Varik felt like he had been dragged into a pit of misery. While his mother went to get Dack from Nyssa he wandered the cave and thought. Varik refused to let his mother or his brother starve like his father did. At the very least he would repeat his father's sacrifice before letting them go before him. But there was not any food to ration, or to give up. He shouldn't have eaten earlier. What could he do?! As he wandered he avoided the caverns of other families, wandering the passages seldom used because of narrow passages, or low ceilings. Some of those other families hunted in spite of the high mortality rate, something that he would need to do. His mother would refuse for fear of losing him like his father though. Varik would need to do it in secret somehow. He’d have to convince Jok to let him out alone, something generally considered a suicide mission. However it would be pretty easy to convince him when presented as death by monster or death by starvation. The real key would be convincing Jok not to tell Salyn. With a plan in mind, he took his stone knife and turned to walk back to the entrance. Only problem was he had no idea where he was. He usually kept track by running his hands along the walls or simply from memory, but as he had been wandering he hadn’t paid attention. This would certainly be a long night.

When he finally made it back to the entrance to the cave Jok was asleep. The next family planning to go gather food (Jarl and his kin) wouldn't leave for a while. There was likely few hours left of daylight outside, so Varik would have to hurry. He shook Jok awake.

After rubbing his eyes, Jok looked at Varik with sad eyes.

“Your father was a great man. One of the smartest hunters we have. He almost ended up being the guard you know that? It fell to me only because he didn't want to take food from other people no matter how many times we told him that's not what this is. Same thing with that other cave we were in 7 winters back. “ He shivered briefly in memory of the journey to the new cave.

“Anyway it's easy to see you are trying to follow his example here. There's only one reason you come to the exit and it isn't to hang out with old Jok. I can't refuse you, I know how you need the meat. And hey, if you get something I benefit too eh?” His eyes twinkled for a second.

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“But are you sure there is no other way? Asking food is a great shame yes but would you rather be shameful or dead? Our dead are many, but few ever make it past your age.”

Varik wasn't particularly proud, but he knew that none of the other families were swimming in food either. Like his father he knew that any food he took would be less food for the children of the other families. Doing this felt like he was beginning to repay the vast debt he had with his father. He owed the lives of his brother and mother to him, and he had always felt the weight.

“I have to go Jok. For my father, but also for my living family. And hey, I’m not guaranteed to die.” Varik replied.

“You’ve never even hunted before” Jok muttered before moving to the stone. Together they rolled it aside. This time, Varik spent no time luxuriating in the light, but began walking through the woods. He would have to go even further than their traps had been placed, as that area had clearly been depleted of game. Though he hadn’t hunted, he most definitely knew how to move silently through the forest. He walked opposite the sun, which was beginning to lower in the sky. He stopped, clutching his knife, then grabbed a fallen branch. He unwrapped the blade from the handle, then used that cord to attach the blade to the branch, making a rudimentary spear. Then he continued on.

Just as Salyn had taught him he counted his steps and kept track of his direction relative to the sun. He wouldn’t repeat the incident in the cave. He should be coming up on the flaming sapling right about…there it is. In spite of his hurry, he couldn’t help but stop for a second, entranced again by the dancing flames. He stuck the end of his spear into one of the flames. It began to catch fire, but not supernaturally fast or hot. He moved it to a part of the sapling momentarily untouched by flame. The flames didn’t seem to follow the branch, continuing in random paths about the bark of the sapling. He wondered how it would feel to have such flames dancing on his skin. Though he knew it was a bad idea, he was already out here on a supposed suicide mission already. He reached out to touch a portion of the bark not currently on fire, watching the flames, imagining the shapes that they were taking.

As soon as his finger touched the bark all the flame on the sapling was sucked onto his hand. In spite of his silence training he cried out and pulled back. His entire hand was engulfed in the flame, and it began rapidly spreading up his arm. He dropped to the ground, rolling in the dirt in an effort to extinguish it. Instead it soon enveloped his entire body and he felt no more.