Land Down Under (KJDarKnight & Treasure)

"Don't despair Jonah. She likely just got turned around. I don't think she would leave for good..come on" he started back along with Gray
 
Jonah stared at the trees, willing Misty to walk out, but she didn't. With a sigh, he turned and trudged after Mathias. He hoped she was alright.
 
She didn't emerge. All through the dark snowy night there was no sign of the missing woman.

Misty had at some point in her blind stumbling through the woods tumbled down a steep hill. Losing her bag of nuts and some of her clothing caught on sharp thorny bushes leaving just enough trail above the fresh snow to guide them.

The worst part..at the bottom was a fast flowing river that had likely swept her off if she tumbled that far down the hill.
 
Jonah didn't sleep a wink. He ended up pacing from one end of the cave to the other and back again. Finally, he could take no more. He walked out as soon as the first light softened the darkness and walked out. He needed to find Misty!

Badru noticed and followed him from a distance.
 
Mathias had finally managed to fall asleep. Simply too tired to go on. It was left to Jonah and Badru it seemed

Misty had crawled into a space near the bank where the roots of tree's had created a small gap. Big enough that she could Curl up in there. The snow had fallen deep enough to nearly cover the hole but it also worked to keep the heat in. Ironically it was likely the snow that helped her to survive the night
 
"Misty!" Jonah called. He followed her old trail as best he could back to where they'd lost it. It wasn't much more than a dent in the drifts, but it gave him a start. He looked around. Where could she have run? Let's see... He searched the area. If the pigs came from this direction, then it would make sense for her to instinctively run straight away from them. He started going toward the opposite direction. "Misty! Misty, where are you?"
 
He wasn't wrong, she had run that way and after a bit if searching he might notice some of her blonde hair caught in a low branch right next to the steep incline she had tumbled down.

There was no answer. Misty could only hear the river
 
Jonah wandered toward the river until he reached the enbankment. He stopped. A river. Now what? He didn't even know if she'd come this way! Now what? Badru tapped Jonah's shoulder, causing him to jump. He hadn't realized the big, black giant had followed him.

"Look," Badru said, pointing to the branches low down.

Jonah dropped to his knees. That was Misty's hair! He scrambled down the incline. "MISTY!" he shouted, looking around. She'd come this way. Downstream made the most sense. He started walking that way while Badru stayed up top.
 
This time Misty heard, opening her eyes slowly. The snow bank had kept warmth in but she was stills tiff and freezing cold. She swore she had heard Jonah. Was she hallucinating? She heard footsteps.

Forcing herself to move she used her hand to try and push the snow aside so she could see out. Felt strange. Her hands so numb she didn't feel the snow against her skin
 
Jonah spotted movement in the snow and dashed toward it. "Misty?" he called, his heart pounding. Was she buried in th snow? He had to get her out! "Misty! Can you hear me?" He dropped to his knees and started shoveling frantically. He shoved it all aside and reached in, feeling around for her arm. He grabbed what felt like a limb and pulled.
 
She wasn't exactly buried just the cavity entrance had been covered up with snow. Still it took some digging.

She didn't resist as he pulled her out. Her skin freezing cold. Her fingers purple with the cold "Jonah?" She managed to say, her voice week
 
Jonah felt tears of relief as he pulled Misty out of her little crevice and gathered her up in his arms. "I found you! he gasped. "I found you!" He held her close to his body, shaking. "What the hell were you thinking?" he whispered, his voice breaking.

Badru came down from the river bank and stood next to them. Misty needed warmth, but he let them have a moment.
 
Misty didn't answer, feeling tears in her own eyes, clinging on to him. Her clothes were still and frozen, she hadn't known better to pull them off after falling into the river
 
Jonah held her a little longer then pulled back, looking her over. "You are an ice block! What happened?"

Badru had already pulled off his jacket, and Jonah pulled off Misty's frozen jacket and shirt, wrapping their warm coats around her. Hopefully, the fabric had retained some of their body heat to help warm her. He stood, cradling her against his chest. "Let's get you home."
 
She was so cold and so out of it she didn't care when he took off her clothes. Hypothermia was a real threat as well as frostbite. She didn't have any more body heat of her own at this point "got..lost"
 
Jonah grunted softly as he walked swiftly through the snow. "I'll say you got lost. Mathias and I were out here until we couldn't see, then Badru came out with me to help find you. I wouldn't have if not for him." He gave Badru a slight nod of thanks then focused entirely on Misty.

Badru made certain they were okay then ran ahead, racing for the cave. He burst in and woke Lynna first. "Found Misty. Get warm water."

Lynna blinked blearily but nodded and scrambled up. She woke Charlie. "Quick! We need to build up the fire, put together a bath, and get some stones heating up." She ran outside with a pail and started scooping up snow while Badru took some branches and a watertight skin. In no time at all, Badru had bent the sticks into what looked like a huge basket without a bottom and laid the skin in it, fastening it as best he could. It was rudimentary, but it would hold warm water.
 
Pepper was already awake stoking the fire when Badru returned "No. Warm water will heat her up too fast and put her into shock" she said knowingly. Would be good for later though.

"Peter get as many blankets as you can to make a bed for two" she instructed him while she used a stick to pull the hor stones from around the fire

"Lynna get more stones. We can use them under the foot of the bed and around one side

"Charlie make up a pot of hot water for tea"

Charlie was quick to get to work on that
 
Lynna gave the snow to Charlie to melt for tea and later a bath. Why didn't they want to heat Misty up fast? Wouldn't that be better? But she supposed Pepper would know. Badru wasn't protesting, either, though he had made the bath.

Badru helped Peter collect blankets and form a sort of nest-like bed.

Jonah walked in then with Misty in his arms. "Here she is!"
 
"Good bring her here" Pepper said as she was putting some warm stones under some of the blankets to warm her feet "we need to get those clothes off her and someone needs to share body heat" she didn't volunteer anyway..that would be rather intimate. She would do it if nobody else spoke up.
 
Jonah hesitated only a moment before nodding. "I'll do it. She'll be uncomfortable with anyone, but I'm warm from walking. I'll heat her up."

"Are you sure it shouldn't be, you know, a girl?" Lynna asked uncomfortably as she started making a little curtain around the bed.
 
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