Chapter 62:

It wasn't long before the prince came all but running back to camp with his tail now firmly tucked between his legs as Xavier just leisurely strode along behind him, hands in the pockets of his sleep pants with his muscular chest on full display. I couldn't help but to grin as I watched the two of them from where I had curled up under the covers in front of the fire. It wasn't cold, but it was definitely far cooler now that the sun had fully set. 

Nova was happily curled up by my feet under the covers as Bane came running up, burrowing his way under the covers behind her to curl in around her small frame. I just smiled as, not long after, I felt the blanket shift behind me as Xavier slipped under it with me. 

"We should be safe here for the night. There isn't much of a point in posting guards tonight. Just try to get as much sleep as possible tonight. It's probably the only time we won't have to post guards until we get to the camp." Xavier said to the whole group before lying down behind me, and I instantly shifted to where I was pressed back against him as his arms curled around me, pulling me even further into his hold. Just the feeling of his warm embrace had me instantly relaxing, and I quickly stopped caring about what anyone else might think about us as I simply embraced the warm safety he so freely offered.

The next day went a little better. The prince had barely complained this time as we flew through until we were only about an hour behind where we had originally wanted to be camping for the night. We still had to stop early, though, considering that we had hit the dead plains about halfway through our flight, and the uninhibited heat had sapped everyone's energy. There was no shade to get out of it in this desolate place, and the reflection of the blazing sun off the sand below only proved to amplify the effects until I felt like I was being roasted alive. 

As we all hit our breaking point, Bane flew lower, scouting out a good place for us to be able to stay for the night. There wasn't enough space for Bane to actually land out here, not with the numerous cracks that littered the sandy ground. 

That's when the professor's lesson about this hellish landscape ran through my mind as I thought back over what all they had taught us about this place. The Dead Plains are the only place on the continent whose topography cannot ever be mapped out. Unlike any of the other four kingdoms, the Dead Plains change almost daily. The cracks in the ground shift as the sand worms burrow down deep under the surface of the sand, looking for anything unfortunate enough to stumble into one of those cracks or stay too long in the area in general. The worst part is that there's no way of telling if accidentally stepping on one of those cracks will drop you into the cavern of a wormhole, or into the muddy quicksand that fills them back in over time, reforming their holes into the hard-packed sand of the desert. While there are sparse patches of dried-out grasses and trees, sometimes even with watering holes, the leeches that can grow up to three feet long that inhabit those areas mean that you're better off taking your chances with the sand worms, considering a single leech is capable of bleeding a man in a matter of minutes if not dealt with. 

Bane hovered probably around twenty feet off the ground as Nova shifted to her smaller size, and the other two landed in the rather large space we had found. Xavier stood, but gently pushed me back down to sit. 

"I'm going to jump so that you can pass me the bags just like last time before you come down." He told me as he took his swords once more, strapping them over his shoulders before picking mine up to hold. 

"I'm not going to be able to land that, Xavier," I whispered as I swallowed hard, looking at the long drop below. 

"You won't have to, princess. I'm going first so that I can catch you when it's your time to come down." I just looked at him before looking at the drop once more. "Trust me, Ari. You know I'd never let anything hurt you." He whispered, tipping my chin up so that I was looking up at him before he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. 

I just watched as he pulled away before sliding down Bane's leg and jumping the last several feet to the ground before landing in a perfect roll below. Once on his feet, he set my blades aside before motioning for me to pass him our stuff.

I made quick work of unstrapping everything and tossing it down to them one by one, but as each bag fell, my nerves ratcheted higher and higher. As I tossed the last bag down, I took a breath, standing there as my limbs trembled. If I missed and hit the ground from this height, it would be game over for sure. 

'Take a deep breath, Ari. I won't let you miss.' Bane's low tone soothed some of my nerves, and I took a deep breath before I slid down, closing my eyes tightly, sure I was going to feel the hard sting of the ground meeting my flesh, but it never came. Instead, right as I reached Bane's forepaw, he dipped lower as he shifted into his smaller form, all but depositing me directly into Xavier's waiting arms as Bane landed up on his shoulders. Xavier gently set me on my shaking legs as Nova climbed up onto my shoulders, but I just clung to him for a long moment as I tried to calm my nerves. 

Once I was able to walk without risking my legs just giving out under me, we all started setting up camp for the night. The space was just large enough for us to all set out our bedrolls around the fire we had made from the extra wood we had collected in Celestia to bring with us. Bane lit the fire just as the sun began to dip below the horizon and the temperature dropped dramatically.

I ended up going a little further off into the plains with Lexi and Genie as they changed into their winter gear, but mine had still never been replaced since the last time. Instead of changing, I just doubled my long-sleeved underclothes under a standard uniform before pulling my cloak over my shoulders, and hoping it would be enough to stave off the cold for the night.

Xavier and the prince were already back at the camp and setting out rations for all of us. This time, rather than just sitting on his ass or pissing Xavier off, Daydree was actually helping him set everything out. I was more than happy to make my way back over beside Xavier as I took the ration he handed me with a smile. Taking my seat, I was sure to situate myself as close to the fire as I dared while also being close enough to Xavier that my arm brushed against his with every little move. At least it was a little warmer there. 

"We need to have watches posted while we're out here. There are far too many things that can go wrong out here." Xavier started as he glanced between me, Lexi, and Genie. He skipped over the prince entirely, considering none of us were willing to place our lives in his hands. "I'll take the first watch so you can all get at least some sleep. I'm far more used to having to stay up than the rest of you are, and I know exactly what to look for out here. The first watch and the last watch are the two hardest and generally longest shifts. I'll always take the first shift, and I will suggest that Ari takes the last shift. Out of all of us, you're the only one who can sleep on the flight if you need to." Xavier stated as he looked down at me once more, and I just nodded. That didn't bother me in the slightest because he was entirely right; out of all of us, I could sleep on the way. Hell, it didn't even sound like such a bad idea considering all I needed to do was turn to where I was facing him, and I would be rather comfortable even. "It really doesn't matter who takes the other two shifts, but if you have a preference, just let me know who I need to wake up." 

The other two looked between each other for a moment before Lexi spoke up. "I'll take the shift after you, then Genie can go after me." She stated, and we all nodded.

"If anything shifts around our camp or if you're unsure about anything, you can wake me up. I'm a very light sleeper, so chances are if something does shift too close, I'll already be awake anyway. If you see any cracks that start expanding directly towards camp, wake us all up immediately. Sand worms tend to be more dormant at night when the temperature drops, but dawn and dusk are their most active times. You can do whatever you need to in order to stay up; even if the two of you can only stay on watch for a couple hours at a time, it's fine. Just make sure to wake the next person once you feel like you can't stay up any longer." Xavier told us as we all just nodded our agreement before everyone started slowly making their way to bed, except for me.

I stayed where I was, huddled in front of the fire, unwilling to leave the warm spot I had found when the temperature was still steadily dropping by the second. "You should try to get some sleep, princess," Xavier whispered to me, and I just gave him a small smile. I knew I should go lay down, but I didn't like the idea that he wouldn't be lying with me yet, and I knew there was no way I would be able to get warm over there without him.

Instead of moving away, I just leaned in against his side as he slipped his hand under my cloak, pulling me further into him as he gently rubbed over my back. That was when his sharp gaze snapped to mine, piercing me with a look that instantly pinned me to the spot. "They never replaced your winter gear, did they?" He asked, and I just shook my head. "You should have told me, princess." 

"I didn't think it would get this cold out here." 

"Come here," he whispered as his arm wrapped fully around my waist before pulling me onto his lap, but I was more than happy to curl in against his chest. He pushed me back for just a moment as he unbuttoned his jacket before pulling me into his warm embrace once more as he unclasped my cloak. Reaching behind us, he pulled his heavy cloak from his bag before gently tucking the soft, thick fur around me as I happily pressed in as close as I could get to him. Pushing my arms under the open material of his jacket, I wrapped them around his waist as I fully leaned into him with a happy sigh. "Better?" He asked, and I just smiled as I nodded to him. "Good," he whispered to me as he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead before pulling the hood of his cloak up, gently tucking it around my face. "Get some rest, princess."