Chapter 83

The narrator wakes to find Gruffin tearing through their food stores. Upon discovering Essi has left the dwelling to hunt game for the dragon—something she never does—the narrator spots her limping across the snowy plains dragging a dead snow wyrm, pursued by a pack of crowls. Realizing the danger, the narrator immediately arms themselves and jumps out the window to intervene.

The narrator awakens to Gruffin ransacking the carcass supply bag, causing immediate concern. Finding Essi absent from her usual spot, they discover a parchment lark bearing her hastily written message: she has gone hunting to find food for the increasingly troublesome dragon without waking the narrator. This behavior is uncharacteristic—Essi rarely leaves the dwelling and has only done so once before. When the narrator peers out the window, the Mists part to reveal Essi limping across the plains in a dire situation, dragging a dead snow wyrm behind her in a makeshift sling. More alarming still, she is being stalked by a pack of crowls—white, skeletal creatures with patchy pelts whose favorite prey is lone, wandering fae. The narrator recognizes the extreme danger: crowls hunt in large packs and are formidable enough to take down injured dragons. Without hesitation, the narrator arms themselves, pulls on boots, and leaps out the window to reach Essi before the pack attacks.