Atelier startles herself with a sneeze and jolts awake.
It's the break of dawn. The fire is out, taking with it the warmth. The air is freezing cold, leaving her lips chapped and skin cry. She rubs her arms and sneezes again.
Her eyes slowly adjust to the dim surrounding, and her vision returns to her. Only then does she realise the fire isn't the only thing gone.
She is alone.
She jumps to her feet, her heart skipping along, and looks around. Kreiss and Skulljape are nowhere to be seen. Their supplies lay in a pile next to the pit, and for a moment, Atelier is convinced that they don't mean to desert her. Surely they are coming back. But why have they both left her on her own while she was vulnerable?
Perhaps she was wrong to trust them, after all. She bites her quivering lip to stop herself from crying. Now is not the time.
