This is the mountain they are on

And this is where they are right now.

Anyway.......

__________________________________________________________-

Mia groaned, her head throbbing for some reason. She looked around the tent, confused. 

It looked dark outside. And it was unexpectedly cold. Mia shivered, nestling close to Nelson.

Then, she felt a lurch. Everything came sliding to the edge of the tent.

' This isn't normal', she thought.

Then, without a second thought, she vigorously shook her peacefully sleeping boyfriend.

" Nelson!" She screeched. " We're moving!"

" Huh?" He mumbled, turning over.

Mia sighed, exasperated. 

" Nelson Ray Elier! Wake up! Our tent is sliding! Is this was the purple ninja would do?!" Then she paused. " Oh, wait. You are the purple ninja."

Nelson opened one eye.

" We're sliding?" He asked. 

Mia slapped her face and did the crawling formation over Nelson.

" Yes! We're moving! I'm surprised I can even stand!"

Nelson's drowsiness vanished in a heartbeat. He scrambled out of his sleeping bag, adrenaline surging through him. One look outside the tent confirmed Mia's panicked words. The once-stable ground was tilted at a frightening angle, and the tent itself was slowly inching towards the edge of a steep, snow-covered slope.

"Avalanche!" Nelson shouted, the word echoing in the thin mountain air. His heart hammered in his chest as he realized the danger they were in.

Then, the tent went up, and flew off a ledge. They gained speed. 

" How is it-" Nelson started, but was cut off by Mia.

Mia, quick on her feet despite the disorientation, was already scrambling for their backpacks. "Grab what you can and hold on!" she yelled, shoving essentials like their water bottles and headlamps into his arms.

There was no time for a full-fledged escape. Their tent, caught in the flow of the moving snow, acted as a makeshift sled, dragging them down the slope at an alarming rate. The world became a blur of white and grey, the wind whipping at their faces, stealing their breath. Nelson clung to his backpack, his eyes searching for anything they could use to anchor themselves.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them gave way. They plunged through the air, the scream dying in Mia's throat as they tumbled into the inky blackness below. The world spun wildly, a sickening sensation of weightlessness gripping them. Then, with a bone-jarring impact, they landed.

Silence. A thick blanket of darkness surrounded them, broken only by the faint hiss of falling snow. Disoriented and in pain, Nelson forced his eyes open. Everything ached, but a wave of relief washed over him as he realized they were still alive.

"Mia?" He called out, his voice hoarse.

A faint groan answered him. "Nelson? I think... I think I broke my ankle."

Panic threatened to rise again, but Nelson forced it down. They might be injured, trapped in this unknown abyss, but giving in to fear wouldn't help. He needed to find a way out, and more importantly, he needed to make sure Mia was okay.

"Hold on, Mia," he said, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands. "I'll find a way to get help."

Fumbling with his headlamp, he clicked it on, a beam of light cutting through the darkness. The sight that greeted him made his breath catch. They weren't at the bottom of a crevasse, as he'd initially feared. They were trapped within a massive cavern, the walls glistening with ice formations that shimmered faintly in the light.

There was no time to marvel at the scenery, though. He needed to assess Mia's injury and figure out a way to get a signal out. With a renewed sense of purpose, Nelson crawled towards Mia, his headlamp beam casting a narrow path through the icy darkness.

It turned out, thankfully, that Mia's leg wasn't broken. There were just many rocks on it, giving her extra pressure.

Relief washed over Nelson like a wave. He gently brushed the snow off Mia's leg, wincing as she hissed in pain. A cursory examination revealed no broken bones, just a nasty collection of scrapes and bruises from their impromptu tumble.

"Thank goodness," he said, letting out a shaky breath. "Just some bumps and bruises. You scared me half to death, Mia."

Mia, her face pale but her eyes sparkling with defiance, managed a weak smile. "Well, you weren't exactly Mr. Calm and Collected yourself, Purple Ninja."

Nelson chuckled, the sound strained but genuine. He helped her gather the essentials that had spilled from their packs during the fall. Their supplies, thankfully, seemed relatively intact, the water bottles miraculously unscathed.

"So," Mia said, her voice laced with a hint of apprehension. "Where are we?"

Nelson scanned the cavern with his headlamp. The walls, carved from smooth ice, seemed to stretch endlessly upwards. He spotted a narrow opening in the distance, barely visible through the swirling snowdrifts.

"We're in some kind of icy cave," he said, his voice echoing in the vast emptiness. "That opening over there might be our way out. But with your ankle..."

Mia grimaced, gingerly testing her weight on her injured leg. It wouldn't hold her weight for long, and the thought of climbing out of the cave, even with Nelson's help, seemed daunting.

"We need a plan," Nelson said, his voice firm. "First, we need light a fire. There should be some dry tinder amongst the supplies. Then, we can use some of your clothes and a pole as a makeshift splint for your ankle. Once you're more stable, we can figure out how to get out of here."

Mia nodded, a flicker of determination replacing the fear in her eyes. They had faced challenges before, and they had come out stronger. This wouldn't be any different.

Working together, they gathered what they could find – dry twigs, scraps of fabric, and a sturdy trekking pole. Nelson managed to coax a small fire to life, the flames casting a warm glow against the icy walls. As he fashioned the splint, Mia gritted her teeth through the pain, her focus solely on getting back on her feet.

" All done." something peeped. 

Mia's sigh echoed in the cavern, sending a flurry of snowflakes skittering across the ice floor. Her hand, which had been hovering over the fire, warming itself against the flickering flames, flinched at the unexpected voice.

"Blackie?" she stammered, disbelief lacing her voice. She fumbled through her backpack, pulling out the small black cat who seemed to have found a way to create a temporary home within her bag during their descent.

Blackie, perched precariously on the edge of the backpack, adjusted his tiny backpack (which, unbelievably, seemed to have survived the fall unscathed) and shot Mia a withering look.

"Yes, Miss Wind," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's me. Your ever-so-reliable companion, currently masquerading as a makeshift first-aid kit."

Nelson, who had been diligently working on the splint, glanced up at Mia, a questioning look in his eyes. Mia, torn between amusement and exasperation, could only manage a helpless shrug.

"Miss Wind," Blackie continued, his voice assuming a lecturing tone, "care to explain why your boyfriend is making you a splint for a perfectly good ankle?"

Mia opened her mouth to explain, about to launch into a detailed account of their harrowing descent, but Blackie cut her off with a dismissive flick of his tail.

"Don't bother," he scoffed. "I saw the whole thing. You two falling like clumsy oafs down a snowy slope, more concerned with screaming each other's names than actually using your ninja skills to, you know, stop the fall."

Nelson, unable to contain himself any longer, burst out laughing. The harsh sound echoed in the cavern, but it held a welcome note of relief. Mia, despite the sharp sting of Blackie's words, couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Alright, alright," she conceded, a playful glint in her eyes. "You caught us. We weren't exactly paragons of ninjitsu during that avalanche."

Blackie, however, remained unfazed. He puffed out his chest, his tiny black form radiating an air of smug satisfaction.

"See?" he declared. "This is why you need me. You humans are hopeless."

" Hopeless?!" Mia scoffed playfully. " I'm the one carrying you!"

" Correction. You choose to carry me. I just hop on for the ride."

Mia sighed, this time playfully. " All right, you win. We're hopeless."

Just then, a rumble echoed through the cavern, making the fire flicker and sending a shower of snowflakes cascading from the ceiling. The cavern floor trembled slightly. Nelson and Mia exchanged a worried glance.

Blackie, his bravado momentarily forgotten, let out a small meow, his eyes wide with newfound concern. Perhaps, just perhaps, there were bigger problems than proving his ninja superiority. They were trapped, injured, and now, it seemed, the mountain itself was restless.