and the strengthening of muscle fibers over time, I estimate that if provided with an Aegis-class undersuit or similar, Veera could achieve a standing vertical leap equal to or greater than her total height.’ Io’s declaration took even Veera by surprise. Winters had broken into a disbelieving smile, the image of Veera leaping clear over an opponent in the middle of combat giving him warm soldier fuzzies.

“Yeah…I think that counts as profound Io,” was all he managed as Veera took up the mantle of conversation.

“Are you serious Io? I could really jump that high?”

‘I don’t see why not Veera. You know just as well as I do that your legs have strengthened far beyond the rest of your body. This is an unexpected and intriguing development, one that we would be foolish to overlook.’

“Of course Io, I understand that. We’ve discussed the effects already in terms of what sort of exercises and fighting styles I should focus on but,” Veera trailed off and blew out a deep breath into the bright, cold winter air. “Jumping that high, from a standstill? I know I can touch the ceiling of our house now where I couldn’t before, but what you’re saying seems impossible!”

‘Well I did stipulate that you’d need an undersuit of the kind the Lieutenant possesses. Manufacturing one here may be beyond our reach, especially during winter, but I have run the necessary simulations of your physical development and the associated force calculations. I believe it is possible with the application of that technology. Sir, this is a flight of fancy at best but I’m sure you can understand how potent of a soldier that could make her.’ Winters growled.

“I actually don’t like the sound of that Io, not a bit.”

“It’s alright love, Io was just playing around. Right Io?” Veera asked insistently, understanding implicitly Winters’ reaction to the idea of her on a battlefield.

‘Of course! I would never willingly suggest that Veera be conscripted. I am simply allowing myself to appreciate what she would be capable of in a given set of circumstances.’

“Yeah yeah, I get it.” Winters brushed the subject off. “So Veera, daydreams aside, what have you and Io decided to do in light of this information?”

“Well, Io believes that I should play to my strengths. You know, not using heavy weapons that would slow me down or be ineffective because my arms aren’t as strong; learning how to use my speed and agility to my advantage, that sort of thing.”

“Not too specific but I can hardly argue with the principle. Are you still enjoying the overall process as much as you thought you would?” Veera’s eyes lit up at the question.

“Of course I am Russell! It’s not like I have any desire to join the guards or your armed forces or anything crazy like that, but it’s wonderful to feel myself getting stronger and faster. I’m making progress in something tangible, something I can feel and see. I struggled very long and hard before you landed here, but it always seemed like in spite of my best efforts I couldn’t help but slip farther and farther behind. Now things are different. I’ve been given an opportunity to put in work and actually reap some benefits. Oh I can’t wait to beat one of the guards for real!” Veera declared, dropping her stance and dancing through the snow as if circling a stationary target, lashing out with quick swipes and punches as she did so. Winters thought her laughter would warm his very soul.

“Same here love, same here.” He smiled and looked to the sky. Kel had graced them with a respite from snow for the past couple days, allowing them a well-lit walk through the forests of Mara. Small clumps of snow occasionally fell from the trees around them, shaken loose by the distant heat of the star. Veera returned to his side after her shadowboxing, turning their conversation to the event of the day.

“How much longer Io?”

‘We are headed to the location where the Lieutenant first downed a chesko. It has a hill most suitable for our purposes. It took us about five hours to end up there when we hunted, but we are taking a straight journey today. Even with the snow it should only be a couple of hours or so from here. Would you care for some music as we walk?’ Veera considered Io’s request, keeping her crown feathers close to her fur to conserve heat. She looked at her human.

“How much do I need to know about this ‘sledding’ activity? I’ve never seen anyone having much fun with sleds in the village.” He smiled warmly back at her.

“Nothing. We’re just going to slide down the hill on my shield. It’ll be fun, promise!” Satisfied, Veera addressed Io again.

“In that case Io, yes, some music would be lovely. Do you have anything soft? Something that we could just walk to?” Io projected herself tapping a finger to her chin, clad as usual in her winter parka. She snapped her fingers as an idea came to her.

‘It may be a bit unorthodox but I believe this would fulfill your request nicely

Veera,’ Io spoke as the dulcet tones of strings and horns began to play, just loud enough to entertain but soft enough that they did not become oblivious to the world around them.

“I don’t recognize this Io. What is this?” Winters asked, cocking his head as he found himself unable to place the tune. Io casually waved her hand in explanation.

‘Believe it or not sir this is actually part of a soundtrack composed for a video game about forty years ago. The composer was fairly well known at the time, a man by the name of Jeremy Soule. Apparently this game took place in a rugged and wintry location, similar to the scene we see before us.’

“Russell, what is a video game?” Veera requested, her pronunciation of human words much better after a couple months of continuous practice.

“They’re games that we play on computers. Oh, there you go. Thanks Io.” The VI had projected a representation of Pong. “So this is the first video game ever, or close to it. I don’t know for sure.”

“And how does it work?” Veera wondered, eyes fixed on the small square that was moving back and forth across the display, her tail twitching behind her.

“So each player would control one of those paddles there.” Winters pointed to the long lines at each end. “Your goal is to prevent the ball in the middle from going past your side and forcing your opponent to miss his shots.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little slow?”

“It speeds up over time.”

“Ooh.” Veera looked at him for a moment, her eyes telling him that she was trying to understand something beneath the surface.

“What is it Veera?”

“Your people paid someone to write music for this?” Io and Winters burst out laughing as the VI cut the music and played the very simple sounds of the original game. “Oh…I see.” Veera watched Winters defiantly as he continued to smirk. “What? It was a reasonable question! The music we were just listening to was complex and moving. It sounded…like what winter is supposed to sound like! I just wondered why such a thing would be created.”

‘Your curiosity is always refreshing Veera. You are correct. The game that features the music we’re listening to now was made almost thirty years after this simplistic thing. The game itself featured a world many times the size of your village, filled with quests, dungeons, monsters and other things to do. Think of it as your people’s tales and legends come to life.’ Io’s flourishing descriptions had Veera wide-eyed.

“Do you have that one?!” She asked eagerly, her face drooping as Io shook her head.

‘No Veera. Humanity’s admittedly extensive repertoire of virtual entertainment was not deemed significant enough to be worth loading onto military hardware. We will have to be rescued if you want to play a video game.’ Winters wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

“Look on the bright side, no chance of getting addicted and ruining your training regimen.”

“I would not get addicted!” Veera declared hotly. Winters just cocked a brow before looking to the sky.

“Maybe one day we’ll be able to put that assertion to the test Veera. For now though, how about we go sledding?” He tilted his head towards hers, offering her a kiss. She quickly decided to take it. The snow sparkled around them as the carried on in silence.

-----

“Well it’s been a while but I don’t think I’d ever forget this place,” Winters commented happily as they crested the hill of his first hunt. Io had found little evidence of hyrven, or even chesko activity on their journey, rendering it pleasantly uneventful. Veera had raced on ahead of them, standing at the very top and taking a chance to see the area for herself. She waved to him eagerly.

“Russell, come here! You have to see this!” She called, cloak billowing around her form in a light breeze. Moved by her enthusiasm, Winters ran the final stretch, his blood pumping pleasantly by the time he arrived. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Veera asked. Before them was a wide and vast snowscape, revealed thanks to the retreat of the forest foliage. Light streamed in from the star behind them as it sat low in the southern sky, casting long shadows and filtering through in light shades of yellow and orange. Snow glinted from seemingly every surface on the trees and the ground. Io procured a camera.

“Going to start scrapbooking?” Winters joked, holding Veera to his side and humming as she purred for him.

‘No need to think so small, sir! If I’m not allowed to exploit vulnerabilities in human securities markets, I think Postcards from Mara would be a suitable fallback plan for financing my shopping trips.’ Io seemed quite proud of her idea so Winters said no more, simply chuckling at her optimism and appreciating the scenery with Veera.

“It really is beautiful, isn’t it?” He didn’t think he’d ever seen such a pristine forest.

“Thanks for taking me here Russell. Moments like this are why I love winter.”

“Care to make a few more moments?” He asked playfully, laying his weapons neatly in a pile to his side before adding Veera’s satchel to it. That done, he hefted his shield from his back. “What? If there’s no running with scissors there’s definitely no sledding with guns or blades!” Veera cocked her head at him before adding her spear to the pile, not knowing what scissors were. “Do you want to go first?” He offered the shield to her.

“I…maybe you should?” Veera requested, looking suddenly unsure of herself and shifting her weight from foot to foot. The hill itself was mostly clear, but there were plenty of trees and shrubs at the bottom, waiting as potential hazards for anyone with too much speed.

‘Me first then!’ Io cried out, having added a pair of slim-fitting ski goggles to her ensemble. ‘Onward my valiant steed! Zum Angriff!’ Veera’s laugh carried over the snows.

“I don’t mind Russell. Go show Io a good time. I’ll take second.”

“As you wish love. Alright then Io, you asked for it!” Winters declared, setting the shield at his feet and stepping on the edge with one foot to hold it in place. “Now Veera just a heads up, when you do this…make sure you sit down.”

“Wait, then why aren’t you-” Veera began, suddenly nervous that her human was about to do something incredibly stupid.

“Ready Io?!” Winters cried, unwilling to hold back his inner child any longer. With unfounded confidence he placed his left foot on the shield just slightly front of center, keeping most of his weight on his back foot to ensure the leading edge wouldn’t dig into the snow. Over the prior week the snows had fallen and seen only marginal melt off, with the rest re-freezing at night. The end result was a thin layer of ice atop the snow that was more than receptive to Winters’ attempt to shield-board. With a cry of unadulterated delight, Io threw her hands up and began to laugh as gravity took the wheel and carried her and her armored partner down the slope. As they gathered speed Winters let out his own whoop, tentatively trying to steer by shifting his weight from side to side, struggling to maintain his balance. By the time they approached the bottom his attempts failed, his legs wobbling and his arms flailing as he desperately tried to stay upright. Io’s delighted laughter didn’t cease, even as Winters comically yelled “Bail out! Bail out!” and leapt from the shield, tucking into a combat roll that was quickly arrested by the snow. The end result was an amused Winters, armor made even more white thanks to his tumble in the powder, an elated VI, a short walk to his shield, and an incredibly worried and angry Cauthan back at the top of the hill.

“You’d better not be dead Russell! Do you hear me?!” Veera’s admonishment reached them as Winters hauled himself into a sitting position and brushed snow from his helmet. His cloak was covered in it.

“Io,” he breathed heavily. “How cool did we look just now?!” The VI was beaming at him.

‘Hmm, my very own superman. Leave the cloak next time though,’ she advised happily before patching Veera in. ‘Veera do not fret, we are completely unharmed. It shall be your turn next!’

-----

“Are you sure this will be alright?” Veera asked, now seated firmly in the middle of Winters’ shield, gripping the handles he’d otherwise use to hold it on his arm.

“You’ll be fine Veera. Remember what I did? If you feel yourself going too fast at the bottom just bail out, tuck and roll. There’s plenty of snow down there to stop your fall, alright?”

“I’m a little scared actually, now that I’m here,” she admitted, the hill suddenly seeming much larger.

“Just take a deep breath.” Winters placed a hand on her shoulder, the other at the back of his shield. He felt her tense up. “On the count of three, alright?”

“Alright…” she whispered.

“One, two, three.” With that, Winters gave her the smallest of pushes, just enough to allow momentum and gravity to do the rest. For a moment he considered running down the slope after her, but as Veera gathered speed it became clear that would be unnecessary.

“Wheeee!” Veera cried with excitement, gripping the shield for all she was worth as she tore down the hill. The cold wind rushing through her feathers and stinging her eyes was invigorating as she experienced the simple joy of sledding for the first time. As she approached the bottom, she began to worry about the encroaching trees and brush, but soon enough her speed began to dissipate and she slid to a stop just short of any obstacles. Laughter spilled from her lips as she allowed herself to fall back into the snow. The world seemed so very bright to her in that moment. Not even the walk back up the hill could dampen her spirits. It was just more training.

-----

“I think we’ve pushed our time to the limit Russell. One more ride, maybe?” Veera suggested as the two of them stood atop a now well-used hill. A couple hours before they had taken another food break and a calculated risk. It had been far too long since Winters had been out after dark and no one in the village had any idea if the ursae that had been stalking him weeks before was still in the area. Confident in his weaponry and in Io, Veera had actually made the suggestion that they continue their fun and head back later in the day. Winters easily agreed. He was having the most fun, by far, that he’d had since landing on Mara. Watching Veera play in the snow had been positively delightful as well, her tail and ears comically cute as she whipped down the hill time and again. As they’d played, Seil had begun to set in the east, tinting their world with faint orange and red hues. Winters took a look at the horizon and nodded.

“Alright then, come here!” He requested, sitting on his shield and pointing to his lap. Veera laughed nervously, giving him her hand anyway.

“Oh this is such a bad idea, my human!” She giggled as she was hauled into his lap, his core muscles holding them both upright as he balanced their weight atop his shield, which now felt far too small.

“Yep! Terrible idea!” He yelled as he released his feet from the snow, allowing them to begin their journey. Io projected herself above the B-MASS as well, her arms spread wide as they picked up speed. By the time they were halfway down they’d started to spin as well, twisting around as Veera gripped Winters for dear life, still laughing and crying happily all the way down. As they approached the bottom at great speed, Io pinged Winters.

‘Sir, with our combined mass I believe we may need to take evasive maneuvers!’

“Russell! Trees!” Veera provided more succinctly, the gray and towering obstacles coming ever closer. He nodded.

“Hang on Veera. Relax your body!” Winters gave her a moment to comply before leaning them off of the shield, falling back first into the snow. Fortunately, as planned, Veera remained atop him the entire way as they skidded to a halt in the darkening light. She immediately moved to tear his helmet off, her chest heaving with adrenaline as she licked his face and kissed him into oblivion. Winters took it in stride, moaning with pleasure at her display as he cradled her body gently.

“I love you Russell Winters. This was such fun!”

“I had a great time too,” he said softly, feeling for all the world like he was on some sort of first date. Fortunately for him, he’d already been very well kissed.

‘I was happy to come along for the ride!’ Io added, unconcerned that Winters had shared ‘their date’ with his Cauthan lover.

“And we were glad to have you Io. For now though, let’s get home,” Veera suggested, hopping up and dusting herself off. By the time Winters had done the same she had collected his shield for him and they began back up the hill, gathering their weapons and supplies as they reached the top. Winters was brushing the snow off his rifle when Veera got his attention. “Russell, do you see that?” She asked, her worried tone spurring him to action as he stood immediately and shouldered the weapon, looking out over the suddenly eerie twilight landscape.

“Where, Veera?”

“There, over to the left. I can barely see it myself but…I think I see lights.” Between his helmet and the sight of his rifle, Winters was more than able to focus in on the distant anomaly.

“Veera, I see torches. It’s hard to make out anything else in this light and I can’t get a good count because of the trees, but those are definitely torches.” He looked over at her, everything he needed to know visible in her darkening face.

“We need to get home Russell, now.”

“Agreed. Io, get us there,” he ordered, quickly shouldering his shield and replacing his rifle on his back.

‘Yes sir. How are the both of you feeling?’

“I can run Io, just show me the way,” Veera insisted with determination, clutching her spear tightly in her right hand.

‘Of course. Set a steady pace you two, heading south by southeast.’ Without another backward glance, Veera and Winters took off running.