Hazen stared intently at the ground, as if she was focusing on to something. Regardless of what happened around her, she still glared down at the snow beneath her feet.
Jakery wrapped an arm over her shoulder, bringing her in for a caring hug. Hoping it would be enough to thaw her out of her trance, and it did. But the first thing she did was point down beneath them.
"It's hollow," she guided their attention. "Life does exist here. I connected with a mind somewhere beneath us. From what I saw, it was a Thawed... but weird. It's difficult to explain."
Some of the accompanying Thawed treaded forward, effortlessly balancing against the sudden gusts of wind. They spoke to one another in their native tongue, joking about how dangerous it was.
"Then that must mean Yarno has given them a different purpose," Valentine said while pumping out his chest into the cold air. "It's beautiful how different we can be."
Before long, Hazen and Jakery found themselves falling behind the main group. Hazen slowed down drastically so she could walk beside her partner, who failed to keep up.
Out of respect, Valentine allowed it. Sometimes he looked back to ensure they were safe, which always was the case. It was cloudy outside, with some rogue gusts every here and there.
The fall down wasn't bad either, maybe only a tumble. It was a small shard of Digon after all, one they weren't allowed to go through because of where it led.
Ahead of the trio, some of the Thawed stopped dead in their tracks. They glanced all around them to look for something. From all corners of their vision, many eyes glared at them.
Valentine hid his hands behind his back, forming blood crystals along his fingers just in case this was an ambush. Jakery acknowledged what this meant, prompting him to get ready as well.
Right before he could fully prepare for a confrontation, several Ferals lunged out at them. Pouncing on several Thawed, including Hazen. She grunted while struggling for her flail, which was tied around her waist.
Jakery unleashed a small but powerful shock at the attacker, blinding them enough to drop their prey. Allowing Jakery to get a good look before they resumed their attack.
It was a male, almost rivaling in size of the other Thawed in the group. Hair was down to his knees and eyes glowed in a mystic cyan, like shining ice.
Along his open jaws were chunks of rocks and ice used to form a primary row of teeth designed to protect the ones behind it. Right as the Feral prepared to pounce on Jakery, the ground erupted.
Several more Thawed climbed out of the hole, weapons drawn. But instead of weapons, these were massive shovel-like appendages made from chitin. Designed specifically for digging and attacking.
One appendage covered each of their forearms, providing natural armor for the beasts. These Thawed also had something else with them.
Instead of seeming like well equipped combatants, they appeared to lack armor over their bodies. Those same exposed parts had symbols and carvings embedded into their skin, which appeared to come from their appendages.
A claw pierced the neck of the attacking Feral, killing them instantly. Over the chaos of shattering stone and roaring Ferals, Valentine managed to reinforce his allies using the spilt blood.
Crimson armor decorated each Infinus member, keeping them secure from most attacks. But the Thawed weren't there for them, all they were there for was to defend.
"Naas nalook. He'c ya-katur. Vimminishi'yutaqur? (Foreign visitors. Welcome to Digon's Trail. Has our defense startled your journey?)" a female asked in a raspy tone.
Valentine approached her, fists closed. "H can-ook. Yu'q-nazir. (Thank you. And no it hasn't.)"
Her sharp cheeks seemed to hardly move as she let out an unsettling smile. "Hu'qutir. Vum, vum, vum? (Very well. Where are you going now?)"
"To explore Yarno," Valentine broke out of Philious.
"Yarno, such a beautiful place," she added. "I've heard tales of warriors from Imbushko, you see. How they arrived in Yarno and were blown away by our... brutality, for a lack of a better term."
Jakery awkwardly chuckled as he guided Hazen closer to the group, arm around her torso. "Yeah, okay. Well, at least we know life out here is doing great."
The Thawed seemed bothered upon seeing Jakery, she retracted her two claws instantly. "Why are you bringing icicles into Yarno? Haven't you heard of Valiant's champion?"
"He is not an icicle, he is fully matured. Just a hybrid," Valentine corrected. "And no, we haven't. Who is he?"
She shook her head, displeased at what she saw. "Detrass, the Mountain Maker. He is everything Valiant is not. Including fatherly. If he sees that one, he will try to raise him as his own. Unknowingly nurturing a completely grown adult."
Valentine forced the armor to disappear from his allies, showing an early sign of trust in his actions. "We will handle him if he comes across us. But right now, we are not looking for trouble."
"Then we will let you carry on your way," the Thawed stepped aside. "Enjoy Yarno. And embrace yourselves in fantasies no Imbushkhan would experience naturally!"
***
One of the three moons rose over the horizon, threatening the sun for its throne. As the sun settled down over the horizon, Digon's Trail was glowing with the warm colors of the skies.
Bringing the entire group closer together. Especially Jakery and Hazen, who held each other in their own loving hugs.
Hazen did it because she wanted to keep Jakery warm, which played into why Jakery was doing it. He was hugging her because he wanted her to have his cold temperatures, nodding to her Thawed heritage.
The two looked out of place. Like an armored giant and an armored child keeping the other company.
Despite that, they continued to hold each other tight. Over time, the two found little things they liked about each other. Such as Jakery's desire to be treated like a Yonie and Hazen's desperation for someone to look out for her.
"Are you comfortable?" she asked, calmly humming between words.
"Yeah!" Jakery quickly replied in a whisper, perfectly mimicking a Yonie. "I loove you!"
Hazen placed her head gently over his crown. "Then fall asleep in my grasp, little one. Scouts said there's a base not too far from here."