On a day in late Kerah, Bouba, Té Alvuin, and Kholchu played cards in the relative shelter of a high-altitude Rekesen research outpost. The two colonies had been charged with studying how snowfall in Rekes affected weather in Mireh and L'Hatzif, and the two belemoids and tark'ee were stuck doing the snowfall measurements. They were almost literally stuck- without near daily clearing, the wind blew snowdrifts against the door to trap them. The heater could only ever manage a somewhat cool temperature instead of actually warm, and there was no plumbing on the mountainside, which meant they had to clear a path to an outhouse, as well.

Bouba, wearing a thick sweater to keep warm, frowned as Kholchu placed another card. Her odds were not looking good. Té Alvuin had recently made hot chocolate for the group, and the drinks sat steaming in front of them; Té Alvuin himself had a dark chocolate mustache decorating the fur of his upper lip.

A knock at the door made all three look up. Kholchu was nearest to it, and stood to open it. A fierce blast of freezing air tore inside, followed by a red face with pale stripes. None of the trio recognized the tsabhua shivering just outside, but Kholchu welcomed him in. Bouba slid over to make room at the table, and Té Alvuin headed back to the kitchen to pour another mug of hot chocolate. The newcomer sat down next to the heater, leaning as close to it as he could without burning himself. "I'm Falkor," he introduced himself, his whistling voice wavering from cold.

Returning to her place at the table, Kholchu tilted her head. "What brings you to a mountaintop in Kerah, Falkor?" she asked.

Bouba jumped in, saying, "Let's finish introductions first- I'm Bouba, and this is Kholchu! The pale belemoid is Té Alvuin." As she said his name, Té Alvuin arrived back in the common room, carefully holding a fourth mug of hot chocolate in his claws. He slid it over to Falkor, who took it gratefully.

"Thank you," he murmured, then continued, "Normally, we don't travel this far up the mountain in Kerah, but a few of our whelps are sick and the lichen in this area has medicinal properties. I managed to dig through the snow and get the lichen, but the weather is worsening. I saw your building and thought I'd stop to warm up."

All three colonists nodded, understanding. "If a storm is coming, why don't you stay in here until it passes?" Bouba offered.

Falkor shook his head. "I cannot. I need to return home so we can make medicine for our whelps," he explained. Té Alvuin glanced to Kholchu, who was frowning thoughtfully. Of the three of them, she had the most medical knowledge.

"Then we can't wait," Kholchu decided. "We have extra cold-weather gear here. We'll help you reach your family." Té Alvuin looked a little surprised, but when Bouba nodded in agreement, he was quick to add his support as well.

Falkor's ears pricked forward, taken aback, but he recovered quickly. "Let's go, then," he said, standing up and draining the rest of his hot chocolate. The room burst into activity, with the colonists pulling out jackets and boots and gloves to protect themselves from the stinging cold outside. The outpost was stocked with gear for all species, and Té Alvuin held out an extra set for Falkor, which he took and struggled to put on.

In ten minutes, the group of four was outside and bracing themselves against the wind that howled across the mountaintop. Bouba was not the tallest, but she was the most sturdily built and she took the lead, plowing through the deepening snow. Falkor was right behind her to guide them to his village, and Té Alvuin and Kholchu took the rear. It was hard going, the snow flying through the air reducing visibility and few landmarks rising from the barren, stony landscape. Fortunately, their main goal at the moment was simply to descend. If they could reach the treeline, they would be sheltered from the worst of the wind and could get their bearings from there. The biggest danger was spotting a cliff a little too late.

Falkor called out to Bouba, warning her of a dropoff he could see ahead. She turned, doggedly shoving herself through the chest-deep snow, then disappeared. Kholchu and Té Alvuin rushed forward, terrified that she'd fallen, but they saw the tark'ee's bright blue coat just visible through the snow she'd plunged into. It was only a hollow, not a cliff. Quickly, the two belemoids worked to dig her out and the group continued on. Trudging through the snow was exhausting, but Falkor shouted over the howl of wind, "Not far to the treeline!"

Looking up, the three colonists could see it was true. Dark shapes loomed out of the near whiteout weather. Bouba put on a burst of speed, with Té Alvuin and Kholchu hurrying to keep up. Smaller trees and bushes passed them by, then the wind's intensity was cut in half as the group made it under the sheltering canopy of the forest below the treeline. All four stood panting, somehow warm despite how cold their extremities were. Falkor looked around, then pointed further down the mountain. "I believe our village is that way," he announced, no longer needing to shout.

Bouba sat down, needing a rest, and Kholchu shook snow out of her fur. "I hope it's warm," Té Alvuin commented, wiping at the snow crusting his face.

Falkor smiled. "It sure is. And I think we'll have an even warmer meal made for the three that helped ensure I got home," he said.

The colonists perked up at that, and soon they were back in motion, heading down the mountain.