Mama handed me a climbing axe. “This is yours, Jo.”

I tested the weight. Heavy, worn. Fit too well. “This one of yours?”

“Used it before I…“ Her eyes fade as she breaks, “Still sharp. Don’t break it.”

Micah held up a red tin. “First aid. Gauze, antiseptic, syringes. You better know how to treat a bleed. Jasper?”

“Don’t look at me. I pass out at the sight of needles.” He shrugs. “I’ve got a strong stomach though, even if I haven’t learned any of this stuff before.”

“Perfect,” Micah deadpanned. “Splint duty.”

We moved through the rest: water filters, trail rations, flint stove, cord. Jasper opened a jar labeled “Fire Balm,” recoiled.

“Frostbite,” I said. “Smells like mint and regret.”

“Aiden said that about his winter tea,” Micah muttered.

Mama tossed Jasper a coil of cord from across the room. “Knot practice. Two days. It better catch you.” His reflexes are fast. He wasn’t looking when she threw it.

“No pressure,” he muttered.

Micah grinned. “Wait till you’re dangling over a ravine and Jo’s holding your life in one hand and a snack in the other.”

“Better hope I’m not hungry.” I wink.

Laughter cracked the tension.

Micah clapped. “Snack, tea, then triage training. What to do when someone stops breathing.”

Jasper swallowed. “Just a light evening, then.” He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. He’s amazing at getting intel and fighting, short and long range, but this is new to him. We’ll help him get through it.

Mama smacked his shoulder. “Better you puke now than freeze later.”

Aiden gets mugs and jars out for some tea. Micah brings out some snacks he snagged from the kitchen. Kal always gives him whatever he wants. Cory brings out some nuts and dried fruit he made.

We all sit quietly for a moment. Taking everything in that we have worked on so far this evening. The steam swirls above our mugs, the snacks brighten up the table. The fruit looks like candy. The bread, honey and cheese are perfect for our snack time.

I close my eyes and enjoy the scent of the tea Aiden has prepared for us. “Mint and ginger?” I look over at Aiden.

“Yep! You got it! I figured we needed something to keep us going. No caffeine, but it will help with the fatigue and soreness.”

Brennen turns his nose up. “This smells weird, you can have my cup too Jo.” I chuckle and nod, I will gladly have his cup of tea too. “Micah can I have a piece of that bread?” Micah grunts and puts some honey and goat cheese on the piece of bread. Brennen looks appalled. “No, no, and no. Just bread, and a small amount of honey.” We all laugh as Micah mocks him, but gives him what he wants anyway.

We all take our time. Jasper asking questions to help him remember what we talked about and practiced so far. He’s getting it, it’s just a lot to take in all at once.

After ten or fifteen minutes of questions and answers, it was time to move on. We cleared up the mugs and snacks quickly so Aiden can set the table for the next part of the lesson.

There were jars, poultices, rolls of herbs across the table. Micah sat flipping a knife, already bored. He really doesn’t need this refresher.

“We’ll cover frostbite, shock, exposure, burns, breaks,” Aiden said.

“Pass out, and we use you as the dummy,” Micah added. Jasper groaned.

Mama stood like a war statue, arms crossed. I mimicked her. Tried to.

Aiden pointed to a mannequin. “Hypothermia: early signs are shivering, confusion, slurred speech. Heat the torso, neck, groin. No fire on bare skin. No rubbing.”

“So like Jasper after two drinks?” Micah asked.

“Exactly.”

“Hey, I can hold my drinks. It takes more than that!” We all get a good chuckle in. They’re just busting his balls because of the conversation this morning. It’s what the boys do, especially to each other. It’s their way of having him join the group.

Aiden demonstrated with a mylar wrap before mama interrupted. “Buddy system. Micah and Jo. Jasper, you’re mine.” We stared. Mama sighed. “Experienced pairings. Faster reactions.”

Aiden continues, “If you’re hiking and they start mumbling nonsense, don’t argue, don’t take time away from getting them warm. Get them warm no matter what. Use your own body heat if you need too.”

“Snuggle survival.” Micah adds, smirking. “It could be the new best selling romance genre.” He winks at the group. I know there’s no being shy when it comes to survival, but I really hope it doesn’t come to that since I’m paired with Micah.

Next up was frostbite. Aiden opens up a jar and the smell is strong. Looks like it’s infused with chili oil, the other container looks to have mint and burdock. “White and numb: frostnip. Black: pirate life. Don’t thaw in the field unless it can stay warm. Refreezing can be worse than just leaving it frozen.”

“Now,” Micah rolled up sleeves. “Trauma next. Knife wounds. Breaks. Field tourniquets.” He looks too happy about this.

He stabbed the dummy. “Three minutes if the femoral's hit. Jo.”

I stepped forward. Wrapped. Twisted. Shift. Nod.

“Good.”

Jasper’s turn. Fumbled. Second try: better.

Mama led the next demo. Clean. Methodical. We took more turns until it felt right. Mama is a much better teacher than Micah. We get better each time when we practice with her.

Micah moved to splinting. Used sticks, rope, his own arm. “If you’re creative, you can splint anything. But don’t do what I did in…” his voice trails off a bit before coming back, “and use a bone knife. Long story. Bad smell.”

“Please don’t tell that story again,” Aiden sighed. Jasper and I looked at each other and shrugged. If Aiden is saying that, then I really don’t want to know what happened.

Next up for the night is breathing. Decompression needle. Jasper turned green.

I leaned in. “Third rib?”

“Second intercostal space, midclavicular line,” Aiden said. “You’re paying attention.”

“I just don’t want anyone dying on me.”

His smile faltered. “Right reason.” He sighs and his eyes look distant for a moment. “Just remember that sometimes, you can’t save everyone. There’s times when it can’t be helped. I know that it sounds terrible, just know it happens, and it’s not your fault.” We’re all quiet and nod. I wonder who he has lost.

Micah brought us back to the moment. He pulled out a red-tagged pouch. “Emergencies. Morphine, epi, antibiotics. Use wisely.”

“I inventory every three days,” Aiden said. He looks at all of is. “Each of you will have an emergency stash for your trip, don’t worry.” That’s part of what all of this training is for. Knowing what we have, what we need to get together for this mission.

We ran drills until our hands ached. Pulse. Wrap. Pressure. Repeat. The fire crackled low. Moonlight spilled silver.

We weren’t invincible. We weren’t ready. But we were learning. And we weren’t alone.

The tea had worn off and I was starting to doze. I was trying so hard to stay awake, but I was exhausted.

Micah noticed and called time. “Night. Dawn training starts at the grit grounds.”