The sky darkened little by little. Heavy storm clouds blanketed the entire rainforest, and the already cool temperature plunged. The evening wind carried damp air through every crack in the hollow tree, chilling them to the bone.
Li Xiang crouched beside Xeno, never taking her eyes off him.
The high fever she had finally managed to bring down after hours of effort during the day showed signs of returning that night. Xeno's face still bore an unnatural flush. His eyes were shut, his mind clouded, and he could not stop feeling cold.
Even with every piece of clothing on, he still trembled faintly, curled up and looking terribly weak.
The rainforest's low nighttime temperatures only made things worse for someone whose fever had not yet broken.
Li Xiang was cold enough to wrap her arms loosely around herself, too. But keeping Xeno's temperature under control and preventing his fever from worsening mattered most right now.
She carefully pulled his clothes closed, covering every gap that let in a draft. Even so, the chill in his body refused to fade.
There was no other choice. She had to keep a fire going for warmth.
Li Xiang stood up and, before darkness fell completely, hurried back and forth through the forest, desperately gathering dry branches until the woodpile beside the hollow tree was packed full.
The campfire burned steadily, orange-red flames crackling and dancing. Its warm glow filled the hollow, barely holding back the night wind at the bottom of the valley.
She stayed beside the fire, watching both Xeno's breathing and the flames. Whenever the wood was nearly burned through, she immediately added more, not daring to let the fire go out.
The campfire still did not provide enough warmth.
Li Xiang picked out a few suitably sized stones nearby and