Ted realized what was happening, in a flash, even though the fire was still burning. It happened sometimes. Even the most experienced of explorers fell prey to it, and now it had nearly gotten to Ted as well.
Hypothermia.
He was feeling unnaturally warm. He could not obey his faulty instincts, instead, he had to stay as warm as possible.
He made himself a cozy nest of blankets right next to the fire. He was not in the condition to go out and search for Eknie, besides, it was probably easier for her to dig her way back in than it was for him to dig his way out.
It was a bad idea to fall asleep right now. He would either burn himself severely or fall asleep too far away from the fire.
After what felt like several days, he heard scratching from the so-called door of the cave.
He jumped up, thinking that it was Eknie, but when he called out to her, there was no reply, not even a muffled one.
He felt cold, dark dread settling into his bones.
