Drifting Across the Avalanche

One: Buried

 I blinked slowly coming out of the shock. I felt pressure on my chest and I tried to move my arms but they were trapped. Was this how Avalanche felt? Or... Steep? I felt a panic flare as I thought about that name. I'm not going to die. I'm not going to die. Right? I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander will they forever be calling out my name will I become a ghost story? Will I be forgotten? Will Storm miss me? I closed my eyes. Am I going to die?

I shivered and tried to move my feet. Supizingly I could move one of them. Maybe someone will see me! I held on to that hope with everything left inside me. Though as the minutes ticked on that hope got further and further away from my grasp. I didn't know what to do. Why had I left them? Why hadn't I just stayed with them? Maybe I wouldn't be in this mess if I had. Or maybe we all would be trapped.

How long dose it take to freeze to death? Would I freeze first? Or the pressure?

I tried to snap myself out of thinking those intuitive thoughts but I kept spiraling. How long do I have? Could I dig myself out? If I tried would it collapse and crush me? If I died down here would they find my body or would I be buried like the others? Would anyone miss me? How long will I be down here? What's after death? Did Avalanche think the same thoughts? Did Steep?

I closed my eyes for a moment. What if I just went to sleep? I almost did. But then I felt a bit of snow nock into my free foot. My eyes snapped open. Is someone there? I called out trying to get someone, anyone to help free me. I screamed as loud as I could but I worried it wouldn't be enough. Nothing happened for several moments. I almost wished I hadn't felt the snow. Then maybe I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up. I closed my eyes...

I suddenly felt someone or something grab my free ski. I felt a spark of hope. Maybe I won't die. I could hear digging.

"Drift! Is that you?" I heard someone call out. It sounded like Snowflake. I wiggled my ski in reply. "Storm! I found him! He's buried under the snow!"

Storm? He was looking for me? Strange. I hesitated. How long have I been down here?

"Thank goodness." I felt someone–probably Storm–grab my ski and wriggle it around. "I thought you were dead!" A pause. "He's not, right? Dead I mean." I wiggled my ski around again and I thought I could hear a breath of relief.

"Not yet he isn't but we better dig him out as fast as possible. He's been here for at least twenty minutes. Which means that he's lucky to be alive now." Definitely Snowflake then. "We have to dig out his head or at least his mouth." I felt the digging get more urgent around my feet. All while I tried not to panic. Twenty minutes. That's not good. I tried to breath as shallow as possible as they tried to dig me out. Hopefully I don't suffocate. I felt their hands reach my face. They dug around me and made sure I could breathe. I gasped in a breath of cold crisp air.

I'd forgotten how amazing it was to breath fresh clean air. "Drift! Are you ok? Please tell me he's not dead." I looked up there was Storm and Snowflake staring down at me. I could hear the worry in storm's voice.

"Yeah..." I croaked my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm fine." I rasped. I blinked my eyes heavy. "Do you mind getting me out?"

Snowflake nodded. "Storm. Go grab a few others. I'll keep trying to dig him out." Storm hesitated. "But-" "Go. I'm the healer. I know what he needs." I didn't mind who did it. I just wanted to get out of here. I blinked I could barely feel my fingers now. In the back of my mind I wondered if they would fall off. I could hear Storm leaving, giving me a worried glance. I just wanted to close my eyes... Snowflake snapped her fingers in my face and my eyes snapped open. "Stay with me." She started digging around me trying to get me out glancing at my face every once and a while. I shivered.

Snowflake dug around me for a while before I hird Skis stop by me spraying some snow on my face. "Is he still ok?" It was Storm again.

"Yeah. He's alive." Snowflake replied bluntly. "But he's falling asleep. We need to get him out." Everything was fuzzy.

"I brought Avalanche, Powder, Sleet and Ice."

Avalanche? Why's he here of all people. Wouldn't seeing me buried be a little termatic?

"They all volunteered." I felt more hands trying to dig me out. I was to tired to care right now. My eye lids started sliding closed. "Stay with us!" Storm snapped his fingers in my face. I tried to open my eyes and stay awake but it was hard. "Stay with me...