WHEW!! OK I'M BACK NOT DEAD

THE PIC ABOVE WAS DRAWN BY ME!! :D

VOTE COMMENT AND ENJOY!!

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RECAP

           Neither man looked outside, but if they had, they may have noticed the white-eyed stranger staring softly at the golden, glowing windows, a look of longing on his gaunt face. As the men settled for the night, and the sounds and glow lessened, the glowing-eyed man warped closer to one of the windows, peering softly down at the two friends, huddled in blankets, sleeping peacefully. A strange, sad look stole over him, and he teleported to the roof, sitting down on the snow and looking up at the blanket of stars above him. Perhaps he would watch these two a little longer, they seemed amusing.

          He sighed, slowly allowing himself to drift into sleep, head still tilted at the stars.

END RECAP

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The next day...

          "Steve."

          Steve didn't respond.

          "Steve...get up."

          Comforting warmth met Steve as he slowly awoke. He was extremely comfortable and didn't want to move. Steve grimaced as something poked his face, blinking open tired, blue eyes, "Mmrrmm...what?"

          "Steve, you wanted this, man. C'mon, get up. Gotta cut ice today."

          The brunette grumbled something, then began to roll off the rumpled blankets he'd slept on, yawning fiercely.

          "What was that you said?"

         "I cursed you to the depths of the Nether, why?" Steve turned a sleepy, cheeky grin at Jake, who straightened from his bent position, his task of waking Steve completed.

          The blond rolled his eyes, heading over to check his pack of ice cutting gear and food supplies, "Great Notch...I'm only doing what you asked."

          "Exactly...so I want you to burn..."

          Jake snorted, "By Jeb, Steve. Hurry and get up already. We'll eat the cold stew, I need to get some extra logs of firewood and check the weather, I'll be back in a few." He chuckled as Steve's rumpled form rolled off the blankets and stood up, wobbling. Jake shook his head, Steve was so tall, his brown hair, which was sticking out in odd sections everywhere from sleeping, nearly brushed the ceiling, "Notch, you're even worse than me at waking up."

          "Go away...or I'm putting some snow down your jacket when we get outta here..."

          Jake laughed and shouldered his door open, shoving it closed. Steve watched him go with bleary eyes, mumbled something about breakfast, and walked over to the furnace, noting the pot of stew from the night before. The little cabin was warmed nicely from the crackling flames in the stone fireplace, and golden light, tinged with blue, streamed into the windows. The house smelled of pine sap and old clothes, waking Steve up a bit more. He stretched and yawned again, fingers brushing the rough logs that made up the ceiling. Jake often made fun of him for being so tall.

          The door slammed open and shut again. Without looking Steve muttered, "That was fast..." When he got no witty reply in return, he turned sleepy eyes on Jake, who was leaning against the door, his brown eyes wide. Steve frowned, "Wassa matter?"

          Jake was breathing heavily, shaking his head and making a 'silence' motion, "He-he..." the hunter whispered.

          Steve turned around fully, running a hand through his short, brown hair, "Spit it out, Jake, what?"

           Jake shushed him, "Shh! That-that guy I thought was you...he—"

          "What? He what?" Steve's voice dropped to a whisper as well. This wasn't good. If Jake had ticked the guy off, well, there was a convenient cliff at the back of the house just perfect for throwing people off of.

          "He's outside! On the roof!" Jake hissed.

          Steve cast his eyes up, raised a brow, and looked again at Jake, "Is...he breaking in?"

          "N-no, but—"

          "Setting things on fire?"

          "No..."

          "So he's just...sitting there?" Steve looked again at the ceiling. Huh, maybe Jake hadn't entirely screwed things up.

          "Yeah..." Jake rubbed the back of his neck, looking down sheepishly. His cheeks were red from the cold and his fright, "Actually, he appeared to be...asleep. He was on his back..."

          Steve let a quiet chuckle escape him, though it was more of a rumble, "Pfff...asleep eh? Maybe it's a sign of goodwill?" Steve began to laugh at the sheer absurdity. He'd heard of the man before, but nothing of what he looked like, besides the eyes. Steve hadn't been one to completely ignore the myths and legends and had heard some tales about a fabled demon who reveled in blood and suffering. However, the simple act of falling asleep on someone's roof had him laughing. If this was the so-called demon, whoever had come up with the stories needed to get his facts straight, this guy had yet to hurt them, "I need to see this." He walked over and reached for his coat.

          Jake grasped his arm, eyes wild, "No! What if...that's wh-what he wants...?"

          Steve raised a brow, "Jake, he could have killed us in our sleep. If he hasn't killed us yet, I doubt he will now." He shook off Jake's hand and again reached for his coat.

          As he dressed, Jake still looked anxious, "Steve, have you even heard of the legends? How he's killed without mercy, just because he wishes to?" His voice had dropped again to a whisper, and his brown eyes kept shooting upward glances.

          Steve scoffed, wrapping his white scarf about his neck, "Psh, if he truly did do that, he would have hunted you down as you were unaware and out, waiting to pelt me with a snowball." The miner sat to pull on his boots and lace them, then stood, buckling on his iron sword, "He may just be curious about us; therefore, I want to have a closer look at him, analyze him, maybe even see if he's a threat."

           Jake dragged a gloved hand down his face, "Fine, but I'm going with you to say, 'I told you so' as he's ripping us apart."

          Steve chuckled, "Fine by me." And reached for the door.

          He shoved the door open with little effort, prompting Jake to mutter, "Show-off." Steve smirked over his shoulder and tramped outside, the cold nipping at his face and freezing his breath before him as the snow made soft crunching noises beneath his boots. He saw the chaotic tracks of his friend from before, making him smother a grin. The snow was all churned from when the trapper had scrambled back to the house in a panic.

          The sun was just cresting the mountains before the cabin, a pale glow surrounding it. Large clouds dotted the icy blue sky, signaling the arrival of even more snow soon. The forest was, as usual, silent except for the noises Steve made.   The miner took a second to stop and admire the beauty about him. The tundra's cold, unforgiving beauty never got old to him. The dimmed smell of pine mixed with the smoke coming from Jake's chimney. Steve took a deep breath of the chill morning air, exhaling it again in a cloud of white. It was good to be alive.          

          Shaking his head and refocusing on his task, Steve circled around the house, casting his eyes upwards at the snow-crowned roof. Behind him, Jake grunted as he pulled the door shut, and the sounds of shuffling started up as the trapper followed Steve. As the roof came into view, so did a thin form, sprawled out in the snow. Steve stopped to look and shake his head, slightly bewildered. There, on the roof, was this supposed 'demon'. His ribs were visible through his thin shirt, and they rose and fell with small breaths. An arm was visible, lightly tanned, and very thin, the knobby elbow sticking out sharply, and the tips of his fingers were tinged blue. The being's face was turned away, but Steve saw longish, brown hair waving in the slight breeze.

         Jake stood, tense, breathing hard beside Steve. The miner let a small, soft chuckle escape him, shaking his head, "Well, this is a strange sight..." His voice was barely over a whisper, but in the stark silence, it sounded like he'd shouted. Jake jumped, then huffed, but never took his eyes off the being, his gloved hands tightly gripping an ax. Steve thrust his head forward, bringing a large, gloved hand up to rest on his hip, "He's...very thin, isn't he? I mean, look at his arms, and his ribs."

          Jake took a hesitant step forward, eyes narrowing, "Huh...I never noticed that. I wonder why." He let his ax drop a notch, "But, after seeing what he did yesterday, there's no telling the amount of power swimming in his veins...we should still be careful."

          Steve let his hand drop to his side and rest on the hilt of his sword, "True...but why hasn't he hurt us yet? I mean, you threw a Nether-cursed snowball at him. If I were him, that would be enough to condemn you to a slow death." Steve looked at Jake out of the corner of his eye and smirked.

         Jake took his eyes from the being to shoot the miner a withering look, "Wow, you're heartless—"

          The sudden sound of shifting snow made them both tense up and look towards the roof.

          He was moving.

          Jake raised his ax, but Steve's hand shot out and gripped the hunter's wrist, "Threaten him, and it may very well spell death for the both of us." He hissed, icy blue eyes locked on the being, who was slowly sitting up. Jake obeyed and froze.

          The being fully sat up, his grey cloak caked with snow. He was slumped and didn't seem fully awake as he shook his head, shaking snow from his hair. Blinking and looking about with his unsettling eyes, he brought a thin right hand up to his face, resting slightly blue fingers on his temple as his eyes closed briefly. A small groan came from him as he opened his pale, glowing orbs again, looking to his left.

           His eyes locked with those of the two men from yesterday, staring up at him from the snowy ground.

           He froze.

          A solid minute passed of Steve and Jake barely breathing, just staring up at the being, who seemed to be frozen in shock as well. His thin hand hovered near his temple, eyes wide and chest heaving. His face was consumed with fright, but held traces of sadness, reluctance and...regret, which confused Steve. The miner followed the being's gaze to the ax in Jake's hand, and he slowly let go of Jake's wrist, then pushed the ax out of the hunter's grip. Jake let it fall numbly, and the ax made a quiet thump as it landed on the snow. The being flinched at the sound, and Steve felt his gaze turn from the weapon to him.

          Steve gulped as he felt the being's eyes on him, wondering why his throat was so dry. His heart was pounding. Where had his earlier confidence fled to? It felt like a pressure was descending on his mind, making it hard to think rationally.

          The miner managed to force a shaky smile, straightening from his tense stance and raising his left hand from the hilt of the sword, spreading it in what he dearly hoped looked like a gesture of greeting, not a threat. He felt the being's eyes bore into him at every move, "H-hey...just heard you were nearby...heh, I'd thought I'd have a look at you. You're pretty famous in the legends... We mean no harm."

          The being jumped at his voice. His hand, still frozen by his temple, was shaking badly. Steve noticed the man's entire body was trembling, and confusion spread across the miner's face. Did this mean he was gathering energy, or was this a display of...fear?

          The being suddenly shot upright, snow spraying from his movements, prompting a shout of alarm from Jake. Grey cloak swirling, he scrambled to the tip of the roof, indigo particles like before forming around him when—

           His grey boot slipped off the edge and he tumbled off the roof, splat onto his back in the snow.

          Steve stood, stunned, an equally baffled Jake beside him. Disbelieving laughter made its way into Steve's throat, but he bit it back, lowering his left hand to his sword hilt again as he stared at the still form in the snow. The being couldn't have been hurt; the powder was far too deep. Beside him, Jake coughed into his arm, and Steve nudged him with an elbow, frowning at the amused glint in his companion's eyes. Steve tried to keep his own laughter at bay, "A-are you...are you hurt, uh, sir?"

          Jake scoffed quietly, "Psh...sir..."

         The man sat up again, much faster, snow spraying from his arms, and Steve and Jake stiffened. His back was towards them, they couldn't see if he was angry. The being hunched forward, skinny arms coming up to cover his face with blue-tinged hands as he sat there, legs outstretched. Steve blinked at this, unsure of what to do. Ender particles suddenly formed again, swirling madly around the being and he vanished with a soft wurp.

          Steve and Jake merely stood there for a moment, their minds processing the last fifteen minutes, struggling to figure out what the Nether had just happened and that yes, they were indeed, still alive.

          Jake was the first to break the silence, a quiet snort escaped him as he covered him mouth with his gloves. It slowly became a small chuckle, then grew and grew as Steve joined in. Before long, Jake was leaning on his knees, shoulders jerking as he laughed, and Steve was no better, wiping at his eyes as he bent forward to pick up the fallen ax, "That—hahah—we shouldn't be laughing—!" Steve plead, his words futile.

         "Th-that...oh Notch! What was he trying to do?" Jake tried to stem his laughter, but it kept forcing itself out in little bursts.

          Steve took a deep breath, shook his head and tramped over, shoving the ax into Jake's hands, "Well, the ice isn't going to cut itself...c'mon...we've got a long day ahead of us."

           Nodding, Jake quelled his laughter. He grabbed the ax and motioned Steve towards the house, "Well, let's grab our gear and get going then...and hope he doesn't fall out of a tree on top of us."

          Steve lightly smacked the back of the blond's head, then turned to enter the house, "By Jeb..."

______________________________________

         "How much longer?"

          Jake huffed and threw an annoyed, yet amused glance over his shoulder. Behind him, Steve's head was bent down, breath steaming from his open mouth as he struggled up the steep incline that led to their destination. The blond huffed, "Steve, you make this trek every year. You should know by now."

          As he waited for Steve to catch up, the trapper cast his blue gaze over the vast, snowy terrain around him. The mountain they were climbing was huge, and trees stretched up its white sides like claws, petering out near the blunt tip, which he and the miner were rapidly nearing. Rocks jutted out of the snow and pines randomly, like huge horns of long-forgotten monsters. The air was cold and crisp, and a breeze tugged at his scarf and cloak, ruffling the fur on his hood. If he peered down farther still, he could see a little brown dot nestled in the trees off to the left, his little cabin. From there, a huge cliff dropped away to a huge plain, which stretched onwards for hundreds of blocks.

           It was a huge, icy field, upon which almost no trees grew. Beyond that, his vision was fuzzy and distorted. As Jake turned his gaze back to Steve, who was adjusting the harness of the long sled strapped to him, he could have sworn he saw a flash of indigo particles to his right, between the spruces. He squinted at the spot, then shrugged it off, but it didn't quell the slight thread of fear that wrapped about his heart.

          Steve looked up from the harness and grinned, "Give me a break, snow boy. I don't memorize the amount of time it takes to get to the lake...I have more things to worry about, unlike you, sitting here in the mountains getting fat and lazy."

          The sled would carry the ice they cut down to Jake's house, and thus had extensions strapped to it to build another sled, for Jake to drag. The hunter was not looking forward to that. Steve was also carrying a massive pack on his back and making it look easy, two iron ice picks peeking from the top.

          Jake let a short bark of laughter escape him, turning to continue up the steep incline, "Fat and lazy!? Good Notch in the Aether, you easily outweigh me, you old, toothless man! Need the younger, fitter man to boot your weak, trembling body up this little hill?"

          The sounds of rapidly shuffling snow behind him caused him to turn and look over his shoulder. Steve, grinning, was scrambling passed him, a glint in his blue eyes, "This old man'll beat you to the top any day!"

          Jake let shock cloud the smirk inching its way onto his face, "Hey! No fair!" he increased his pace, even using his gloved hands to paw at the snow to boost him. The massive pack on his back weighed him down, but he didn't complain, Steve had nearly twice the weight in his own pack. In the leather packs, there was enough dried meat, bread, and fruit to last them a few days, in case of a surprise blizzard. Other essentials, such as bandages, blankets, water bottles, ice picks, and flint and steel added to the weight. The exertion of carrying all of it, however, was keeping him warm.

          Above him, Steve laughed, his voice muted by the surrounding snow and the breeze, "Hurry up! Last to make it builds the fire!"

          Jake growled, he wanted to be the one to relax, not have to go around, searching for dry tinder. He fought with gravity, clawing and clamoring his way to the impossibly strong miner, sweat beginning to bead his brow as he ascended the slope.

          Had either man looked behind themselves, or peered closer at the trees, they would have noticed their follower. The man Jake had thrown a snowball at was tailing them, not too closely, and only appearing behind the sheltering protection of either jutting rocks or trees, with the occasional large mound of snow. He'd listened closely to the banter between the two friends, latching onto a few words he'd heard before, recognizing their tones as...joking, full of laughter. They seemed...happy. The being sighed softly, it had been so long since he'd heard the sounds of...contented humans. Usually, once they laid eyes on him, they would flee into their homes, or call out for aid, for their friends, and come after him...

          ...Or outright attack him on their own.

          A grimace twisted his wane face at the memories... He'd vowed to stay away from humans, they feared just the sight of him, calling him 'demon' or 'fallen god'. He knew little of these words and associated them with his eyes, and unusual abilities, which did not seem to match with human capabilities or genetics. Shivering as the cold wind wrapped about him, whipping his cloak about, he bemoaned his lack of warm clothing. The cold did not kill him, but it did slow his reaction time and awareness, and he disliked it. Humans seemed to share his preferences and often stayed away from snowy, mountainous terrain.

          It was precisely why he'd come here. It had been hard, knowing he would never again be able to watch humans just...enjoying life. However, he couldn't risk being near them...not again...not after what had happened.

           The being shuddered, shoving away the memories. He peeked from behind the boulder he was using as cover, seeing the blond male grab at the cyan coat of the brown-haired one, the one with a face shockingly similar to his, trying to drag him down. Their laughter drifted down to him again, and his heart wrenched so hard, he actually doubled over and gasped. Clawing at his torso, his eyes widened. Why did he feel such pangs? He was sharp in health, and had no injuries, as far as he knew.

           Inspecting his chest, he saw no blood. Frowning, the being remembered how it was similar to the pang he experienced the first night he slept on their roof. It came with an intense...longing...for what he did not know. Was it from staying too near the humans?

          He dismissed the thought. The humans did not know he was there. How could they inflict pain on a person they could not see or sense? And why inflict pain that did not last or draw blood? It made no sense.

          The shouts and teasing had gotten quieter, so the being quickly warped behind a lone tree about thirty blocks from the two men, grabbing his cape to keep it hidden. He peered out at them. Grins split their faces as they batted at each other, without the intention of inflicting pain upon the other. They had increased their pace, he noted idly. And they seemed...surprisingly unconcerned that they had spotted him nearby. Usually, humans would cower in their houses, calling out repeatedly a word...'motch' or 'notch' or something... The word sounded familiar for some reason; he knew not why.

          Perhaps these men had dismissed the thought of him being a threat for his...performance...earlier. The being dragged a freezing hand down his face, squeezing his eyes shut. That had been...a terrible feeling. His face had gotten quite hot, as though fire were in his veins, and he received an urge to hide, which usually meant there was danger nearby, but the feeling was hardly urgent. He had wished to crawl into the earth and disappear from their sight...though they could not have been a major threat to him.

          The being peeked out again from behind the tree. The two men had reached the crest of the mountain, and the tops of their heads were vanishing over it. He sighed, preparing himself to warp again. There couldn't be too much harm in watching them, right? After all, he could leave any time he saw them showing aggressive tendencies. It would be his last time in contact with humans, and he wished to draw it out for as long as possible...before he had to cut himself off from all intelligent life forever. The being warped, crouching and peered over the crest. The two men had halted and were speaking softly.

________________________________

          "Whoa...I'll never get used to the utter vastness and beauty of this place..." Steve's voice was soft, and full of awe.

          "Same here..." Jake grinned beside him.

          The wind was stronger here, and it whipped their scarves and cloaks to and fro, and drove swirls of snow from the ground, hurling them high. Below the two men was the huge bowl of an extinct volcano, which was filled with a lake, frozen solid. The ice darkened significantly near the center, that was dangerous territory, where the ice was thin, and the dark water shone through. The bowl of the volcano stretched over a hundred blocks wide and was about that many blocks deep. A small forest grew about the lake, the trees clustering more thickly to the right. The midafternoon sun glinted and glittered off the snow and the ice on the lake, lighting up the bowl and glaring into the men's eyes, causing them to squint.

          "Alright, enough sightseeing, let's go!" Jake reached out to slap Steve's shoulder in a friendly way, but Steve sidestepped, and Jake lost his balance, sprawling face-forward into the snow. Steve threw back his head and laughed as Jake struggled up, spitting snow. He finally stood, brushing white, clinging powder from his front. Jake shot Steve, who was doubled over, a friendly glare, "You think that's funny now, huh?"

          Steve shook his head, mirth in his eyes, "Should've seen your face!" He sighed, "Anyway, best get down there and set up camp...I'm looking forward to that fire."

          Jake grumbled something but followed after the tall miner anyway. They slipped and skidded down the steady slope, pushing small mounds of snow before them, until they'd reached the forest to the right of the glistening sheet of ice. Both men dumped their packs with a sigh of relief before reluctantly going about their allotted tasks. Steve set about setting up camp, digging away the snow and pulling out hides to cover thin canvases. They would stay here for one night only, gathering ice for two days, then head back before the weather became nasty. Blizzards could pop up at any moment.

          He used an ice pick to hammer metal tent stakes into the frozen ground, a backbreaking task, but he pulled it off with little strain. Jake, after all, had the more frustrating work. Finding tinder that would burn was a hard task during the winter.

          Steve finally finished setting up the tent and was leaning smugly against a tree when Jake returned, face red and sweaty. Steve arched an eyebrow at him, and Jake glared, dropping a small armful of sticks, "I'll get more later...and wipe that grin off! You had an unfair advantage, muscle man."

          Steve looked thoughtful, "And...if I remember correctly...I also had twice the weight and a sled...right?"

          Jake rolled his eyes, smiling a little, "Shut up, Steve."

          Steve raised his hands in a motion of surrender, closing his eyes and leaning up from the tree, "Okay! Okay...I'll grab my pick."

________________________________

           Hours of labor later, one sled was nearly full, and the other had been assembled and was waiting for its load. The two friends were careful around the large strip of dark water they'd cut the ice away from. It crackled a little with the breeze, ice already trying to reform on it. If one of them fell in, it would be nearly impossible to get back up to the surface, and impossible to haul them back out again.

           Unknown to the men, the being was watching them intently from the forest where their camp was, teleporting quite close to watch them. He'd snooped about the camp a bit, without coming too close. Now, he was watching and wondering why they were cutting up this ice, what they could possibly use it for.

            Steve looked up from splitting a chunk of ice, squinting at the sun, "Few more good blocks should do it for today, whaddaya say, Jake?"

          Jake heaved another block of ice from the water with a special 'ice-hook', "Sure thing, Steve..." He straightened, wiped the sweat from his brow, and again reached out for another bobbing block of ice, glancing over his right shoulder to check on their camp, longing for a good, warm fire and a place to rest.

           Two white eyes greeted him. That, that demon, or whatever he was...was watching them! Jake jerked, startled, felt his balance flee him. His eyes widened as he felt himself teetering on the edge of that dark water, "Ste-aaahhhhh!!"

          SPLASH!

          Steve heard the cry, the splash. His heart seemed to stop. He whirled, dropping his pick and scrambling over to the black water, "JAKE!! No, Jake! No, PLEASE NO!" Without a second thought, he ripped off his right glove and plunged his hand into the freezing water. He needed to feel for Jake, he had to get him out!

          The seconds felt like hours. Steve's arm was soaked to the shoulder, chin nearly touching the black water as he crawled frantically about, feeling for anything that might hint at Jake's body, "JAKE! Please, swim, come on, Jake!!" His voice was raw, desperate. He'd been under too long, "NOTCH PLEASE!! PLEASE SPARE HIM, PLEASE!!"

______________________________________

           The being stood, frozen, staring as the brown-haired one screamed in utter anguish as he struggled to find his friend. The being had never wanted this to happen. His heart sank, he lowered his head, and bitterness filled him. No matter what he did, death seemed to follow in his wake. He should have never come here...should have never tried to stall his inevitable fate.

          The being's head suddenly jerked up, the larger human was screaming again, and yanking himself back from the black water. His arm came up out of the dark lake, and it was blue-tinged, but there was...something in his frozen grasp! The human was shouting at the sky, straining, on his knees, to haul his friend up onto the ice. The ice was slippery, and the angle was awkward. Every moment his friend spent in that water was another moment closer to death.

          The being scowled at the war within him. Getting close to humans was a bad idea...but it was his fault the man ended up in that water...

          The being steeled himself.

          He knew what had to be done.

_____________________________________________

           "Jake! Yes, I've got you! Aaaagghhh!!! C'mon Jake! Help me out man!" Steve strained to pull the unresponsive man up, but he couldn't get more than half of Jake's chest out of the water. He'd just barely felt his soft hair and had pulled him up by it. The miner's right arm was completely numb, but he managed to get both his arms under Jake's. He heaved, trying to get Jake up...but he felt the ice under him shudder. He was putting too much weight on one section of ice! Steve knew he had to move, but the hunter was just too heavy, freezing water soaking his thick clothes. Why wasn't he strong enough?

           A small wurp sounded to his right, startling Steve. He looked over, and froze, seeing a pair of grey boots and indigo pants. His gaze traveled up, taking in the grey, ragged cloak, the thin teal shirt, and met softly glowing eyes. His heart pounded within him. Was the being going to push him in? Had he...thrown Jake in??

          Jake suddenly slipped a little in his grasp. Steve gasped, tearing his eyes from the potential threat, scrabbling for a better hold. He panted, breaths freezing and misting before him, as his hands finally latched securely onto Jake's thick coat. Determination welled up in his heart, and he shot a desperate look at the powerful being, "Please! Please, help me! He'll die! I can't...I can't get him up, please!"

           The being's face clouded with confusion, and Steve's heart sank. The being seemed unable to understand basic speech. Steve closed his eyes, turning his face back to Jake's still form, burying his face in the wet, blond hair. He heaved again, one last time, "Gaaahhhh!!!!" Jake rose a little out of the water but began slipping back in.

          Until his sinking halted. Steve's eyes shot open, and he looked about wildly, gaze settling on the thin hand now gripping Jake's shoulder. The hand pulled, and Jake was released from the clinging lake, with surprising ease. Water surged up with Jake, splashing onto the ice, but Steve hardly noticed. He was tugging his glove back on and tearing the other off to feel for a pulse, desperately searching Jake's face for a sign of life.

           Jake's face was pale, and his lips were turning blue, but under Steve's fingers, the miner felt a fluttering pulse from the freezing skin. Steve flipped Jake onto his stomach, broke off a small chunk of ice from a nearby block and shoved it between Jake's teeth to keep his friend's mouth open, and positioned his hand between the trapper's shoulder blades. He took a deep breath, reared back his hand, and whacked Jake's back. He did this several times until Jake suddenly convulsed, deep, hacking coughs expelling the water from his lungs.

          Steve hurriedly flipped Jake onto his back, holding the back of his head gently. Jake's eyes flickered open, his breathing was labored, and he began to shiver, teeth chattering. Steve's face broke into a smile, "Jake! Hey, relax, I've got you...I've got you. Can you understand me?"

           Jake's eyes widened, He tried to sit up, but Steve held him down, and the trapper was too weak to resist, "'s that...man...hewus...there...watchin..."

           Steve nodded, "Yes, he helped pull you out. He's—" Steve turned, frowning when he saw no trace of the being. He turned back to Jake, realizing he was wasting time. Hypothermia would be hitting him hard, the next few hours would be critical in deciding if Jake would live through the night. Steve began undoing the clasps on Jake's jacket, taking off the soaking wet thing, doing the same with his boots, gloves, fullcloth pants and soaked cape. Underneath all the thick layers, Jake wore a long-sleeved, pale linen shirt, and dark brown, wool pants.

           Steve took off his own cloak, wrapping it hurriedly around the young man. Jake was shivering violently now, and his skin was so pale. Steve grimaced and forced himself to his feet, scooping up Jake and jogging back to camp, not seeing, in his haste, the small figure watching him from behind a tree to the east.

          Arriving at camp, Steve dropped to his knees and set Jake down gently in the tent, withdrew, and closed the flaps. He whirled, spraying snow, and scrambled over to the abandoned pile of sticks. Shoving snow away from a large circle near the mouth of their tent, he piled up the sticks, taking out a knife from his belt and shredding one a bit, dropping the curls of pale wood near the base of the pile. Sticking the knife back into his sheath, he fumbled with the leather pack on his belt, bringing out his flint and steel. He struck thrice before the sparks caught, and crouched quickly by the tiny flame, blowing and urging the fire to grow, adding sticks as it bloomed.

          Soon, a steady flame was going, and Steve grabbed his pack, spilling things into the snow as he pulled out the thick, warm blankets they were going to sleep in. Opening up the flaps of the tent, Steve entered, pulled up Jake, and began wrapping the trembling man in more layers, bringing him closer to the mouth of the tent so he could feel the heat of the fire. Jake was still awake, thank Notch, but he was slow, sluggish. He understood he needed heat, however, and allowed himself to be sat by the fire, where he stared dully into the dancing flames.

          Steve sat back, exhausted from his haste. He needed to go get Jake's clothing before it froze. Wearily, he stood, threw one last glance over his shoulder, and trudged back to the lake. The snow crunched softly under him, and the sun was lower, behind the rim of the volcano's bowl. As his boots hit the hard ice, and he began slowly gathering up the already-stiff clothes, he glanced at the dark water and shuddered. Jake had barely been saved from a watery, cold grave. Jake's cry and the dreaded splash played again in his head and he trembled again, tears forming in his eyes. The utter horror that had washed over him at that one, awful sound had been...indescribable.

          Steve picked up the last item of clothing and winced as his hand sent stinging pains to his shoulder. He'd need to take care of that...he didn't want frostbite.

          Numbly, he made his way back to camp, checked on a now-sleeping Jake, and began lashing together green branches he broke off the spruces all around. Hanging the stiff clothing on leaning branches near the fire, he decided he was too tired to bother to eat, and entered the tent, drawing Jake away from the opening.

           He lay down on the hard ground, using a pack for a pillow, holding Jake close and spreading the last of the warm blankets over them both. He'd use his own body heat to keep Jake alive through the night.

           He sighed as he began to drift off, "Sleep well...buddy."

          He dimly wondered how they would make it to Jake's home before he slipped off into the land of dreams.

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Vote and comment if you enjoyed it! I'm happy to be back, moving SUCKED

I'm thinking...To Walk next? Or Fallen Honor, which one you want first?