Vitae opened his eyes to Pura lay peacefully curled up to him, the most at rest she's been since the fire. He could hear her gentle sleeping breath and the beating of her heart against his leg.
He looked around the cave, walls imprisoned them in all directions. The once large opening now a single, large crystalised body glittering as the only visible light struggled to pierce through and emit a dim sapphire glow.
But the wall had more to worry Vitae; as he slowley stood, to prevent Pura waking, water dropped from his fur. The pool was barely a puddle but the ice was evidently starting to thin. The glow grew as the water rose higher. “Pura...” whispered Vitae, nudging her in the back with his paws. “Wake up, Pura, come on.”
Pura let out a mumble of words which Vitae couldn't understand but surely was in protest of getting up yet. She opened her mouth and water splashed her face and nose. Pura shot up in disarray and straight into attack pose, “What?!”
“The ice is melting”, said Vitae calmly, “and there is no way out, but through the very same ice…”
“Great plan, Guardian!” Pura interrupted sarcastically.
Vitae rolled his eyes, “I could melt the ice, it'll be a faster exit but the cave will fill faster and I have no idea how far it is to the surface," Vitae’s mane changed to amber. "The other option is we dig through. It'll be slow but maybe we'll best the water level..."
“Let's try number two. I don't really fancy drowning today.”
Vitae stepped forward, his mane slumbering into a flickering grey, and clawed at ice until he could climb in. He initially dug ahead enough so him and Pura could fit inside the glacier but soon added an angle to his digging, enough to try get reach the surface faster but not so it'll become too difficult to hang on and slide to their doom. He pushed the crystal snow through his legs and back to Pura who simply pushed it aside and down the tunnel; she was smaller and so she climbed over most of what Vitae dug out.
Vitae, dug and dug, his claws like ice picks to hold him in place. Then with one swipe of his paws the ice cracked, Sun shone through like a beacon of hope. The crack, however, sprinted down the tunnel straight between Pura's legs. The floor below her collapsed, as well as the rest of the tunnel. Vitae held anchored to the exit, hanging by a just a paw. He watched as Pura fell into the cold, dark pit below him, “Pura!” he roared, Pura's screams echoing back in the deep.
Vitae hung for a second, staring down. A crushing sickness turned in his stomach, his chest tightened, clamping his lungs. His body drained of feeling and all senses blinded.
The tunnels exit then began to crumble, Vitae's paw slipped and sent a shock rushing through him, waking him from the ruthless nightmare. Vitae swung around and cut all claws into any ice that remained to pull himself up and out. He crawled up falling snow and struggled across collapsing ground. He stood on the vast frozen plains, the sun now kissing his fur.
A castle stood glistening on the horizon and the pit just inches behind him. His stance frozen, motionless, as he panted heavenly. Now he could only go on without her, with no clear way down and no idea where it lead he decided he must push on.
“Lets do this, Poseidon."
ns 15.158.61.20da2
