Before cooling down from their sweat, which would make them vulnerable to the night chill, they had to gather firewood. The temperature would drop fast once the sun set completely. Yuval started collecting stones to block the campfire's light, building a crude wall to hide their presence, while Merein and Rowan gathered firewood from the surrounding forest.
Everyone was too tired to talk, saving their breath for the work. Merein dropped branches several times, fingers refusing to grip properly. But without a word of complaint, she silently fulfilled her duty as a mercenary, picking them up and trying again.
"I'm dying."
Merein laid the firewood in the cave and collapsed right there. Yuval meticulously stacked stones, filled the gaps with dirt, then started arranging the firewood carefully in the center.
"I'm gonna go check if there's any game around."
No answer came. Merein had closed her eyes, and Yuval just nodded.
