The group huddles around the wolf, who kneels down in front of Claire. The jaguar can do little but lay down now, her breaths becoming loud and hurried. She makes an effort to keep her eyes open.

The wolf talks to her with a tone as sweet as it is quiet. "You can calm down now. I'll be extra careful." The wolf then stands back up, and takes a couple of steps back. "Hey, uh, stand back, everyone. This'll take a moment."

She grips her staff with both hands and points it towards Claire. With slow, measured motions, she begins to cast her spell. A soothing, earthy-green glow emanates from it.

The spellcasting continues for several seconds. The group look on nervously as Claire's situation shows little signs of change. The wolf notices this right away; she closes her eyes and starts whispering to herself; it's a language the group aren't familiar with. The light grows stronger.

This time, it becomes clear that the spell worked. The jaguar's breathing goes back to normal. The only sign that she was ailing to begin with is the sweat covering her forehead.

Yet, her eyes stay closed. "She'll be okay now," the wolf says, relieved. "But, I'm gonna ask one of you to carry her along the way."

Luke almost raises his hand, but Umbra interrupts by barging through. "I can do that! I'll carry her!"

With that, Umbra carefully picks up Claire off the ground. She's conked out for sure, but at least the worst appears to be over. The bat can't help but notice her partner's still a little lighter than usual. "Claire..." she thinks to herself. "Why didn't you just...?"

Her thoughts are cut short by the wolf's voice. "Follow me. It's hard to see, but I know the way to my village."

As the wolf leads the way, the group gather behind her, checking on Claire's condition every other minute.

"Like I said," the wolf adds, "she'll be fine. All she needs now is just some rest."

Ollie appears to be curious about something. "How'd you know, like, exactly what kinda spell to use?"

"I could tell," the wolf replies. "Your friend's a mage like me. Sometimes, our minds get strained when we use too much magic. She must've gotten it pretty bad if it was enough to leave her like that."

Along the way north, the trees around them grow sparser and the ground levels out. The sound of the rushing river is all but gone now. Though the fog hasn't gone away, the very air around the creatures feels much different all of a sudden.

"Oh! We're here now," the wolf says. She picks up the pace while signaling the group to follow suit.

From within the deep fog, a large cabin appears in front of them. "Yup, right where I left it. Let's get inside, come on," the wolf continues, fumbling with the lock for a second.

As the door opens with a subtle creak, they're welcomed by a rather shabby-looking house. Candles cover every corner and illuminate the unusually pristine furniture, including a large bed at the end of the room.

"Sorry about the mess," the wolf says. "It's still a work-in-progress. The inside, I mean. It looks fine from the outside. Well, not right now, 'cause there's fog everywhere and... uh, anyway. There's a bed over here. Your friend's gonna need it."

Umbra walks up to the bed. She places Claire on the cushioned mat as lightly as possible, and covers the jaguar with the thick layers of blankets at her feet.

Ollie, Luke, and the wolf stand diligently at the door, watching the scene intently. "Should we leave 'em alone?" Luke asks, concerned.

"We probably should," the wolf answers, sighing. "The cute jaguar, the protective bat... they kinda remind me of me and..." Her ears perk up upon having a quick realization. "That's right! Hey, you two can help me out with something! Let's go away, go go go!"

The wolf shoos the two away before quietly closing the door.

Trying not to pay attention to whatever's happening outside, Umbra stays by Claire's side as always. She takes this moment to gaze at her for a while.

"You really gave me a good scare back there," Umbra whispers. She holds the jaguar's cold hand.

"You were so cool," Claire answers!

Umbra jolts back to her feet in surprise. "You were awake for all of that?!"

Claire nods, displaying a goofy smirk. "I heard everything. 'I can do that! I'll carry her!' Gosh. You sounded so determined. Like I was ill or something."

"You kinda were sick!" Umbra says with a heightened tone.

Claire only seems to have become aware of her situation just now. "Ah... Okay, maybe I was. But now I'm just tired. So, hey... come here." She makes room for her partner, and opens her arms.

Needless to say, Umbra lays down with her, and embraces her, tighter than ever. "Get some sleep, honey. I'll be right here. And, um... sorry for all this."

Claire wastes no time giving her a good, long kiss. "It's okay, it's okay. Try to sleep a little now," she says, burying her face in Umbra's fur. Her focus soon turns to sleeping.

Umbra takes this time to rest, too. But her mind's still full of words, questions and what-ifs. It takes some time for her to fall asleep. Because for one minuscule moment, she feared the worst.