The party moved along at a slower pace. Cleatus led them through the biting wind to the base of the next cliff where the wind couldn’t attack them so easily. As they looked up the next cliff with varying looks of nausea, exhaustion, dread, and impatience; Cleatus stood perfectly still. His ears turning and twitching in the snow.

“What do you hear?” Odelia moved up beside Cleatus to ask without shouting.

“Arguing. Loud and deep. It’s bouncing between common and giant.” Cleatus said. Not moving a single muscle but his ears. Even his tail was still.

“Ogres,” Haagut said over the wind. Cleatus nodded. He motioned down the cliffside. Herding them away from the shouting.

“We should try and keep quiet as we climb.” Odelia shouted over the wind. “Though with this storm I doubt we’d be able to make enough noise to alert anyone of anything. Ogres are big, mean, and incredibly stupid. They are constantly hungry and will eat any adventurer that crosses them, though on the other hand they are very, very stupid and easy to trick.”

The ground shook as a loud booming sound from over the cliff. Large banks of snow loomed and began to slide over the side.

“To the wall!” Cleatus yelled. He grabbed Shaynen and Odelia and shoved them up against the rock and pinned them there with his body. Haagut was already pressed up against the wall and it didn’t take much for him to wedge himself further under a rock. The snowbank avalanche off the side of the cliff and beat against the ground with a heavy thud.

“Get off of me!” Odelia growled. Shaynen clenched his jaw tightly. Cleatus and Odelia were both warm against him. Cleatus backed away and the cold clawed back into Shaynen’s skin. He grit his teeth hard so hard his jaw and teeth hurt as the shivering started again. Words dying before even making it to his throat.

“They’re arguing,” Cleatus said quietly. “Probably getting violent. We should scale this quickly before they break out into a full out brawl and cause an avalanche.”

“Thought you said yelling can’t cause an avalanche.” Odelia said smartly.

“It can't, but shaking the whole damned mountain can.” Cleatus shot back. Odelia pressed her lips together tightly with a deep frown.

“I don’t think we’re in any shape to deal with an ogre. Much less multiple ones,” Haagut said.

“We should be able to sneak past just fine,” Cleatus shrugged. He leaned down and Haagut climbed up onto his shoulder. They’d already done this a few times and were able to do it wordlessly. Cleatus and Haagut climbed and scouted the top of the clifftop. Then threw down the rope for Odelia and Shaynen. Odelia grabbed the rope and started climbing up. Shaynen tried to rub the feeling back into his sheet white hands. He blew into his palms but somehow his breath was colder than the wind.

He took hold of the rope and began pulling himself up when the wind shrieked in the strangest way. Shaynen looked up just in time to see a shadow falling at him fast.

Odelia landed on Shaynen and dropped them both to the ground beneath the snow. Cleatus dropped into the snow beside them, he reached down a hand to help them up but Odelia hauled herself up without his help. Shaynen took his hand and let Cleatus lift him up out of the snow and set him back on his feet. Shaynen muttered a thanks. Cleatus helped Odelia up the rope and looked back over the ledge at Shaynen.

Shaynen shivered and shook himself out of the cold for a second. Long enough for him to jump up and scale the wall with the rope to the top. Cleatus looked off towards the arguing in the distance.

“Hey, stay put for a second.” Cleatus said before vanishing in the snow.

Cleatus crept through the snow, getting closer to the sound of the ogres arguing. He crouched down beside a snowbank and watched the ogres a few yards away. There were three of them. The largest one was reclined against a rock with a large battering ram laid out gathering snow beside him. The two smaller ones were shoving each other yelling about which one of the two would get to wield the sword and use it to kill the big flappy thing. Cleatus slowly backed away.

He appeared again from the snow, approaching the party.

“What is it?” Odelia asked.

“They’re arguing about a sword and killing a giant flappy thing.” Cleatus said.

“Like a bird?” Asked Haagut.

“Or a d-d-dragon,” Shaynen said.

“Or a bird.” Odelia shrugged.

“Yeah lots of things could be lurking in these mountains. Birds, dragons, birds… Ogres that glued feathers to their arms.” Cleatus counted over his fingers then chuckled at his own joke.

“Can we hurry and get out of the c-c-c-cold?” Shaynen snarled. “I’m l-l-losing feeling.”

“Oh, yeah..” Cleatus frowned at the concerning colors Shaynen was turning. “Shouldn’t be far now.” Cleatus led the party up the next cliff and the next. Climbing higher and higher with little deviations from their pattern.

“W-we’re almost t-to th-th-th... “ Shaynen became frustrated with speaking and pointed up the next cliff to the fort that was standing in the wind. “M-m-m… MMMAY-be it c-could be wa-arm in th-there.”

“Maybe, but the ogres could also be in there.” Cleatus said.

“Don’t care.” Shaynen snapped. “Cold! So cold.”

“I uh, think we should probably see whats in the fort…” Haagut agreed. “Also I think if Shaynen stays in the cold much longer he’ll devolve into speaking goblin. He’s got the structure right.”

“All right, we’ll compromise.” Cleatus said, inspecting the rockwall. “We’ll camp here tonight and warm up, then tomorrow we explore the fort.”

“Warm up,” Shaynen nodded desperately. Cleatus sat Shaynen down in a deep crack in the rock wall. Odelia and Haagut cleared the snow from the ground and made a fire pit. Cleatus built up a shelter of snow and rock around the pit, leaving enough ventilation for the fire’s smoke to escape. Odelia started a fire and they huddled around it. Cleatus sat back at the back of the snow shelter.

“Who's taking which watch?” Cleatus asked. There was silence.

“L-l-last.” Shaynen bit out. Odelia sent a sharp look towards him.

“Third then, I guess.” She huffed.

“I’ll take whichever you don’t want,” Haagut offered Cleatus.

“I’ll take first and you can have second,” Cleatus said, Haagut nodded. Haagut and Odelia curled up with their torches and bedrolls, Shaynen pushed himself as far into the crack as he could. Cleatus reclined and listened to the fire. He pulled out the bear pelt he was working on adding to his armor. He looked over the sleeping party as he worked. Odelia slept with her hood down over her face, showing only one of the scars she had all over her face. Rouge black curls rolled over her shoulders like storm clouds. She was curled up between the fire and her everburning torch.

Haagut was rolled up into a ball in a little cave of snow, his own magic infused torch stuck in the snow above him. He used his cap as a pillow letting the straw yellow hair stick out in every direction. -Sleeping on top of everything he owned protectively. Shaynen was curled into a little ball in the crack. Covered in the thin white cloth that had bold white lines that crossed and ran parallel all over the broad sides. Despite that he was still shaking. Cleatus felt a small amount of pity. He moved closer and laid out of the bear pelt cloak he was finishing up over the boy. After a short while he stopped shaking.

As Cleatus worked on his pelt something perked at his ears. Like a drumming from somewhere in the distance.