Eli sometimes wished he had died from the fall, or had been gunned down by the authorities when he’d had the chance. He’d even have preferred dying to the miom over venturing across the ice. It was hard, his muscles weren’t used to this type of cold, and his cloak wasn’t nearly as thick as the other boy’s. Rogue. He didn’t wait to help Eli through the harsh climate, if he fell behind he would die. So he pushed his aching muscles further on. They didn’t stop for what felt like days the first trek. Eli couldn’t stop heaving nothing at the strain, his body finally feeling the exertion and trauma it had gone through. 

“Why were you on the run?” Rogue asked, axe in hand as he sliced through the ice, creating a hole large enough for them to fit into. 

Eli shook from the cold, trying to will himself to speak through the pain. “It’s complicated.” Was all he could say. 

He followed Rogue as the other boy continued chopping into the ice, creating a hole for them to sleep in. It was barely big enough for their two bodies to sit in, but it was safe from the wind that had frozen Eli to the bone. He groaned as he sat, his muscles screaming at the relief. 

“You’re in pain,” Rogue assessed. 

Eli scoffed before shivering. “Yes.” 

Rogue said nothing for a moment before pulling something out of his pocket and throwing it at Eli. He tried catching it, but it slipped out of his hands. He picked up the tube of liquid as Rogue set a light orb between them. 

“What is this?” 

“Eat it. You’ll feel better.” Rogue pulled his mask down and bit off a gooey piece of his own tube. 

Eli took a bite, it was weird. Chewy and sticky in his mouth, but it was good. Very good. It tasted like “Tartan?” 

Rogue raised his white eyebrows. “You’ve had it then?” 

Eli nodded. “My mother used to make it on special occasions. I’ve never had it cold.” he took another bite. 

“Everything is cold here. Heat is deadly.” Rogue took another bite and leaned against the wall of the small cave. “Now… why were you running? What did you do wrong?” 

Eli took another bite to avoid speaking, but it seemed Rogue was patient. “When do I get to ask a question?” 

“When I decide whether or not I’m going to kill you.” 

“Comforting.” Eli sighed. “I failed insemination.” 

“Insemination?” 

Eli had expected differences between them, but he hadn’t expected that these ice dwellers didn’t inseminate. How did they conserve the populations? “When you turn fifteen you’re required to reproduce, to conserve the population.” 

“That seems rather young.” 

Eli shrugged. “Not when you think about it. It has to begin early after all. Anyways, I failed twice so I was going to be removed. My mother was a scientist, she was part of the insemination division, she learned of the failure and took me. We crossed the sectors trying to hide, I think she thought we’d be safe. But we weren’t. They found us and gunned her down in an alleyway. I couldn’t even stop to hold her or say goodbye. I just kept running.” 

“And then you climbed through the wall.” Rogue took a deep breath. “I don’t understand why you did that. You must have known it meant death.” 

“I… don’t understand it either. It sounds insane, but I just felt drawn to the wall. And when I saw the scaffolding and the hole, I climbed in.” Eli pulled his cloak tighter around him and pulled the hood over his eyes. “Can I sleep? Or will you kill me once I close my eyes?” 

Rogue smirked before shaking his head. “You can sleep. I have more to learn from you.” 

“Will you tell me your name?” Eli asked. 

“You haven’t earned my name yet, wall dweller.” Rogue pulled his own mask back up, so Eli did the same. “Go to sleep.” 

After the first week of walking Eli had started to feel his stamina come back. His ribs still ached, and his wrist was useless, but his legs could carry him faster. He could almost keep in stride with Rogue now, although he couldn’t be certain that the other boy hadn’t just slowed to match his pace. 

He was learning things about the dark side of Thill as he walked. There was something called ice storms that happened every now and then. They came on quickly, and were deadly to almost anything out in them. The first ice storm Eli experienced Rogue gave him an axe as well and they both hacked at the ice until there was just enough space for them to shimmy in and wait out the storm. It lasted two days, neither boy moved for the duration. They just crouched side be side, waiting. Eli appreciated being pressed against the other boy, his cloak was much thicker than Eli’s own and the added warmth finally gave Eli’s own bones reprieve. After the storm passed, Eli could barely stand, let alone walk. But Rogue began trekking faster towards the mountains that never seemed any closer. He didn’t ask for his axe back, so Eli kept it hitched to his pack. 

“You need to learn to put your body into hibernation when we rest. Learn to slow your heartbeat, it will protect you.” Rogue said one week later as they picked through the ice and into an already prepared cavern. It was larger than the others, with water sacks hanging from the ice. They both drank, emptying the sacks of their liquid. “Your body is losing too much heat.” Rogue said as Eli shivered. “You’re going to die if you don’t slow your heart beat down. No one can survive without it.” 

“How exactly do I do that?” Eli asked. 

Rogue unzipped his cloak and reached for Eli’s hand, pulling his glove off he pressed Eli’s palm against his chest. His heart was thrumming at a steady pace. “Take slow even breaths, focus on the individual beats of your heart.” Slowly the other boys heart began to thrum heavier and slower in his chest until it was barely beating at all. “When you’ve reached this speed, your motor functions start to slow. It’s a dangerous loss, but a necessary one.” He dropped Eli’s hand and rezipped his cloak. 

Eli put his glove back on before pressing his own hand against his chest. He followed Rogue’s instructions, but his heart thrummed its same steady beat. “I can’t.”

“Keep practicing whenever we’re safe.” Rogue said leaning back. 

Eli pulled his cloak tighter and remasked his face, closing his eyes and trying his best to slow his heart. 

Some hours later he was being shaken awake, for a moment he thought it was his mother, waking his from one of his dreams. But when he opened his eyes he saw Rogue translucent face staring back at him. 

“We have to leave. Quickly.” He said. 

“Why?” Eli asked pulling his pack to him and throwing it over his back. 

“There is another pack of hunters flying in. They can’t see you. Wall dwellers are not allowed to live.” Rogue stood, pulling Eli to his feet as well. They began climbing out, the sound of creatures screeching filling the sky. “Stay next to me and don’t look back. Do you understand?” Rogue whispered.

“Yes.” Eli whispered back as they walked side by side. Huge bird like creatures were soaring around the sky. “What are those?” 

“They’re called strin. We ride them over long distances.” Rogue whispered. He grabbed Eli’s cloak and pulled him along faster. 

The strin began to drop down from the sky swiftly, diving at the ground, but settling quietly before their riders jumped off and they took to the air again. 

“Holy shit…” Eli whispered, the wind of their wings jostling him forward. He watched them take to the sky, they were beautiful, huge fins that flapped against the air current. They had no feathers like the birds of the old world, but a thick blubber to protect against the cold. 

“Who is there?” One called out. “Stop!” 

Rogue stopped and turned, his hand still gripped against Eli’s cloak. “It’s Rogue.” He said calmly. 

The huge man walked towards them as Rogue dropped Eli’s cloak and stepped towards the man. “Stay here.” He whispered. 

They spoke quietly to each other, the man looking back and forth between Eli and Rogue. He wondered if this would be the moment he died? Perhaps this other man would do it, or perhaps he would make Rogue do. It’d be a shame to die now, he had almost gotten hope that he would somehow survive this entire ordeal. 

Rogue was whispering quickly to the man turning towards Eli briefly before turning away again. The man shook his head a few times before finally standing to his full height. He looked over, eying Eli up and down, but did nothing. 

Finally Rogue walked back over, not stopping. Eli trailed after him, finally falling into step with the other boy. “What happened?” 

“They’re angry with me.” Rogue said. “But they can’t decide whether or not you die. That’s for me, the one who found you, or the leader to decide.” 

“So I could still die?” Eli asked. 

Rogue was silent for a while. “Yes, you could still die once we reach the mountains. If Sayer chooses.” 

“So you won’t kill me then?” Eli asked. 

“No, not if I’m not ordered to.” 

“Does that mean I can ask you a question?” 

Rogue glanced down at Eli before shaking his head. “What’s your question?” 

“What’s your name?” 

Rogue said nothing for a while before taking a breath. “My name is Veer.”