All About BBrae

Cold Front

Azar have mercy on her, Raven was livid.

She was hungry, she was tired, she was grumpy and, most of all, she was cold.

It was probably an understatement at that; Raven was literally freezing. She was also, more importantly, lost.

If her teeth weren't chattering so much, she'd have let out a sling of uncharacteristic curse words as she shivered beneath her thick, winter cloak. Rage roared within her, like the only, fanning flame that was keeping her alive. The blizzard that blew through the mountains sapped her body heat like it was an icy leech, the blistering winds feeling like the razor-sharp teeth of an ice wraith piercing right through all her protective layers.

Raven could barely feel any part of her limbs. Everything was numb. Her fingers and toes had been the first to go, along with her nose and face. It didn't matter how covered she was; spending enough time out in such extreme conditions would eventually render all articles of clothing useless. The snow was unrelenting, the wind frigid and seeping into her bones. Still, she'd trudged on in defiance. Like hell was she going back to him.

The storm attacked her in many directions, clouded her vision, and drained all her strength. Despite all this, she remained far too stubborn and prideful to heed the changeling's advice.

The mission had started off simple enough; investigate the mountains for Brother Blood's newest base of operations. Unfortunately, that was a lot of ground to cover, so Robin had instructed his team to split up in search for any clue they could find. What their tenacious leader had not counted on was the fluctuation in weather.

Raven and Beast Boy had been paired off, and together, they'd been able to cover a huge amount of ground in a short amount of time. However, when the weather gradually worsened and Raven had started to feel the effects of the resilient cold, Beast Boy had suggested waiting the storm out as it would only continue to increase in ferocity throughout the night.

"I had a feeling this was going to happen. There's no way we'll find anything in these conditions. There's a cave I spotted up ahead during my scouting, not too far north from here. We can wait out the worst of it there, build a fire or something," Beast Boy had recommended when the winds had picked up and he'd caught Raven involuntarily shudder in her cloak and gloves.

She'd shaken her head in protest. "We have to press on while we can. Our communicators are jammed and they have no idea where we are."

Truth be told, she'd never have anticipated the seriousness in Garfield's precaution. She'd never have anticipated the way the changeling would react in such a situation, and the result had been somewhat catastrophic.

"Rae, it's freezing out here. If we don't find shelter, we'll die from hypothermia. Have you seen a single critter about?" Beast Boy had grabbed a hold of her arm, giving her a hardened look that she'd seldom ever seen grace the green-skinned teen's youthful features.

She had pondered his question, thinking long and hard. It had angered her somewhat to know that he was right; not a bird, not a rabbit, not an animal in sight. The landscape was a barren, snow-covered wasteland for miles and miles around.

"Didn't think so," he had answered for her once she'd remained silent. "They're all smart enough to realize what they're in for out here. We should do the same. When the weather clears, we'll be able to get a signal on our comms," he had instructed calmly, pulling out the said yellow, circular device from his pocket.

Raven had yanked her arm away from his grasp, hating herself for missing the way his warm, gloves fingers had felt against her frozen skin. "We're sitting ducks if Blood finds us!" She had argued vehemently.