Fear still drove her. She wasn't quite thinking straight; huffs and puffs and treading hooves carried her onward. She cast only a brief and nerve-wracked glance at Hargrave.

"Thank you."

Perhaps, if she were more clear-headed, she'd have stayed to protect the dog--the dog who had just saved her life--but instead her wide eyes spotted the paths ahead, and her mind went blank.

The narrow, dark ravine--suffocating, with falls of ominous ice and snow--or the broad, open expanse of the river? It wasn't too wide--it wasn't yawning and vast, like the Dunes had been (How did Father survive this-?!) but it felt less... deadly. Almost welcoming.

Surely, if she stayed along the outer, shallow edges, the river--even if slippery--would be safe?

Without thought, driven by shock and panic, trying not to remember the rows of teeth stained with skin and blood, the hybrid lurched out onto the surface of the river.

It seemed to hold, for now: she clattered along the very edge near the canyon wall, slipping, sliding, but holding steady.

Ivory is heading onto the river. If she succeeds, she will remain with whatever group heads that way.

Warrior, wide-eyed, looked over his charges (or what he viewed as them, anyway). Wounded. Cold. His gaze swept back out over their options: the broad, frozen river or the towering-walled canyon. He liked the river--they were a lifegiving source in a brutal desert, usually--but he knew, too, the potential power of water. He would not push his luck there--they were too many, and too heavy, to tread on ice. He'd learned the hard way what ice was--how it worked--as Hydra had begun to freeze.

...But the ravine, too--he could see as he eyed it--held its dangers. Warrior judged that so long as they kept close to the wall, sticking to overhanging rock as much as possible, they should be safe. If not, perhaps there were those with magic who could shield them?

"We're too many for the ice--Hey!" he called, in warning, as Ivory tumbled out onto the river. And she was heavy; if anyone should've broken it, it should have been her, and for a moment Warrior doubted himself. But she was gone, then, off through the snow, and he shook his coat with worried eyes. "...I think we'd all break through," he finished, looking at the rest. "I think sticking to the walls in the canyon is best. Try to keep under overhangs, because I see things falling. If anyone has magic that can shield them, use it. If anyone needs to ride on my back, you can," he added, firing a sympathetic glance at Null--but the dark dog had lifted that one, easily enough.

Warrior turned back, facing forward, and steeled himself. Then he was picking his way into the ravine, carefully, his head tilted slightly to watch up as well as around him, keeping a wary eye on the shifting slabs of snow above.

Warrior is going into the Ravine, and staying with his group.

Finding Desert wasn't quite so simple, though they had a good idea where the fellow Champion would have gone. Feathers ruffling, they had given their wings enough of a break. It was time to climb to the top of the Crucible and drive to the heart of the nest.

"Race you to the heart!" They squawked their challenge into the echoing ravines, spreading their wings.

They were beginning to believe again; the hopeless storm left behind them. The white storm above was a fresh challenge, and they dared the eyehooks that dwelt above to fall into their talons. The Crucible was practically a second home, given the number of escapades they had chased through the maze. Ah, this was where the real fun began!

... Or it would be, if they didn't immediately swoop into an overhanging ledge that had been hidden by a flurry of snow. There was a painful squawk, and they began to tumble through the rock and ice with very little sense of up and down.

taking the flight path, moving forward beefing it!

The path split now and Palefur hesitated for just a moment, looking behind her. They were all still behind her. Not too far behind, but she'd definitely put on a good lead. She huffed and turned, trotting forward towards the river. It'd probably be easier to cross over this way - she was small and light and wouldn't be able to fight through snow, but hopefully she could walk fine on ice.

She took her first steps onto the ice and paused when a rumbling sound echoed beneath her. For a moment, she felt a flash of doubt. Maybe it wasn't strong enough to hold. What if she fell in? She was by herself and the moment made her realize - if she was all alone and something did happen, she would not survive.

She told herself that she'd be able to get through it. Her strength would be what got her through this Trial, after all, but...perhaps it wouldn't hurt to use one of the others in case she got hurt. She went slowly across the river, trying not to go too fast this time.

Palefur is staying with her "group" (not moving ahead) onto the river

The group had made it, but not without serious damage. Their own limbs felt bruised and beaten, and they were lucky. As Ivory scrambled across the river and Warrior warned that they might break through the ice, he knew what he had to do. "I'll stay with her," he tells the rest of the group, hoofing it after the white-hybrid with an urgency. It would be quite bad if any of them fell into the ice, but he has a plan...

As long as he channels his magic through the ice, he can actually make sure it stays frozen solid while they go across, thickening and strengthening the sheet. "Wait for me, alright?" He calls as he catches up toward Ivory, huffing cold breaths of air as his gem goes into overtime trying to freeze the river more.

Hopefully that will be enough to sustain their group as they push forward, though splitting up is the last thing he wanted to do.

WYNTER HASIRA
Like walking in the rain and the snow
When there's nowhere to go
And you're feelin' like a part of you is dying

going across the river with his group

Kalamas hackles rose. First Imp had the audacity to shush her. Then, flat out said that she hadn't scared the worm. She was fuming, the pain from her shattered legs adding fuel to the fire. Kalama whipped her head back. She bore holes into imp with firey eyes he'd never see. She'd had been ready to fight Imp then and there. But without legs . "It was scared of me." She hissed. "I'm terrifying." And now Imp was suggesting they hide. Hide!?

"Thats coward talk! I'm not a coward." She spat with each coward, as if the word itself was a sin to speak. She turned away.

"I'll do this by myself if i have to. You can go back!" Kalama placed a wing in front of her, the one that she hadn't pulled. It twinged painfully in protest. She growled under her breath. Everything Imp had said. The more Imp spoke. The more appealing the the idea became. They could just hide. She could win, without any of the pain or tribulations. Kalama hadn't thought about cheating before. Not in the complex way Imp had. She'd never been that kind of gembound. But, deep within, she liked the idea of winning without work. No. No she would not go along with his stupid plot. How could she go to Aure like this? How could she face the collector if she didn't actually win? Kalama growled.

"You're worse than the worms, Imp. You coward."

Plus, they still wanted that key. Perhaps she could snipe it off of that fox gembound, when they caught up. Kalama seethed quietly. She hated this. All of this. She was supposed to win. This wasn't winning. Imp spoke once again, still trying to get her to turn back. "We're going forward! Im going to win this correctly or die!"

And then Imp said the worm was getting closer. It was in her way, as well. She raged, quietly. She froze, reacting almost instantly. Kalama curled inwards, as much as she could given her current state. She hoped the worm would just think she was a boulder or some such, just lying on the surface.
think "speak"

Kalama is trying to avoid the worm

She thought she was done for, her footing falling and the massive creature behind her. But a quake at the ground and things paused long enough for her to scramble back onto balance and onto solid ground. She whirled around, trying to find whoever had saved her, but they were lost to the whirling storm. She blindly staggered forward, panting heavily. Where had that dog gone? More importantly, where was Ivory?

She continued staggering forward until she suddenly realized she was standing at the base of the crucible, breathing heavily. She turned her head, trying to find her. Ivory. And, at last, she caught sight of the hybrid and quickly staggered forward to follow.

"Ivory!" she called out, trying to catch up with her sister. Once she began walking on the river, she began to slow, watching her feet as she carefully began to cross, heart beating in her chest. *Oh man I hope this doesn't give way.* But it was holding, for now.

Shida is going towards the river and staying with that group

Oleander

Melt all your art and drink the paint

Oleander stayed close behind Warrior, keeping her one eye fixed on his back. She wasn't going to fall behind again, she wasn't going to get lost. She looked behind just in time to see that massive beast swallow one of the Gembounds in the back and her heart dropped to her stomach. That could be her, if she'd fallen too far behind.

Terrified, she turned forward and forged ahead behind her friend until they reached the split in the road. She didn't care about whatever everyone else was doing. She was following Warrior. She would continue to follow Warrior because he would help her. She could rely on him. She pushed forward towards the ravine, shivering as she stepped through the narrow passage. This was kind of terrifying.

Oleander is going towards the ravine and staying with the group Sike!

The others had caught up. A brief glance of his eyes let him assess the situation- even as he hung back- ears flicking this way and that as he cataloged the results of consequences forced upon them.

A few were missing.

Flaring his nostrils in a huff, he drew himself up and paced forward, eyeing the blinking blue light. Palefur had already begun on her way, and Desert weighed his options on the way he could go.

He did have wings. Flexing them out, he flapped experimentally, grumbling at the thought of dodging through these tight corners. He could do it- that didn't mean he wanted to. It'd be better than being shot down from above, at least.

He still didn't trust some of the others around here.

Shaking out his mane, he rose into the air, his break done. Right, where was Agate- It was their call that snapped him back into competitive attention. Sure, he'd race, but with where he stood, he was... Alone. Would the champion risk an alliance with him?

He had to take his chance. Soaring up and away, he glanced through the white for a brief shape, falling and falling and- wumphf! That didn't sound good. Rolling his jaw, he dodged the ledge that threatened the cockatrice before him. He had to keep an eye and make sure that the prospective lifeline was fine, and if he had to turn that and extend it to them in turn.

Desert is dropping back one in placement.

“

i will refuse to break

···

The pain was dulling as adrenaline set in, her eyes practically glazing as she fell into a heap in the snow for the briefest moments.

And then, her savior came.

She didn't know her name, but if she did, she would break her silence to rumble it, instead only offering a soft squeak of confusion. The movement jostled her ever so slightly and pulled the squeak into a drawn-out whine. Ow.

Why was she being carried? Her aching jaw set as best as it could on the key, reminding her of her duty. With a paw curled into Hargrave's fur, she held on as tightly as she could, wincing as she bobbed on the spine of her fellow gray-scale being.

Oh, she could fall asleep in that warm fluff of her's. The biting cold along her back kept her conscious enough to hold on to both key and canine, at the very least, and she squinted as she watched the treacherous icicles dangling from above.

Null is staying with her group and going through the Ravine.