Mora was taken back by Grant's words, she had been so consumed by the cold and her own bitterness that she had failed to properly look at the world around her. Well, what she could see through the snowy haze. For the first time since they had started the hike Mora relaxed her body, looking up away from her frozen feet and at the mountain range around them. 'Oh.' Was the only word that manage to tumble across her thoughts as the almost picturesque landscape started to come into view as small smile graced her lips. He was right and she had almost missed it.

Mora would of never expected Grant to be the type to point out the beauty in the world, 'Not everyone is as bitter as you are.' Her subconscious reminded her. Turning to comment on Grant's words as Lauren playfully chided Mora on her foul language. Laughing, she could feel the bite of the cold air in her lungs. "Hey now." She managed to playfully shout back as she made a face at her friend. No matter what the trial that faces them Mora knew she could count on Lauren and Jade. Even Grant had helped make this trek less of a nuisance.

"Hey, the storm seems to be letting up." Mora commented to her group. She could see around them easier and the chilling wind had lulled to a gentle breeze. Inside she was thanking the gods for the brief respite from the weather. Without all the snow whipping in her eyes it made her movements easier as they continued their drudge upwards. Looking back she flashed everyone a smile, she wasn't sure who else had spotted the warm glow that arched over the skies above. The end was in site and even the thought of warmth had filled her body with new vigor.

They marched on, in Mora's eagerness she had tripped over her own two feet and tumbled into the snow below. With much grumbling she managed to get herself back up. Shaking harder than before as her clothes, now damp, begun to freeze to her body. Her earlier eagerness had been replaced with bitter muttering as they finally reached the cabins. Around her other cadets spilled in from their journey but Mora paid them little mind. Her only goal was on get inside and defrost.

As she headed to her cabin she spotted Olivia, a child-like grin plastered to her face. Mora smiled at the girl, "Glad to see you're ok." she called over to her. Their time working together with Lauren and given Mora a new application for her. Her lighthearted nature did will to keep Mora our of her darker thoughts, just being around her brought a small sense of joy. Though that didn't stop Mora from stomping towards the cabin, still shivering as she tried to shake the snow from her gear. The heat that radiated from inside the cabin felt like a sirens song to her weary body. Beckoning her with open arms and a promise of relief.

Through out the hike, Jade had managed to keep her mouth shut and her eyes focused. She had restricted all of her energy to simply moving her legs and forcing her body not to shake.With a girl of her size, the shaking and shivering could have quickly taken over and caused her to become a liability. The last thing she needed was to become a burden on her team.

'One, two, two, two three four...'

She sung cadence in her head to keep her from falling behind the others. Her shorter strides and sensitivity to the cold would only knock her back several feet if she didn't stay motivated to move. "Almost. There," was all she was able to get out through clenched teeth so that the others couldn't hear the chattering mess that she was.

Even through all of the negativity though, Jade managed to get her hopes up when she saw the snowfall begin to slowly down enough for them to be able to take in the environment. Grant had indeed been right, it was beautiful and picture perfect, but that wasn't what had caught Jade's attention. The cabins had come into view and Jade began to move faster, jumping over Mora as she had tripped. Still, Mora ended up beating her to the cabin but that was the least of Jade's concerns. For now, Jade was just glad that she was finally somewhere that didn't have the threat of hypothermia for the moment.

"Thank god," she whispered as she relished the warmer temperature inside of the cabin compared to outside. She had never been remotely close to being cold, seeing as how when it even got a bit chill in Shiganshina, Jade stayed in doors by the ovens of the bakery or in the house.

Finally after being in her own world, Jade turned to look at the others, her eyes scanning their faces before walking over to Olivia, who was outside. "Did everyone make it?" Her question was sincere, but more pointed to those to whom she had taken a liking to. She looked at the rest of the group and seen the Emil and Tanner had lived to tell the tale of a blizzard which made Jade grin, before she waved at them. "Hey guys! Still have all of your fingers and toes?"

Gabriel had nodded at Tanner, who would have taken the promise with a grain of salt, but he at least acknowledged that Gabriel would keep his mouth shut from revealing Tanner's secret. However, the anxiety was still there, and it bothered Tanner that despite the assurance, there was still a chance that Gabriel might speak of what Tanner didn't want anyone to know about. Before Tanner had time to think about what would happen if the group had found out his deepest secret, he was brought back to reality as the hiking cadets began to scream, yell and holler about missing a person.

Looking around the area through the cold and biting weather, which was already a challenge with the blizzard hitting the group hard with blowing snow, Tanner tried to figure out who they were missing. Tanner was sure he had previously counted all seven group members, but after he counted once again, the numbers hadn't added up correctly. Just as Emil noted, Tanner had counted six people in total. The wind had made it nearly impossible to see who was missing, but before Tanner could check, Connor had taken off back down the snowy mountain in search of the missing cadet while the rest of the group continued to trudge on upwards.

Soon after Connor left in search of the cadet, Reese had followed suit as well. The departure of the two cadets in search of their missing friend had left only four cadets left to continue hiking, yet instead of going back to find whoever was missing, Tanner had stayed with the group. As much as Gabriel was the leader of their little clique, he was prone to suddenly mentally freeze - perhaps soon as well in the temperature sense - and Tanner knew he had to keep watch over the tall cadet for that reason along with any personal reasons he had himself. Emil might've been able to help, but even while he was a friend of Tanner's, the boy was a known criminal and Tanner couldn't be sure if Emil was going to help at all in such a situation.

There was also Jay in their party, but Tanner had only spoken to him on a few chance moments. Truth be told, Jay had not said a word to Tanner, or anyone in the group during the entirety of the hike. He was silent, like Tanner was throughout much through his life, but it was an abnormal silence. Perhaps Jay had not wanted to speak at all, or maybe his tongue was frozen due to the cold weather. Maybe even Jay had some deep secrets that made the cadet hardly wish to speak, and Tanner knew more than anyone that it wasn't wise to prod into personal business. Whatever the case was, Tanner could hardly pay heed to Jay, and just like Emil, Tanner wasn't sure if Jay would help him with Gabriel in case the cadets were in trouble.

Eventually, Reese and Connor had shown their faces once more with the missing cadet striding up the mountain trail. The snow had begun to dissipate as the group, once more whole, had almost reached the top of the mountain where the cabins were located. Olivia, the missing cadet from before, had noticed this as she called out to everyone and nearly sprinted through the snow ahead of the group to be the first one to reach the top. She was excited, a polar opposite to what Tanner would have expected after the incident before, but he didn't wish to question or ruin Olivia's mood.

Following the rest of the group of the mountain, Tanner made haste to the cabin he was to rest in and placed the heavy bag on one of the cots inside. It felt great to be relieved of such a stress on the shoulders, and Tanner stretched his limbs to return the feeling back to his body. Walking back outside into the cold weather, Jade had stopped by to speak to Emil and Tanner, the cadet joyfully asking the duo if they still had their fingers and toes.

Smirking, Tanner removed his gloves from his hands, keeping a thumb hidden behind one hand as he removed them. The other hand was closed while the thumb was poking through the fist, and Tanner placed it on top of the other hand. "Truth be told, I think we're missing a finger, Jade." Tanner explained, sliding the top hand away, giving the appearance that his other hand was missing half of his thumb. However, before he could see Jade's reaction to his magic trick, Lauren approached the two girls, placing a tankard in both of their hands, causing Tanner to frown as the cadet medic interrupted their conversation.

---

---

Gabriel heard the cries from Emil and his brows raised high. When he realized who it was that was missing, his heart began to beat rapidly in fear. It couldn't have been Olivia...there was just no way. Yet, that is exactly what happened. If Connor and Reese hadn't moved already to go and find her, Gabriel would have lunged through the snow to find the poor girl. At the sight of her returning, he was relieved. He held on to his chest and took a few deep breaths, before giving everyone a signal to continue moving. Of course, Olivia had to move on ahead and rush. "Olivia, wait! What if you get lost again!?" That was all he managed to make out before she was already up and gone. He sighed, gritting his teeth a bit, and seemed to fluster up a bit at his worrisome attitude. "She's going to be the death of me." He mumbled to Reese, patting his shoulder once.

When they all arrived, Gabriel placed his hands on his side, and looked around at the scenery. It was beautiful...probably one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. He took a moment to catch his breath, before placing his pack down. He looked back at the rest of the team, counting everyone to make sure they were all here. "Alright...that's everyone." He mumbled to himself. 'I can't let any more of them get lost again like that.' He thought to himself as he rubbed his chin, before noticing the other group. He smiled with joy at the sight of the other team making it back up to the peak. His gaze rested on Lauren for a short while, until he looked down with a red face. It had to be the cold making his face feel so warm. That must be it.

He looked back up and noticed that Schulz was nowhere to be seen. A grin formed on his face as he climbed up to a small little mound of snow, took a large bunch in his hands, and bellowed for the other cadets to hear. "We have new orders everyone! Since we've all made it up safely...I declare a snowball fight!" This was proceeded with a quick snowball being pelted straight towards Tanners head. He smirked while doing this, kneeling down to get another snowball directed towards Lauren and Olivia. "You two are next!" He called out to them, the giant confidently speaking out. This was...something new to him. He felt a joy that he hadn't felt since forever. It was a strange feeling, but he couldn't help but smile widely...he felt like a kid again. Only this time he had friends to share and enjoy with in his fun.

Grant took in the scenery more than anyone else. So much, in fact, that he actually stopped where he was. The blizzard began to clear up, as everyone began to shout. That meant the rush to the cabin was afoot. But Grant...He had never seen something so breathtaking in his life.

Sure, to most people, it was just a few mountain peaks and tops over some clouds, but to Grant it was something so much more. It was awe-inspiring. He looked out, walking slightly closer to the edge for the full view. Only a dim shade of light fluttered through the foggy clouds above, but even then, he felt sandwiched between two layers of clouds. It created a picturesque beauty in his mind. He finally had done it. He'd finally reached the top of the world as humanity knew it. The storms and blizzards were now below him, and for once, he stood on top of it all. A real titan, now he was. Every blink flashed an image into his mind of nostalgia. Every second he stared ahead...He remembered it all.

---

"Grant, dear...Can you go grab the pitchfork for your father? He seems to be in a grump because he can't find it himself." The jovial and soothing tone of his own creator turned his attention away from the small journal he would sketch. From there, small images of roughly drawn hills and meadows laid as only scribbles and sketches. Sure, Grant wasn't an artist, but for his own standards it was quite good to keep on him. A calm hand scruffed his ruffled blonde hair as he looked upwards, his mother smiling dearly at him. She was a lot nicer than father was. It was sometimes a wonder how the two managed to get paired together. Sometimes she would joke that it was the way the world was, and that she loved him for what he is inside. Whether or not Grant could see it, he knew his mother was right.

With a nod and a chair pushed away from a rigid table, he set on his way for the small side-door of the home. It was quite an impressive structure for something as small as this family. Three adults and a child...Another on its way, as Grant was told. He wanted a brother, someone who he could grow up and forge a strong and similar relationship with. But either way, a sister wouldn't be too bad as well. Someone compassionate to balance out the sometimes awkward family tensions. Mateo had only been home for a few months, and already the heat between his father and Mateo made grant feel uncomfortable. No one told him why, but he was sure that his father knew. Everytime he'd ask, however, he'd be shunned with sometimes uncalled-for words of hate.

He made his way forwards, towards the barn, where his father lost nearly every tool under the sun. As he wandered in, Mateo sat up top in the rafters tinkering with some more exercise gear. Mateo seemed to do that a lot, and Grant's father seemed to hate it. But who could blame him? The man was a solider, a successful one, and he would do whatever it took to keep that with him for his temporary work holiday. Well...Grant thought it was a work holiday.

"Uncle Mateo! You tightening the balancing test so it won't be too slacked?" Grant called up, grabbing the pitchfork as if it were a cakewalk to find. He looked back upwards, seeing his young uncle smile back down at him.

"Nah, Swifty...I've got to disassemble it. We'll be heading out soon." Mateo gave a slight sigh and a yawn. It took him forever to set up, and disassembling it was likely taking him as long as it did before. It was hard work, but you couldn't fault him. Mateo may not have done very much for the farm itself, but he'd done a lot for Grant as a whole. The two were practically brothers, despite the moderately large age gap and difference in size. Mateo was a good man. He was there for Grant, practically his best friend. Grant had barely had any friends for a very long time, seeing as he'd lived his life outside the walls on this lonely farm.

"You've told Dad, right? So I can come?!" Grant began to smile giddily, slightly jumping in his spot with excitement. Finally, he could leave the farm and explore the walls! "I want to visit all the shops! Go in all the homes,
talk to all the visitors! I wanna climb a mountain too! If I could climb a mountain Uncle Mateo I'd b-"

"Be on top of the world...I know." His uncle smiled back at the pleasure his nephew was experiencing. "I'll see if I can meet up with Marissa...I'm sure finding her will give you the opportunity to climb one of them at some point of our travels..."

That night was the night of the departure. Mateo had stocked the travelling gear more than his brother had expected. It was clear that Mateo wanted to bring Grant, but his father had denied. That was the night of the violence, the smashing tables and plates thrown at one another. It was the night of tears from a mother's perspective, getting exasperated over the inner fighting. That was the night Mateo had to take Grant, out of the protection he had to offer. That was the night where he spent his last few restless minutes in his home, never to return...Or at least for now.

---

Grant opened his eyes, breathing heavily, before seeing that everyone was already at the end of the trail at the Cabin. Smiling to himself, he thought of the people he was with. He never talked to anyone enough to be called a friend. Yet, he was glad to be there. To share training with a collection of misfits and wonders. It was quite beautiful to cross his mind. For once, he felt like he was at home for once in his life.

By the time Grant got closer, he heard a command from Gabriel. Launching a projectile of snow straight into the air, it slammed into Tanner's head. Grant already sensed what was happening, and took to his knee, as if to tie up his boot laces. The laughter and silence between the first shot had ceased the peace between everyone here, when suddenly Grant stepped back upwards. There was one in either hand, curved almost solidly and perfectly that it seemed a waste to throw it in the first place. But Grant walked forward, the snow crumbling beneath his feet. As he got within range, he pelted two, one flying in the air, straight into the back of the head of Gabriel, another through the air and into the face of Olivia.

Grant cracked a grin, as he wandered closely, still casual. His blonde ruffled hair blew in the surprisingly gentle winds as he slipped another into his hand, watching the reactions of his comrades.

"Haven't learnt anything in Strategies and Tactics, the lesson? Shame...Two of you are now dead."

Jade had been smiling at the Tanner as she did a corny magic trick, her eyes rolling as she went to smack his hands. That was when Lauren walked up and shoved a tankard into her hands, surprising the young girl and leaving her wide eyed. The warmth was very well welcomed in her hands as she held the tankard and soon began to sip whatever was inside. Her cheeks had turned pink from the warmth that now radiated inside of her.

"Thank you", she muttered towards Lauren before her attention was ripped away back to a now snow covered Tanner. Jade was more in shock than anything else at the fact that her comrades had slipped from their self disciple. Especially Gabriel, whom she had thought to be a more serious person. Jade quickly turned towards the sound of two more snowballs whooshing towards her, but hitting the two girls next to her, clearly thrown by Grant. She could tell that this was going to get really bad, really quick. With that in mind, Jade began to move away from the group that had just been pelted by snow and stood next to Emil. She had taken notice that the young man was busy paying attention at the sudden war ahead of them, which made her think of something. He was a very serious guy, even if they were friends, so she needed to do something to get him moving.

A mischievous smirk formed on Jade as she took a couple of steps back, behind Emil, and set her tankard down on a snow mound. She grabbed two fistfuls of snow and quickly shoved one fistful into the back of Emil's gear and shirt, and let another clump of snow fall the back of his loose pants. Maybe that would teach him to fasten his belt a bit more. Feeling satisfied with causing Emil a bit of an inconvenience Jade quickly grabbed her tankard and ran as fast as her feet could possibly move in the snow, up the steps of the main cabin and inside. The young girl smiled a bit before clearing her throat and settling down, taking a peek out of a window. While watching the group, she noticed someone else was near a window and turned to see Sano observing everyone else. Jade shook the snow out of her hair and walked over to him, breaking her vow of silence against him. "It's weird seeing everyone so happy. I'm not a fan of the snow or the cold. Is everything okay?"

Mora sighed deeply, enjoying the heat that slowly seeped into her flesh. Inside the cabin she had carelessly dumped her pack nearby a bunk and crawled half frozen into the bed. Wrapping the soft comforter around her frozen body the red beaded woman allowed herself to relax fully as she ignored the need a of water that begun to trickle down. As her limbs began to thaw she flexed her toes, cautiously checking that each of them worked. "I am not meant for the cold." she muttered to herself as the tinkling of laughter echoed from the outside.

On one hand she was glad they were able to find some bliss within the frozen world outside those doors, on the other she had no desire to step foot back out there. At least not until she was warm through and through. Instead, Mora hunkered down, closing her eyes as she tried to match the voices to her fellow cadets. Was that Gabriel's voice shouting? Maybe, Olivia's laughter- it certainly wasn't Jade's. Mora could feel herself smirk as she played her game. Here's laughter was like a starburst of color, that is when she laughed.

A sudden chill snaked through the air as the cabin door swung open. Frowning she chose to huddle further down as she listened to footsteps pad through the cabin.

"You're missing a hell of a snowball fight outside, Ra."

A familiar voice called out to her, bringing the reluctant Mora out from her cover fortress. She had opened her mouth to respond but hesitated as she got a closer look at the girl's face. Mora slowly brought herself to the edge of the bed, still wrapped tightly as she took a closer look at Lauren. Normally shed see the soft smile that graces her lips, the kindness that pooled in her gaze and the way she carried herself always put Mora at ease but instead the girl looked wary. Mora noticed the waver that flashed across her face. Her lips drawn and taunt as she seemed to struggle against something unknown.

"Ra, you awake still? I need to talk to you about something."

'Yeah, okay. Somethings wrong." concern had filled her thoughts as she sat up a little straighter, "Yeah, I'm up." Mora replied as she watched Lauren move to her pack. Seconds dragged out between them as she pulled out her medical bag and brought it over to them. Now Mora was flush with fear and confusion. Quizzically, she watched Lauren as she pulled out a bottle and handed it too her.

Blinking Mora took it in her own hands, the glass was chilled from its trek in the snow and bit at the warmth of her hands. With a burning curiosity she plucked the cork from it mouth and breathed in the pungent scent of alcohol. Mora's nose wrinkled at the scent, she had never been fond of the drink and for a moment wondered why her friend had given her a bottle. That was until she had started to roll the bottle in her hands, "Empty?" she inquired as she looked up but the sight of Lauren stung.

"I needed it to sleep. I have done ever since... that day. That was my last bottle." the words poured from her small frame, almost apologetic in nature. Mora's mouth had opened as she searched within herself for the words bit Lauren gave no pause as she stood up and began to hastily pace the floor between the two. "I meant to tell you... been trying to tell you ever since - no, that's not right. What I wanted - um - no that's not - erm, just let me start again."

She could hear the tightness in her voice. The madness that clawed at the end of each syllable as her body trembled from the sorrow that haunted her. She plugged the cork back onto the bottle, setting it in her lap as she watched Lauren begin to unravel. Mora wanted to say something, anything, that could sooth the manic muttering from her friend but her mind felt heavy and blank. As her heart squeezed in pain as she realized how much she hadn't been paying attention to Lauren. How much she missed over the time spent together and even now, she sat there dumbstruck as Lauren finally stopped to face her.

"Cain."

It was as if someone had shattered the world around her at the sound of his name. Mora could feel the tears begin to sting but didn't dare to clear them away. She watched, breath shallow, for Lauren to continue. Seeing the grief mirrored on the girl's own delicate features.. "I see him. Every night. I saw... then. Sometimes it was what happened, sometimes he... he wasn't Cain. He'd curse us, threaten us. Then..." Lauren spat out, the words coming fast and tumbling over one another. Tears had begun to spill down her face as she watched Lauren further crack. Tracking each tear that slipped down her cheek to further lush away the own burning her in chest.

"It was you. I couldn't cope with - that was it for me. I couldn't sleep anymore. If I could dream then I would see it and... I couldn't. I needed a way out and that," she pointed at the bottle in Mora's hand, "that was the only thing that worked. But I ran out. I don't want to carry on like this, Ra!" She was pacing again, her arms active as she gestured or pressed against her head or crossed against her chest.

"Lauren..." Mora's words came our as a harsh whisper as Lauren continued, "It's more though. I couldn't come to you or Jade, you were both suffering so much! Cain was your brother, how could I ask for help when it must have been worse for you than it ever was for me?" Inside Mora could feel pieces of her breaking. Each word had sent the knife twisting through gut a little further. How had she shut out Lauren for so long? Mora guessed she just assumed the girl had dealt with her grief and that because she still had her father that she didn't need her in that way.

But... it was my fault! If I hadn't been there - if you hadn't been with me - you'd have both made it." Lauren continued to pour her soul out to her, all her fears and self loathing. Her blaming herself for her brothers death. Mora open and closed her mouth several times as Lauren pressed on, "Because Pa - because you had to help me, Cain ran off. We would have been faster without Pa, made it to the boats before the Titans got there, Cain would've made it. I should've told you both to go but I didn't. So it's my fault."

"But the worst bit... I wasn't fair to him. He died not knowing anything and maybe he did it... for me. You know? I sometimes think he did it to impress me. I know that's not true but I can't help it. And that... that's my fault too. I know he liked me and I never told him. I ran away and never said anything. So he died being lied to, because Pa was hurt, because you were both with me. Because of me." She has sunk to the floor; a trembling, quivering mess.

"I couldn't tell him because... because it was you, Ra. How could I? What would it do to you both, I couldn't do that. So I said nothing, I let him indulge and then he died because of it. Because I was a coward, because I ran away and didn't want to say the truth. Ever since... I just wanted to care for you. Look after you. Make it up to you both, make up for not saying anything. But... it hurts." She curled up on herself, kneeling in the floor and bent double as if savaged by stomach cramps, hugging herself tightly and sobbing.

"I'm sorry, Ra! I love you and it killed Cain! I killed your brother and I can't bring him back. I can't do this anymore, I can't cope. I don't have any right to ask you now, you couldn't ever love me, you'll probably always hate me, but," she looked up from her position on the floor and with the weighted words of years of torment and pain managed to eek out, "help me?"

Mora's body moved as her mind sat addled with the weight of the information. She didn't know how she felt at the moment but knew one thing, never did she blame Lauren. Not once in the years that had passed. Not a day as they worked through training. Sure, there was jealousy that had stained her thoughts when it came to Lauren's father. Her being able to cling to something of the past where all Mora had was emptiness. Mora had blamed herself though. Every night and every morning. She had blamed herself for not being there for her family. For being weak. For not dying with them.

She enclosed the trembling girl in her arms pulling her in close and hard. "No." She managed to squeak out as she pressed her face into Lauren's hair. "It was never your fault, you hear me?! Mora's voice shook and bled with emotions. "I never blamed you. I will never hate you. Law," She pulled back to cup the girls face in her hands, brushing away her tears, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I wasn't there for you."

Her eyes searched Lauren's, pleading and drowning in guilt, "I'm so sorry. I, I missed the signs. I didn't let you grieve with me. I-" Mora shook as she pulled Lauren back to her, "You are precious to me. Law and I am so sorry." The word sorry felt like such an inadequate word- how could she excuse herself from her neglect? How could she make up for years of letting Lauren drown in herself?

"I'm here." she breathed, trying to calm herself. "I am here and I'm never letting you go." Mora's heart felt like the day she watched Cain die. Lauren's cries now echoes beside Cain's screams and inside she felt the old familiar sting of self hatred, but Lauren was alive. She was flesh and blood beneath her touch and in her silence, Mora made a new promise to herself. She'd keep Lauren safe, keep her close and loved at all costs.

---

As the Cadets made their way to the end of their journey, Connor was filled with the most wonderful relief. Thankfully, they had all made it in one piece and even met up with the other group of cadets. As everyone got situated, the tension and danger that everyone felt from the blizzard-riddled hike seemed to dissipate, giving way to a more lighthearted attitude. The attitude only seemed to increase when Gabriel declared the commencement of a snowball fight, and proceeding to pelt Tanner in the head. Chaos quickly ensued as the other Cadets armed themselves with frozen ammo.

Connor, weary of the frosty projectiles, ducked behind a tree, seeking cover from the snowballs that began to fly every which why. Gabriel nailed people with his cannon-like throws, Olivia threw snowballs that didn't seemed to phase Gabriel, and Reese and Tanner kept getting hit. Connor peaked his head out of from behind his cover, but the impact of a snowball on the tree sent him back into hiding. He knelt down and made himself a snowball, then peaked out again to select his target. He noticed Olivia incessantly aiming towards Gabriel, as did others. He decided he'd offer the big guy a helping hand.

Olivia was the closest Cadet to his tree, so he jumped from behind it, breaking into a sprint. He dropped his snowball and scooped up as much snow as he could into his arms, proceeding to throw it all towards Olivia's head. He then ran to stand beside Gabriel, quickly making another snowball. "I'm with you, buddy!" He said, taking a defensive stance as though the other cadets held cannons and swords, and not snowballs.

It had been the difference of a second between Lauren's interruption to the sudden pelting of a snowball. The surprise threw Tanner for a loop, startling the cadet as the cold snow blinded his eyesight. Slipping on the snow beneath him, Tanner fell backwards on his bum while his gaze darted the nearby surroundings searching for the perpetrator. Gabriel had made it too obvious that it was him all along, the boy shouting and waving his arms around as he scooped another cold ball of snow.

Scrambling to his feet, which was proving difficult with the wet snow, Tanner made haste for cover to the tune of smothered laughter from Olivia. The cadet was hit just the same as Tanner, and he wasn't about to let Olivia take the best hiding spot. Ducking behind one of the cabins, Tanner hid from the impending doom that was resulting outside the cabins. The braver cadets might've considered the boy a coward for hiding behind the cabin wall, but he was beginning to use the safety of the cabin to prepare his fleet of snowballs.

Taking the time to perfectly mold each snowball, Tanner refused to peak outside the safe area he had found until a sizable number of snowballs were sitting neatly in a pile. The snowballs reminded Tanner of stored and stacked cannonballs, although certainly smaller than the actual product. Snatching his creations in one arm, Tanner began to chuck a snowstorm at Gabriel, the cadet unrelenting in his payback for the previous snowball to the face.

"Take that, Gabriel!" Tanner shouted, throwing a snowball with all his might as the boy smiled. He had smiled before around his friends, yet for the first time, Tanner felt as if he was truly enjoying himself. Perhaps with the aid of those he now called his friends, he was finally breaking free from the introverted shell that had enveloped him. or in the end, it might just be all a ruse. Whatever the case was, Tanner refused to let his odd thoughts distract him from serving a cold dish of justice to Gabriel.

---

Emil was surprised that anyone had even heard him yelling out to the group, and eve more so relieved that he wasn't going to need to be one of cadets to head back to look for Olivia as Connor and Reese instantly went about finding their lost comrade. He wasn't sure if he should of been happy of disgusted at the relief he felt at the two stepping up to find Olivia. He knew he could trust the two, that they'd find her and bring her back, but he was disgusted at the fact that he was happy someone else was willingly putting themselves at risk as he simply stood by, he simply called the problem and watched others fix it.

Nevertheless Olivia was quickly found, and she was even energetic enough to blow past the group and head straight for the cabins as they came into view. 'Finally' he had thought as the cabins appeared ahead of them, and he watched with a stupefied gaze as Olivia sprinted forward, the girl who had just been found lying in the snow unable to move was now running full sprint away from them, "It's amazing what a little bit of hope can do..." he said aloud as the group approached refuge.

They stopped outside, a few cadets milling about and chatting before Gabriel called out to all that were presents, declaring a snowball fight in celebration of their victorious hike and not loosing a single cadet on the way. Emil watched as a snowball sailed through the air and took Tanner by surprise. Stifling a laugh Emil turned back to the mountain, the blizzard still in view and slowly rolling away in the direction they had come. He lowered his head to the ground, wondering if everyone had truly made it. They had such an attentive group and yet they almost lost Olivia, there was no way that all the other cadets in the 104th had made it off so lucky. 'Simple odds say we lost a few.' he thought before sighing and turning for the cabins, determined to lay in a warm bunk and get away from the unraveling mess around him.

At least until he felt snow down his back and pants.

Emil yelled in surprise before turning to see Jade, his fellow midget; according to Schulz; betraying him and stabbing him in the back. The cold quickly moving from its entry point down, Emil simply jumped around in a circle as he tried to free the snow from his back and pants. He had lost sight of Jade somewhere during his hopping around and ended up on the ground shortly thereafter. As he lay in the snow, surrounded by the Cadets and their snowball fight he simply stared at the cloudy sky ignoring the melting snow in between his clothes and skin, quietly watching the clouds roll by as they always did before. He turned his head to his right, the soft crunching of the snow beneath his hood the only sound to alert him that he was moving at all. Before him were the majority of the cadets that he knew, engaged in a battle to the figurative death and having quite a blast with it too.

The very same Cadets that up until now had been forced into discipline, scared into submission, and trained to be obedient. Yet right now they were none of that. They were just the bunch of fourteen to seventeen year-olds that they really were. Just normal kids, not soldiers. If only for a brief moment.

'I could get used to this.' he thought as he watched the kids before him giggling and shouting at one another.

Her heaviness, Mora didn't expect her to feel so heavy against her. Her own limbs were heavy, muscles sore from their endeavour and her soul weary. Tears still spill freely but at least she felt calm, well as calm as she could manage as the faint headache began to blossom in the back of her skull. It grew deeper with each throb of her pulse, "Of course." Mora replied as she wrapped her arms under Lauren's sleeping from.

Mora steeled herself before lifting the girl off the floor and carrying her to her bunk. She had attempted to set her down gently but instead she managed to plop Lauren into the bed. Mora was drained, physically and mentally. Her heart hurt for the both of them. For all their losses, all the secrets and all the self blame. Sighing she slink around to the other side of Lauren, trying her best not to jostle her, and pulled her close. They'd go to sleep and nothing would change, right? After all- everyone would still be dead but Mora could brush away her thoughts. No, nothing would quite be the same. Lauren's confession had ultimately sparked something in her, she'd no longer gloss over her friends pain. All her long held jealousy would eventually melt away.

Then there was the matter of her feelings. Mora watched as Lauren's chest softly rose and fell with each breath. Did she mean them? Did she really love her? Even the word brought an ache to her chest. Maybe it was just the sheer exhaustion of overwhelming emotions, Mora didn't know. She felt like she didn't know anything anymore.

Slowly the edges of darkness began to creep across her vision. 'Maybe tomorrow, things will be clearer.' she hoped. Lauren's fAce began to swim as her lids grew heavy. 'We'll figure it out tomorrow, Law. You and me.' Mora sleepily promised before surrendering herself to the abyss of sleep.

Jade had been thoroughly surprised that Sano had not only acknowledged her, but was also responding to her and engaging in a thoughtful conversation. She would have gone in shock if it weren't for the fact that it was what he should have done from the moment they met. She was prepared for him to simply respond to her and shove her away like he always did. Yet, now he was motioning for her to sit next to him, which made Jade's cheeks turn slightly pink.

The teenager walked over and sat next to him, taking a sip of her tea as she listened to him speak his mind. 'He watched us?' The thought of Sano intently studying the cadets made Jade feel small and unprepared. How had she not seen him assessing them? She always had a keen sense of knowing when she was being looked at, yet during the hike she had ignored everything but herself and her instinct to survive the freezing hike. She had began to put her thoughts together about Sano. He was definitely mature beyond his age, and showed great promise to be a leader worth following, but he was just too mysterious for Jade to be able to trust him.

"I guess you could say I'm quiet because of choice too," she finally responded after mulling over his question. She knew it held more of a significant value, but was hesitant in whether she should allow the boy to know much about her. "I've got two loyal friends, and I love them very much, but I've had no choice. They helped me survive. I don't want to talk to anyone else because... because I don't want to get attached to anybody else and see them die right in front of my eyes." Her mind flashed back to the fateful day that changed her life which caused her bottom lip to pout a bit as her emotions got the better part of her. She cleared her throats before she looked back up at Sano and smiled a bit, quietly apologizing for being so serious with him before explaining her other reason to not speaking out in the hike, "I was also trying to focus on not letting the cold get to me. I would have had to been carried up here if i would've started to shake and shiver. I don't do well with the cold."

She quietly studied Sano's facial features as she conversed with him, watching closely when he smiled to see if it touched his eyes, which it did. He was genuine with his feelings and letting them show, which made Jade feel a bit more comfortable around him. "Why don't you go out there and join them? You deserve to let your mind take a break too, you know. Overthinking can be pretty dangerous."

---

Gabriel just wasn't ready for the sudden backlash that the other cadets had against him. What was a sort of mock laughter suddenly became became utter embarrassment. From what he could tell, every cadet in sight had lined their sights against him and decided to hit him with a snowball. As he started to go backwards after being pelted a few times in the face, he came to the conclusion that he was a big guy and was making himself stand out far too easily. He was glad that at least Connor had joined his side. His face was covered with too much snow to really say anything or make any kind of expression, so he settled with giving the other boy a thumbs up and tossing one more snowball in a random direction in defiance. Of course, that wasn't the least of his troubles. When he stumbled backwards, he fell down a sort of short hill an began to tumble backwards through the snow. It was a terrifying experience for Gabriel, mainly because he couldn't tell what was going on. His ride had ended up cutting short when he slammed up against a tree. He let out a loud grunt and rubbed the back of his head, moaning and groaning slightly. He looked back up at the hill and smiled weakly.

It was...weird to Gabriel. This whole 'friendship' thing. After his dad ended up being put into a KIA list, Gabriel had fallen far from grace. He never imagined he would be doing something so childish and fun. When he was a boy, he remembered fondly the different fights that he had with the other boys and their respective gangs. Of course, they never did mess too much with the more 'law-abiding' kids, but they did act quite mean to them. His time thieving, fighting, and committing general anarchy just seemed to give him a slight sense of sadness. It was quickly washed over with joy at the thought of these other cadets actually wanting to play such games and be friendly with him. It was like his terrible past was finally washing away, along with his reputation as a troublemaker.

Without having realized it, Gabriel was actually crying. His overall expression didn't betray him, but his eyes and the tears that rolled from it surely did. He was caught a bit off-guard and took a deep breath, wiping them away with his hand. He smiled slightly once more and began to make his way back up the hill, waving to the others. "I'm okay! I just hit my head a little! I'll be alright!" These were the cadets that he would graduate with...they were all his friend....and he was glad that they were. This, unknown to him, would cause him great stress in the far future. For what does someone do when they have finally found something that they are willing to die protecting?