Chapter 7

I've already run out of author's notes which kind of makes me sad...anyways, here's another chapter.
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       The cold temperatures were starting to get to him as they continued onward. As he found himself falling earlier, he'd lost the coat that Ryu had given him but he wasn't about to let go of Dynamo. He planned on fixing him when he got the chance, not wanting the nasod servant to remain in the state he was found in. Lucky for Add, his invention was holding out pretty well against the cold.

       As mentioned before, he wasn't and he was starting to get a little impatient with Ara. Halfway through their trip, she had spoken to someone who wasn't even there saying that it was Eun speaking to her through the hairpin that she'd put in her hair. Add of course considered that it was possible but he also considered that Ara could be going crazy. Now she was still walking and supposedly talking to Eun again.

       "Add, we'll have to stay in the fox burrow for a bit once we get there. Eun says that it isn't too far from the city but if we don't take shelter at the fox burrow, we'll be caught by the blizzard that she senses is heading our way. She also said that we should increase our pace," Ara said as she continued walking. "Increase our pace? Easy for you to say. You aren't entirely affected by this irritating cold," Add muttered, referring to Ara's coat, not to mention she still had a silk scarf and jacket from earlier.

       "Then take my coat. We're almost there so I can take the cold for a bit," Ara said, already removing the coat. "What? No! I'm not taking your coat," Add said but Ara had already taken it off and went over to him,draping it over his shoulder. He had to admit that he immediately felt the warmth that it gave him but he still wasn't going to allow Ara to go coatless for the rest of their trip. "Ara, get this back. I told you that I don't want it," Add growled. He couldn't exactly take it off himself since he was still carrying Dynamo which required both his hands.

       Ara tilted her head at him but otherwise turned back towards their route and continued with the bag still on her shoulders. Add caught a glimpse of the back of her jacket and realized that it was still shredded from when she was attacked. He could see right through the claw shapped rips seeing her bare skin for only a moment before Ara covered them with the bag she was still carrying.

       "You're keeping the coat and yes I know they're still there. Maybe next time you'll think a bit before you complain about something," Ara said as she glanced back at him. Add, not knowing what to say in response to Ara's remark, huffed in annoyance. They walked for just a bit longer, both clearly tired, before Ara stopped and pulled the hairpin from her hair. "It's just that way. Eun says the foxes are still there but we can still go in as long as she makes her presence known," Ara said.

        Foxes? They were still there? "It's not abandoned?" Add asked. "Nope. Eun says that they'll help keep us warm until the blizzard passes. The city is strait past it but it's a good distance away," Ara said as she began to make her way to the burrow. Add followed, not entirely fond of the idea of sharing a burrow with foxes. Ara crouched down next to the opening that seemed more like a den than a burrow. "See, we can fit in here," Ara said as she began to crawl into the opening, carrying her spear and bag along with her. The hairpin was in the same hand that she used to carry her spear and it began to glow a little.

        If Add wasn't in the situation he was in, he would have thought more than twice about following Ara into a fox burrow but he didn't have many options so he followed after her. His invention casted a purple hue onto the walls, providing just enough illumination so see ahead of him. Ara had already made it to the foxes, three who seemed to have been waiting for their arrival, and they gathered around her.

       It almost amazed Add how unafraid Ara was of them as he joined her in the spacious area. Ara's spear could easily fit in the area with them which said a lot about the spacing. "How did they even dig this place into existence?" Ara asked no one in particular as she also took in the space. "I don't think they did," Add commented as one of the foxes padded oved to him, snuggling up against his side. He didn't move it away as he usually would have since he didn't understand why they were so docile in the first place.

         "So what are we going to do until the storm passes?" Add asked Ara, becoming bored by the silence in the air. He had begun to remove Ara's coat from his shoulders and draped it over he since she was sitting right next to him on the side opposite of the fox. "I don't know but once the storm passes, we can go to-" Ara was saying but she stayed silent when the temperature suddenly dropped even more. She looked at Add with fear in her eyes knowing that it must have been another time gap that had taken place.

        "Eun said that the blizzard already passed. She can't tell how much time has passed though," Ara quietly said when silence was unbearable. "We can't stay here. We don't know if that's going to happen again," Add said, realizing that the cold would kill them if they didn't leave. "Add wait, don't go out there. Eun says that the temperatures are too low for us to be trying to get to the city. Even if you tried getting there, she says you'll freeze to death before you make it there," Ara said.

        "We'll freeze to death if we stay here. That city is our best option. You said it wasn't that far so we can make it there if we hurry," Add reasoned. "Add, we've been walking for what seemed like hours. Even if you tried, you don't have enough energy to get there. I can tell. I know you well enough to be able to tell. You're too tired to keep going," Ara said.

         Add didn't believe so. He figured he could push through just a bit longer. It was true that his body ached from the strain of the weather but he needed to at least try to make it to the city. "I'm not going to die here and you aren't either. If you don't want to come then fine. I'll bring back help and get us somewhere safe," Add decided as he set Dynamo aside and headed for the exit. He was going to save them even if Ara didn't want him to.

        "I'm not letting you go out there," Ara stated with a degree of fieriness in her voice. "I'm not letting you stop me," Add said as he turned back to her but her expression was quite the opposite of what he thought it would be. She was on the verge of tears as she attempted to pull him back by his arm. "Ara, let me go. I'll be fine," Add said hoping she didn't actually start crying but Ara shook her head at him and the tears started to fall, quickly drying or maybe freezing as they did.

        "I can't let you go out there knowing that you could die. I wouldn't be able to live myself knowing that it was my fault. I can't have anyone else die because of me!" Ara said through he quickly freezing tears. Add then realized that she was referring to something else and not just his attempt to go out into the cold. "He's dead because of me, Add. I got him killed. If I had just listened to what he was telling me, he would have lived," Ara cried.

        The foxes went to her and rubbed their fur against her in an attempt to comfort her. Add couldn't bring himself to leave now that Ara was practically crying for him not to. Add wasn't the best at sentiment but he could tell that Ara was in need of comfort so he stopped resisting her pull at his arm and hugged her. "Don't blame yourself for what happened," Add said to her which only made her cry even more but at least the hug seemed to be working.

        After a while, Ara stopped crying altogether and Add realized that she was asleep. Another thing he noticed was the he was still cold and Ara was extremely cold to the touch. He had to do something about it whether Ara liked it or not. Add carefully laid her down across the ground and made sure that her coat was secured over her so that she'd stay warm. The foxes caught on to what he was doing but did not stop him. Instead, they gathered around Ara and kept her warm.

        Leaving the burrow without the coat was perhaps foolish but Ara needed it more than he did. If he could just make it to that city that was strait ahead of the burrow, he could save Ara. That thought alone was the only thing that drove him forward despite the cold and harsh wind that faught against him. It was almost easy to get across all of the snow since his invention carried him over it but he soon found himself in a dilemma when they could no longer function in the freezing cold. He hadn't exactly built them to withstand cold weather like this.

         Still, he trudged onward, determined to get to the city, carrying his nasod wepaon with him because he wasn't going to leave it behind. It was at a sudden point in his travels that his body wouldn't allow him to go any further. The snow had weighed him down, the wind had burned his eyes and knocked him down, and the cold continued to try stealing his heart. He told himself to get up, to keep going, but his body would not respond. He could only lie there in the snow, pleading for himself to find the strength somewhere to keep going.

          He couldn't be that far off from the city right. His eyes threatened to close on him, to leave him in darkness for the snow to cover but he managed to fight away the urge. He began to hear footsteps slowly headed towards him but he was unsure of who of what would come with that sound. The thought of being killed off by a passing animal didn't settle well with him amd he felt the adrenaline coursing through him, forcing him up again but he could no longer tell which direction was which as he looked around.

         He didn't see the tracks that he was sure had been left behind but he did see someone familiar heading towards him. "Ara," he whispered as she came to him. She said nothing as she took hold of his arm and began to drag him away but Add didn't want to go back the burrow. He nor Ara would make it there since he was sure he'd gotten them closer to the city and too far away to be turning back. "Ara, stop. We can't go back," Add said as he faught her but her grip was firm. "I said no!" Add said as he used his gathered strength to pull away from Ara who faught against him as well.

         Add freed himself but Ara fell backward, falling to the ground. For a good bit of time, she didn't get up and Add began to worry. "Ara? Are you okay?" he asked as he crawled over to her. She slowly rose after hearing him but that was when he saw the red that stained the white snow. Add caught her gaze through her hair and saw the rage in her eyes and the odd red markings that had appeared on her face. "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry," Add said, unsure of what he should say. In an instant, Ara had become a blur of movement and Add's world went from pure white to pitch black.
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Sooo.....I guess that's it for now. I have another chapter to write and a word limit to keep cause I almost passed it this time. Until next chapter you awesome readers!

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