Awareness came slowly to Eleanara as tired eyes opened to dim light in a dark enclosure.  Her first thought was simply that she was uncomfortable and sore which quickly gave way to the realization she was laying on someone… several someones in fact and there was no sign of any opening above them which led to a brief flash of panic.  She beat it down fiercely as dim light from beneath her illuminated the area, allowing her to see the solid structure around them.  “Huh?”  Confusion reigned in her mind as she tried to put the fragments of memory together but all she could recall was falling asleep next to Kyuhyun… and she had the distinct impression that she had been tossed around at some point, judging by the soreness she felt.

           As she regained her senses, she looked down to see who she was laying on after all.  “Siwon?” she started, moving his arm off her abdomen where it had been resting.  Then she gasped as she saw the rest of them splayed out along the back in various states of unconsciousness and discomfort.  To her horror, they were all covered in blood; some far more than others.  “Guys?” she asked, trying again a bit louder.  When no one responded, she reached out and grabbed Siwon’s face in her hands.  He was the easiest to reach so she figured she would start with him.  “Siwon?” she asked worriedly, shaking his face gently in her hands.

           He groaned weakly but dark eyes finally flickered open and he seemed dazed when he first looked at her.  “Eleanara?” he asked laying a hand on her shoulder slowly before he sat up, aware that he was laying on someone else.  Awkwardly, he stood up, careful not to step on Kyuhyun who was beneath him, or Leeteuk who was slightly under the former.  He swayed when he stood and Eleanara struggled to support him, his greater weight offsetting her and wincing when she saw the large gashes down his arms and the blood on his back.

           “Are you alright?” she asked, taking into consideration that he was wounded but conscious.  She needed to see how the others had fared before she started throwing her healing ability around, as much as she wanted to heal them all immediately.  This was not a place where she could just cast cure and restore them to consciousness as if nothing had happened.  It was not like back at the monastery where they had simply been rendered unconscious…  The greater the injury, the greater the amount of energy needed to rectify it.  She had learned that much at least, within the monastery.  “What happened?” she asked leaning down to wake Kyuhyun who seemed a bit more banged up than Siwon.  Blood was splashed liberally down the side of his face where a head gash had bled profusely and his arm seemed quirked at a funny angle, but she couldn’t be sure it was broken just yet.  In the face of such injuries, her question was lost almost immediately.

           The other man came to with a couple shakes to the uninjured shoulder and he grimaced when he tried to move.  Awkwardly, he tried to move off of Leeteuk, carefully placing his feet so as not to step on him.  Shakily, Siwon gave him a hand up so that they were leaning against the slanted wall.  Kyuhyun had definitely mangled his arm and his legs also looked abused with several bloody patches.  Still sore, Eleanara hurried to Leeteuk’s side only to find that he had fused his hands and feet with the wall; a feat she had not even considered possible until just then.  She gasped that the right hand was bent at an unnatural angle and had to have been broken, if not worse.  His left hand looked severely bruised, but was at least easy enough to pull out of the crumbling wall.  For that matter, so were the rest of his limbs, but when she carefully rolled him over, she could see he had a large patch of red over his abdomen where it looked as if he had been stabbed.  “Oh no,” she gasped, bringing her ear over his mouth to make sure he was breathing.  A thin wispy breath tickled her ear and she thanked the stars he was alive.  Carefully, she propped him against her to support his badly bruised body and looked back at the others.  To her relief, Summer, Kharin and Eunhyuk were all coming around, wounded in their own turn, but functional.

           Eunhyuk had a bloody nose where his face had connected with the wall at one point and he had several lacerations there, but seemed otherwise unharmed, fortunately.  Kharin looked like her shoulder was dislocated and she was hunched over, clearly favoring her left side.  Summer remained sitting, inspecting a twisted ankle that may well have been broken, and nursed several other gashes.  Everyone was subdued but conscious, except for Leeteuk.

           “Are we all accounted for?” Kharin asked, a catch to her voice where it appeared it was hard to breathe.  Eleanara filed it in the back of her mind that she may well have suffered internal injuries as well.

           “Teuk’s alive,” she called back, letting her hand slowly slide over his chest and abdomen, feeling for any further injury.  As she figured, the right wrist was broken and his left ankle had been fractured.  He had a puncture wound in his abdomen that she thought she felt had pierced something inside.  “Come back to us,” she whispered in his ear softly, closing her eyes and placing her right hand over his stomach wound.  A gentle warmth spread out from under her hand and seeped into his body.  With her eyes closed, she could feel the progress that it made, first repairing the subcutaneous damage to his internal organs and then knitting the flesh back together again before dispersing to his appendages.  The ankle was fused back together while the wrist slid back into place, bone sliding on bone audibly.  Minor wounds were addressed at the same time and even when she felt the warmth recede to indicate that the healing was completed, she remained where she was, her hand resting lightly across his chest instead.  The steady rise and fall of his chest was reassuring and the stronger sound of his breathing gave her confidence that it had worked.  “Teuk,” she whispered, tightening her arms around him as much as her tired self would let her.  “Leeteuk,” she tried again, willing him to wake up.

           It seemed an eternity passed but at last, she felt his left hand close gently over her right hand.  “It’s alright, Eleanara,” he whispered softly, squeezing her hand in reassurance.

           “I’m glad you’re okay,” she smiled into his shoulder, the beginnings of tears in her eyes.  Quickly, she blinked them away and started to untangle herself.  Annoyed, she could tell that his had been more of a major healing and it cost her.  Plaintively, she reached up for a helping hand and Siwon stepped forward to assist, helping haul her to her feet easily, though he favored his injured arm.  While Kyuhyun helped Leeteuk to stand up with them, she paused where she was and laid a hand on Siwon’s chest.  Physical contact allowed her to read the extent of injuries like Leeteuk could listen through the earth.  The medium was different but the effect was essentially the same.  Bruises, scrapes, some deep gashes on his back and a nasty bump on his head proved the extent of his injuries.  She was infinitely glad he had woken up since head wounds were tricky business.  Slowly, the healing warmth spread through his body, knitting up torn flesh and smoothing out the bump on his head nicely.

           “Oh…that’s much better, Nara,” he smiled appreciatively as he took a deep breath, glad that the room stopped feeling shaky.

           “Kyu?” she asked, reaching out for him to take her hand.  He helped to steady Leeteuk before he reached out and took her small hand in his.  Leeteuk grasped her other hand and between the two of them, they guided her to the still injured man.  A hand on his chest showed that he had torn ligaments in his arm and both of his legs were suffering from muscle strain and several puncture wounds.  A frown crossed her face as she let the healing warmth spread through him and almost immediately, he stood up straighter, the pinched expression leaving his face.  “Better?” she asked, a bit breathlessly.

           “Much,” he answered slowly, feeling mended but still tired.  “Thank you.”  The relief was nearly indescribable and it helped to wash away the uncertainty of the moments before he had out.  He remembered falling and a desperate attempt to prevent additional harm before unconsciousness claimed him.

           Eleanara nodded her understanding and then looked at the other three.  They seemed so far away…  With a determined breath, she reached for Leeteuk’s hand to help her across and then to Siwon’s who propelled her to sit next to Summer.  Tentatively, she placed a hand on Summer’s chest, just above her s.  “This might hurt,” she warned quietly, threading the fingers of her free hand through Summer’s closest one and holding tight.  She felt an understanding squeeze and proceeded to heal her, the command silent but powerful.  Simple wounds melted away and torn muscles were sewn together again but when the healing reached her ankle, Summer grit her teeth and growled as her hand tightened over Eleanara’s.  They heard bone grinding on bone as the ankle oriented itself; with one final click, everything settled into place and Summer sagged in relief.

           She groaned and muttered, “You weren’t kidding.”

           “Sorry,” Eleanara chewed her lip and gripped her shoulder comfortingly.  “I only do what I can,” she assured the other woman, her breath low and tired.

           Her reaction wasn’t missed by the others and Summer picked her chin up with a soft hand, “Are you alright?”

           Eleanara nodded slowly and took another steadying breath, weighed down by having to choose between the two and her inability to do more.  “Just…tired,” she admitted, focusing on the neutralizer with some difficulty.

           “Don’t overdo it, Nara,” Siwon cautioned, a warning which made her roll her eyes and smile slightly.

           “Take your time in standing, Summer,” she encouraged with a pat on the other woman’s shoulder before she looked back to Kyuhyun for further assistance in standing up.  It galled her she needed the help at all, but it was considerably faster than if she tried herself.  He picked her up under the arms and set her next to Kharin so she could read the damage done.  Eleanara frowned in thought when she confirmed that she’d heard correctly; something had pierced one of her lungs.  Determinedly, she focused on the man on the other side of her.  “Eunhyuk.  Do you think you can get her shoulder back in its socket?”  She would really rather not have to heal that…it would hurt more and she wasn’t certain she could address it anyway.

           “I think so,” he nodded, grabbing Kharin’s arm uncertainly.  “You ready?” he asked when she looked at him with a grimace.  She felt Eleanara’s grip on her free arm tighten and she nodded.  With a swift yank, they all heard the shoulder slide back into place and Kharin cried through clenched teeth, a garbled animal sound.  “Sorry,” Eunhyuk looked unhappy as he placed a hand on her back to help her stand.

           “Me too,” she grimaced, her expression pinched with pain while she looked between him and Eleanara.  She didn’t like the wan appearance of the light elementalist and she peered at her intently.  “You look like you’re about to pass out,” she whispered breathily.

           “That’s because I am,” Eleanara agreed, running a hand over her hair nervously.

           “Nara,” Leeteuk called, making her look over at him tiredly.  “Now isn’t the time for testing your limits again,” he assured her with a guilty glance at Kharin and Eunhyuk.  He was the only one that she had healed completely and while he had no say in the matter at the time, it didn’t make him feel any better about it.

           Kyuhyun eyed him in annoyance.  “You’re the one that said it was better to find them here at the beginning.”

           “Hey.  It’s not like I expected this to happen,” Leeteuk retorted.  He felt bad enough about it without the fire elementalist reminding him.

           “Yeah.  Who would have ever thought we’d run into trouble in the beginning of our trek?  Because obviously that never happens,” Kyuhyun muttered back, in a foul mood at their predicament as he crossed his arms over his chest.

           “Well I’m sorry I don’t know everything,” Leeteuk spat back.  “I did the best I could,” he gestured at the enclosure around them.  “What would you-”

           “Hey!” Summer yelled loudly, the sound making them all jump as it bounced off the walls in the small space.  “Now is not the time,” she reminded them with a frightening glare at Kyuhyun who looked away while Leeteuk looked down of his own accord.

           “Summer’s right,” Siwon agreed quietly, placing a hand on Leeteuk's shoulder and then looking back at the injured members.  “Kharin.  Eunhyuk.  Are you able to go on as is?” he asked, glancing between the two, doubting that the shadow elementalist was in any such condition.

           Eunhyuk answered first with a pained shrug.  “It hurts a lot and I can’t breathe through my nose but I’m alright.”  His voice was altered by his injury, though he was able to give them a brave smile, flinching when the action hurt more than he thought it would.

           “I’m good,” Kharin added, trying to stand up and take a deep breath to assure them but a coughing fit took her.  She covered to help control it but when she pulled her hand away, it was liberally covered with blood.  “Ugh…”

           “No you’re not,” Eleanara murmured, her hand still resting lightly against the other woman’s shoulder.  “Sorry Hyuk,” she whispered, unable to meet his eyes.  Before anyone could try to convince her otherwise, she willed what was left of her strength to repair the damage in Kharin, feeling the power answer her call sluggishly, straining to complete the task she was asking of it.  As she felt the hole in Kharin’s lungs heal over, she felt herself start to drift away.  “Kharin…”

           “Nara!” the shadow elementalist lurched to grab the crumpling healer, clenching her teeth against the pain in her recently set shoulder when she felt the weight of the other’s body halt in her arms.  Eunhyuk steadied her from behind and Kyuhyun was there to catch them from the front, uncertainly cradling Eleanara and Kharin when they fell against him.

           Summer turned awkwardly on the ground while Leeteuk and Siwon crowded from behind.  “Dammit, Nara,” the earth elementalist frowned, more upset with himself than her.  He was supposed to protect them; to keep them safe.  They had only just started out and already things were falling apart.

           “Stubborn girl,” Kharin sighed, easing her hold on the other woman’s body while Kyuhyun took the brunt of her weight.  Carefully, she traced the stray strands of hair out of the unconscious woman’s face and sighed.

           As gently as possible, Kyuhyun lowered her body to the ground, letting Summer take her while she was still seated.  “Here,” he urged, standing back up and looking at Kharin and Eunhyuk who still seemed rather broken to him.

           The wind elementalist kept a hand on Kharin’s shoulder, trying to ignore the constant throbbing in his face, and took a steadying breath.  He’d dealt with injuries before Eleanara had gained control of her power and he could do so again.  “So what now?” he asked instead, pointedly not looking at the light elementalist, but rather at Leeteuk.

           Uncertainly, the group looked around at each other, not quite sure where to begin.  After a brief awkward silence, Leeteuk answered, “Alright.  We know we fell off the mountain and presumably we’re somewhere on the face of it still, but…” he placed a hand on the rock face closest to him and his sight turned distant and unfocused.  “We’re completely covered in snow and debris,” he sighed, confirming what he had been worried about.  Conscious of the fact he was no longer injured, he flexed his hand experimentally and glanced at Eleanara again.

           “Then we’ll just have to dig ourselves out,” Kyuhyun stated bluntly.

           “Even you can’t melt an entire avalanche of snow,” Summer cautioned, aware that it might well just pile more snow on them.

           “I can damn well try,” he persisted, glaring at the wall.  “I need you to open a hole in this rock so that I can get to it.”  He faced Leeteuk squarely, daring him to deny him.

           Leeteuk looked around at the others and they shrugged.  “We’ve got nothing else to go on,” Eunhyuk finally stated in weary acceptance.  “And we can’t very well wait for it to melt.”  The general consensus agreed with that much.

           Siwon stepped down to where shards of the rock Leeteuk had provided for the watch light were scattered at the bottom, along the fissured ‘floor’.  “There’s no telling when our light will go out either and I’m not waking her up to cast it again,” he stated firmly, glancing at the passed out Eleanara.  He had known exactly what he was doing when he had taken every knock he could for her.  It was not an experience he wanted to repeat but it had been worth it for all their sakes as a glance around confirmed.  Even if she hadn’t been able to get to Eunhyuk or heal the rest of them completely, they were at least healed enough and standing.  Leeteuk had benefited the most from Eleanara’s touch and Siwon had no illusions about who had kept the shelter in tact during the fall.

           “Let him try,” Kharin stated firmly, glancing at Eleanara.  “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can find out where we actually are.”  Absently, she moved forward to retrieve the pack nearest her and pulled it out of the way.  Eunhyuk and Siwon helped where they stood so Kyuhyun would have a place to stand free of debris.

           Leeteuk looked around for a few more seconds and then finally met Kyuhyun’s gaze again.  “Alright.  But be careful not to keep it too close to us.  The rock wall will not protect us from your power.”  Covered in snow the way they were, the shelter had become distinctly colder so that their breath plumed in front of their faces, but without the wind it was still bearable; a dry and constant cold.  Hesitantly, he placed a hand on the face he intended to open and sighed.  While he could tell that there was snow all around them, he couldn’t tell how much specifically…  Carefully, he opened a circular hole, about the size of the mixing bowls at the monastery, and frowned.  Patches of snow dripped in while the rest of it stayed put, but it was melting slowly; probably due to the heat they produced just by being in here.  “All yours,” he gestured to Kyuhyun, stepping away and in front of Eleanara and Summer.