Daniel pulled on his moccasin boots, grabbed his flashlight, rifle and hunting knife. He was putting his arms in the sleeves as he went through the doorway, pulling the door shut behind him.

The wolf matched his run to that of Daniel, remaining just a few feet ahead, to lead the way.

Rachel had woken shivering, her small fire offered little heat when compared to the chill which came with the night. She had snuggled into the leaves for warmth, but at this point nothing seemed to help. She grabbed a small handful of berries and reached for her water supply. It was not surprising that there was a thin layer of ice forming on the water.

Her brain was always active, it had been since she was a child. Questioning every action and trying to think of why things happened, how she could change them, what she could do to halt things. It really was no wonder that she had swayed towards the sciences, then one day in her final year of high school, she decided on medicine. She wanted to make a difference in people's lives. She had less than six months before graduation when she was offered a scholarship for two more years of education and a job in New York City with an excellent salary for a rookie. She jumped in with both feet. And her family supported her decision.

Right now, her brain was remembering about hypothermia. At what body temperature did the body succumb to sleep? What could she do to create more body heat?

"Think, Rachel. Don't give in to the cold. You know what to do, make your brain remember and do it. Think, damn it, think."

She was instinctively doing the arm flaps, wiggling in her spot, moving her legs as much as possible. She tried to make the fire bigger. She could only do so much within the space of the lean to, but at least she now had a little roaring fire. She placed the bags of water close to the rock ring of the fire, hoping to warm them. Warm water was better for her than ice cold. She thought of her mother's delicious beef barley soup, how she wished she had a bowl right now.

"Well, at least I will just go to sleep and not wake up. It really is a gentle way to go. Hey, I won't even feel the animals gnawing at me. They might find me before too much is missing." She laughed with a hint of hysteria.

"Great, now I have to pee again. Wait a minute, I have one empty bag and another close to it. I'll dump it and pee in the bags. Internal body heat, brilliant thinking old girl." She completed her task and she was correct, they were like little hot water bottles.

She snuggled as close to the fire as she could get, piled the leaves around her and pulled her hat close so she could munch on the berries. Before long she was sleeping once again.
Perhaps she would wake and perhaps she would not.

Daniel continued to race behind Gray. He had no clue what he was racing to, but if Gray felt it was important, then it was.