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Kabyl wrapped her in a blanket. “What?”
“I need to learn how to swim.”
Kabyl laughed. “Yeah, I think they can help you with that.”
“The clothing is different. Very different.”
“You are still learning. I am glad you can keep an open mind. I know Trin would love the idea of going down to one layer, but I don’t think she would do it.”
Kana smiled. “The thought of being warm enough that one layer is all I need is remarkably appealing.”
“My friend, you and I have very different priorities.”
They laughed together as Kana put more wood on the fire to get the heat back to normal levels.
The folks in the village were in high gear, taking care of the displaced families, and Kana joined them, only to look down in surprise as someone pressed a bowl of warm stew into her hands. The old woman smiled at her. “My son said you did a wonderful job and got them out safely. Thank you, my dear.”
The elderly woman leaned in and gave Kana a kiss on the cheek. Kana nodded and said, “It was my pleasure, ma’am.”
“Now, go eat that stew. It’s my personal recipe for deer stew. You don’t want to waste it, and don’t let Kabyl’s mother at it. She can’t even boil an egg. She needs to work to earn a taste.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She took the bowl and settled against a bench at the edge of the hall. She picked up the horn spoon and scooped up a bite. She groaned. Damn, that was good. She ate slowly and kept the bowl warm until she swallowed the last spoonful. Her belly was warm, and she was tired. She set the bowl down next to her and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes.
* * * *
Kabyl checked Kana’s temperature and let her sleep. Tomorrow, they were going to start digging the homes out, so she needed all the rest she could get.
The six-year-old girl from the first cabin walked up to Kana with a quilt and draped it over her. A few other people came with blankets to keep her warm, and Kabyl wiped a tear from her cheek. Kana started snoring, and everyone around her grinned and kept working.
Tomorrow, they were going to have to do a controlled melt, and the mechanism was going to be odd. Kabyl had worked out a sling system, but Kana had to agree with it. It was her body that was going to be used to melt the snow, after all. Kabyl hoped that the fire blankets were up to the task.
* * * *
Kana finished her breakfast and looked at Kabyl. “Are you up for this?”
“Yup. I have been flexing my claws. We have a sling made of fire blankets and a series of insulated cables for me to hold. If you have trouble, say something.”
“Oh, I will.”
When the dishes were done, Elioth confirmed that they were setting a bonfire at the edge of the avalanche. Kana would be able to pull the heat she needed. Kabyl just needed to swing her past it.
Kana and her group geared up and headed to the edge of the village, where everything was arranged. The village wanted to see the wonder of the homes emerging from the snow. Kabyl and Elioth got Kana rigged up.
She was wearing a harness made of flame-retardant fabrics and straps. She walked out and draped the webbing that Kabyl would pick up.
Kana looked at Kabyl. “All right, frost dragon. Up, up, and away.”
Kabyl nodded and transformed to the cheers of her parents and the village.
She launched, and Kana waited. Elioth gave a shout, the straps pulled, and then Kana was being hauled upward fifteen feet away from the frost dragon.
She spread a warm blanket out over the waves of white, and the water began to flow from where her heat waves had been.
By the time they had gotten the pathways to the homes and created ice fields that children could skate on, Kana was wiped out, and Kabyl thudded heavily to the ground. They had spent hours in a controlled pattern, and they were exhausted.
Kana lay on the ground and pawed at the straps. Elioth came up to her and helped her unbuckle. “There we go. How do you feel?”
Kana sat up and grunted. “Flatter.”
