What seemed like forever has passed, the two Human-Looking spectators slowly stepped closer to the wind-whirling-flame-twirling area along the trail; but then came an invisible wall. Nothing magical, but from a light snowfall to a torrent of rain, snow and wind caused both Jarrod and Johnathan to push themselves no further.

Squinted dark-brown eyes tried their best to give a piercing look through the torrent wall, but even the flames were a vague view now. But then her eyes moved back and forth rapidly for a moment; as if it was her turn to skim through too many words at once. And that was when the dancing colored Life-Stone flickered the blues, greens, and black.

No God will hear you.

I will not fail again.

Flashes of staves popped in and out of her head. Dark figure nearly ontop of her vision. It was then that Johnathan realized that she is seeing what Renne is going through. There was not much to go on, just blurbs. There was an illusion that she saw briefly, herself whispering...and she knew what she said before words came out. And this Johnathan also whispered the words.

"Cara ewyllysia ca ffordd"

Clinging onto the cloak so tightly as if it will completely block the cold away from his body--which it didn't, but he liked to think that it did. Looking back to Johnathan, he knitted his eyebrows in confusion as he could not hear what she said due to the fact of the high winds. Neither of them could do a thing.

It was the Life-Stone, though, that knew what was going on. For the blues-and-greens danced on so courageously with the black.

"Never piss off a Mexican." ~ Bernardino Quintana Sr.

It was getting dark again when the Strange Doctor started getting antsy again. Pacing back and forth in the small Folk-Made cave, he could not take it as he grunted and grabbed his sling-pack and headed out into the cold again. Luckily, it was not snowing anymore. In fact, there were very little clouds in the skies. Still cold, but not a much as it had been for the past few months.

Getting out of the cave, Jarrod saw in the distance--past the cave and heading back to civilization--was the small blue critter. He smiled slightly at that.

"Hey Renne!"

He called out and started following him. Before catching up to him completely, Jarrod came to near-screeching stop. He did not see the once-determined Johnathan with Renne. Jarrod looked about for a moment, then called out her name...just in case she was a bit faster than Renne.

"Johnathan!"

No response. He then looked down, seeing that there was only one set of footprints--or umm...paw-like prints--on the snow. Looking back to where the three--separately--once traveled to, Jarrod took no hesitation and started running up to where the battlefield once was.

The elderly lady got used to walking in a slowly-but-surely matter. Every other step, there was a harsh crunch for the wave-blade smashing against the now softening snow. Tired dark-brown eyes squinted more often than usual, trying their best to stay focused on the way back. It felt like she had been walking for days. She needed to rest, but there was nowhere at the point of time just to sit for a moment. She continued on for another five minutes until her white-knuckled hand lost the grip of the hit and there she came tumbling down. Once again, flat on her stomach. Slowly lifting herself up to where she was at least sitting, the jet-black cloak gave her bottom comfort between the slowly-melting snow and herself. She did not want to stop. For stopping makes you think. And thinking is not what this once-youthful-Outsider now old and wrinkled did not want. Memories of what happened only a day ago continued to overpower the ones that have developed over the past ten months. Not able to hold it in anymore, the tired eyes began to swell up with tears; letting them fall upon the sunken face. If she was to die alone and miserable, she was ready. The tear-filled eyes slowly looked over to the fallen wave-blade. She did not move; but just stared at it thoughtfully.

Fifteen minutes of running has passed, and Jarrod stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Bending down for a moment, he rubbed his thick-cottoned chest with his fists; making sure that his lungs would not give out on him. Slowly looking up, his eyes squinted as the cold Sun reflected off some metallic. Not traveling too much further, he saw the elderly lady...in Johnathan's outfit and everything.

"Johnathan??"

The elder Johnathan continued staring at the wave-blade for another moment before slowly moving her head so that she saw the Strange Doctor. Eyes were bloodshot and completely weary, as was her body.

"I cannot go on another second like this."

Her voice was raspy and withered. Defeat was not in Johnathan's vocabulary once before, but right now, it does not sound too bad at all.

It was either the love that will not fade away or something else, Jarrod kneeled down directly in front of the elder Johnathan. Cupping his hands upside-down around a pile of the melting snow, he closed his eyes and breathed in. Some mumbles of words, that Johnathan could not even hear, and only a minute later was there a bubble in his hands instead of the snow. Placing the bubble down onto the snow itself--where strangely it did not pop--he scooped the snow closer to the bubble as he continued on mumbling words. The bubble, at first was only fist sized but seemed to "eat" the snow, letting it grow. Soon enough, the bubble was a big as a body-shield and two feet tall. Jarrod's eyes opened finally, as there was a small blip of a translucent blue instead of the olive-green; but the olive-green was there again. Slowly standing up, he held out a hand to help Johnathan up.

"This will let ya rest but continue on walking."

Johnathan, at first, looked puzzled on what Jarrod was doing, but then seeing the bubble, she went wide-eyed. Slowly looking up to him, she blinked as she sniffled a bit.

?A son of Feiguyh*.?

?Great-Great-Great-Great grandson to be precise.?

Looking down to the hand that was offered, a wrinkled hand reached over to the fallen wave-blade before the other hand grabbed ahold of Jarrod?s hand. Lifting her useless old body up?with the help of both Jarrod?s support and the wave-blade?s support?the Elder Johnathan scuffled a bit over to the bubble. She knew that the bubble was impenetrable unless the maker pops it on his/her own term. Taking her time?because of the sight of age?to sit on the bubble, her legs dangled abit when the bubble slowly rose from the melting-snow ground.

And once he saw Johnathan get comfortable, he gestured to the bubble and off they went.

Now, with the help from Jarrod and the bubble, Johnathan was able to go at a normal pace?well, the pace that Jarrod going that is. And it took them only twenty-five minutes to pass by the folk-made cave. With that, Jarrod stopped in front of it, as did the Johnathan-carrying-bubble, and he looked down to her a bit.

?Do ya need to go inside to get warmed up.?

It was the first time that Jarrod has seen Johnathan so somber. But the Elderly lady shook her head.

?When we head back into the town down at the bottom, I want to go back to me harbours. If this is gi?ing up, then I am gi?ing up on Lo?e.?

Jarrod would have argued?but age and defeat washed over Johnathan like the Oceans always do with her. And so, he quietly nodded. With that, he and the bubble-riding Johnathan continued on.

Ten minutes have gone by when the Elderly-Lady blinked and quickly looked up to the few-clouded skies. Gripping onto Jarrod?s sleeve, which made both him and the bubble stop, the dark-brown bloodshot eyes shifted about; as if trying to find something that was in there?and in the skies no less.

?What?s wrong??

?Angels. I can hear them.?

Jarrod, for a moment, thought that she meant that the Heavens are calling for her?which did frighten him. But then, he heard also angelic voices not too far away. And not the angelic-harp kind of voices. But the ones that were rather cocky; knowing that they are of celestial superiority. Looking back to Johnathan, he blinked as he held out a hand to her while the bubble that was two feet off the ground slowly floated back onto the ground itself.

Feeling her old feet back on the ground, she used Jarrod?s hand and the wave-blade once again for support to stand up. With that, Jarrod bent over a bit and popped the bubble, which then turned back to the original melting snow. Standing back up straight, Jarrod helped The Elderly-Lady to walk. It did not take long for the Strange Doctor and the Elderly Lady to get to where...where someone was holding onto the Blue Critter. At first, Johnathan did not think of anything at first; but then watching the Human holding Renne so carefully; there was this usual old-bitty growl coming from her throat.

It was only then that the once jet-black frog-charm went wild with the colors. First back to the crystallized pale-green, but then to emerald, to a deep sapphire blue, and then to a bright peridot. Letting go of Jarrod's hand, the Elderly-Lady gripped onto the wave-blade with such ease now. Her once hobbles now got sturdier. And that was when everything changed for her. The sunken face now had youth. Her clothes were more fitted. The stone-and-white colored hair now went back to the light-brown color. And the permanent tattoo-like scar of a compass-rose with a helm as its base on her left wrist glowed with the same white flare that the Life-Stone gave. What once the dark-brown eyes should pain and defeat, showed nothing but jealousy and rage. The Now-To-Normal Johnathan took no hesitation at placing the tip of that wave-blade right against the Human's head. No pressure upon it, though if he did sway too much there would be.

"What are ye doing with me Bond-Mate?"

What angered her was not of the holding, but she shared the same bitter hate of Humans like Renne has had. And that might have been the influence of Hunter...but hers was not.

Jarrod, however, tried to be the rational one. Quickly catching up with the Proper-Johnathan, he blinked as he looked back and forth to Johnathan and the Human. But then, he slowly looked up to see the two angels as his nose twitched a bit.

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*Pronounced "Fae"